On our last day in Lassen Volcanic National Park, we decided to hike the 3-mile round trip hike to Bumpass Hell, probably the most popular hike in the whole park. The trail follows an easy grade up and over a pass to Bumpass Hell, a large area of geothermal activity, including bubbling mud pots, hissing […]

While I like to hike up and down mountains with a kid strapped to my back, I also like those hikes where Jane and Wilson can walk most or all of the trail on their own. Our pace with the kids walking is much slower than when we carry them, but slowing down to enjoy […]

Death Valley is hot. Believe what you read about the heat. It is oppressive and dangerous. It’s dangerous for adults, and it’s especially dangerous for little kids. We visited Death Valley National Park with our 1 and 4 year old kids in May. By 9am, temperatures in the valley reached 90 degrees F. The hottest […]

Yosemite is fantastic. The landscape is stunning, and the opportunities for hiking, climbing, and biking are plentiful. We spent most of our week in Yosemite Valley, taking in the waterfalls and cliffs throughs some short day hikes, but when possible we tried to find a little elbow room in a crowded park. We hiked a […]

We had a blast hiking and climbing in Joshua Tree National Park. There are tons of fun activities to do in the park, even for a family with small children, and the park landscape feels like a prehistoric world. We had only planned to stay three days, but after our first day exploring the unique […]