Category: Hike

Change Your Hiking Mentality

One of the easiest outdoor activities to do with kids is hiking. However, hiking with kids is not like hiking alone or with other adults. It requires a completely new hiking mentality. If you’re looking for a happier outdoor hiking experience with kids, try these tips to change your hiking mentality.

Change Your Hiking Mentality

 

Don’t Hike. Explore.

A few years ago a friend of mine told me she had stopped hiking with her three young boys. I was surprised, since we often took our kids on trails together. She assured me that she’d still be getting outdoors.

“I’m just not calling our outings hikes anymore. Instead we’re exploring.” Continue reading “Change Your Hiking Mentality”

National Park to Park Highway Victory Lap – Yellowstone National Park

I know I said Glacier National Park was our last stop on our National Park to Park Highway tour, but the drive from Glacier down to Utah would’ve been incomplete without a victory lap in the Nation’s first National Park – Yellowstone.

Although Yellowstone gets the credit as being the first National Park, Yosemite Valley was actually the first area set aside by the federal government for the protection of the land for the enjoyment of the people.

On our previous visit to Yellowstone we saw Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Prismatic Geyser Basin but we never got to one of my favorite spots – The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It felt poetic to end our National Park to Park Highway trip in the first official National Park.

On our National Park to Park Highway journey we traveled over 7,000 miles in just over six weeks. We traversed mountains, deserts, plains, boring interstates, big cities, remote forests and just about every habitat in between. We endured scorching heat, freezing cold, rain, and wind, but luckily most of our days were sunny. We spent over 200 hours in our truck, the rest of the time in the outdoors (and a few rented rooms).

After seeing the deepest canyon in the world, the deepest lake and tallest sand dune in North America, rare animals, endangered glaciers and more beautiful vistas that we could count, you’d think we’d be hiking to Yellowstone Falls with our fists in the air, We Are the Champions playing on the soundtrack. In actuality, we limped along in our grubbiest clothes, grateful to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Me and Baby L hiking in our pajamas – the only cleanish clothes we had left.

Planning a grand adventure is often more fun than executing it. Don’t get me wrong. I’d travel the National Park to Park Highway again in a heartbeat, but six weeks living on the road with three small children doesn’t count as a vacation in my book. An experience, yes. Vacation, not so much.

“When we get back I’m gonna need some alone time and then we should go on a date,” Mountain Dad said on one of the many long drives between beautiful places. I completely agreed. Being nonstop with our kids meant we were always on. Always within earshot of their tantrums, on guard to keep them safe, preparing food, beds, clothes, and taking them on bathroom runs. I love those little monkeys, but I felt ready for a break.

That’s what makes this trip so wonderful. Now that I’m home I can look back at the photos and remember with awe that we DID that. We accomplished a great family goal – to travel the National Park to Park Highway. My kids got to see the glaciers in Glacier National Park before they all disappeared. Big E had experiences he vowed to tell his grand kids about. Little G learned to ride a bike at the Grand Canyon. Baby L crawled over terrain meant for mountain goats (She took her first steps four days after we returned). We had experiences we would never forget, despite the grubby clothes, extra work and long hours in the car.

We may not have had We Are The Champions playing as we hiked the Yellowstone Falls trail, but there was music in the air when we finally arrived home. The moment we pulled into our driveway, we heard the wafting notes of the finale of the Music Man welcoming us back. Our neighbor, Sundance Mountain Resort, puts on an outdoor summer musical every year and it was just our luck to arrive home as the final overture sounded. It was as if they knew we needed a proper welcome home.

Each of the National Parks we visited on the National Park to Park Highway tour.

Now that we’re home, real life is back with a vengeance. School, work, home and real life responsibilities vie for attention. At times I wish it we could just pack into the truck and take off again, leaving all of it behind. I know every adventure takes time and effort, including the adventure of rearing outdoors loving kids.

What To Do with Kids at Crater Lake National Park

Our trip to Crater Lake National Park was spectacular. Those views! That water! Some scientists believe Crater Lake is the largest, clearest, cleanest body of water on earth. We already know it’s the deepest in the US at over 1,900 feet deep. Oregon’s only national park sure is a good one, but what can you do there with kids?

Hike – The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses into Crater Lake National Park and many through hikers camp at Mazama campground at the park’s entrance. When we were there a wildfire closed part of the PCT so many hikers were forced to change plans. I wouldn’t attempt the massive 2,650 mile scenic backpacking trail with my three tots, but I would try the six mile alternate hike with views of Crater Lake.

Drive – The rim drive is the highlight of any Crater Lake visit. Even the original National Park to Park Highway tour had the chance to drive around this beautiful blue, since building a road around the rim was a top priority when the national park was first formed. It’s a beautiful scenic drive, but be aware that parts of the road are closed until mid to late June every year because of snow.

