Best Toddler/Preschooler Hikes

Some of these trails are Chariot Friendly and will be marked as such below.   There are many more trails not on this list but I have chosen my top favourites to help you make the most of your Summer.  For more suggestions, check out my other page on Spring and Fall hikes.

Most of the trails are under 5km but for the few that are over, a child carrier might come in handy for the return trip or for uphill portions of the trail.  I also focused primarily on hikes within driving distance of Calgary.  For information on trails in Jasper National Park, please see the story I wrote on our spring trip there, Spring Adventures in Jasper or our summer trip, Family-friendly Summits in Jasper National Park.  For information on Waterton Lakes National Park, please see my story, Family Fun in Waterton Lakes National Park. 

When choosing hikes for this list, I chose hikes that would be interesting to most small children.  Trees and stunning views don't do as much for kids as  they do for us.  Kids want to have fun when they go hiking and for my child, that means there needs to be water, a creek, rocks to climb on, stairs to climb, boardwalks, or other interesting trail features.  Most of these trails will be interesting for school-aged children as well and they will certainly find them easier than a 2 year old would.

Best Toddler/Preschooler Hikes (photo: Beaver Flats, Kananaskis)

Paddy's Flat Interpretive Trail, Elbow Valley, Kananaskis

Great if you're camping at Paddy's Flat Campground.  4km one way.  Hike as far as you want and return the same way. It's possible as well to do a 2km loop with the Interpretive trail.  Trail is Chariot friendly, bike friendly, and has secret little pocket beaches.

Paddy's Flat Interpretive Trail along the Elbow River

Beach on the Paddy's Flat Trail

Beaver Flats Interpretive Trail, Elbow Valley, Kananaskis

This is a great trail if you are camped at the Beaver Flats Campground.  At 2.6km return most small children should have no problems with this easy hike.  It's well maintained, Chariot friendly and Bike friendly.  On the walk you'll have plenty of opportunities to look for beavers as you pass a series of  beaver ponds along a creek.

Beaver Flats Interpretive Trail

Big Elbow Trail, Elbow Valley, Kananaskis

This is a Chariot Hike and that's the only reason it's on this list.  It's really hard to find good Chariot hiking trails and this is one of my favourites.  The trail isn't very exciting as you follow an old gravel road but you can go as far as you want on the trail until you get to an opening beside the Elbow River.  This makes a nice turn-around spot where we always have lunch and play beside the river.  The trail is quite bumpy so I wouldn't bring babies on this one.  It can also  be very hot so don't go on a day when it's 30 degrees Celsius. 

Having lunch beside the Elbow River on the Big Elbow Trail

Chariot hiking on the Big Elbow Trail

Fullerton Loop, Elbow Valley, Kananaskis

Great trail if you are having a picnic at the Allen Bill Day Use Area.  It's a 7km loop with 200m of height gain.This is hands down my favourite Chariot Hike though extreme caution needs to be exercised on the steep parts.  A second set of hands or a wheel break will come in handy.  If you aren't up for a strenuous work-out, just hike it and carry your child if need be.  Most preschoolers should be able to hike the trail on their own with a bit of assistance.

Note, the Allen Bill Pond area sustained major damage during the flood of 2013.  It is no longer a pond.  Also, the new trail access is located across from the Allen Bill Day Use access road on the north side of Highway 66.

Chariot hiking on the Fullerton Loop

Taking a break on the Fullerton Trail

Many Springs Interpretive Trail, Bow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis

1.6km loop great for families staying at the Bow Valley Campground.  Hands down one of the most interesting trails for small children in the Rockies! For photographers or flower lovers, go early July and marvel in the unique orchids you will see.  Boardwalk and viewing platform over the pond is the highlight.  The trail is Chariot friendly.  To read about our adventures in Bow Valley, follow this link to Bow Valley Provincial Park - Where the Wild Winds Blow.

Note that the campground does not open until the end of April. Before then you will have to hike or bike through the closed campground. For information on biking on closed campground roads in spring, read The Bow Valley Biker Gang.

Boardwalk on the Many Spring's Trail

Flowing Water Interpretive Trail, Bow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis

Another great hike if you are camped at the Bow Valley Campground or Willow Rock Campground.  2km return, easy, interesting for children, and absolutely perfect in its diversity.  You'll get access to the Bow River, climb up to a view point over the river, walk through beaver habitat, and then finish with a section of boardwalk.  It has everything for a hike small kids will love.

Looking for beavers on the Flowing Water Trail

Heart Creek, Bow Valley Provincial Park, Kananaskis

4km return, the trail follows a narrow canyon crossing a creek over 7 bridges.  You likely won't see the waterfall at the end without a bit of scrambling but it doesn't matter because this trail has everything a child needs on a hike - plenty of water, a fascinating creek they can get close to, bridges, and lots of rocks for climbing on.  You'll also get to watch climbers high up on the walls around you.

Playing in Heart Creek

Troll Falls, Ribbon Creek, Kananaskis

4km loop with the Hay Meadow Trail and you'll pass by the Kananaskis River.  Great hike that is bike and chariot friendly with a pretty waterfall at the end.  Trails are wide with gradual hills. You can also start at the Stoney Trail Head for shortest access point to Hay Meadows.

Troll Falls Hike

Hay Meadows

Elbow Lake, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis

Chariot hike!  Chariot Backpack!  Or just really short hike for small kids to a beautiful backcountry lake.  2.8km return on a gravel road.  Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground was our first big backcountry adventure with our son when he was a baby.  The highway opens on June 15th for the year.

Elbow Lake

Ptarmigan Cirque, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis

4.5km loop with 200m height gain.  Small children may need assistance on the uphill portion into the cirque but will be able to hike around the cirque by themselves and have a lot of fun running around the meadows.  It's one of the shortest and easiest ways to get into the alpine due to the fact that you are starting from Highwood Pass at 2200m.

