It’s been a long time since I’ve done this hike and I couldn’t remember the intensity. Based on the description, it sounded about perfect for my 5 year old. It’s 2.5 miles round-trip and around 500 feet elevation gain. It was the perfect amount of challenge for him, some big logs to climb over, some big rocks. Lots of drop-offs. The elevation gain was pretty much all in one section. A this point I think his maximum hike distance +…
I’ve heard about a lot of hikes in the Fairwood area of Renton but I haven’t actually done any of them until now. One of the most amazing things to me about the PNW is the ability to almost hike from your own backyard. From downtown Seattle you can arrive at some of the most incredibly beautiful places in 30 minutes or less. It never gets old. This hike was perfect for my 4 year old at around 2 miles…
It’s hard to believe that this person that was once so tiny his feet could fit into the palm of my hand now needs hiking boots! I went back and forth about whether it was time to get him some boots because I had trouble justifying the cost of boots if he was only going to wear them once a month or so, but he’s already worn them at least 10 times and it’s been a little over a month…
Similar to the Swamp Monster trail the Pretzel Tree trail has storyboards along the way with cartoon pictures and a fun story for kids. This one was a bit more educational and explained about animals that live in the forest and their various roles. The Pretzel Tree trail is about 1/3 mile in length total and really easy, even for the youngest kids. I knew it would be very easy for my son and he had requested an easy hike…
I admit I have not done the greatest job of updating my son’s baby book or journal. It just felt like a chore when he was small and now that he’s bigger I feel like I’ve missed writing down so much! While wandering around a visitor’s center last summer I noticed these adorable National Parks Passport Books and I thought it would be such a great thing to do for my son as he grows up. It’s something I SO…
The Hall of Mosses trail is an easy .8 mile round-trip trail in the Hoh Rainforest. It’s located in Olympic National Park and is truly one of the most unique trails in the world. My pictures do not nearly do it justice, the moss is incredible. It’s like stepping into a Dr. Seuss book or some kind of National Geographic article. There are only a few places in the world with temperate rainforests and so it’s a pretty special place….
I haven’t hiked the Second Beach trail since I was a teenager and I remember thinking it was an easy trail. I couldn’t remember the distance and found conflicting information online. The WTA has it listed at 4 miles round-trip, which seems a lot longer than my memory. Other places have it at .7 miles out and back, which seems about what I recall. I checked with my local hiking group on what they felt the distance really was and…
Starting from the West Tiger 3 Trailhead the Swamp Trail heads off in the opposite direction. Pass the bulletin boards and bathrooms and follow the signs. There are story boards along the entire trail telling the story of the Swamp Monster and several friends. E really enjoyed listening to me read the signs along the way and following the story. He grew increasingly nervous about whether or not the Swamp Monster was real and I had to assure him it was…
Last week I decided it was time for E to hike the Snoqualmie Falls trail for the first time. I haven’t done the hike since I was much older than him, yet I’ve hiked all around the falls. So much has changed there, yet a lot remains the same. What I’d forgotten was how steep it is to hike down from the upper falls area to the lower falls area. Once we started hiking I was worried it would be…