7 Tips for Family Hiking in the Desert

Deserts can be stunningly beautiful. After recent visits to Joshua Tree National Park in California, archeological sites in Israel, and Sedona in Arizona, World Traveling Mom offers these 7 tips for desert hiking with family — and be sure take note of the packing list suggestions within those tips!

7 Tips for Desert Hiking with Family

1. Drink water.
2. Packing for desert hiking – light clothing layers.
3. Bring sunglasses.
4. Wear comfy shoes
5. Don’t run out of gas.
6. Pack and wear sunblock.
7. Bring and wear a hat

Things happen, and you don’t want those things to happen when hiking in the desert with your family. After recent visits to deserts in California, Israel, Arizona, we learned how to stay comfortable when exploring a desert climate on foot. Before exploring a gorgeous desert trail, check out these 7 tips for desert hiking with your family — and also including packing list suggestions for desert hiking. Here’s how your family can stay comfortable on the walking trail in a desert climate.

1. Drink water.

We learned to drink plenty of water before, during, and after walking in the desert. It was easy to underestimate how quickly our bodies went through water as we hiked up hills in Arizona, or explored archeological sites in Israel. Even breathing heavily was drying out our bodies.

Luckily, our guide in Israel always packed water bottles in the car. We learned from him. So on subsequent visits to U.S. deserts, my husband and I packed water bottles in the car. Also, we brought one bottle per person on the trails. And made sure to drink them.

2. Packing for desert hiking – light clothing layers.

Layer clothing. It’s amazing how quickly the temperature changes in the desert. A chilly morning turns into a hot afternoon. And the temperature that night might be 40 degrees less than the daytime high. So my family wore layers of T-shirts, sweaters, and windproof jackets that we could easily take off and tie around our waists when the temperature climbed.

But temperature doesn’t just change as the sun goes down. Temperature also changes with altitude and microclimates.

One January morning on a hike in Boynton Canyon, Arizona, my husband and I were too hot in our sweaters and jackets. So we stripped them off. But just a mile deeper down the canyon trail, the climate changed from sunny and rocky to a shady pine forest. And there, it was so chilly, we saw frost. Luckily, we just piled the layers back on.

3. Bring sunglasses.

The desert sun reflects off the rocks and sand. Even in winter, I was glad to have sunglasses to protect my eyes from glare. And from blowing sand.

4. Wear comfy shoes.

Wear comfortable shoes or hiking boots. My family knew we’d need good tread on our shoes for desert walking in Israel. But we learned from our Israeli guide to skip open-toed sandals. That’s because small rocks can get stuck under toes and sandals don’t have good ankle support. Plus, feet can sunburn.

For other ideas for a first family visit to Israel, here.

5. Don’t run out of gas.

Check the gas. True story: My husband and I almost ran out of gas in a California desert. We’d planned to drive from Santa Barbara to Joshua Tree National Park, California. Unfortunately, mudslides closed the most logical route.

So we re-routed a couple of hours out of our way. It wasn’t a big deal, and we cheerfully drove on.

But our hybrid car at home gets 58 miles per gallon and we didn’t think to check our rental car’s gas gauge before driving onto a desert highway. Which then began climbing mountains. Climbing guzzles gas, so we looked for a gas station. And saw none.

At that point, with the tank nearing empty, we suddenly realized it had been 25 miles since the last gas station. So turning around wasn’t an option. And the desert had no cell phone service. Since we had no idea how far it would be to a gas station, we looked for the next ranch to ask.

I felt like a classic city slicker walking from horse pen to barn looking for someone. Luckily, the friendly (female) rancher told us a gas station was only a few miles more. As we pulled into the only gas station for a 50-mile stretch, our rental car gas gauge was flashing red. Lesson learned.

6. Pack and wear sunblock.

Even in winter, the desert sun is strong. My family made sure to put on sunblock each morning. Even on our ears and hands, to avoid sunburn.

7. Bring and wear a hat.

My whole family wore baseball hats in Israel. Those were good for shading our faces. But I noticed our experienced Israeli guide wore a hat that also covered the back of his neck. For desert sun, it makes sense to have both covered. So on a later desert trip to Arizona, when we arrived at the Visitor Center at Red Rock State Park, I was glad to buy a hat with both face and neck coverage.

Does exploring a desert landscape appeal to you? Tell us about it in the comments.