Get Outdoors! Camping & Hiking Trips
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Kid-Friendly Hikes Near Victoria, BC
To find out more about family-friendly hiking and camping near Victoria, BC I interviewed Kari Jones, a mom to one son and the author of the book “Hiking Adventures with Children: Southern Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula†which you can order from Kari’s blog or from Amazon.com. Q: Is there a kid-friendly hike within Victoria’s city limits that you recommend? What do you like about it? There are so many walks within Victoria; it’s hard to choose just one. But if I have to, I’d say Mystic Vale is my favourite. The walk starts at the University of Victoria, which is easily accessible by car or bus, but once…
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Family Camps & Adventures in BC, Oregon & Washington State
If you haven’t yet firmed up your summer vacation getaway, consider a family camp, family-friendly ranch or a family adventure program. Yes, the camps are old-school:  rustic rooms and questionable food. But you know you’ll have fun anyhow, just like you did when you were a kid. If you’d rather enjoy a bunk-free stay, check out the aquarium or geology adventures or a family-friendly ranch summer getaway. British Columbia Family Camps BC Family French Camp. Okanagan, Gwillim Lake and Vancouver Island, BC. Say bon nuit to one another at this Francophone camp where all ages learn to speak and sing in French. Family Adventure Camps at Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Lytton, BC. For…
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Families Travel! Geocaching with kids
Geocaching may be the perfect Cascadia sport. It’s a puzzle (appealing to our inner geek), it’s an outdoor excursion (appealing to our inner jock), it’s a social trading game (yes, even cheerleaders can play). Geocachers hide containers with tradeable trinkets – pick one and keep it, and leave your trade inside. Cache stashes could offer small plastic toys, movie tickets, foreign money or stickers. Note your visit in the logbook with a stamp or signature, also kept in the container. Caches can be tucked away anywhere: city park, campground stream, old-growth tree or a mountain peak. How do you find these containers? With your Global Positioning System (GPS) device or cellphone, after retrieving instructions from a geocaching website (the most…
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Rainy Day Rambles: All-weather hikes with kids
You’ve got a hike planned. But it’s raining, pouring, dumping outside. Just go, says Jennifer Aist, the author of the book “Babes in the Woods,†a guide to hiking, camping and boating with babies and small children. “If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you need to embrace the wet,” Aist says. “Otherwise you’ll rot away on your couch.” An Alaska resident, Jennifer’s been on plenty of hikes with her three kids in Washington State and British Columbia. She knows rainy days. “I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent in the rain in campgrounds, on trails and on beaches,†Aist says. But rain is a magical, surprising…
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Hikes for Kids Near Downtown Seattle
When visiting Seattle, don’t miss the chance to scramble up a fewhiking  trails with the kids. The city limits yield plenty of hiking treasures, and if you’re in town for a few days and you’ve rented a car, spectacular scenery is within a 45-minute drive of the Seattle. This week, hiking expert Joan Burton tells visitors and locals where to hike in and around Seattle with kids.  Burton is the author of Urban Walks, 23 Walks through Seattle’s Parks and Neighborhoods, published by Thistle Press and Best Hikes With Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades, published by Mountaineers Books. Burton offers great information on kid-friendly hikes in our area. For even more tree-lined…
