RIDIN’ THE DESERT WAVE
Hiking with kids can be intimidating… here is everything you need to know about hiking The Wave Cave with kids.
Of course I’m going to give you the end shot of this hike through the desert before going into the long trek it took to get there 😉
We are a family of 5 that I like to call “un-outdoorsy Outdoorsy” people. Which means… we are just an average family that loves to get outside, hike, adventure seek, the works – but are definitely not experts or even have fancy gear – we are simply learning as we go.
I like to think that if WE can hike to the Wave Cave with kids, then YOU most certainly can too.
Here are my 5 tips for hiking to The Wave Cave with kids:
- Everything will take twice as long as you planned for – We forgot our favorite hiking back pack carrier for our 3 year old – which meant this trip took even longer than twice as we planned… so maybe this tip should be, don’t forget your child carrier!
- Bring TONS of water – I know. You are thinking, duh! But, honestly – bring however much water you think you’ll need and then double that. We are investing in these water packs for our kids. They double as a small backpack AND hold 50oz of water!
-  Bring sunblock & an empty gallon ziplock bag – neither of these two are related… but we hiked to The Wave Cave in January and still had to wear tons of sunblock. We have also found bringing a gallon sized ziplock bag has been a lifesaver on hikes with kids. You can put wet/dirty kid’s clothes, trash, diapers, etc. into the bag instead of getting the inside of your own backpack or pockets all wet and dirty.
-  Even if other hikers look at you weird for taking a 3, 5, & 7 year old on this hike and don’t think you’ll make it up the “hard climb” at the end – keep going and prove them wrong – because it really wasn’t THAT bad 🙂 Like I said, we aren’t professional hikers – but our kids have hiked A LOT – so I probably wouldn’t recommend this as your FIRST family hike – just get a few other hikes in such as The Wind Cave, Silly Mountain, Papago Park, Treasure Loop Trail and see how your family does on those first.
(I wanted to offer a picture of this part of the trail – yes, it is legit. Go through the barbed wire fence and keep going!)Â
5. Enjoy the company of other hikers – Don’t be discouraged if there are a TON of hikers on the trail or at your destination. Love the fact that you have found other people who are enjoying the same activities as you! Take advantage of their (most likely fantastic) photography skills and get a family photo! We actually got a FAMILY photo of ALL of us riding the wave!
The Wave Cave is a 3 mile out and back trail which took us approx 3 hours with our kids. You DO need a parking pass!
If you go, please tag us (#phxfam) on instagram! We love seeing other families out enjoying our beautiful, hot desert!
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