Little Things To Make A “Visually Boring” Hike More Amusing
Forest trails are visually stunning when there are wildflowers in bloom or when the trees are covered in snow, but barren trees and a blanket of dead leaves covering the ground can make a typically beautiful trail, “visually boring”. Hiking is exceptional exercise and fresh air is soothing, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I hike for the gorgeous views. I am a sucker for a trail that leads to a scenic vista or one that meanders next to a river and searching for photo compositions is one of my favorite things to do when hiking. In the winter, when the backgrounds and the subjects blend together in a forest, it can be challenging to find photo compositions that work or to be truly engaged in the nature around me. There are a few tricks that I find help me to make a visually “boring” hike more amusing. *As an educator, I love engaging kids in outdoor exploration. This post is full of ideas to connect learning and a love of hiking for your young children - even when the trail itself is not super exciting.
Narrow Your Focus: Look For These Specific Things
Find the Pops of Color:
The berries make this scene look lively.
In a landscape that can be very bland, items that are brightly colored can really stand out. Look for things that have bold color since the trees and ground will likely be brown. Some ideas to look for on your hike: kayaks, evergreens, mosses, fungi, or berries. Sometimes you can find a body of water that has an emerald color or a turquoise tint. *For Kids: turn it into a scavenger hunt or a game of “I Spy”. Consider these game-like activities with kids:
ROY G BIV: See who can be the first person in your group to find items for all seven colors of the rainbow. The colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet can be remembered by the name Roy G Biv.
“I Spy”: One person is the leader. They choose a secret object that they want the others to guess. They reveal the color of the object, and the participants try to guess the secret object. Whoever guesses correctly gets to be the leader next.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1: Play a game where each person needs to find 5 things that are green, 4 that are red, 3 that are yellow, 2 that are blue, and one that is orange. You can change up the requirements to find things that fly, things that crawl, things that are soft, things that are smooth, etc. This is a great vocabulary builder for kids too.
Shape Search: Look for shapes in the forest. What objects are shaped like circles or hearts? Are there cylinders or rectangular prisms on the trail?
If you are hiking at sunrise or sunset, the sky will be your focal point. The colors of the sky will stand out even more next to a neutral landscape. It can be really fun to take a time-lapse video of the sunrise or sunset to capture the colors or you could just sit and enjoy it solo or with your loved ones.
Here is a heart-shaped opening in this log. Great find on a Shape-Search in the woods.
Look For Wildlife:
Sometimes, it is not all about the view or the landscapes. Some hikes are well-known because of animal sightings. This may be even more fun if you bring binoculars. Look for deer, armadillos, birds, rabbits, or squirrels. *You can make this really fun for kids by having them search for signs that animals have been on this trail - they can look for footprints, nests, possible crevices where small animals could live, knots in trees for woodpeckers, or other habitats. Again, this can be really educational.
I stumbled upon several groups of deer on my hikes in Broken Bow.
Focus on the Geology and/or Fungi:
If you are more into geology or fungi than animals, then you could narrow your focus to look for special rocks or types of fungi. These can shift your focus from looking at the barren tree branches to searching the trunks and near roots as you walk for interesting rocks or types of mushrooms (be sure to let kids know not to touch fungi since some can be toxic or poisonous).
Look for rocks like this with many minerals that are visible.
Here are some ideas for how you can engage kids with rock or fungi searching:
Look for colorful stones in a creek bed or along a beach.
Find layers in rocks and evidence of how sediment was formed into rock layers due to pressure.
Notice boulders and try to figure out where they came from. Is there evidence of a past rockslide?
Pay close attention to cracks in rocky slabs and see if plants are growing in them or if roots are wedged into them.
If you are in a wet area, point out how moss grows on trees. Have kids search for different types of mosses.
While on a trail, see if you can find different types of fungi, and see who can find the most fungi on the journey.
Plan Ahead For Fun Activities
Plan an Activity:
Unlike the ideas in the section above, the ideas in this section require some pre-planning (but not too much). An idea to ramp up the fun on a less exciting hike is to bring a picnic. By planning a meal out in nature, instead of focusing only on the scenery, the experience is about connecting with one another over a meal. This is a great way to form memories. *With kids, it is fun to pack the picnic together before you go. They can choose what they want to eat on the trail. Make it fun… use a thermos for cider or cocoa. Kids will look forward to this as they hike. You can also engage the whole family in finding the best picnic spot by looking at a map together before heading out to the trail. Also, this activity is a great opportunity for kids to learn about “leaving no trace” after the picnic.
