50 Hikes with Kids Oregon and Washington

Oregon and Washington

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Pub Date 03 Apr 2018 | Archive Date 14 Mar 2018

Description

Winner of the 2018 National Outdoor Book Award

Handcrafted for Northwest caregivers that want to spark a love of nature, 50 Hikes with Kids highlights the most kid-friendly hikes in Oregon and Washington. These hikes are perfect for little legs—they are all under four miles and have an elevation gain of 900 feet of less. Some are even accessible by stroller. Every entry includes the essential details: easy-to-read, trustworthy directions; a detailed map; hike length and elevation gain; bathroom access; and where to grab a bite to eat nearby. Full-color photographs highlight the fun things to see along the trail.
 
Winner of the 2018 National Outdoor Book Award

Handcrafted for Northwest caregivers that want to spark a love of nature, 50 Hikes with Kids highlights the most kid-friendly hikes in Oregon and...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781604698008
PRICE $19.99 (USD)
PAGES 280

Average rating from 18 members


Featured Reviews

I definitely want my children to be very involved in the outdoors and not spend so much time on devices. I am a big hiker and so is my husband, whenever we can get outdoors we do. I think this is a good book for those who wants some tips for this area about hiking with children.

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50 Oregon and Washington Hikes with Kids is a wonderful book for everyone that wants to go hiking with their little ones. The book starts with some basic and very interesting information, the differences between the trails (easy, moderate and challenging), what to pack, how to get there, where the restrooms are located, how you can make the hike into a fun scavenger hunt etc.

You can choose trails based on the season or on a ton of features (waterfalls, fauna, caves, beach and so on). Each trail has information about the difficulty level, the elevation gain, directions, fees, hike time and more.

In short: this is a great book packed with useful information and perfect to go and explore nature with your family.

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I love this book - a must read for parents who like to plan outdoor trip with children.

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If you are a parent who is looking for some outdoor adventures with your kids, this book is for you. It offers detailed information on 50 hikes that are suitable for young kids.

Each adventure is thoroughly described so a parent can plan what to take, how long the hike will be, if there will be any hand-holding needed at scary parts of the trail, what fees there are, and more. The hikes are separated into regions of the two states and the author gives you an idea what cities would be good for basing your adventures out of.

Each description shows you things like, how many miles the hike is, what the elevation profile is, and most importantly for anyone traveling with kids, where the restrooms are! There are also handy links for more information and maps, as well as contact information for the land management agency covering that area. The author tells you when the best times to go are and also gives you tips for places nearby to pick up refreshments. Safety tips are given as well, such as places to look out for poison oak. A photo of poison oak is in the beginning of the book for those who are not familiar with it.

All of the hiking adventures also include activities you can do with your little hikers to help them connect with nature and learn more about each area you explore together. This can be anything from going into a wave-carved cave to looking for a special rock or boulder. Various plants and animals are described so that you can try to spot them on your hike. You can even look for animal tracks, scats and other signs, as a few of these are included in the book. Points of historical interest are included as well.

There are photos of each area included so you can see what the scenery might look like at that location and plan your trip. There is also a scavenger hunt in each description so that you and your child will have a fun activity to do on each hike. The scavenger hunts help them learn about natural history, plants, animals, birds, and more.

None of the hikes in this book are longer than four miles and none contain dangerous places where a parent would be worried about taking a kid. If there are any steep places, these are indicated as hand-holding spots, so those with younger kids can plan ahead or decide to try a different hike. Most of these hikes have minimal elevation gain as well.

Overall, I think the author did a very thorough job describing these adventures for parents and kids. It’s hard to pack a lot of information into a short book without it appearing too busy, but this one is done very well and each section makes perfect sense. It is an easy-to-use guide, with more information available for planning from the external links that are provided. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to get outdoors with their kids and have some fun!

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy I received in exchange for my honest review.

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50 Oregon and Washington Hikes with Kids Oregon and Washington by Wendy Gordon is an amazing guide book for hiking with kids, It covers preparing for hiking with kids, beautiful pictures and loads of information on the trails including suggestions on where to hit the restrooms, There are charts that help you select your trail by features, including lakes, geography, caves, summits and peaks, history and more, or select your trail by season. I wish this book was available when my kids were younger, I loved it.

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Really love the inspiration for families to get outdoors and into nature with these activities geared toward children.

