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Elizabeth | Hiking & Adventure Mom

@elizabethseeks

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🏔️ Helping families plan hiking & outdoor activities in the PNW & beyond
🏕️ Camping • biking • hiking with kids
♥️ Adventure mom diaries

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My favorite Washington kid-friendly September hikes 👇 Save for hike planning!

Washington is in transition in September. Sometimes it feels like summer, fall colors begin, sometimes it rains, and it can even snow at high elevations. Here’s a mix of hikes for sunny clear days and wet autumnal days that you can enjoy with your kids! ☀️ 🍁 ☔️

1. Naches Peak Loop: while awesome in summer for wildflowers, possibly better in fall for fall colors (and no bugs). Mt. Rainier views too! 3.6 mile loop, 600 feet elevation gain. Requires Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass.
2. Snow Lake (alpental): Better for carryable kids or bigger kids, this one is a classic and great for warm September days for some final alpine dips. 7.2 miles, 1800 feet elevation gain.
3. Twin Falls: ideal for cloudy or rainy early fall days when you need an easy excursion. 2.4 miles, 500 feet gain. Requires Discover Pass.
4. Murhut Falls: An Olympic Peninsula gem, this quiet trai is ideal for an easy and peaceful outing in cooler temperatures. 1.5 miles, 250 feet elevation gain.
5. High Rock Lookout: Recently reopened after a prolonged trail closure, this one has epic views of Mt. Rainier without the parking challenges that come with visiting Paradise. Be warned it’s a journey to get to the trailhead on a dirt road, but we did it with a sedan. 3.2 miles roundtrip, 1365 feet elevation gain.
6. Goose Rock: This coastal trail provides excellent views of the Salish Sea and San Juan Islands.2.3 miles roundtrip, 564 feet elevation gain.
7. Fallscreek Canyon: another quiet Olympic Peninsula trail with waterfalls and fall leaves. 1.5 miles roundtrip, 300 feet elevation gain.
8. Snow & Bench Lakes: for a warmer day when you want to visit Mount Rainier before the snow! 2.6 miles, 610 feet gain, America the Beautiful Pass required.
9. Huntoon Point: an easy and beautiful trail with views of Mount Baker. 1.2 miles, 200 feet gain, Northwest Forest Pass required.
10. Oyster Dome: idyllic coastal trail through the first to views of the Samish Bay. 5 miles, 1050 feet gain.

Washington parents, what would you add to this list? by @elizabethseeks

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a month ago

The ideal Seattle area hike for families with babies, toddlers, and little kids 😍

🥾 2.2 miles round trip-doable for the littlest hikers
💦 SO many little pools for water play. All are shallow, with no real risk of getting swept down current. I brought my son’s life jacket but he didn’t need it!🌲 Shaded trail, and shade available along the rocks for your picnic lunch too
🚙 One hour from Seattle, by Snoqualmie Pass, but note parking was full at 10:30 on a summer Saturday (prepare to wait or go early). Northwest forest pass needed or can purchase day pass on site for $5
📍Denny Creek

Truly this is one of the best summer hikes with kids in Washington! Send to a hiking parent friend you want to go with (it’s more fun with more kids 😂 )☀️ and follow @elizabethseeks for more Washington outdoor family adventures
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Hiking with kids, hiking season, hike it baby, adventure mom, kids who explore, Washington hikes by @elizabethseeks

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3 months ago

Awesome Washington hike with kids in the late summer/early fall 🍁

🥾 3.6 miles, 400 feet elevation gain
🏔️ Incredible ridge line views (hold on to little hiker hands)
🍁 Fall colors by Mount Rainier, and less crowded trail
🎒 You can also backpack here—no permit required!
🅿️ Two parking lots and ample street parking. America the Beautiful Pass required

📍Sheep Lake, WA

Bring your kids here this month before the snow! Follow @elizabethseeks for more hiking with kids adventures in Washington 🌲
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Washington trails, hiking with kids, kids who explore, hiking Washington, Kid friendly hikes, hiking family, adventure mom, Washington fall hikes by @elizabethseeks

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a month ago

Everything I packed for our overnight backpacking trip to a firelookout, 36 weeks pregnant with a 3-year-old 🎒 Here are some of the specific gear pieces:

@weewoollies base layer pajamas for my son 🐑
@rei down sleeping bag for me 🛌 and their 4T reversible down jacket for my little guy
@morrisonoutdoors Big Mo 40 sleeping bag for my son
@garmin mini InReach for safety ☎️
@letsgoiksplor nursing long sleeve wool that fits over my belly 🤰
@jetboil burner and fuel for water boiling
@cotopaxi fuego down jacket for me 🧥
@ospreypacks 65 L backpack 🎒

What are your go-tos for backpacking or hut trips? 🛖

Follow @elizabethseeks for adventurous motherhood outdoors 💞
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Adventure mom, Washington firelookout, Heybrook Lookout, backpacking with kids, hiking with kids, kids who explore, family adventure travel by @elizabethseeks

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a month ago

Now is the time to stock up on adventure gear because it’s REI’s Labor Day Sale and there are some GOOD deals. These are 25% off or sometimes more! I always plan my purchases around the sales so I don’t pay full price for things I need! 🏕️ Here are my picks for the current sale for outdoorsy adventure moms! Comment “Labor Day” and I’ll send you all the links.

As always, only buy what you actually need. But these pieces of gear have been critical for us to enjoy outdoor time together as a family and I think you’ll find them helpful, too 🤗
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Adventure mom, adventure family, hiking family, camping family, camping season, camping gear, hiking gear, kids who explore, run wild my child, motherhood outdoors, moms who hike by @elizabethseeks

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a month ago

Welcome to ✨ mat leave maxxing ✨ where I attempt to get out of the house for outdoor adventures & excursions as much as possible during my maternity leave!

