January 3, 2023

Five Favorite Hikes of 2022

We had such an amazing adventures in 2022 and hiking is always something we love to do when we travel and close to home. It was really hard to choose but here are my top 5 hikes from 2022:

Plan de l’Aiguille to Mer de Glace – Chamonix, France

Plan de l’Aiguille to Mer de Glace

When in Chamonix we rode the cable car to Plan de l’Aiguille then hiked part of the way to Mer de Glace, we would have loved to do the entire hike but it’s 8 miles one way and the kids aren’t ready for that big of a hike (yet, next time!). This area is so incredibly beautiful, this takes the #1 spot for me.

5 lakes hike – Zermatt, Switzerland

5 lakes Hike

The 5 lakes hike above Zermatt, Switzerland comes in second for it’s views of the Matterhorn and delicious mountain top restaurants. Why do we not have these hiker rest areas in the US, they are amazing. It was a bit brown given the time of year we were there, I would love to see it in the spring/summer with all the wildflowers! This is a 6.8 mile hike but it’s mostly down hill. Easy enough for our 4 and 6 year old kids.

Emerald Lake – Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Emerald Lake Hike

We love hiking to Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a bit tricky because the best time to go is in the summer or early fall when everyone else also wants to go. You have to get a special reservation to get to this part of the park and it is hard to come by. That said it is totally worth it. You pass three other alpine lakes before getting to Emerald Lake and the entire hike is gorgeous. It’s only 3.2 miles out and back but I would rate it as moderate difficulty given the altitude and steepness.

Broken Arch Trail- Arches National Park, Utah

Broken Arch Trail

We love visiting Arches National Park in Moab Utah, we are usually at least once a year. It’s hard to pick a favorite hike because they are all spectacular but Broken Arch Trail won out because it has interesting things to see and do all along the trail. Also Sand Arch is along this trail and it’s the kids’ favorite. The trail is an easy 1.7 mile trail and good for almost all ability levels.

Crescent Beach Trail – Cannon Beach, Oregon

Crescent Beach Trail

We LOVE Cannon Beach doing anything on the Oregon Coast is amazing, and you can’t really go wrong hiking any trail here. We choose to go into Ecola State Park because it has beautiful trails, beaches and views of Haystack Rock. This is an easy 3.2 mile out and back hike. You can see the kids are dressed for rain and wind and this was July, Oregon coast weather can be cool even in the summer.

It was SO hard to pick just five, honorable mention goes to:

Tulum Ruins – Tulum, Mexico

Not sure if this counts as a “hike” or just a tour of an historic site, but we walked over 5 miles and loved it so much! A place in Mexico deserved at least a mention here.

Lastly this is not a specific hike as there are many and you can’t go wrong. The “waterfall corridor” in the Colombia river gorge is a dream to hike in.

Please tell me some of your favorite hikes!

We can’t wait to return to some of our favorites and find some new ones in 2023.

December 22, 2022

Winter Solstice Hike + We’re Not Used to This

It has felt like winter for more than a month so Emmy is very confused by today being the first day of winter.

We went to NCAR for a hike to celebrate the winter solstice. It was a bit cold and very windy, I was shocked that the kids didn’t complain at all.

We love this hike in the summer and winter time! You just need to be careful this time of year because ice can be hiding under the dirt in shady places.

Last year when we hiked here it was a struggle to get Emmy to hike more than a mile and now she is loving doing 3-4 miles.

We have lots of hiking/adventure trips planned this year and are going to work on getting up to 6 mile hikes.

We would have liked to go even further but we had to get ready for our upcoming storm and I had a doctor appointment in the afternoon.

we aren’t even getting that much snow but with windchill temperatures could drop to negative 50 and we just aren’t used that that. Cannon’s holiday school party and performance have been canceled and Emmy’s friend’s birthday party also had to be postponed due to the cold weather. We just aren’t used to it being THIS cold!

It was 50 degrees when I went into my appointment and when I left 50 minutes later it had dropped to 14 degrees!

Are you getting hit with frigid weather right now too?

Did you do anything to celebrate the solstice? We usually try to get out in so something to celebrate the changing of the seasons. Summer Solstice Hike

August 3, 2022

Kids Hike – Gem Lake – Rocky Mountain National Park

We decided to join some friends today in checking off a bucket list item of hiking Gem Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We got up early piled all the kids in the car and got to the trailhead around 9 am.

The trail was not too crowded which was not surprising given it was a Tuesday. There was plenty of parking and toilets at the trailhead.

The trail is rated moderate and there is a lot of climbing on the way to the lake but the views make it worth it.

Gem Lake is gorgeous!

Unfortunately the chipmunks have been fed so much by people that they have lost all fear and are almost aggressive in begging for food. Remember to never feed wildlife, it’s not good for them no matter how cute they are!

On the way out we decided to add onto our hike to see the Twin Owl rocks.