In my personal opinion, This is the BEST hike for families in Kananaskis and one of the most interesting by far.  It's breathtakingly beautiful and there are plenty of opportunities for kids to scramble, climb, and explore!  The highway opens on June 15th for the year.

Ptarmigan Cirque

Ptarmigan Cirque

Cat Creek Interpretive Trail, Cat Creek Provincial Recreation Area, Kananaskis

Beautiful hike to Cat Creek Falls from the Cat Creek Day Use Area on Hwy 40 over Highwood Pass.  4km return on an easy trail that most children will find interesting.  Go on a hot day and you might be able to play in the pool below the waterfall.

Note that the highway does not open until June 15th.

Cat Creek Falls

Grassi Lakes, Canmore

Take the trail marked "easiest" for a great Chariot Hike.  Take the harder trail if you plan to hike rather than follow a road.  The easy trail is a gravel road.  The "harder" trail is the real trail.  Clear?   I always see families here on the "easy" trail probably scared of what they'd find on the harder trail.  What they would find is waterfalls, gorgeous views, and a fun hiking trail with steps carved right out of the rock.  It's 4km return with height gain of 125 m.  School aged kids will love this hike.

Whichever way you choose to hike to the lakes, you'll arrive at the first lake together and then after you've tucked the Chariot behind a tree, you'll hike around the two lakes to a small beach area at the base of some serious cliffs popular with climbers. 

Upper Grassi Lake

Sundance Canyon, Banff

Chariot/ Hike Combo:  8km return hike on a paved trail followed by a 1km loop through a narrow canyon with bridges, waterfalls, and a creek.  There's a picnic area complete with bathrooms at the end of the paved trail.  Note, this trail is also bike friendly.

Hiking into Sundance Canyon late Fall

Hiking in the Canyon

Fenland Trail, Banff

2km loop following 40 Mile Creek right in the townsite of Banff.  Great for those times when you're passing by and need to let the kids out to run around.  We love this trail and do it multiple times each year.  It is Chariot and Bike friendly.

Resting on the Fenland Trail

Biking on the Fenland Trail

Tunnel Mountain, Banff

Most children 4+ should be able to do this hike with no assistance.  Younger children may need to be carried for portions of the trail (especially on the way up).  The trail is on the steep side but it's quick and relatively painless at 2.4 km one way and 260 m elevation gain.  The views from the top are breathtaking for such a small summit and your children will be able to boast that they've bagged their first peak.

Climbing up the Mighty Tunnel Mountain Trail

Tunnel Mountain Summit

Stewart Canyon, Lake Minnewanka, Banff

3km round trip to a bridge crossing Stewart Canyon on the shores of Lake Minnewanka.  It's Chariot and bike friendly as well as very well maintained.  Great short day hike option from Banff or if you are camping in the Lake Minnewanka area.

Late Spring Snow on the Stewart Canyon Trail

Sunshine Meadows to Rock Isle Lake, Sunshine Village Ski Hill, Banff

This one is a bit more tricky because you have to take a bus to get up to the base of the ski hill before you can start your hike.  The advantage to taking the bus though - very little height gain to reach beautiful alpine meadows that you can lose yourself in. The meadows explode in colour every summer with wildflowers as far as the eye can see.  There is a reason that this hike gets ranked as the best hike in the Canadian Rockies every year by tourist magazines.  White Mountain Adventures runs the bus operation so contact them for schedules and current rates. It's 4km return to Rock Isle Lake but if you have older children there's a myriad of trails you can spend all day hiking on.  You'll get a good map when you get on the bus so that you can plot out your day.

Rock Isle Lake, Sunshine Meadows

Rock Isle Lake, Sunshine Meadows

Rock Isle Lake, Sunshine Meadows

Lake Agnes, Lake Louise

At 7km return with almost 400m height gain this barely qualifies as a hike for small kids but the trail is pretty gradual with awesome switchbacks so if you carry smaller children up parts of the trail, they will definitely be able to run down the whole thing.  They will also find the tea house at the lake fascinating along with the boulders and bridge over a little creek that flows down to a waterfall below the lake.  It's a very pretty setting.  Be warned though that this hike is very very very busy so I can only recommend that you go early or go mid-week.

If you don't have the energy to trek all the way up to the lake, at least walk a short ways along the Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail.  It's 4km return to the back of the lake and easy walking.  You could push a stroller along the trail in fact.

High above Lake Agnes and Lake Louise at the Big Beehive

The Lake Agnes Tea House in fall (much quieter)

Little Yoho Valley to Laughing Falls, Yoho National Park

You can day hike this or backpack it to the Laughing Falls Campground.  It's 4km one way with very little height gain.  There is one steep rocky section that will challenge your skills pushing a Chariot but especially if you take the kids out and push it up empty, it's not that bad and is feasible.  We got two singles and a double up to Laughing Falls Backcountry Campground.  En route to Laughing Falls you'll pass giant Takakkaw Falls (second highest in Western Canada), Point Lace Falls, Angel's Staircase Falls and finally arrive at the Falls that the campground is named for.  There's no other hike that passes this many waterfalls on so easy of a trail.   

If you are going to camp at Laughing Falls please know that there is a lot of water surrounding the campground!  If you think there's even the remotest chance your child would run into the river were you to turn your head for a second, it's not the campground for you at this time.  Our kids were all fine but we knew their personalities and we watched them carefully at all times.

Point Lace Falls

Resources:

Kananaskis Visitor Centres

Kananaskis Trail Reports

Banff National Park Trail Reports

Yoho National Park Trail Reports