Hiking the Rockies with Kids

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

There is always a certain amount of risk and discomfort involved in
hiking in the mountains. When you hike with children, you expose them to
that risk and discomfort. How far you go and the kinds of risks you
allow your children to face depends on your own experience and judgment.
This guide is written from the perspective of an experienced hiker who
wants to include children in the hiking lifestyle. The risk level
advocated here is well beyond the level at which most Canadian parents
would feel comfortable. Most parents, for example, would not want to
place themselves in the position of having to ford rivers, child in
arms, or “rope-up” their children to cross slippery slopes.

Its extreme perspective aside, this is a good introductory hiking
guide. The core of the book is made up of descriptions of 65 trails in
four national parks: Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay. Each trail has
been selected for “appeal in terms of scenery and interest as well as
accessibility and suitability for family hiking.”

The trail descriptions include data such as level of difficulty,
distance one way, elevation gain/loss, maximum elevation, trailhead,
“what-to-see-along-the-trail,” and a map reference. In the
descriptions there are few references to children. This part of the
guide would be useful to anyone who wants to take easy to moderate
hikes. Most of the child-related material comes in the sections before
and after the trail descriptions. These detailed sections cover trip
planning, keeping kids amused, environmental considerations, geology and
natural history, sports and activities, points of interest along the
roads and in the towns, safety, first-aid, nutrition, and sources of
supplies and information. The advice relating to children will be useful
not only to hikers but also to people camping or travelling with
children. The other sections will also be of use to any novice hiker.

Overall this is a well-researched book that would be a good addition to
most public library collections.