Long before the kids, the hubby and I used to like to hike around Seattle, and now that our kids are a little older, we’re having fun exploring trails with them too and we’re always looking for kid-friendly Seattle hikes. With kids you have to be a little bit more choosy when you plan your route. It’s neat to read what other families say about their hikes and Red Tricycle has a guide and so does Parent Map but we really like using the REI Family Hike Recommendations. We’ve hiked a few of them and today we tried a Tiger Mountain Hike that combined the “Around the Lake” trail, a jaunt under the power lines and then the “Swamp Trail.”
It was one of those days when we didn’t really keep track of time or distance, but I think it was around 2 miles and about 2 hours.
We packed peanut butter/jelly sandwiches, watermelon and cookies.
We even had a leisurely cup of hot chocolate while we strolled.
The hubby read somewhere that kids need to just take their time when they hike, so we would munch, look for little animals and shapes in the mosses, find perfect hiking sticks and just followed the guys’ lead.
They really enjoyed finding numbers and reading signs. We learned from one of the signs that a “seahawk” is an osprey.
We also came across a story about Zoe, a raccoon and her swamp monster adventure along the Swamp Trail.
I wish we knew more about this story before we came (now we do, thank you American Family Magazine), because we had done the route backwards and the story didn’t make sense.
Next time we need to start at the Swamp Trail (instead of heading towards the Bus Trail when we got to this sign.)
and then do the Around the Lake loop. (The Swamp Trail with it’s story seems like a perfect kids’ first hikes too!)
We also need to see if there are any geocaches out here. With all the traveling that we do, it was definitely nice to spend the day appreciating the natural beauty in our own city and we had already bought a Northwest Forest Pass at Fred Meyer last summer, so it was nice being all set to go.
(PS on the way back to Seattle, we stopped at Target in Issaquah and it was probably our best shopping trip we’ve done with the guys in the while. It’s easier to shop when kids have had some time in the outdoors)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
A perfect post for me to see! We’re thinking of heading to the Grand Canyon in the fall and I want to do some small easy hikes while there. I’ve been wanting to explore a local family hike in the Seattle area, and you’ve pointed me in the right direction. Being from KS I’ve always been a little worried about the wildlife in the PNW, but it looks like plenty of families enjoy hikes w/o problems. Thanks!
These are such great and easy hikes! I think you’ll have a good time. Can’t wait to hear about the Grand Canyon!