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The ultimate book for Oregon family hikes

Hiking is hands-down one of my favorite things to do, and that didn’t change when I had kids. What did change was the kind of hikes we tackled. Gone were the days of summiting mountains and pushing all-out up switchbacks—we had to adjust to more kid-friendly Oregon family hikes.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find new Oregon family hikes, so we ended up going to the same places weekend after weekend. There’s nothing wrong with that (especially when the closest hike to home is the breathtaking Camassia Natural Area!), but my whole family appreciates a little variety here and there.

Then I cracked open Oregon & Washington 50 Hikes with Kids, written by Portland’s own adventure educator Wendy Gorton. Not only did the hiking book give me a ton of ideas for new kid-friendly outdoor adventures, it also provided scavenger hunts for each and every hike.

I’m so confident you’ll love this hiking book as much as we do that I’m giving away a copy to an Oregon or Portland family. Read on to see how you can enter this giveaway!

Why you need a family hiking book

When Eric and I had our first child, we’d just carry Peeper in a carrier or hiking backpack and head to our usual favorite trails. But when she started to walk, we quickly realized that our hiking-as-usual MO wasn’t safe for our little one.

Many of the Oregon hikes nearby have steep dropoffs on the trails, poison oak or steep climbs. These minor hazards are easy for adults to deal with, but small children can lose their footing. (Nearly every outdoorsy parent in the Pacific Northwest took a close look at which hikes they attempted after a mom died trying to rescue her son, who had fallen off a trail and down a cliff on a popular Oregon hike.)

Besides safety, choosing a family-friendly hike is just more fun—for everyone. When you pick Oregon family hikes that are short enough, flat enough and safe, kids feel like they can enjoy hiking on their own. Parents don’t have to carry overtired kids down the trail. And everyone is satisfied because they actually hiked what they set out to hike.

Friends know us as the family with lots of suggestions for Oregon family hikes, but I’d never considered many of the destinations in this wonderful hiking book. My copy is now full of Post-It flags, reminding me of all the outdoor adventures yet to come.

Extra features in this family hiking book

When I go hiking with the kids, I tend to use a book to suggest trails and how to get there, then leave the book in the car. I’ve been bringing this hiking book along with me, though, because of all the extra features in it.

My absolute favorite extra is the scavenger hunt customized to every hike, complete with full-color photos.

I have always loved scavenger hunts—my mom used to make one for my birthday parties, sending me and a bunch of friends knocking on neighbors’ doors to collect pennies from 1983 (my birth year) and other random bits and bobs. My kids love the adventure of a scavenger hunt, too—I think it makes them feel like they’re pirates searching for treasure.

So when we start a kid-friendly hike in Oregon or Washington, we crack open 50 Hikes with Kids to see what we should be on the lookout for.

For example, we recently took this hiking book’s advice and headed to Lacamas Creek Falls in Washington. We met up with a blogger friend of mine, Lindsay from Running with Tongs, and her kids. The kids were thrilled when they spotted one item on the scavenger hunt—a robin. Peeper later found another item, thimbleberry bushes. That scavenger hunt item was actually an education opportunity for me: I didn’t know what the white flowers were, but now I do!

Oregon & Washington 50 Hikes with Kids is full of those details. I learned so much with this hiking book, and my whole family is excited to see where it brings us next.

Win a copy for your own family adventures!

We love this hiking book so much that I want to give every outdoorsy parent in the Pacific Northwest a copy. Unfortunately that’s not in the cards, but I can do a giveaway for one lucky family!

If you want ideas for new family-friendly hikes in Oregon and Washington, please enter the giveaway here.

I’ll see you on the trail!

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The post My new favorite book for Oregon family hikes (& win a copy!) appeared first on To & Fro Fam.