Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington

Author Susan Elderkin has seen her kids express wonder and glee at discovering insects and flowers, melt down in tearful defiance in the middle of a trail, and triumphantly reach a summit and view. In short, she’s a regular mom who wants to encourage other parents to get their regular kids out into nature too. While Susan is an expert hiker in her own right, it’s her children who helped her to see hiking from a kid’s point of view. The result is Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington, a fresh and wholly new guide for families looking for quality time together away from their distracting devices. Guidebook features include:

• 125 hikes—carefully selected and vetted by both parents and children
  
  
• Routes range in length from less than 2 miles (great for toddlers) to as much as 6 miles (for older kids who want to test themselves)
  
  
• Handy info blocks give a quick snapshot of each hike: best season, difficulty, length, high point, and elevation gain
  
  
• 13 “Great Getaways”—weekend or vacation destinations around the state with hiking trails and other family-fun activities
  
  
• Colorful icons indicate star attractions of the hike: splash zone, wildflowers, old-growth, dog-friendliness, stroller-accessibility, and more
  
  
• “Best of” lists make it easy for families to match hikes to their kids’ interests
  Driving directions, complete trail information, GPS trailhead coordinates, and color map included for each hike
  
  
• Tips on how to motivate kids on the trail, what’s appropriate for different ages, nature facts, and more

Whether you’re looking for the best hikes to hug a really big tree; take a fun and refreshing dip; see birds, animals, or waterfalls; go on a winter day; or stuff yourself with berries, Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington has you covered.

Details:

• 352 pages
• Soft cover/Paperback
• 5 x 1 x 7.4 inches

Susan Elderkin’s parents pointed her down her first trail, along Minnesota’s Lake Superior, at the age of three. By age 10 she outpaced her family on annual vacations to Grand Teton National Park. As an adult, she found she was spending all of her free time hiking and backpacking, so she quit her job in Washington, DC, packed her backpack and spent six weeks thru-hiking the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango in 1995.