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50 Hikes with Kids is a handy guide for anyone looking for guidance on finding great places to hike in the Pacific Northwest (specifically, Washington and Oregon).

Although it is being promoted as something designed “for Northwest parents, educators, and caregivers that want to spark a love of nature,” my primary reason for wanting to look through 50 Hikes with Kids is because I am a senior, married to a senior who has limited hiking ability. We have family in Oregon and I was hoping to find some ideas for day hikes we could all do together.

The hikes in this book may have been designed to be “perfect for little legs” with distances under four miles and an elevation gain of 900 feet or less, but that also makes them ideal for people in our demographic.

Each entry in the book includes simple directions, a detailed map, specifics on the length of the hike and elevation gain, things to see along the way, options for food near the hike, and (hooray!) bathroom access!! There are also some terrific color photographs.

I’m sure this will be helpful for people wanting to “nurture a life-long appreciation and reverence for the natural world,” but I would encourage the marketing department for Timber Press to consider releasing this in a edition along the lines of Day Hikes for Active Seniors.” Seriously! This book was perfect for my needs, and I appreciate Timber Press and NetGalley providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I originally rated this four stars. I admit I was predisposed to look with my own biases and needs, so I rethought it and decided that this book as written for its intended audience is TERRIFIC. Five stars

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A nice little book of hikes that one can take with young children (or even adults). The book is very simple to understand, is well laid out, and the writing is good. There are 32 hikes in Oregon, and 18 in Washington. The hikes range in distance from one mile to three and a half miles. They vary in difficulty from easy to challenging. In addition to breaking down the hikes by region (NW, Central, Coastal, etc), the author goes much further. She lists hikes by features (lakes, waterfalls, history, flora, fauna, and on and on). And then again by season, as some of the hikes are better in the winter, others in the summer. She has very good descriptions on how to select the particular hike based on the individual hikers profile. The maps are easily navigated, and the accompanying photos are helpful. All in all, this is one of the better guide books I have found. Well done!

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This book was a very informative book it gave me lots of ideas for hikes I can take in Oregon and Washington with my children whenever we visit!

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This amazing book is great for families with kids of all ages, and personally I think it would be great for people with no kids at all.

The book helps you plan hikes in both Washington State and Oregon. Towards the front of the book is grid sheets that tell you the name of a particular trail, where it is, how long the trail is, difficulty, and highlights at the end of the trail, like waterfalls, birds, beaches and more.

There are also chapters some are: Adventures by features. Do you want to go to the lake, climb a mountain, explore caves? All of these and more are listed. Places are listed by catagory with the page name out beside them so you can flip through the book and get all the information you need for a particular hike along with pictures.

Adventures by Season: Do you want to take you adventure during spring, summer, fall, or winter? This chapter will help you decide which is best for your family and the best trails to take during each part of the year.

There is so much information in this book. There are 50 adventure profiles in the book. Each profile includes maps, photos, points of interest, plant and animal species, and so much more to get your family ready for their adventure. The book even has a map with bathrooms clearly marked.

There are tons of tips in the book. Marked power up spots along the trail (great places to stop and rest or have a snack), close restaurants, parking information, and more. There are also tips for making the adventures more fun and memorable like journals, games, discovery. and more.

This book makes me want to jump on a plane and head west right now.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

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I have been looking for a book that would encourage my kid to get outside and pay attention to what we hike through instead of barrelling for the end or dramatically collapsing with boredom before we get to the viewpoints. The intent of this book is exactly that-it offers a scavenger-hunt for each hike with knowledge points that will keep your young ones actively engaged.

Unfortunately, I live in British Columbia in Canada, so this book isn’t relevant to me up here, but it would definitely be something I would bring with me when I visit our neighbours to the south!