It made for close to five miles of hiking. Cannon (at 6 years old) hiked this with no issues or complaints. Emmy (at 4) also did really really well but did get tired towards the end, I think this is the furthest she has ever hiked without having to be carried.

This hike gives me hope that Emmy will be able to hike 6 miles, mostly downhill, to see the Matterhorn in Switzerland.

Do your kids like to hike?

July 17, 2022

Wildflower Festival – Crested Butte Colorado

We woke up excited to visit Crested Butte during it’s peak wildflower season, I had seen online that Crested Butte was hosting a wildflower festival this weekend.

We started our day by driving from Gunnison to Crested Butte then up to the Peanut Lake area for a hike to see the wildflowers.

We did the Uper/lower Loop hike and loved it so much!

There were meadows full of flowers and stands of Aspen Trees.

The views were amazing.

After our hike we went into historic Crested Butte for some time at a playground.

Then on to find ice cream.

Humphry enjoyed lots of attention.

We decided to go check out the camping nearby to scout out spots for next summer.

We stumbled upon Lake Irwin and spent some time playing in the water.

We are hoping to get a \spot next July here but you need to reserve it six months in advance.

Then we drove back to Gunnison for pizza before a little climbing in our campsite.

This is one of Cannon’s favorite campsites!

Have you been in Colorado for Wildflower season? Where is your favorite place to see the flowers?

July 16, 2022

Kid Hike – Lost Lake

I woke up excited to get a run in because the unpaved road into our campsite had four tunnels.

It’s always fun to run somewhere new.

The weather was cool and perfect but running in the mountains is always humbling.

Since it’s Friday Cory had to work so we picked him up a coffee from our favorite coffee shop in Buena Vista then set off for adventure.

Humphry was with us as well and we were in search of wildflowers.

We decided on the Lost Lake trail near the top of Cottonwood Pass.

The hike was enchanting and reminded me of Austria.

There was some stream crossings, a mud bog and lots of mosquitos but it was worth it for the views.

We had lunch and enjoyed the views from Cottonwood Pass before a rainstorm blew in.

When we got down off the pass it was time to pack up Kermit and drive to Gunnison to our next campsite.

We love camping at Heartman Rocks. After a quick dinner we did a pre-bedtime hike. Summer bedtimes are an easily forgotten suggestion.

July 10, 2022

Rocky Mountain National Park – Emerald Lake

We finally made it!

After four years of wanting to take Emerald to “her lake” we got reservations and made the hike all the way up to Emerald Lake.

If you include Bear lake this is about a four mile alpine hike. All Trails calls it moderate and I would agree, both kids did really well and hiked the entire thing on their own.

We had to reserve a spot a month in advance, park in the overflow lot and ride a shuttle to the trail head, but it was worth it for this gorgeous hike.

I think Dream Lake is my favorite of all four lakes.

So proud of these kids!

Have you been to RMNP? Do you have a favorite hike?

June 22, 2022

Kids Hike – Lily Lake RMNP

One of our favorite hikes is up in Rocky Mountain National Park called Lily Lake. It’s a very easy to navigate hike with great accessibility. It’s one of my go-to trails when it’s just me and the kids because I know it’s safe and I won’t have to carry Emmy.

The main loop is just shy of a mile and can be navigated with a stroller.

Back in 2018 Cory made it around with our double stroller and a busted Achilles in a boot.

Now the kids hike on their own!

We brought lunch to enjoy while watching all the wildlife. I LOVE summer in the mountains so much.

We choose to add some elevation and distance by going up over the ridge. There are many other trails that connect to the main Lily lake trail so you can add distance if you like. You can also paddle on the lake and the kids want to bring our boards next time.

If you are in the Estes Park area we can’t recommend this trail enough! We have also visited in the fall and winter….all beautiful!

Previous years:

June 17, 2022

Kids Hike – Fountain Valley Loop Trail In Roxborough State Park

We were so excited to have our friends join us for a hike this week! Our goal has been to get out on at least one hike a week (on average) so 52 hikes for the year. I need to go back and count up how we are doing since the year is almost half over already.

We decided to do Fountain Valley Loop Trail in Roxborough State Park.

It’s about a 2.6 miles without too much elevation gain.

There are a couple overlooks you can hike to and they are well worth it.

Our kids range in age from 4 to 9 years old. They all hiked the entire way and did SO well! The hike in the rocks is so gorgeous. We also did this hike back in November and it was equally as beautiful.

In the afternoon we cooled down with a trip to the pool. Hoping these kids turn into fish by the end of the summer.

Do your kids like to hike?

May 16, 2022

Rainbow Lake Hike – Frisco

We decided that we needed some time in the mountains and it is officially hiking season! We have tried twice to complete this hike and were turned around both times. We decided on Rainbow Lake Trail in Frisco for an easy two mile hike.

The first time we got caught in a rain/hail storm in August, then the trail was icier than we expected in December and we didn’t have traction. The mountains here are always unpredictable.