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Get Out the Door in 20 Minutes: Dad Hacks for Family Hikes

Get Out the Door in 20 Minutes: Dad Hacks for Family Hikes

Our kids leading the way into wildflower country—just another Saturday morning.

Perfect timing for this new article from Washington State Parks Foundation Ambassador Mukul Kumar on breaking out of hibernation mode now that we’re finally in the warm season! His dad hacks for getting families out to our state parks are spot on. Send your own summer park ideas to [email protected] and maybe we’ll do a story on yours too!

—John Floberg, Executive Director

We didn’t grow up here. We didn’t hike or camp as kids. And we definitely didn’t know how to do either with kids in tow. Our parents didn’t teach us how to read a trail map, pack daypacks, or prepare for a hike. So, we had to learn everything the slow, sometimes chaotic way.

If you feel unsure about hiking with your kids, we get it. We were there too. But today, we hike over 200–300 miles a year with our kids, now 7 and 10. And we’ve been doing this ever since our first child turned three.

We didn’t get here by trying to be perfect or outdoorsy. We got here by building a rhythm that works for us. One that’s repeatable, simple, and most importantly, realistic.

Now, we can get out the door for a hike in 20 minutes flat.

Here’s how we do it—and how you can too.

1️⃣ Prep Happens the Night Before

The biggest shift came when we realized mornings aren’t for decisions—they’re for action.

One less task in the morning—cold water, ready to go.
Hydration packs filled and fridged the night before.

We fill our hydration packs the night before and keep them in the fridge.

Cold water is a bonus, but the real win is not wrestling with reservoirs while trying to wrangle the kids.

We select and lay out the clothes in the kids’ rooms, right down to socks and hats.

We pack the snacks—not just place them near the bag, but actually pack them. We don’t wait till morning to decide who wants what flavour granola bar. That kind of indecision is a momentum killer.

Granola bars, chips, and treats—already packed, not decided at dawn.

We also leave the packs on the couch overnight. It’s not pretty. But we’ve learned to live with a little chaos in the living room in exchange for peace on the trail.

Living room chaos = trailhead calm.

That tote or backpack you step over every day in summer? It’s the price of adventure.

2️⃣ Keep the Car Ready for Adventure

One of the best changes we ever made was treating our car like part of our hiking kit.

We always take the same car for hikes, and that car is always ready:

Discover Pass lives where it should—no more last-minute searches.
Trekking poles never leave the car—because we always forget otherwise.

A big plastic tote holds all the extras:

Post hike sandals

Extra protein bars

Electrolyte packets

Emergency ponchos

A dry Towel (or two)

Trunk always loaded with poles, towels, ponchos, and a tote of extras.

By keeping the essentials in the car, we removed the burden of remembering.

No checklist needed. If the car is coming, we’re covered.

3️⃣ The Power of Pre-Decided Hikes

We used to spend half of Saturday morning deciding where to go. Now we don’t.

📆 Over time, we built a seasonal hike list—trails we love and know when to do:

  • 🌲 Low elevation forest walks for winter
  • 🌸 Wildflower meadows past the Cascades for early spring
  • 🌊 Lakes that open after the snowmelt
  • ⛰️ Alpine trails perfect for mid-summer
  • 🍁 Fall foliage covered hikes during fall
Springtime wildflower hikes—already picked and placed on the calendar.
Alpine adventures timed just right, without a scramble to research.
When the lupine bloom, we already know where we’re going.

We plugged these into a shared calendar. Now, each weekend already has a hike assigned to it—matched to the season.

No guesswork, no last-minute searching. Just go.

4️⃣ Stack Your Day With Purpose

This might be the biggest shift of all: we stop thinking of a hike as the day’s only activity.

We pair it with something fun at the end:

  • 🍕 Pizza
  • 🍦 Ice cream
  • 🍻 A brewery visit
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Hanging out with friends
Hiking becomes the start of the day—not the end.

It gives the day structure, and it keeps the energy up.
The kids move faster on the trail when they know there’s something delicious or social on the other side.

A full morning outside still leaves room for the good stuff later.

5️⃣ The Real Hack? Simplicity

Here’s what we’ve learned, after years of trial and error:

✔️ Pack at night
✔️ Make mornings mindless
✔️ Keep your car adventure-ready
✔️ Put your hikes on a calendar
✔️ Add a reward at the end

Bonus tip: Keep gear like GPS ready and charged—not buried under cords.
  • You don’t need fancy gear.
  • You don’t need a picture-perfect trailhead.
  • You just need a system that works for you.
Simplicity over perfection. Routine over planning. Just start walking.

Because the hardest part of hiking with kids isn’t the trail—it’s the door.

🧡 From Our Family to Yours

Happy trails from our family to yours.
And if you’re just getting started, maybe this weekend is your first 20-minute departure.

👉 You’ve got this.

🎁 Bonus: New Camping Skills Video Series

Want more beginner-friendly tips?
We’re also launching a new series of short videos on camping skills—designed for families like ours just getting started.

🎬 Watch the series →