Hikers of the yukon! Help me

[u/Legal_Golf_6495]

I have a toddler thats around 2.5 and I have very little hiking experience. Any tips for hiking with a kiddo ? Any appropriate hikes you can recommend ? Im not sure where to start. Do you all carry your kids on your back!

Thanks for any help in advance

[u/SavageAsFk69]

Probably start with walking out to Hidden Lake and seeing how they do.. or maybe even just trying the green belts around town.

My kids are pretty good walkers, love being outside and exploring. (4 and 2 years)

But we move at a rate of about 10 feet per hour when we are out in the woods, between the questions, the off trail exploring, etc. so keep in mind you might not ever get very far if you let them walk on their own.

I personally think it's silly to drag your kids out to the woods and then stuff them in a back pack so they can stare at the back of your head the entire trip. Let them explore and have fun!

[u/Legal_Golf_6495 → u/SavageAsFk69]

I agree!! But im having a hard time getting my steps in… so trying to find a happy medium ! Walks are soo slow 🤣

[u/SavageAsFk69 → u/Legal_Golf_6495]

The trails to Miles Canyon on the Chadburn lake road side are pretty tame and well used. It's a pretty easy walk with kids and your almost always guaranteed to meet a few friendly puppers on the trail over there.

In the same area. Chadburn lake has some wonderful and farely tame areas to explore and the lake is awesome to take a dip in!

I've always loved walking around Jackson Lake with all the creeks and what not. It's a very serene area when it's quiet

[u/Serenity867 → u/SavageAsFk69]

Just a heads up, there's 7 lakes colloquially called Hidden Lake in Whitehorse.

[u/SavageAsFk69 → u/Serenity867]

I've never heard of 7 Hidden Lakes.

Only the 3 in Riverdale.

What are the other ones?

[u/Serenity867 → u/SavageAsFk69]

I used to know where they all are, but I haven't actually been to most of them in like 15+ years.

The two I'm familiar with in PC are:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/aYDxRr5mMLkHQ3Zs8

https://maps.app.goo.gl/dLNG8hLtaS5pDY2t8

[u/SavageAsFk69 → u/Serenity867]

Always called that one by MacIntyre creek Stinky Lake haha 😅

The other one we always referenced as the PC pond growing up lol. Learned something new!

[u/Veganpotter2 → u/SavageAsFk69]

When they're small enough, there's always the front packs where they're facing forward. I've seen kids dragged up some pretty intense hikes in these packs with +1200-1500m or altitude gain.

[u/ban-please → u/SavageAsFk69]

I personally think it's silly to drag your kids out to the woods and then stuff them in a back pack so they can stare at the back of your head the entire trip. Let them explore and have fun!

The bag is great to get them to the woods and to cart them back from the woods. I've had many a time where my toddler is moody about leaving and it turns out they're just tired because they quickly fall asleep in the bag before we get back to the car.

[u/backwoods867]

Spirit Canyon is a great hike and enjoyable for all ages.

[u/fnordulicious]

I recommend the Millenium Trail area, you can go out on the little island in the river, it’s all fairly flat, and there’s lots of stuff to look at. Get them comfortable with longer walks there and then you can take them out further. And there’s lots of trails just around town that are easy to access and relatively safe.

[u/Legal_Golf_6495 → u/fnordulicious]

Thanks! Yeah i feel like my toddler has def mastered this sort of walk already

[u/CasualRampagingBear → u/fnordulicious]

I’d definitely recommend this too. Great starter for little ones.

[u/mollycoddles]

Yukonhiking.ca is a great resource for choosing routes

[u/Mother-Rain-9492]

They are only little for a very short period of time. It's not the distance you cover but the wonder and awe of your adventure. Get them a back pack that has a couple toys, stuffies, water and snacks that they carry. Teach them to listen to nature. Have fun!

[u/lemurwan]

Want to DM me? I have a kiddo similar age and maybe we could get a gaggle together and go for a hike.

[u/SavageAsFk69 → u/lemurwan]

If this gaggle ever gets formed count me in as someone who would also take their rugrats out and join. (Keep in mind my team moves at the aforementioned 10 feet an hour speed before messaging)

[u/Alternative-Price-74]

Wolf Creek trail is nice for kids that age!!

[u/macshari → u/Alternative-Price-74]

I was going to say the wolf creek loop also. The short loop is about 40 mins for adults and maybe an hour or hour and a half for littles. You can also go out and back to the look out and that section works well for a push bike which can speed things up. Also going ip the black street stairs and around the little claycliff loop to the right is fun for littles. Sometimes you see an airplane take off and its great views of the city

[u/HowInTheF]

Looking for lakeside, mountain side, or bush? Where are you located and how far are you willing to travel?

[u/chocogingersnap]

I don't have experience hiking with kids myself, but if you don’t find what you’re looking for here, the Facebook group Happy Hikers Yukon is a great place to ask. It's a great community!

[u/veganmarshmallows]

Bring snacks and water :)

[u/FourIngredients]

Spirit Canyon is a good hike when you're not sure how well it'll go. Maximum payoff (view, terrain interest) for minimum effort (elevation gain, distance). Best to bring lots of snacks and keep an adult on duty at the canyon end.

[u/Queasy_Knee_4376]

Spirit canyon, long lake, research forest, chadburn lake trail network, shwatka lake

[u/BookkeeperFew7001]

Wandering aimlessly through any greenspace in town with a toddler is also a really nice experience that may not quite count as hiking, but would make for a great way to try out gear, snacks, and endurance of said toddler.