Snowshoeing at Hollyburn Mountain

Every winter we go snowshoeing as we own snowshoes and it's something that everyone can do at the same level. I've shared several tips here but just remember, comfort and snacks are key! Oh, and don't forget to get there early because parking can be wild on the local mountains. 

The Coquitlam Crunch

If you are looking for a good little workout you may want to check out the Coquitlam Crunch. Our kids ages 6 to 12 love a bit of a challenge and completed it no problem. It is 2.2 km each way with an elevation gain of 244 meters and took us about one hour to complete – I probably held them back a bit to be honest although Nya did not love the last 200 meters to the top.

Jug Island Trail at Belcarra Regional Park

Jug Island Trail is located at Belcarra Regional Park in Port Moody, B.C. and is a beautiful moderate hike for those who want something in the two-hour range. It winds through the forest until the end when it opens up to Indian Arm. You can then walk along the ocean shore and look for crabs and fish and I recommend going at low tide if possible.

Our National Park Road Trip From Vancouver to Yellowstone

This summer our goal was to visit Waterton Lakes National Park. When we realized how close it was to Yellowstone National Park (seven hours), we knew we wanted to add that on. In the end we had five national parks on the agenda: Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park and Craters of the Moon.

Hiking Joffre Lakes

Have you wanted to hike Joffre Lakes? It's been on our list for a while and we finally had the chance to do it–the kids were at the grandparents and the sun was out! The drive to Joffre Lakes is about three hours from Surrey which is quite the commitment but there are many beautiful places to stop along the way (Shannon Falls, Brandywine Falls, Whistler etc.) 

Upper Lake at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park

Grouse Mountain with the Kids {The Peak of Christmas}

Several weeks ago we bought an annual family pass to Grouse Mountain. Gary and I had an amazing snowhoeing date and with sunny skies this weekend we decided to go up with the kids. I was nervous that it would be too cold or that they would be tired of the snow due to the fact that we've had it around for about a month now. We were pleasantly suprised with their positive attitudes and how easily they were entertained!  

Hiking Options Around the Lower Mainland, B.C.

One of our favourite family activities is hiking with our kids. Over the years we have explored the Lower Mainland, B.C. on everything from short walks to overnight hikes. I've put together a list of most of the trails in order that you can see what might interest your family! Included is the city, length, and level. If you are taking the whole family, be sure to read Five Tips For Hiking with Kids so that you are prepared!  Are you ready?

Family-Friendly Yew Lake Trail

Do you want a family-friendly walk with gorgeous views? We discovered a new trail this morning and I'm so glad we gave it a try: Yew Lake Trail up at Cypress Mountain.  The trail is 2 km long and is stroller and wheelchair friendly.  We also did the small Old Growth Loop at 300 meters in length.  The fall colours, fresh air, beautiful trees and easy trail made this a win for the whole family.

Chadsey Lake Trail {Abbotsford, B.C.}

Gary and I were looking for a two hour hike in Abbotsford and several people recommended Chadsey Lake Trail on Sumas Mountain–how had I never heard of it before?  Sumas Mountain has so many mountain biking trails and also some great hiking ones too!  There are many starting points for this hike and we decided to drive as far as we could up to the upper Sumas Mountain Parking Lot so that we just had a 2 km hike each way.  There are longer hikes but this one was very well marked and a great distance for us and our timeline.

Bowen Island Day Trip Adventure

Feeling the need for a trip away from my lovely kids, I asked my friend Leah what we should do and she replied with "I've never been to Bowen Island" and our day trip adventure was born.  We parked our car at the Horseshoe Bay terminal and walked onto the ferry–just $12.35/person for a return trip. 

Backpacking With Young Kids {Golden Ears Provincial Park}

Gary and I love backpacking. Since having kids we haven't been able to go often and have been eagerly awaiting until the kids were old enough so that we could all go together. When would they be old enough? I wasn't sure! I never imagined taking a four-year-old but after seeing what she could do hiking wise recently, I knew that if we found a relatively easy trail, she could probably do it. After asking around, we decided to try out a 4.5 km hike to Hiker's Beach at Golden Ears Provincial Park.

Hiking at the Sea to Sky Gondola

Do you love a variety of hiking trails with incredible views? Me too! We just discovered the beauty of hiking up at the Sea to Sky Gondola. Four months ago we experienced a winter wonderland up there which you can see here  (Summary: It's SO worth it!) and ever since then, I've wanted to return to check out the hiking trails.

Lighthouse Park {West Vancouver}

Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver is one of our favourite parks to explore. Not only is it breathtakingly beautiful, it offers a variety of trails for all ages.  I've gone there with our family for hikes and picnics and also for photo sessions.  It is about an hour from our home but it is so worth it!  Winter or summer, the views and trails never cease to amaze me.

