Ever since we had kids, we always looked for places to get outdoors with them. Hiking with kids can be a challenge, but there are lots of neat places to check out as a family. These can be enjoyed as a short hike, or simply exploring at your child’s pace, whether or not you complete a trail.
Literally the first hike I went on with the jogging stroller!
After that, we took the kids lots of places to explore.
Here are some places we liked to visit with our kids when they were toddlers:
Albany Pine Bush, Albany, NY – This is a good place to go with toddlers, because there is a nature center with bathrooms. Lots of short, flat trails, but be careful about ticks! Start teaching kids early to stay on the trail – you’ll have less worries about things like ticks and poison ivy.
Ann Lee Pond & Historic Site, Albany, NY – This is a nice place to check out with toddlers and see pond wildlife. You can take a short walk out on the boardwalk that crosses the pond, and you do not have to do the entire trail.
Ashford Glen Preserve, Schenectady, NY – very short walk in and out of the woods (no loop, less than one mile).
Bauer Environmental Park, Colonie, NY – less than 1 mile loop, all boardwalk.
Bozen Kill Preserve, Altamont, NY – This short hike with two trails, so you can choose the length of the hike. To get to the creek, it is .58 of a mile in. There is another trail that goes further, but if you stick with the short trail, it would be just over a mile, plus you can explore the creek.
Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, Delmar, NY – Awesome place for kids of all ages! Several hikes to choose from, from 1/4 mile ADA compliant trails to 2 mile trails. They really have the easiest, shortest trails! This is also a great option because you can go when the nature center is open, and use the facilities as well.
Fox Preserve, Latham, NY (Town of Colonie) – short, easy loop hike, approximately 1 mile, although not much to see.
Great Flats Nature Trail, Schenectady, NY – this is a very flat trail, and the scenery changes between boardwalks and wooded areas, and it is a nice area for a leisurely hike.
Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary, Selkirk, NY (Capital Region) – While there is a 1.9 mile trail loop, you could simply walk from the parking lot down to the creek, which takes only a minute.
Landis Arboretum, Esperance, NY (Capital Region) – Nice area to walk around with a couple of sculptures. Kids may not be impressed with the plants, but it is also a nice place to picnic, and there are some neat sculptures.
Pine Hollow Arboretum, Slingerlands, NY – There are so many short trails and loops here, it is easy to explore without committing to any long hikes.
Rowland Hollow Creek Preserve, Saratoga Springs, NY – About 1 mile of mostly flat trails. White loop trail is .5 miles of easy, flat walking trails.
Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga, NY (Capital Region) – Great place for kids to explore, from the trails to the springs, play areas, picnic areas and more.
Swift Wetland, Delmar, NY – About 1 mile of flat trail, with boardwalks in mud-prone areas. Very close to Phillipin Kill (.5 mi) and Touhey Family Preserve (1 mi).
Tawasentha Park, Guilderland, NY – Lots of wide open spaces and some easy trails to explore. Plus, you can check out the Normanskill River, playgrounds, and a pool. *Note: you have to pay to enter the park if you are not a resident.
Thacher Park Hiking Trails, Voorheesville, NY (Capital Region) – lots of options for flat, short walks. There is also the Indian Ladder Trail here, but there are steep drop offs, so you would want to be extremely careful with toddlers.
Touhey Family Preserve, Delmar, NY (Capital Region) – 1 mile hike, flat, easy terrain.
Vosburgh Trails, Guilderland, NY (Capital Region) – Short, easy hike, including an easy loop around a field.
Wolf Creek Falls Preserve, Altamont/Knox, NY (Capital Region) – Nice area to explore, with some streams where you can flip rocks. The trails meander to make longer hikes, but you could opt for a short portion.
Click here for some of my tips for taking toddlers on the trail.
Awesome! We just started taking our toddler for hikes! If ever it east, we will check out these spots!
What a cool list! Definitely will refer back to this page when I’m ever in this area
Thanks for sharing these awesome locations! Looks like you guys had a ton of fun
Thanks for sharing these awesome locations! Looks like you guys had a ton of fun
This is awesome! What a great resource. Have you ever tried out all trails? You would make awesome reviews.
This is such a great list! We love to go hiking…and it is even more fun when we find wildlife like that cute little frog along the way! We haven’t explored upstate too much, but I will pin this for later : )
So great to have a good list to refer to for hikes with toddlers! I just came from a long hike with my littles and it was a probably a little too challenging for my toddler. Will definitely be referring to our local recommendations – thanks for the great idea!
Lots of adventure awaits me in NY. Can’t wait to visit.
These are such great ideas. There’s nothing better than getting out and exploring with the kiddos.
I can see why this would be a great hike for toddlers. I bet they’d love it! There’s so much to see.
Now you tell me! I was in Albany for five years in school, these would have been great weekend activities. I’ll send this to my friends that never left!
Our daughter is probably old enough to handle some hiking. I’ll have to keep these places in mind if we every make it to New York!
Thanks for sharing the places you’ve visited, I would love to check some of them out.
This is a great list! We are big hikers and always look for one when we’re on a trip. This will be helpful the next time we are visiting that area with our son.
It sounds like you found some great places to hike with toddlers. I need to try to do this more now the weather is improving.
This place looks so fun, Hiking is the great way of exercising with your family and taking your kids through the different trails.
I love to go hiking with my kid. It’s great that there are these places to discover all together!
These are all really great ideas and locations! My kids would really enjoy this for sure!
Finally a guide I can use! I don’t live too far from any of the areas you highlighted in this blog post. Can’t wait for when my little one can start exploring with me.
What a great list! This seems like such an exciting activity for toddlers!
Getting kiddos outside to experience nature instead of being glued to their screens is awesome!! I love the compiled list of the toddler-approved hiking areas 🙂