Hiking, camping, and backpacking are as important to us as eating and sleeping. They are a necessity!
Ever since Laura and I met in 2001 we’ve enjoyed hiking, camping, and backpacking together and, since 2007, with our children. They’ve been on hikes within weeks of being born. They’ve been camping before they were 1.5 years old. Soon they’ll experience backpacking.
We try to get out each weekend for a hike at a nearby park or in a national forest. Some of our favorite areas include Mountain Loop Highway, Carkeek Park (Seattle), Salmon River (Oregon), and Tiger Mountain, to name a few. We may live in the Pacific Northwest but that hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the outdoors in all seasons.
Before having kids we sought out challenging and long hikes. Today, we look for hikes that our children will enjoy and as a family we can call ‘fun’. We always try to remember that it’s not about the summit or lake or whatever the end of the trail may be but about the journey to get to that point. It’s important we stop and observe the flora and fauna along the trail. There are an abundance of teaching opportunities for Ethan and Autumn and we, as parents and lovers of nature, must stop to point them out so they can learn and appreciate nature as much, or more, as we do.
One of our favorite resources for finding great hikes is the Washington Trails Assocation website. It’s offers an easy use to ‘Hike Finder’ system to find relevant hikes for you. Since we live in Snohomish County, we also use the book “Hiking Snohomish County” by Ken Wilcox to find great family hikes. Both resources have not disappointed us.
Enjoy learning about our experiences in the great outdoors.
(We’ve done a lot of hiking that isn’t reflected here. We’ll update it as we have time.)
View Holt Family Outdoor Outings Google Map in a larger map
After entering our family photo in the 2012 Washington Trail Northwest Exposure Photo Contest last October, we were excited to hear that our photo of Laura and Ethan hiking on Boardman Trail was selected as honorable mention. There were 13 winning selections and 10 honorable mentions and editor’s picks. You can view all the selected …
After being away for 6 days in San Antonio and the family stuck with a rainy week in Seattle, we took advantage of a beautiful Saturday to hike the Big Four Ice Caves Trail on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. After a couple months of anticipation on our part, the trail just opened up for …
With the sun shining a bit more than usual, and the temperatures staying above 55 a tad longer, the family is more inclined to hit the trail more frequently. On a favorable hiking day, we tend to do 2-4 mile hikes with the kids. Those miles don’t always work well in the winter or rainy …
In the San Francisco Bay Area, I cut my teeth hiking in the coastal redwood forest. As a resilient species that deserves respect, I found solace in their beauty and sheer presence. They will always be my favorite, especially those found at Sanborn County Park, but cedar and hemlock have a unique beauty that shouldn’t be …
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What a great weekend to be out and about in the Seattle area. The weather was just splendid and the kids (and parents) in excellent moods! On Saturday we headed north to meet up with my coworker Bryan and his family Annie, Lucy, and Luke for a visit to Jetty Island. Jetty Island is a …
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