Five Tips For Hiking With Kids

Gary and I really enjoy hiking–we even did the West Coast Trail, with a bunch of friends, on our honeymoon! Now that we have three kids, we want to foster that love for the outdoors in them as well. Besides, if we want to get any hiking in, we usually take them with us because babysitters are so expensive.

{McKee Peak: Abbotsford, B.C.}

We love to explore our vast province of B.C. on day hikes–there are so many incredibly beautiful options.

In order to keep hiking fun, here are my five tips for hiking with kids:

1.  Let them see the map and know the plan. 

My kids love to know the distances and therefore sign posts and markers along the way help them to see their progress. Be realistic with how long it will take and let them know so that there are no surprises or meltdowns. I'm a pretty time-orientated person so I try to remember to relax and enjoy the journey.

{Dog Mountain: Mt. Seymour, B.C.}

2. Snacks and water.

Hiking is hard work and filling them up with protein will give them the long term energy that they need; we usually pack pepperoni sticks, nuts, and granola bars. If we're going a bit longer, we make sure that we have sandwiches too. We have a hydration pack but carry extra water bottles--our family sweats a lot. Okay, I sweat a lot.

{McKee Peak: Abbotsford, B.C.}

3.  Start with an easier hike to build up their confidence.

One of the first hikes we did with our boys was the Grouse Grind (at ages 4 and 6)--even though they rocked it, I wouldn't recommend it. Start with a nice flat hike and take a carrier or stroller along just in case. Try to keep those first hikes to under an hour.

{Rainforest Loop: Tofino, BC}

4.  Make sure they have good shoes and layers. 

Good runners are a must--tie them up securely. Check that their socks have no holes and protect the knees of your younger kids who tend to get scraped up a little more easily. Hiking for us often happens in the mornings or in the shade so layers are recommended. Don't forget a hat and sunscreen!

{Dog Mountain: Mt. Seymour, B.C.}

5. Have a fun destination. 

What is at the end of the hike? A beach? A lookout?A lighthouse? Make sure there is something to make the hike seem more worthwhile! If they're not that into the view, perhaps pulling out a special treat will make it more exciting.

{Lower Falls: Golden Ears, B.C.}

{Dog Mountain: Mt. Seymour, B.C.}

I'd love to hear if you have any other tips!  

Love,

Louise

PS Parents: you might want to use hiking poles if carrying a child in order to ensure better stability and less pressure on your knees.

PIN HERE FOR LATER:

Lindeman Lake

This afternoon we did a hike to Lindeman Lake with our friends.  Gary and I have done it twice before but never with the kids.  It was a little harder than I remembered  (I'm a few years older and had Nya on my back the whole time) but still enjoyable!  It's about 2 km long and takes just under an hour to get to the lake. 

The kids all did so well!  It was a little chilly so I'd say Jen and I did well too :)  The only downfall of this hike is that it's pretty far away.  It's right next to Chilliwack Lake which means it's about 1.5 hours from Surrey.  I think this would be the perfect place to do our first overnight backpacking trip with our kids!  There are tent pads and an outhouse located at the lake and the fact that it's just a one hour hike makes it ideal with younger kids.  There is another lake, Greendrop, about another 1-2 hours hike past Lindeman which I've never been too.  Could be fun in a couple of years!

The kids found a couple of geocaches along the way which they always love.  

We had a few snacks and relaxed a bit but then the wind/cold/light rain had us up and moving again!

Ella and the boys get along really well and they are all the same level of goofiness.

Miss Nya's last two molars are coming in right now so she's not the happiest little hiker but she did all right!

We love hanging out with this family and are so glad that we've been able to spend some great times with them.

I love the scenery on this hike.  I wouldn't recommend it for kids under the age of 5 unless there are enough adult hands for them to hold (or if they are in a carrier!).  I hope you have a good and safe long weekend!

Love,
Louise

PS If you've done the hike to Greendrop Lake, let me know how much longer it is and whether the trail is slightly `easier' or just the same please!

Five Enjoyable Walks in Surrey & Langley

Summer is here and we love being outside and exploring. Getting our kids to burn off a lot of energy is key for fewer fights, meltdowns, and the dreaded "I'm bored" which so far has only been uttered by our seven-year-old. Having three younger kids, these are some of our favourite walks to do as a family. They are all stroller-friendly and relatively flat. I always like discovering new places so if you haven't checked them out, you might want to!

1.Campbell Valley Park. The north entrance at 200th and 16th has a great loop that takes us just under an hour to do.You can bring bird seed and feed a bird or two as long as you get there early enough and they're not full of seeds already! It is very flat and easy to do. Only outhouses available.

2. Redwood Park at 180th and 20th. There is a great playground there and you can do a 15-20 minute `Fun Family Loop'. There is a treehouse and also some fairy doors that you can search for and entire Fairy Village!  It's a beautiful location for photos in the fall with all of the fall leaves. They also have large covered picnic tables and flush toilets (with a baby change table too!). Oh yes, and a water fountain that every single kid loves.

