Yosemite has hundreds of miles of trails, but where are the best places to walk with young people? Hiking with kids can be a challenge, but a pocket size guide to hiking, Easy Day Hikes in Yosemite, provides all the information for choosing the best routes. The guide lists everything from the ever-popular Vernal Falls trail to lesser-known strolls such as Lukens Lake, McGurk's Meadow, and the Merced Grove of Big Trees. A good rule for hiking with children is to make their first adventure easy enough to accomplish, but still a bit of a challenge. Even toddlers can manage a flat mile walk. Just be prepared to stop often and have plenty of snacks and drinks available.

Children easily make discoveries along the trail. They find bugs, animal burrows, pinecones, and flowers. Even if you are a novice naturalist you can expand children's awareness by encouraging them to use their senses more fully. Try some of these simple activities:

Besides being pretty, each flower has unique colors and patterns. What colors or designs can you see? Make a game out of seeing how many colors or shapes you can see on a walk. Count the number of petals on a flower or legs on a bug.

Explore with your nose. Sniff pine bark, flowers, and leaves. Feel the world with your fingers. Test the temperature of a stream or lake. Sit quietly in the forest and feel around you with your eyes closed.

Tune in your ears. Listen carefully in a place far enough from the road that you can hear bird songs and other sounds. With your eyes closed count how many different sounds you can hear.

Each of these experiences will enhance your experience. In addition you can teach rules of the park and nature. For example, explain that collecting pines cones, arrowheads, or other cool items is against park rules for a good reason. It's important to leave these things for other kids to find when they walk the same trail.

Tips for hiking with kids

• Apply sunscreen, and supply a hat.
• Be sure to pack snacks and plenty of liquids.
• Be aware of their limits. Rest when they need to.
• Turn back before you planned if necessary.
• Before you go, show them photos of plants and animals they might see along the way.
• Help them "see" acorns, leaves, flowers, and animal prints. Some kids might enjoy bringing a small pad of paper and pencils so they can draw what they see.
• Many kids are motivated by something to look forward to like a waterfall, unusual rock formation, or pretty picnic spot.
• Be alert to trail traffic. Choose hiking-only trails, if possible. If you hike a multi-access trail, be sure your children are acquainted with trail etiquette.
• Before your trip, choose a strategy for bathroom needs.

Lower Yosemite Fall
At 2,425 ft. (739m), Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in United States. It's an easy walk (one quarter mile) on a paved path to Lower Yosemite Fall.

Bridalveil Fall
Bridalveil Fall (620 ft.) is nowhere near as high as Yosemite Falls, but is a graceful, elegant waterfall, where the water is constantly changing patterns as it falls over the cliff into the valley below. It's a short walk (half mile) on a paved path to the base of the falls.

Mirror Lake
Walk from the shuttle stop or bike to Mirror Lake on the paved road (about a mile). In another few hundred years, this pristine lake will fill up with silt and become a meadow with Tenaya Creek flowing down the middle, so catch it now. You can walk on the road all the way to the lake, or take the self-guided interpretive trail.

Vernal Fall
The hike from Happy Isles to Vernal Falls is a "must do" – it's about three miles round trip (no strollers on this trail). The trail starts at Happy Isle and goes to the footbridge over the Merced River. From the bridge, the Mist Trail winds up the rocky hillside next to the river to the top of Vernal Fall. The spray from the waterfall makes glowing rainbows in the sunshine. From the top, you can look over the edge of the waterfall (there are kid-friendly railings). This trail can be somewhat strenuous, so be aware. Bring a picnic and enjoy the scenery. Emerald Pool looks inviting, but no swimming.