My son is 3 years old. I have been taking him on day hikes since he could walk (if not maybe earlier actually). We started off using a Kelty Kids pack kind of like this one and now he walks on his own until he gets tired (keep in mind that we're hiking in 100+ degree heat) then I put him up on my shoulders (which I consider great exercise). We both enjoy it thoroughly. He is constantly telling me "I wanna go in the woods" which brings a smile to my face. The main thing to keep in mind if your a seasoned hiker is that you're going to be going A LOT slower and A LOT shorter distances. If you're not a seasoned hiker then you have the advantage of not having preconceived notions of what hiking "should" be like. Sometimes it's a real stretch to even call what my son and I do "hiking". A more accurate terminology would probably be "playing in the woods". None-the-less we have a great time! We'll be out there at least twice this weekend. He won't let me forget that I promised we'd be going, and that's fine with me. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />