Each year about this time with the kids back in school, our travel begins to settle down a bit. We spend more time exploring our local area and less time crossing the country. Lucky for us, we get to live in a pretty amazing part of the world. Northern California shines in the late summer and early fall. We have been escaping to the beaches of San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties on the weekends and spending more time hiking our local mountains. Today’s post takes us to one of our favorite trails, Wunderlich County Park located in Woodside, California. It was just myself and my youngest on this hike, so don’t let little ones stop you from venturing out on the trail. I’ve included some of my favorite shots from the morning and a few tips for hiking with kids not listed in my previous post on the topic. I hope you are inspired to make hiking a part of your family’s lifestyle. Start small, you may be pleasantly surprised by what your kids will do.
Suggestions for Hiking with Kids:
- Nourishment – Bring kids hiking well fed and carry water and snacks for stops along the way.
- Skills – Teach them to read a map. This small county park has a simple to read map perfect for early map reading skills. You can never start them too young. This does two things, teaches them a bit about trail maps and also gives them a feeling of control over our journey. Call them the “captain, leader or guide” to make it sound more official.
- Details – Spend at least part of the walk seeing the world through their eyes. Children notice everything. Stop to recognize the details in the moss, the bark, the spiderwebs, etc. They will appreciate you listening and you will find it forces adults to slow down and more fully enjoy the natural beauty around you.
- Silliness – Let them lead, play chase, count steps, trees, rocks, or take photos. Discover. Most of all have fun. You won’t regret this time together.
More links:
Hiking California State Parks
Hiking National Parks
Getting to Wunderlich Park
