Good news parents: Most kids' favorite vacations involve sleeping bags and campfires instead of five-star luxury and turn-down service. Traditional camping trips are a crowd favorite, but if you're looking for something a bit further off the beaten path of family travel, check out one of the following outdoor travel experiences any family can enjoy, no prior wilderness knowledge necessary. 1. … [Read more...]
Maine with kids: Baxter State Park backcountry itinerary for families
August 13, 2018 By
Baxter State Park is Maine's largest expanse of untamed public wilderness. With almost 210,000 acres to explore, where do you start? Our Baxter State Park backcountry itinerary for families includes days in the frontcountry enjoying Baxter's car camping options, several days in Baxter's backcountry, then a rest day to play and explore before departure. Baxter's scope and size is on a national … [Read more...]
Family mountain biking tips and gear
June 29, 2018 By
Our family loves mountain biking. Many outdoor-focused resorts now offer mountain bike rentals and mountain bike single track, and we discovered the sport while traveling. Right away, our kids wanted to mountain bike at home, too. Here's what we've learned about finding family mountain biking trails (at home and while on the road), how to best transport your bikes, and the gear it's helpful to … [Read more...]
Hiking to AMC huts: how to plan your Appalachian Mountain Club adventure
May 2, 2018 By
After our East Coast Pit Stops for Kids family tried out Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)'s Highland Center Lodge during a winter break, they knew they had to come back for a summer stay, hiking to AMC huts! What are AMC huts? They're a network of hike-in lodges operated by Appalachian Mountain Club. Hikers can depart for huts from trailheads, or from the Highland Center Lodge. We sent our … [Read more...]
Oregon Cowboy vacation: Wilson Ranches Retreat
April 27, 2018 By
Guest post by travel writer Sarah McCully-Posner. Wilson Ranches Retreat is a really special place. It is an authentic, family owned, working ranch just outside of the small town of Fossil in Eastern Oregon. The ranch lies within the beautiful Butte Creek Canyon and on your drive in you not only see the cattle grazing lazily in the fields, but song birds flying above, and quail scurrying … [Read more...]
Three multigenerational trip ideas in the outdoors
April 10, 2018 By
Multigenerational travel is so important in today's reality of extended family often living great distances away, and kids becoming more and more scheduled, with less opportunity for quality time with parents and grandparents. We've written extensively on the type of trips that make for ideal multigenerational trips, the best of which include group tours led by experts in the outdoors. Why do … [Read more...]
Two ways to ski backcountry terrain on your next ski trip
February 26, 2018 By
If you’re one of those skiers or snowboarders who looks up at the most distant peak from the chairlift and says, “How do I get up there?” or notes tracks in fresh powder and wishes you’d put them there, you may want to elevate your next ski trip to include a day of backcountry terrain. Or, if you have teens (16 or older) who are yearning to learn what AT or touring skiing is all about, it might be … [Read more...]
Riding Amtrak: how and when to enjoy an affordable rail trip with kids
January 8, 2018 By
I love rail travel: I find a train journey to be restful, peaceful, and productive for a work-from-the-road type like myself. My kids enjoy it as well: they appreciate the mobility afforded (compared to air travel), the extra leg room, and the fun dining and panoramic cars. However, train travel today is not always the economical choice it was just a few decades ago. Price a multi-day rail journey … [Read more...]
Central Oregon activities: kayaking the Cascade Lakes with Wanderlust Tours
September 10, 2017 By
If you're enjoying a Central Oregon vacation and wondering what to do with kids in Bend or the surrounding areas, Wanderlust Tours offers outdoor excursions that will introduce you to Oregon's Cascade Lakes and other wilderness areas while everyone has fun. Located in Bend, Wanderlust offers a full range of outdoor excursions, including cave tours, kayaking Cascade Lakes, canoeing, volcano … [Read more...]
Open Air Adventure Park Estes Park
August 28, 2017 By
Estes Park, Colorado, is known as the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. But mountains aren’t the only outdoor adventures you can find in this small town. Tucked off highway 36 on the way out to the Beaver Meadows entrance of the park is the compact but surprisingly extensive Open Air Adventure Park. Open Air Adventure Park is a web of 32 aerial obstacles arranged around a central hub. … [Read more...]