3. Tynehead Park on 172nd and 96th.  It has a paved 4.8 km loop that our kids like to bike. It does have some hills and takes about an hour to walk. If you would prefer something more picturesque and in the woods, you can walk at the hatchery entrance  (16485 96th Ave).

4.  Sendall Gardens on 201st and 50th. There isn't a lot of walking to be done here but the kids love to run around and play with the giant water fountain. It's also very picturesque and we did some of Nya's 2 year old photos here.

5. Brae Island at the end of Glover Road (in Fort Langley) and just over the bridge past the Fort Pub. There's a beach there along the Fraser River and also some walking trails. Here is the link to the map. We've gone geocaching there as well. PS If you've never biked the Fort to Fort trail that is close by and recommended too!

We love being outside. The kids behave better and it's free. I know that there are many more parks to explore in the area, but these are just some of the regular ones that we enjoy. We're going to be heading to Williams Park this week which I know they'll enjoy. Playground + trails + stream. I should definitely add that a bonus #6. 

Since this was written I would definitely add Surrey Bend Regional Park and the Houston Trail.

Do you have a favourite walk in this area that you would want to add?  

Love,
Louise

Father's Day Hike

First off, a Happy Father's Day to my dad who is currently in Pond Inlet in Nunavet.  He has the heart of an adventurer and I appreciate his `go for it' attitude.  He is sleeping in his airplane tonight and trying to figure out a new route as his next planned stop will not have the fuel that he needs for another 2 weeks.

Onto our Father's Day celebrating Gary.  When I first met him 13 years ago, there were 3 things that attracted me to him; he was a Christian who loved the outdoors and was great with kids.  I knew early on that he would make an awesome father and that was just really...hot.

Gary truly is a great dad.  He involves them with everything (therefore spending quality time and teaching skills), he wrestles with them, and he shows them how to love and respect those around him by example.  

{Taken in front of Trisha's garage door pre-hike, I actually really love the colour of this door!}

To celebrate Father's Day this year, we went to church and then headed out to Abbotsford to my sister Trisha's house.  We were going on a family hike but decided not to take Nya.  This may have been the first family outing with her.  I felt really bad but I know that Miss Independent would want to walk the whole thing and we did not have 10 hours of patience with us.  She was thrilled to have some play time with cousin Hannah so I know she had a great time.

To be honest, it was so easy without her.  The boys are great hikers and therefore I had my hands free to take photos and just relax.  Poor Nya, we'll take you some time!

I just need to take a break from the talk of hiking to show you teenage Kai.  Okay, so he's 7.5 years old, but still, when did he stretch out to become so thin and tall?

All right, back to the hike.  We decided to hike McKee Peak as it's short, close, and still a bit of a challenge.  In the past we have hiked the Grouse Grind and Lower Falls with the kids so this was a sort of `in between' hike for them.  Before reaching the trail, Koen said over and over again, `I don't want to do a hike' and then 30 seconds into the hike he was saying `I love this! This is so fun!'.  That kid.

It took about 45 minutes to get to the top.  Kai is definitely the fastest of all of us.  Koen said he felt close to giving up but never did.  He also talked THE ENTIRE TIME.  That kid.  

There are a lot of mountain bikers heading up this trail but then they take the side trails down.  It's just a nice steady incline.  

Our boys do not sit still for a picture.  This was as good as it got.

In the picture above, Koen was pretty sure he got stinging `medals'.  Nope, he didn't.

And, the true motivator. Chocolate covered blueberries halfway up. Yum.

There's a beautiful meadow at the top.  At this point we were about 1 minute from the end so they took off running pretending they were in Amazing Race.  Gary and I placed second in case you were wondering. 

By this time it was raining so we started heading back down.  We stopped to have chicken salad wraps under the tree.  Thank you Gary for making your own Father's Day lunch.

You can tell in the photo above that Kai has just a few chocolate covered blueberries in his mouth.  He likes to savour things and will suck on them for as long as possible.

Had it not been raining, the view would've been pretty nice but this gives you an idea.

It took about 30 minutes to get down.  At this point we were really wet but the boys were still having fun.  I bet there are a ton of geocaches in the area but we didn't even think about it beforehand.

Then, it was off to get Miss Nya who had a fantastic time with Hannah.  Thanks for watching her, Trish!

Our plan is to do a hike per week this summer.  I need to figure out a way for Nya to stay in the Ergo or backpack without trying to fling herself out or screaming `I do it!' the whole time.

I hope you had a good weekend.  If you have any local hikes that you'd recommend with kids, please let me know!  I'll be keeping you posted on some throughout the summer.  Yahoo, I said `summer'!!

Love, Louise