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50 Hikes with Kids Oregon and Washington by Wendy Gorton via Timber Press via Netgalley
Wanted to review this book because we are heading from the east coast to visit with our daughter and her family on the west coast in a few months.
We love day trips and getting out and exploring, walking around and learning new things about the area.
The grandson will be 12 so we've been going out there every April for 12 years and we always plan day trips. This book has all the information I need for a whole week of day trips.
We have traveled also through Oregon so that is just a bonus for us if we spend anytime there this trip.
What I really like from the start are that the hikes are under 4 miles in length and 3 levels of skill to navigate them and love the idea of the scavenger hunt.
Very colorful pictures in this book that show the real deal.
Book starts with a table of contents where the chapters are broken up into the two states and areas.
Preface gives you an idea of how this book all came about.
Next chapter is choosing your adventure where the information of the hiking areas, their loction, length and skill level and hihglights are all charted out for you. You can plan by the level, miles or the location.
There are also charts that are arranged by features: lakes, waterfalls, , history, flora, fauna, geology, caves (hadn't even thought to look for those in our treks) sumits and peaks, rivers, beaches, campgrounds.
Also a section on the seasons as some may be closed during rainy/muddy winter seasons. Has a chart that tells you which ones will be open during which seasons. This information will save me a TON of hours on the phone or net finding it.
Love the section for preparing for your trip as I am the one usually in charge of all this part. Lots of useful information here more about the trails, parking, getting there, fees. Love the section about the scavenger hunt especially the geocaching as the grandson will want to use an app to help us navigate around the area.
They have apps to help you identify the plants and flowers-we use it all the time. We are also photographers-a hobby so power ups will come in handy.
I pack the first aid kit, snacks and drinks for all so this is a good reminder of things along the way for me. Nature journal can also be spoken into your phone as it's recording what you are seeing. Just make sure to save them all when you get home for safe keeping.
Each specified section starts with the title of where you are going and a map along with a summary of the tour adventure.
There are many pictures and a very detailed map showing length of the hike, elevation changes, level of skill, best season to to, getting there,, restroom locations, fee, parking and how to treat yourself after you are done in the local area. other phone numbers are included.
The scanvenger hunt begins with specfic things you should have no problem finding and a bit about each item: animal, bug, tree, flower, etc
We've been to many areas and I feel like we missed out on seeing and doing some things mentioned in this book. We may have to go back to them with the tips they provide so we can do it all. Acknowledgements and photo and illustration credits are also given at the very end along with an index and author bio.
LOVE this book, it's a KEEPER! for us.
Recieved this review copy via Timber Press via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

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Nonfiction
Adult
Hiking with kids is one of those activities that sounds easy but is fraught with potential pitfalls. They get tired, bored, cranky, hungry and pouty, unless you plan the excursion with care. Wendy Gorton is committed to helping families get outside, and to that end has compiled a list of 50 hikes in the Pacific Northwest that are sure to get youngsters interested in spending time outdoors. The hikes are all easy to moderate, with no elevation gain over 275 m (900 ft) and none more than 7 kms (4 miles) in length. The book features 32 hikes in Oregon and 18 in Washington. The vast majority are, reasonably, within short drives of the main cities in both states – Seattle, Portland, and Bend, with a few selections on the eastern edges of the states. Kid appeal drives the presentation of each hike. First, Gorton opens by “selling” the hike in the title – e.g., Explore an Abandoned Mine at Henline Falls, or Follow the Fish to Steelhead Falls. Each hike opens with a description that is an adventure, and a scavenger hunt along each trail will keep young hikers engaged with what is around them. To help adults choose wisely, each well-illustrated hike includes an elevation profile, length and duration info that allows for exploring time, a description of the hike’s difficulty, when to visit, good instructions for getting there, and helpful information on toilets, fees, and (bonus!) where to treat the successful hikers on the way home. There are several lists that organize the hikes by feature, from caves to beach fun. There’s a section on preparing for the hike that reminds adults to pack and dole out snacks, provide journals for recording discoveries and making notes on the drive home, safety info and more. Space is allocated for an index as well, though it wasn’t included in my digital ARC. Oregon is well represented, but there are only four entries for the eastern half of Washington (including Wenatchee and Ellensburg) – perhaps future editions could expand this spectacular area. For those families closer to the coast it’s an excellent choice. My thanks to Timber Press for the advance reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35489108

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Adventures on the West Coast!
Thanks to NetGalley and Timber Press for the opportunity to read and review Oregon & Washington:50 Hikes For Kids by Wendy Gorton! This wonderful guide includes hikes under 4 miles, easy to moderate trails and scavenger hunts. The book is broken down into the sections of each state, Oregon and Washington, giving details for the specific areas and what outdoor fun is available for kids, acting as a guide to help with choosing the adventures by feature, season and the things needed to prepare for the great outdoors. The idea of taking a nature journal along the way is great to create a reminder of the adventures and can be used for taking notes on the scavenger hunts. The best book for planning outdoor adventures in the upper west coast of the United States, 5 stars!

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If you are based in/near Oregon or Washington and are looking to get your little ones exploring the great outdoors, you need to check out this book.

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