by Melynda Harrison - Atop gentle horses saddled by the expert staff at Brooks Lake Lodge, my family climbs into an impossibly beautiful meadow in the Absaroka Mountains of Wyoming. With a background of striated cliffs, a creek running over a mountain edge into a thin cascade, and late summer wildflowers hanging on for just a little longer all around us, I decided this might … [Read more...]
Summertime Family Fun at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, Texas
by Melynda Harrison - I’m lying, stomach-down, in a little chute, gripping a boogie board beneath me. I’ve ridden them in the ocean before, but this is my first time riding an artificial wave. The instructor tells me to pull my elbows in, keep my chest up, and put my feet down a bit if I am about to go backwards over the crest of the wave. I scoot down, shoot into the water, … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Hiking Barefoot While Dragging a Stick
by Stephanie Green - I grew up in Chicago, where the highest elevation was a 50-foot freeway overpass. When I moved to California, I fell in love with the mountains and their commanding height. I also loved exploring the variety of natural areas from the ocean to the desert. After twenty years, I am still in awe of the abundance and diversity of ecosystems. My recreation of … [Read more...]
70+ Family Friendly Things To Do In The White Mountains, New Hampshire
by Jean Grant - Meander in a meadow of spiky lupine, hike to the alpine summit of New England’s highest mountain, bask in crimson and yellow autumn foliage along country roads, or swoosh down powdery ski runs. A plethora of outdoor excursions await in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The 800,000-acre hardwood White Mountain National Forest is home to over 150 miles of … [Read more...]
4 Expert Tips on Raising an Adventure Dog
by John Soltys - For many of us, dogs are family. We celebrate their accomplishments, we fear for their safety, and we mourn their passing. And, just like we do with human children, we enjoy adventuring together. In many cases, it's dogs that begin our adventures in life and in the outdoors. Some of my earliest memories are about time spent as a child with the family dog in … [Read more...]
Camping with Kids In Quebec Province
by Janet LoSole - Flanking New York State, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine lies the Canadian province of Québec, where the citizens enjoy a certain joie de vivre and love of the outdoors. After you cross the border, English disappears, French street signs pop up and conversations become incomprehensible. Québec is Canada’s only province whose sole official language is … [Read more...]
17 Outdoor Birthday Party Ideas For Fun In The Sun
by Lindsey Lebowitz - When I think of summer with my kids, I think of popsicles, running barefoot through the sprinkler, sun-kissed cheeks, and outdoor birthday parties. Both my kids’ birthdays fall in the summertime, and as an outdoor family, we enjoy celebrating outside. This year, I’ve gotten a head start on researching outdoor summer birthday party ideas. Varying among … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Nature, Sustainability, and Conscious Choices
by Cheryl Magyar - One was born in a town of Romania, another was brought to life in the suburbs of America, and the third arrived quietly on a homestead in Hungary, with animals waiting patiently, in complete silence, just outside the door. Our births were given dates and exact locations, to be institutionalized and stamped on a certificate of existence, yet it remains that … [Read more...]
Outdoor Safety for Kids | An Outdoor Expert’s Essentials
by Jennifer Fontaine - Recent studies have revealed the benefit— perhaps even the necessity—of spending time outdoors. For both kids and adults, spending time in nature's great outdoor spaces makes us smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than those who spend more time indoors, and while it’s unclear exactly how the brain and mood improvements occur, there are a … [Read more...]
Badass Women Who Are Dominating the World of Adventure Travel
by Erin Kirkland - Who Dominates Adventure Travel? These women. International Women’s Day is Friday March 8. Meet four professionals working to make outdoor travel a balanced place for women around the world. With a theme of #BalanceforBetter, the 2019 International Women’s Day platform is firmly set. Focusing on creating a more gender-balanced world to foster a better … [Read more...]
What is Wildschooling?
Wildschooling, noun; a progressive parenting philosophy which encourages the creativity, curiosity, and joy that children naturally express. by Nicolette Sowder - When my oldest daughter turned preschool age, my husband and I began having conversations about what we wanted her schooling to look and feel like. We found that aspects of the local school system and … [Read more...]
Hiking in Asheville – 15 Must-Hike Trails For Kids
by Stephanie Harper - Asheville is the epitome of a mountain town complete with endless eateries, urban jaunts, and organic living--but it's the hiking in Asheville that will entice your outdoorsy family to stay forever. With the iconic Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding the city in all directions and one million acres of protected forest and park land, there is no shortage of … [Read more...]
VIP Vail | Exclusive Outdoor Adventure Awaits At Sonnenalp
by Heather Mundt - Hiking along Cross Creek Trail in the Holy Cross Wilderness area near Vail, Colo., my two sons—ages 12 and 10—are trailing closely behind Kara Hasbrouck-Schmidt, guest-activities supervisor at the Sonnenalp Hotel, when she stops at the edge of a sun-dappled meadow. “Look down at this, boys,” she says, kneeling to pick up what appear to me as tiny wisps of … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: We stopped living the “dream” to live OUR dream
by Jessica Sueiro - When Will and I first met, he was an accountant and I was a graphic designer. We loved adventure and outdoor activities, but we were limited solely to weekends and two-week vacation adventures. At the time we lived in Los Angeles and our normal weekend outdoor activities consisted of hiking Runyan Canyon in LA with our dog. We had very few vacation weeks … [Read more...]
Kids Walkie Talkies: 10 Best Under $50
by Stephanie Harper - Having the safety and comfort knowing your kids are doing great whether during a hike or on vacation is something as parents, we don’t take for granted. That’s why investing in a two-way radio system, aka walkie talkies, can be both a beneficial and fun way for kids to build their self-confidence and communication skills outdoors. Deciding which walkie … [Read more...]
18 Ways For Families To Get Outside This Summer
by Jennifer Fontaine - There's a great, big, awe-inspiring world out there just waiting to captivate, provoke, and intrigue our kids, all while making them healthier and happier. There is an ever-growing pile of evidence that tells us, time spent outside reduces stress, encourages cooperation, raises compassion, and has even been shown to improve focus, creative thought, and … [Read more...]
From Canada to Mexico: Father and daughter ride bicycles to support childhood cancers
by Erin Kirkland - Most teenagers plan a summer of sleeping late, hanging out with friends, or a combination thereof. Katelyn Cardoza, however, has had a different agenda for months. Katelyn, 13, and her dad, Jerod are currently somewhere along the narrow, hilly Oregon Coast, bicycling to Mexico in support of kids with cancer. I caught up with Katelyn and Jerod by phone. … [Read more...]
