Hut-to-Hut Hiking With Kids? Yes! Check Our Tips, Routes and Packing List

Is your child ready for hiking from hut to hut? Let's put one thing straight: a child is always ready for a new adventure. Kids often adapt to new situations faster than adults. And let’s be honest, it is not your child who found this blog post wondering how to go hut-to-hut — it was you, the parent or caregiver, and you are asking yourself what to consider. Nothing wrong with that, because there are definitely a few things to keep in mind.

Hiking from hut to hut with a toddler is not the same as doing it with a 12-year-old. From around 12 years old, many children can handle almost the same as adults, provided you add a little patience. For a hut-to-hut trek with children under 12, we share 7 practical tips below — and as a bonus, we will also show you some of the most suitable routes in places like Switzerland, the Dolomites, and Austria.

On a hut-to-hut trek with children, kids should feel like they’re truly in charge. They don’t need to know it, but you certainly do! If the children are happy on a hike, so are you. Both during the preparation, the journey there, and the hike itself, adapt to your child’s needs. This doesn’t mean they make all the decisions. It means they have a voice when it comes to choosing which hut hike to go on — but most importantly, they set the pace.

When hiking with children, the emphasis should always be on fun and never on sporting ambitions. If your child is already walking by themselves, take it easy. Unlike a short day hike, a hut-to-hut trek doesn’t always allow for shortcuts or easy exits. Less is more! If you arrive at the hut in the early afternoon, that’s perfect. You’ll have extra time to play outside, explore, or enjoy a Kaiserschmarrn together. That’s what makes it memorable.

Melynda Harris hiked the Alta Via 2 in September 2022 with her husband and her two sons (14 and 15): "Although I’m glad we waited until they were teenagers, we could easily have done a shorter or less steep trek when they were younger. The main thing we had to think about was whether we had enough food. The lunches you buy at the rifugios were quite small, so we always bought extra chocolate and snacks. Most days we stopped for lunch at rifugios or restaurants along the way, but my teenagers were still hungry from time to time."

The children were already teenagers, but the Alta Via 2 is still a very tough hike, definitely not recommended for children under 12. However, the experience was not too bad for Melynda: "Personally, I found the whole hike downright delightful. I wish we could have kept going. It was puffing and panting at some stretches though, especially for my husband and me. The kids just kept going."

Photo: Melynda Harris and the children on the Alta Via 2

Our trekking expert Sierd lives in Cape Town and regularly goes hiking in the mountains with his son. Although, regularly? "We are fortunate here that we literally live on a mountain and so we can always do an impromptu hike after school or at weekends. When he was around three years old, he liked to go without a hitch but now that he is eight, he doesn’t immediately find it exciting. Of course, he is already somewhat used to it, so the challenge is not so much in the walk but in what he encounters along the way. And that very thing is more fun when he walks or runs with other children."

Are there siblings? Great, then they can entertain each other. Not? Then consider going on a hike with another family. Together is more fun than alone, especially for children. Sierd: "If the children are enjoying themselves, you are more likely to keep walking. They then come up with their own ways to make it exciting or competitive. A race is always fun of course!

Photo: Sierd of Bookatrekking.com and son on Elsie’s Peak in Cape Town

It doesn't have to be a race, but having a goal is always fun. Children will quickly understand that they’re moving from hut to hut. They see mountain peaks everywhere but these do not necessarily come closer. Climbing a mountain peak is a physical and mental challenge that makes for great memories. We often hear that these are unforgettable moments from clients who climb Kilimanjaro. You are not going to find Kilimanjaro in the Alps, but there are countless smaller peaks that are relatively easy to climb.

The mountain huts you encounter on a hike are not just there for you as a hiker. If they were built by the Alpine Association, they were originally often bases for climbing peaks. From every hut, you can climb a few peaks, which often include peaks that are doable for children. On a hut-to-hut hike with children in Switzerland, for example, you’ll often find family-friendly side trips to nearby summits. Have a short hiking day and arrive at the hut early? Have a bite to eat and find children's happiness at the summit!

"I can't go any further." You're bound to hear it a few times during a hut trip with children. This does not mean that your child is completely spent. Good chance he or she is bored. Then it's time for singing, dancing, or playing. Throwing stones in a mountain lake, trying to whistle on blades of grass, guessing animals, eye spy with my little eye — there is always something to come up with. On a hut-to-hut hike with children in Austria, for example, mountain lakes and wide valleys offer plenty of natural playgrounds.

Without stuffing the kids full of sugar, this is also always a good time to have something to eat. Bring plenty of (healthy) snacks and sit down for one. When walking with children, the walk itself is the destination. You can fully enjoy the time you have together with your family on a hike.

