Meet the Expert

Markéta Voglová

Senior Outdoor Education Specialist at Mira Pro s.r.o.

14 years helping Czech families discover nature without the complicated gear lists or stress. Stroller-accessible trails, educational paths, and playgrounds that actually work for kids.

Education & Credentials

Formal training combined with 14 years of fieldwork across Czech natural areas

Degree in Environmental Education

Charles University, Prague

Completed 2010

Certified Trail Accessibility Auditor

Czech Tourism Board Accreditation

2015 – Present

Field Researcher, Czech Nature Conservation Agency

Trail documentation and family accessibility assessment

2011 – 2016

Published Educational Resources

Trail guides, family accessibility standards, and nature education content

2012 – Present

Areas of Expertise

What Markéta specializes in and why it matters for your family

Stroller & Accessibility Design

Markéta’s background in accessibility research means she understands trail surfaces, gradient angles, and practical obstacles that actually matter to parents pushing strollers. She’s walked 120+ trails personally and knows which ones work in real life.

Family-Centered Trail Planning

Not all family trails are created equal. Markéta designs evaluation standards based on child development, parent stress points, and what actually keeps kids engaged outdoors instead of asking to go home after 20 minutes.

Educational Nature Loops

Her work with Czech schools and nature centers showed her how to build trails that teach without being boring lectures. She combines ecology, local history, and kid-friendly activities into routes that actually hold attention.

Playground Park Integration

Markéta understands the practical reality: families want nature combined with a place kids can actually run around. Her trail evaluations specifically look at how parks and playgrounds connect to hiking routes.

How This Started

Markéta’s journey into outdoor education began in the classroom. She was teaching primary school in Prague around 2006 when she noticed something that bothered her: kids spent their days indoors learning about nature from textbooks, then went home to screens. Screen time was climbing, outdoor time was dropping, and parents didn’t know where to take their families for actual nature experiences.

The gap was real. After finishing her environmental education degree at Charles University in 2010, she went to work for the Czech Nature Conservation Agency. For five years she did field research, walking trails, documenting what made them actually accessible for families with young kids. Not just wheelchair accessible—but stroller-friendly. Not just hiking routes—but places where a 4-year-old wouldn’t melt down halfway through.

In 2015 she started a blog. Just personal reviews of trails she’d walked with her own family. It wasn’t polished. It was honest: “This one’s great but the parking is terrible,” “The views are amazing but the push uphill will wreck your shoulders,” “Playground at the end makes it worth the 2-hour drive.” Thousands of Czech parents found it. They were hungry for real information from someone who actually understood their situation.

Regional tourism boards noticed. The Czech Tourism Board reached out. Then came her role at Mira Pro s.r.o., where she oversees trail evaluation standards and produces the educational resources families actually use. Over 120 trails documented personally. Counting still.

Her philosophy is simple: outdoor education doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. Quality nature experiences are accessible to every family. You don’t need special gear or extensive planning. You need honest information about what’s actually out there.

Her Approach to Family Trails

What drives Markéta’s work and why she thinks differently about outdoor education

Real Information Over Marketing

Every trail review includes the honest stuff: What’s the actual walk like with a 2-year-old? Where can you sit and feed a baby? Is there cell service if something goes wrong? Not every trail is for every family, and that’s okay. Markéta tells you which ones match your situation, not which ones sound good in a brochure.

Accessibility Isn’t Afterthought

Most trail guides treat accessibility like a checkbox. Markéta designs it from the start. Stroller accessibility, mobility accessibility, sensory accessibility—they’re built into the evaluation, not added later. This changes everything about how trails are planned and promoted.

Education Without the Lecture

Kids learn by exploring, not by listening to adults explain things. Her trail designs include observation points, hands-on activities, and space for kids to wonder out loud. The learning happens naturally because the trail is designed to spark curiosity.

Sustainable Outdoor Culture

She’s not just promoting hiking—she’s building a culture where families see nature as accessible, not intimidating. When kids have good early experiences outdoors, they keep going outside as adults. That’s the long game.

Questions About Family Trails

Insights from 14 years of trail research and family outdoor education

What makes a trail actually family-friendly?

Not just being short or flat. A family-friendly trail has multiple things: reasonable length (2-4 km for most families with small kids), good surface (packed earth or gravel, not loose rocks), shade, water access, and ideally a payoff—a view, a playground, a picnic spot. But the biggest factor? It shouldn’t feel like a chore to get there. Parking, facilities, actual information about what you’ll find. Too many trails fail on logistics, not the walk itself.

How do you design trails for kids who get bored easily?

Variety. Kids don’t walk for 3 hours. They need things to change every 15-20 minutes. A stream crossing. A viewpoint. A section through trees. An open meadow. A place to scramble on rocks. I design routes with observation stations and small exploration areas. Not structured like a museum exhibit, but natural spots that invite curiosity. A child who’s actively looking at beetles isn’t asking if you’re almost done.

Why focus on stroller accessibility specifically?

Because it’s not a niche concern—it’s the reality for most families with young children. If you have a toddler and a preschooler, you’re pushing a stroller. Ignoring that means cutting off access to nature for thousands of families. Most trails get evaluated by hikers who don’t push strollers, so they miss the real obstacles: ruts, rocks, steep sections that are fine to walk around but impossible to push through. I evaluate every trail as if I’m actually using it with kids and gear.

What’s the difference between a nature loop and an educational trail?

A nature loop is just a pleasant walk in natural surroundings. An educational trail has a learning purpose built in. Could be ecology—identifying plants and insects. Could be local history—old mills or historical markers. Could be geology—seeing different rock formations. The difference is intention. Both are valuable, but parents should know what they’re getting into. Some kids want peaceful walking. Some want to learn things. We design both.

How do playgrounds connect to your trail recommendations?

Practically speaking, many families want to combine both. A 2-hour hike isn’t realistic with young kids, but a 1-hour walk ending at a playground is perfect. I document which trails connect to parks, what equipment is there, whether facilities are clean. A playground at the end becomes the reward, especially for kids who need convincing about outdoor time. It’s not just about the nature—it’s about creating experiences families actually want to repeat.

What do parents get wrong when planning their first family trail?

Underestimating how slowly kids move and overestimating their attention span. Parents think “my 5-year-old can walk 5 km” and then wonder why there’s a meltdown at the 2 km mark. Real time with kids isn’t distance covered—it’s how much they enjoyed it. Packing too much gear is another big one. You don’t need expensive equipment. You need water, snacks, a basic first aid kit, and realistic expectations. Also: start small. Build confidence and positive memories first, then gradually do longer routes.

Key Projects & Impact

What Markéta has built over 14 years

120+

Trails Personally Documented

Across Bohemia and Moravia, with real evaluations from family perspective, not just guidebook distance/elevation data.

Years as Field Researcher

Czech Nature Conservation Agency, developing accessibility standards and family trail evaluation frameworks still used today.

Years Building Educational Resources

Publishing guides, standards documents, and family trail content for tourism boards and schools across Czech regions.

Total Years in Outdoor Education

From classroom teaching to field research to publication and current role leading trail standards at Mira Pro s.r.o.

Explore Family Trails Across Czech Republic

Markéta’s research, guides, and recommendations are available throughout our site. Find stroller-accessible routes, educational trails, and playground parks based on her 14 years of expertise.

View All Trail Guides Stroller Trails Near Prague