Which walking routes in Sälen are suitable for families with children?

Hiking with children on the Sälen trail can be either the highlight of the day or the family’s worst hour – and the difference almost never lies in the children’s fitness. It lies in the choice of route. Children can go a long way if there’s something to look at, short stretches between breaks and a destination they can understand. This guide goes through the types of trails that work in Sälenfjällen, how far you can realistically expect to get and what you’ll need to bring with you. If you also live near the start of the trail, everything becomes even easier; we’ve put together accommodation for families in Sälen with that very thing in mind.

An overview of the full range of trails in the area – including the longer routes for adults – can be found in our guide to the hiking trails in Sälen. Here, we group them according to the children’s individual circumstances instead.

Short answer: start with a short walk, close to home and with something to look at

Three criteria determine whether a walk is suitable for families with children. It should be short enough to finish before you run out of energy – you can always extend a walk, but you can never shorten one once you’ve already walked halfway. It should start close to where you live, so that if you have to cut the walk short, it doesn’t mean an hour’s journey home with a tired child. And it should offer something of interest along the way: a stream, a bridge, a viewpoint, sculptures in the woods, or a shelter where you can have a bite to eat. The terrain also matters – a wide, even path is much kinder on little legs than rocky mountain terrain. With these criteria in mind, there are plenty of options in Sälen, both in the forest and a little way up towards the bare mountain.

Fairytale trails and easy walks for the little ones

For children under the age of about six, it is the story that makes the walk worthwhile, not the view. Trollskogen in Hundfjället is the clearest example of Sälen: an easy-to-walk loop where forest creatures and characters give you a reason to carry on round the next bend, and where the length is just right for little legs. We’ve measured it out in a separate article on Trollskogen in Hundfjället. The same principle works even without the trolls: turn the walk into a task. Look for five different types of leaves, find your way to the bridge, count the markers. Most families with children aged three or four can manage this sort of short walk in the woods around the facilities, and they work even when the weather is a bit iffy, as the woods provide shelter.

The first peak – when the children are ready for more

Somewhere around school age, children are ready for the experience that really sticks with them: climbing up somewhere and looking out over the landscape. A first summit hike in Sälen doesn’t have to be long – the point is the altitude gain and the reward, not the kilometres. A common and very effective approach is to take the lift up when the ground is clear of snow and then hike down, which gives you the views without the climb wearing anyone out. Another option is to walk up and ski down. Bear in mind that uphill sections take considerably longer with children than the map suggests, and that the final stretch is always the hardest. Have a clear goal that the children can see – a cairn, a summit, a bend – and talk about it all the way up.

As long as the children can keep walking (and how you plan your breaks)

There’s no set rule, but a few rules of thumb usually hold true. The youngest children can manage one to two kilometres at a time if there’s something to keep them entertained along the way. Primary school children can often manage a half-day walk of a few kilometres with proper breaks. From lower secondary school onwards, it’s usually motivation rather than stamina that sets the limit. The most important thing is the rhythm of the breaks: it’s better to have lots of short stops than one long one. Eat before anyone gets hungry, drink before anyone gets thirsty, and stop at anything that’s interesting – children experience the walk through what they find on the ground, not the distance covered. Also, plan with plenty of leeway, as this is what determines whether you can let a child sit and play in a stream for twenty minutes without feeling rushed.

Packing for a family with children on a day trip

Pack on the assumption that everything will get wet, dirty or eaten. Extra clothes for each child, rainwear whatever the forecast, more food than you think you’ll need, and plenty of drinks. Add mosquito repellent during the summer months, sun protection all year round and a small first-aid kit with child-sized plasters – grazes put an end to more family outings than the weather ever does. A picnic mat makes breaks twice as long and half as whingey. Let the children carry their own little rucksack with their drink and a treat; it gives them a sense of pride and a reason to carry on. Don’t forget to make sure your phone is charged and have a simple plan for how you’ll get home if anything goes wrong.

When the weather or your mood takes a turn – Plan B

Always have a Plan B, and don’t be afraid to use it. Mountain weather changes quickly, and a child who is cold or tired won’t enjoy the walk, no matter how beautiful the view is. Turn back early – better to do so once too often than not at all. It doesn’t matter if the walk is half an hour shorter – what matters is that it doesn’t become a bad memory. If the day does end up being called off, there are plenty of alternatives; our round-up of summer activities for children offers ideas that require neither sunshine nor energy. What’s more, a house with a sauna, a bath or a hot shower afterwards saves more days than you might think.

Accommodation with the main attractions within easy reach

For families with children, location matters more than for any other group. If you can step out the door and be on a footpath within a few minutes, a walk becomes something you do several times a week rather than an outing you have to make an effort to go on. It also means that a short evening stroll suddenly becomes possible – often the family’s favourite moment of the whole day. Don’t forget the inside of the house either: space to dry clothes, a kitchen to prepare packed lunches in, and bedrooms where tired children actually sleep. You can find more information about what the area has to offer the little ones on our page about Sälen with children.

Summary – the children’s first mountain hike

Here’s how to make the most of your hike with children on the Sälen route:

• Choose short, concise and informative over long and beautiful.
• Story trails and forest walks for the little ones; a first summit when the children are ready.
• Take the lift up and walk down to enjoy the view without the uphill climb.
• Plenty of short breaks, a meal before you get hungry, and plenty of time to spare.
• Pack extra clothes, rainwear, mosquito repellent and plasters – always.
• Have a plan B, and it’s better to turn back once too soon than once too late.

If you do that, your first mountain walk won’t feel like an achievement but a discovery – and next time, it’ll be the children who ask when you’re going out again.