Find a stream or creek where you can spend some time.
Hike near Water:
Another great idea in winter is to hike near water. Find a hike that has lake views or travels along a river or creek. Just be aware that winds off of a lake can be really cool if the temperatures are lower outside, and it can turn a fun idea into a miserable time if it is too cold. *Plan ahead with some buckets for playing in sand on a lakeshore or toys to play with on the shore of a shallow stream. As a child, toy cars were some of my favorite toys, and my sisters loved their Barbie dolls - toys like this can be a blast for kids to play with while parents rest next to the lake or creek (even better if you string up a hammock to sit in while the kids play).
Instead of bringing toys, have everyone bring their favorite books. Recline in hammocks or on blankets next to the water and read. This can be relaxing and it can make kids more interested in spending time reading.
Find an Interpretive or Nature Trail:
Look for trails in your area that are interpretive. Interpretive or nature trails usually tell a story. Through signage, you can learn about natural processes in the park, the plants and animals, or the history of the area. Interpretive trails are short and usually accessible to wheelchairs. These are great options because they provide context and give purpose to the hike. *With. kids, you could have them take turns reading the different signs to the group. They could play teacher and explain the meaning of the signage to the family. For younger kids, you could do a word or letter scavenger hunt on the signs. For example, each time they come to a new sign, they see if they can find specific sight words such as “the”, “and”, or “I”. You could even have them identify what letter each sign starts with to practice the alphabet.
Photography Tips In A Bland Landscape
Macro Photography:
Macro photo of a tiny plant growing on the trunk of a tree.
When the larger scene is not working because of too much “noise” of bare branches and brown underbrush, focus on the smaller things. Get a macro lens for your camera or use the zoom feature on your phone and take photos of really small things. Challenge yourself to find little scenes to capture on your camera. A couple stones, interesting tree bark, pinecones, acorns, or other tiny subjects can be fun to photograph. Tip: If using your phone to take photos, flip your camera upside down to take pics where the lens is very close to an object on the ground. This gives an interesting perspective to your photo. *With kids, take turns letting them find small things to photograph using your phone, or with teens, let them use their own phones. At the end of the hike, let each person choose their favorite photo that they captured to post together on your social media. This gives purpose to the activity and makes the kids feel proud of what they captured.
Wearing a royal blue hoodie made me stand out against the brown background on my hike of the Friends Loop Trail.
Have a Photo Shoot:
Wear something bright that will stand out in a photo that looks mostly beige and brown. Oranges and bright greens often look great. Use the timer on your camera to take photos of yourself in different poses with the trees and leaves in the background. You will pop against the scene. You can also do family photos or family selfies in your bright outfits. *With kids, let them choose their poses. They can find a rock to sit on, a branch to hang from, or even a pile of leaves to lounge in. You can capture some great photos of them, and they will think it is fun because they are using their surroundings as their background. You can make it even more fun by recording boomerang videos.
Photograph in Black and White:
If you are wanting to really push your photo skills, consider black and white photography. Since color is not going to make the photo stand out, look for structure and leading lines that draw your eye to a subject. Rock formations, tree branches, and bodies of water are wonderful leading lines to help lead the viewer of the photo to look at the subject of your photo. Also look for contrast - the outline of a leaf against a smooth rock or a singular tree in the middle of a still pond. *It is a bit more challenging to engage kids in black and white photography, but one of the best ways is to have them express different emotions in photos. Have them be the subject of the photo and give them an emotion to convey. Some emotions they could practice are peace, happiness, love, wonder, etc. This activity gives you an opportunity to build your child’s emotional intelligence as well because they will be learning more vocabulary used to describe their feelings. These could be really powerful photos or just a big laugh. Either way, you can have fun with it.
Black and white photos can convey mood and emotion.
Get Out There And Enjoy The Trails
Even if the scenery is not stellar, you can have a wonderful time and make memories. Hopefully you are able to use some of these tips to make a “visually boring” hike more amusing for yourself and if you have kids, maybe these ideas will help encourage learning in a fun way. All of the photos in this post were taken in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. I spend a week there in the middle of the winter and practiced all of the tips mentioned above - as a result, I loved my hikes and had an outstanding time. Share your photos and experiences with us on social media using the tag #pinesandcoastlines or by tagging us on Instatram using @pinesandcoastlines. Happy hiking to you!