My son used to hate hiking. After visiting 40 national parks, I’ve found the tricks for making it fun for him.

I’ve gone on many hikes with my son, and we’ve found ways to have fun doing them.

I love exploring America’s natural wonders, but tearing my 11-year-old son away from his video games and into the Wi-Fi-free wilderness hasn’t always been easy.

In the past few years, we’ve hiked through 40 national parks together. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about how to make hiking more exciting and engaging for kids — even reluctant ones like mine.

Here are my best tips for getting kids interested in exploring the outdoors.

Words matter — that’s why I never say “hike.” Instead, I use words like “adventure.”

A “hike” doesn’t always sound appealing to kids.

The word “hike” has always left my son conjuring up images of grueling, rocky climbs to high elevations. So, telling him that we were headed out on a hike, no matter how easy or flat it was, would always spur some sort of resistance.

However, I quickly learned that changing up my language and instead saying that we were going to “explore” an area or have an “adventure” resonated much better and left him more eager about the experience.

Finding trails where he can climb rocks, skip stones, and search for everything from banana slugs to sea stars also helps me deliver the payoff of this enthusiastic messaging.

I do my research, set realistic goals, and choose hikes that are firmly within my son’s abilities.

I try to avoid a hike we can’t reasonably complete.

Although this may seem like a no-brainer, knowing what we’re getting into is the key to our success.

In our early hiking days, I often didn’t pay close enough attention to things like elevation gain and learned quickly that even a seemingly short hike could prove too challenging for younger, more inexperienced legs.

Now I take the time to fully research the hiking conditions, and I’ll watch full POV YouTube videos to be sure I have the lay of the land before committing to a trek. I also plan for plenty of extra time — well beyond what’s recommended for the hike — so my son can rest as needed without feeling rushed.

Each year, I encourage him to try something a little more challenging, but I keep my expectations in check and never push him to do more than he feels comfortable with.

Putting too much pressure on him would ruin the experience for both of us and hurt my chances of getting him back out on the trail in the future.

Packing and being prepared for anything is essential, but I know that the weight will ultimately fall on my shoulders.

My husband or I will often carry stuff for our son so he doesn’t have to worry about having a bag.

Packing smart is always important, especially when hitting the trail with a kid.

I’m always sure that my son is outfitted with comfy shoes that will go the distance and I pack an abundance of snacks, water, sunscreen, extra layers, and first-aid items — everything I’d bring for myself, but multiplied.

Although my son is now old enough to carry his own backpack on the trail, I choose to continue shouldering the heavy weight myself.

Freeing my child from this burden allows him to keep going longer than he would if he was bogged down, so it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make.

Because my son loves gaming, I’ve found ways to make the hiking experience just as fun and rewarding.

My son likes to collect Junior Ranger badges.

Most national parks have free Junior Ranger badges for kids to earn. These badges are a great incentive for my son, who likes to collect things and complete challenges.

Still, over time, working to complete the tasks in a Junior Ranger booklet can feel more like homework to him.

To help make things even more engaging and fun, we try to gamify our hikes as a family. Friendly challenges along the lines of “Who can spot the most animal tracks?” and “20 questions”-style guessing games are a fun distraction that keeps us going even when our limbs are aching.

Some of my favorite family memories are from these simple games and bonding moments we shared while trekking along a dusty path.