Visiting National Parks with Young Kids

Yosemite was our first national park trip with kids, a three-and-a-half hour drive from our home in San Francisco. Our kids were five-months-old, and we were excited about hiking there with them in front carriers.

Hiking in Joshua Tree

Our most important discovery, however, was made in the Yosemite Gift Shop rather than the trail -- the Passport to Your National Parks spiral bound guide book. It listed all the parks and monuments in the U.S. national park system with spaces for official stickers and cancellation stamps from each park. We purchased one book for each child and made a goal of visiting as many national parks as possible.

Twin Parents Save Sanity by Hiking

My husband and I enjoyed hiking before having children, but we craved it after our twins were born. It was the leisure activity that required the least accommodations to most closely resemble our pre-parent lives! We found it to be a real stress reliever, so we started taking a family hike every Sunday. Sure, it required extra equipment, but our babies loved being carried through tall trees by tranquil caregivers, I was happy to be out of the house (and temporarily responsible for only the baby in my front carrier), and Allan was thrilled to finally find a family activity he could relate to!

A Hiking We Will Go

Our first hikes were to some of the fabulous local parks we are blessed with in the San Francisco Bay Area. Allan and I each carried a baby in the front and a pack on the back: one held baby supplies (diapers, wipes, bottles with pre-measured formula, and water) and the other held adult supplies (water and snacks).