Kid-Friendly Hike: High Arches Trail in Ute Valley Park

When I had my first child back in 2017, I was determined to be that mom that raised her kids to love the great outdoors and explore our state through hiking on a regular basis. Although I did go on a handful of hikes while carrying my little guy in a backpack before he could walk, I didn’t develop much of a habit of getting outside with him regularly, especially when he got to his toddler years. Why, you may be wondering? I just didn’t know where to go! I truly needed to find kid-friendly trails where my new-to-walking son could get out and safely explore his surroundings. But I just didn’t discover the resources to search for kid-friendly hikes at the time, and therefore, wasn’t confident going on hikes with my young child.

Now that I’ve added two additional sons to my tribe, I am determined once again to incorporate more hikes into our lifestyle so that they grow up with an appreciation for nature, fresh air, and physical activity. We live in one of the most stunning cities in the US, so why not take advantage of the amazing trails right in our backyard?

One of the best tools I’ve come across over the past few years that has made it so much easier to discover new trails in our area is the All Trails App. This app allows me to filter my trail search by distance away, the type of activity I’m wanting to do, the level of difficulty, the length of the trail, and more. One of the most useful filters is the suitability filter because I can click on “kid friendly” or even “stroller friendly” to ensure that the trails recommended are suitable for the whole family. My sons are currently ages 6, 2, and 10 months, so this feature is so helpful for us!

After looking through a few trails within close driving distance of where we live, I decided to narrow my search to Ute Valley Park. The trailhead is less than 15 minutes from where my family currently lives, so it seemed like a great option for a family hike. There were five different top trails listed in the All Trails App in Ute Valley Park, three of which were considered kid-friendly. I ended up choosing the High Arches Trail and Ute Valley Regional Park Trail Loop because it was easy in difficulty and shorter in distance than the other options. Since we hadn’t developed a regular habit of hiking, I wasn’t about to take my kids on an intense, long hike!

We picked a day with good weather, asked my sister to join us, and set out on our hike! I kept the All Trails App open during our entire hike in order to make sure we remained on the trail I had chosen and to also track where we were on the trail. This is such a helpful feature to avoid getting lost and to know how far you have gone so far.

The hike starts off going up a wide dirt and rock path with cacti, wildflowers, yucca plants, and beautiful views of the mountain range including Pike’s Peak. Although this part of the trail was uphill, it was fairly gradual and easy for all of us. I was most worried about what my 2-year-old would be able to handle, but he did such a great job! Both of my older boys spent quite a bit of time looking at and picking up a bunch of rocks they thought were cool. My oldest son also wanted us to stop for a few minutes for him to draw a picture of both an alive yucca plant and a dead yucca plant, so we paused for a few minutes to let him make a couple of quick sketches.

Probably the most fun part of the trail for my kids was the many rocks there were to climb on and explore! After being on the wider dirt part of the trail for a little while, the path curved back towards the mountains and continued parallel to the hills through trees, rocky areas, and other open spaces. My 6-year-old LOVED climbing up and down the rocks over and over again pretending that he was part of a grand adventure. My son is a huge fan of the Narnia books and movies, so he imagined being in Narnia and getting ready for battle. He’s definitely all boy!

*It’s probably helpful to mention that you’ll see lots of mountain bikers on the trails in Ute Valley Park. Just keep an eye out and listen for bikers so that you’re able to move out of the way for them to pass.

The arch itself was an exciting surprise for the kids! One of the most enjoyable parts about parenthood is watching your children discover things for the first time with wonder and awe. Everything in childhood is exciting, new, and fun, and making it to this arch was all of that for them! When we got to the arch, we made sure to pause and spend some time climbing around, observing the rocks, and simply having fun. My kids could come back over and over again and never get tired of exploring this area!

All in all, we had such a great time on this kid-friendly trail only 15 minutes from our home! We did take our time with having young adventurers with us, so if you decide to check this trail out with your family, maybe consider leaving extra time. Hiking is a great workout, but it’s important to remember that hiking should be FUN! Kids, in particular, are excellent at stopping to notice the little things like cool rocks for their never-ending rock collections, all the ants and other bugs, new plants to draw in their nature journals, awesome walking sticks, opportunities for climbing and jumping, and beautiful views. So maybe consider not rushing through it and simply learn how to embrace and encourage the wonder your kids so easily experience! It’s also not fun to be pushed to walk faster than little legs can go. So give yourself and your family time for exploration, pauses, and FUN!

I hope this post encourages you all to get outside for a hike with your kids and to check out this awesome trail!

Are you a hiking family? Have any tips for fellow parents? Share in the comments!