You're going to the Alps, not camping. A well-organized packing list is essential to ensure you have everything you need. Are the kids coming along and can't yet carry a backpack of their own? Then assume that this will be added to your backpack. Here you can find a complete packing list with a checklist for your hut trip. If you are planning a hut-to-hut hike with children in Switzerland, good packing makes all the difference between a fun family adventure and sore shoulders.

Children have their own packing list to make sure they have everything they need. Involve your child in this. Go to the outdoor shop together and take the packing list below with you. You can then look together at what you already have and, on the day of packing, cross everything off together.

The fun of a hut-to-hut hiking trip with children starts when you start working on finding a suitable option. Depending on their age, involve your kids in researching the options. How many days will you be on the road? How long are you hiking for? What would you take with you? Read descriptions of and look at photos and videos together. Children don't want to be just a "fellow hiker", but want to know what to expect. If you are curious about family-friendly options, check out what a hut-to-hut trek in Austria with children can look like.

The hut-to-hut hiking season starts mid-June and ends mid-September. In recent years, treks and huts have grown enormously in popularity. If you want a chance of getting a private or family room, it is wise to make your plans as early as possible. If you have slightly older children, a family room may not even be that interesting. It can also be fun and exciting to share a room with hikers you don't know.

At around age 6, most children can handle a trek with minimal parental assistance. If they are younger, you either take it very easy or you still carry the little one from time to time. On the Lasörling Höhenweg in Austria you hike between 2.5 and 5 hours a day, with patience doable with children. Last summer, Anne Verbokkem hiked the Lasörling Höhenweg with three children, aged 12, 15 and 15. As a child, she went on a hike in the same area once herself. Anne: "I saw the Grossglockner then. We also did the Tour du Mont Blanc once. I have very fond memories of that. Especially the huts in the mountains were an adventure for me too, eating together with others in the evening, going to sleep, and getting up early again."

The children were not too bad, as far as their own physical exertion was concerned. For the slightly older children, the lack of Wi-Fi was a problem at first: "They got used to this over the days. We played games in the huts and went to bed early. It's always a good idea to bring a deck of cards. Also, download some movies on the phone or tablet for them to watch. A pocket knife, compass and binoculars are a must, there is so much to see!"

Thanks to their sublime, monumental, and colourful landscapes, the Dolomites are among the most beautiful mountain regions in the world. That it is a deserved UNESCO World Heritage Site is evident every year on the trails of the popular Alta Via 1. The route, a stone's throw from Cortina d'Ampezzo and starting at the famous Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee), attracts thousands of hikers every year. The entire Alta Via 1 takes more than a week and is not suitable for families. The northern part of the Alta Via 1 though, which includes the start of the route, is often booked by families.

Some even with children under 8, like the family of Andrew and Phoebe Mackenzie from Australia. A surprising trip: "My wife and I have always talked about doing a hut-to-hut hike, but never made it a priority in our travels before we had children. We thought we might have to wait ten years until our children became teenagers, but because Bookatrekking.com allowed children and gave us good advice, we were happy to do the Alta Via 1 with our sons aged 6 and 3. We were traveling from Australia for a family wedding in Italy and made sure we had plenty of time for hiking. We had done full-day hikes before, but never a multi-day hike."

It turned out to be a fantastic experience for all four, says Andrew: "The kids found it more interesting than we expected. Four days of hiking is such precious bonding time. We were able to talk, laugh and sing. We came up with discussion topics like religion, climate change, ethics, family history, etc. – Topics that require thinking and conversation time, which you don't get time for in daily life."

Andrew and Phoebe didn't have to buy much for the boys: "We already had a carrier for our 3-year-old. We bought a big hiking backpack that could also carry all our overnight gear. Our hiking boots were already worn in. We bought hiking poles in Cortina and that definitely helped our 6-year-old. We bought our 6-year-old a Fitbit, which gave him a sense of achievement at the end of each day when he analysed the data."

"Basically, doing a hike with children is feasible. Other hikers were so encouraging and kind to our children. Yes, it is more effort and takes a bit longer, but it is an experience for them that not many of their peers will have. I hope our 6-year-old will at least remember the sense of achievement he felt every day and that it will be a fond memory that develops him as a person," Andrew said. With a little patience, children as young as 8 years old can hike the short Alta Via 1. To make it bite-sized, the trekking experts have developed a version of the short Alta Via 1 where the huts are booked a little closer together. This allows for shorter distances and thus more time for daily hiking. Read more about hut-to-hut hiking in the Dolomites with children.

Photo: The Mackenzie family on the short Alta Via 1