Bike – The 30 mile ride circumventing Crater Lake was well beyond my family’s abilities, but it’s definitely something I’d like to try in the future. While the road is open to cyclists all season long, you may not enjoy the small shoulder, heavy traffic experience. Well, you’re in luck! Twice a year Crater Lake hosts vehicle free on the East Rim Drive. It’s a perfect chance to get out without all the car traffic. This year the vehicle free days are September 17 and 24, 2016.

Swim – Jump in the bluest water this side of the Caribbean, only don’t expect it to be that warm. The water in Crater Lake comes solely from rain and snow melt and surface temperature averages only 55 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The only access to the lake is via Cleetwood Cove trail, a steep 1.1 mile hike from the rim. Even so, we HAD to swim in Crater Lake. It was too beautiful to pass up and I highly suggest you make the effort to jump in. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the trail is closed for maintenance from August 2016 through summer 2017.

Ski or Snowshoe – With over 500 inches of annual snowfall, Crater Lake is a great place for winter recreation. Parts of the rim drive are closed to vehicles in the winter, but cross country skis and snow shoes are allowed in those areas. Strap some on and see Crater Lake in a whole new way.

Boat – Private boats are not allowed on Crater Lake, but craterlakelodges.com offers lake cruises or tours of wizard island. This is the only legal way to experience Crater Lake by boat, but be aware that children under three are not allowed.

Camp – Mazama campground at the southern entrance of Crater Lake National Park has over 200 camp sites, a camp store, laundry and nearby restaurant. There are also backpacking campsites available, but permits are required. Check out all the camping options here.

Crater Lake was so beautiful, I kinda wondered why it wasn’t as popular as Sequoia or Yosemite. Now that I’ve been there, I think it should be on the list of every outdoor traveler in the US. Why not visit the deepest lake in the US? It’s pretty amazing.

Have you ever been to Crater Lake? What was your experience?

Sequoia National Park Then and Now

In 1920, the National Park to Park Highway inaugural tour visited Sequoia National Park to see the largest trees in the world. Their tour brought them through Visalia in late October and unfortunately was cut short due to an unexpected snow storm. Still, their experience at Sequoia National Park has some similarities to what we experienced at this historic place.

 

National Park to Park Highway tour on Auto Log, 1920
Logging
Giant sequoia trees take thousands of years to grow. I have little doubt that if early national park advocates hadn’t acted to save the giant sequoia trees they would’ve been cut down and used for boring things like houses and firewood. Thanks to the foresight of previous generations, I get to see these beautiful wonders. 

More than in any other National Park, I felt a gratitude to people who came before me. I’m proud that at some point in our American history we made the good decision to protect these amazing natural wonders. Being in the giant forest reminded me that humans are just a small part of the natural world, even though our impact can be massive.
 
Auto Log
Why is driving through/on a tree so fun? In the 1920 National Park to Park Highway tour, the drivers parked on Auto Log for the iconic photo seen above. The massive Sequoia Log doesn’t allow cars on it anymore thanks to a car partially falling through on a rotten spot in the 1930s, but I still stopped to check it out. We loved Tunnel Log, the only tree you can drive through in Sequoia National Park. The Ultimate Adventure Vehiclebarely fit – the life jackets scraped through on the top.

Crystal Cave
The 1920 National Park to Park Highwaytour had planned a trip to Crystal Cave but was forced to change plans when an early snowstorm rolled in. We got to visit this unique subterranean space and really enjoyed it. The formations are truly impressive, some still shiny with the crystals that gave the cave its name. Some parts of the tour had tight spaces (nothing like at Mesa Verde) so baby carriers weren’t allowed, but Baby L did great in my arms.

Swimming

Our favorite part of Sequoia National Park was swimming in Crystal Creek. I doubt the 1920s National Park to Park Highway group even considered this as an option since they visited in October. For us it was the highlight of the trip, even though it was a bushwhacked scramble to get there. The natural water slide empties into a clear cold pool. The creek flows over granite, tall trees grow all around and in the summer it’s a beautiful place to play.

Roughing it

Another similarity between the 1920s National Park to Park Highway tour and our stay at Sequoia National Park was the accommodations. The drivers on the inaugural trip mostly stayed in hotels and stopped in towns along the route, but here in Sequoia, the lodge was closed for the season so superintendent John R White gathered mattresses and blankets for the party to sleep on the floor. Our whole trip we’ve been sleeping on camp mats, so I can definitely relate.
General Sherman
Of course we hiked the General Sherman Trail to see the largest tree in the world. That’s the main attraction at Sequoia, and it’s definitely not to be missed. The General Sherman trail connects to several other hiking trails in the area. I was worried about crowds around the General Sherman tree, but the trails nearby circle other great trees so it seemed like the crowds were able to meander without becoming too thick. I loved that we each got to experience the peaceful forest together.

Me walking on Auto Log
Can You Feel It?
Visiting Sequoia National Park meant feeling awed walking under the largest trees in the world. Looking up takes on a new meaning when the trees seem to go on forever. Sequoia National Park was a special place back when the 1920 National Park to Park Highway tour visited and it’s a special place today. I’m glad I got a chance to experience it with my entire Mountain Family. People coming together for a cause can do great things.