Spring Hiking Tips

When Spring rolls around, we are always excited to head back out to the mountains and start hiking. Yet Spring weather and conditions can change often, so we have some simple hiking tips to help us enjoy Spring hikes a little bit more.

1. Start Simple

We aren’t the best winter hikers, so when Spring arrives, we are usually out of hiking shape. We have learned to take it easy. Our family starts with short, simple trails to get us back into the groove of hiking. This keeps everyone’s feet and attitudes a lot happier.

We choose simple trails for Spring hiking.

2. Wear Good Shoes

With Spring hiking, it’s very important to be prepared with the right kind of shoes for all kinds of crazy conditions. We have found snow, ice, mud, puddles, and more when we hike different trails in Spring. Through sad experience, we’ve learned not to wear those favorite white shoes on a spring hike.

When it comes to shoes, I have a few favorites that I’ve discovered. Recently, adidas offered to send me a pair of waterproof hiking shoes, and I was excited to try them out. With the mud and the spring runoff on many trails, they seemed perfect to help me avoid those dreaded soggy socks. After a few hikes this Spring, I can confidently say that I love them. These adidas hiking shoes for women have really great tread, so I don’t slip in the mud. They are also waterproof, so I don’t worry when I have run into snow or water on the trail. The water rolls right off these shoes. My 13 year-old even decided that he needed to try them, so I balanced on one foot as he walked the other through the shallow water.

I really love these adidas hiking shoes.
See how the water rolls right off? I walked through this shallow stream as a test, and they stayed nice and dry.
These hiking shoes have really good tread.

These adidas are really comfortable, too. I was worried because we hike a lot, and I have sensitive feet, so not any shoe will work for me. Luckily, these have never bothered my feet. I did size down after looking at the size chart, but this was easy because there is a measuring guide on the adidas website. Now, after watching me tromp through puddles while they have to scoot around them, my boys want new hiking shoes, too!

My son wears the same size as me, so he wanted to give them a try, too! We swapped one show for a few minutes.

3. Dress for the Weather

Spring weather is fickle and can change quickly, so we try to be prepared. First of all, we try to pick nice days to hike. Sometimes the wind picks up or you walk into the shade, and then you are freezing, so we usually wear a sweatshirt or light jacket that is easy to put on or off depending on the weather. It’s best to wear layers and take a backpack, even if it starts out empty. My empty backpack has been filled with coats by the end of a hike many times.

Some Spring hikes look like this with coats and snow.
Other spring hikes look like this with shorts and jackets.

4. Pick the Right Trail

Depending on where you live, trails might be buried in a lot of snow in Spring. Make sure to pick trails lower in elevation so that the snow will clear sooner than later. We have an entire post with 20 trails throughout Utah that are great in the Spring for this very reason. These 20 Spring Hikes are near the cities, and out of the mountains so they are our first hikes we head to when it warms up.

We stay close to the cities and out of the high mountains for Spring hiking.

5. Be Safe

Spring in Utah is known for avalanches and rushing rivers as the snow begins to melt. Make sure to be safe in choosing your hike. You can always check for avalanche areas on the Utah Avalanche Center website. Avoid any hikes that follow rivers that will rise quite a bit in the Spring, particularly slot canyons. Our list mentioned above, the 20 Easy Spring Hikes, is a list of trails that avoid both of these dangers. No matter where you hike, stay on the trail and away from rushing water, especially with young kids.

Let’s get outdoors and start hiking this Spring. These Spring Hiking tips will make your trail adventures a little bit easier, and everyone will be grateful to be outside in the sunshine.

**We were gifted the adidas hiking shoes, but all opinions are our own.

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