Today is DAY 1 as my last day of work was yesterday 😍 four weeks of pre partum leave and I have a big list I’m going to try to work my way through, mostly with my almost 4 year old son along with me!

Some of the plans we have include:
🛖 An overnight at a fire lookout
🏕️ One more camping trip pre-baby
🍎 Apple picking at local farms
🥾 Some final mama/son hikes
🏝️ Seattle area island exploration
🌊 Beach play

And more! Will we do it all? Who knows what all we will be able to accomplish. We could knock it out of the park, or epically fail, or more likely something in between🤣 but we will chronicle the journey along the way & hope for an adventure filled mat leave for the books 😍
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Maternity leave, second time mom, adventure mom, outdoorsy mom, moms who hike, kids who explore, toddler mom, pregnant, adventure family by @elizabethseeks

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2 months ago

Two years ago I never would have said yes to a one night camping trip 🏕️ But last summer I took more than one one-nighter and it completely changed my perspective! 👇

Camping for just one night is a lot easier than 2 when you are working full time. It allows you to do all prep Friday night instead of scrambling on Thursday to get everything ready in time to leave after work on Friday. It gets you one more night in a comfortable bed. And it still allows you to experience a great little adventure outdoors 🏔️

If you haven’t tried a one night camping trip, take this as your sign to do it. If you have camped for just one night, what other tips or tricks do you have? 😍
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Camping season, camping with kids, camping tips, camping family, adventure mom, camping hacks, adventure mom, Mount rainier national park, PNW family by @elizabethseeks

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2 months ago

IDEAL LOW EFFORT outdoorsy adventure with kids in the South Sound Seattle area 🚲

Bike ride with a stop for incredible pizza will make EVERYone enjoy the day - I promise! 😋

🅿️ Park at Summit Park, in Maple Valley. You will need to bike about 3 blocks along city streets to reach the Cedar to Green River trail because the part of the trail connected to Summit Park is currently under construction. Ride to Maple Valley Black Diamond Road, turn left, and then turn left on SE Kent Kangley Road and the bike trail will be on your right side!
🚲 Bike the trail: it’s partially paved and partially gravel, and mostly flat so kids (and let’s be real, adults too) will be able to enjoy it! It’s mostly shaded, and passes by Lake Wilderness which has a fantastic playground if you have time to make a stop there 🛝 Total distance is approximately 4 miles each way!
💡 Tips: For our 3 year old, we brought the trailer AND his bike. He was able to bike part of the trail each way and then caught a ride in the trailer when he was tired. This was perfect! My older niece and nephew were able to bike it either on their own or on a tag along bike.
🍕 Cascadia Pizza: Has both outdoor and indoor seating, with river views, places to leave your bike, and it’s pet friendly! Be sure to try the root beer - it was SO good. Pizza and wings were both high quality.

Who are you going to bring to ride here?!
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Seattle with kids, kid friendly adventures, biking with kids, adventure mom, Washington family, Washington with kids, biking family by @elizabethseeks

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2 months ago

Parents, you do NOT need to plan a boring beach trip or a cruise just because you have a baby now 🚨

Before having a baby I knew I wanted to keep my adventurous travel lifestyle and preferences. So our first big trip with my son was to the Galapagos (go big or go home amirite 🤣).

We went for a week and had the most epic experiences seeing so much wildlife (sharks, manta rays, penguins 🐧, sea horses, marine iguanas, giant tortoises! And more!), island hopped between two islands, did two full day boat excursions, watched the most incredible sunsets, and swam through underwater paradise.

The limits of what you can do with a baby are a lot more flexible than you think 😉 We are hoping to do an equally adventurous trip with baby number two next year 👀 What are some epic adventures you plan to have with your baby or kids?! ✈️ 🥾
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Adventure mom, adventure family, travel family, travel with kids, travel with a baby, Galapagos with kids, baby adventure travel, adventure baby, kids who explore by @elizabethseeks

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2 months ago

Self-proclaimed adventure mom here 🙋‍♀️ but here are some things that clash with that…

Do you relate to any of these? I’m curious to hear what other adventure moms think. Like where are your limits? What are things you miss from before kids? What are ways you’re less “adventure-y” than other moms? Sometimes I see super outdoorsy moms doing epic things and think “wow that is SO cool” and also no way for me 😆

Hiking with kids, camping with kids, adventuring with kids are all so special & I am grateful to live in a place where it’s easy to live an outdoorsy life with my little fam 🤗

And if you’re new here, hi 👋 I’m Elizabeth, mom of one soon to be two, who spends as much time as possible on adventures with the family in the PNW and beyond🏕️ ✈️ follow @elizabethseeks for more adventure planning and inspiration!
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Outdoorsy family, hiking family, travel family, camping season, happy hikers, kids who explore by @elizabethseeks

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2 months ago

They say for kids, a good way to measure how far they can hike is 1 mile per year. My three year old was able to max out at 4.5 miles at 3.5 years old 🥾

Tips below! Follow @elizabethseeks for more outdoor adventures with kids 🏔️

Kids are a lot more capable than we think they are! There are a few ways to help motivate kids hiking:

👯Bring friends for them. Seriously the absolute best motivator (as long as said friends don’t leave your kid in the dust, ask me how I know 😅)
🤸‍♀️Play games. Make them up as you go! This will help keep your child engaged
🏃‍♂️ Change up the pace and encourage little racing bursts when the trail is safe to do so, a little bit of zooming can get you farther up the trail, faster
☺️ Leave time for child-directed play. This is often at the destination (like a lake or mountain top) but can really be anywhere on trail. Let them have some fun in their own way!

What are your best tips for hiking with toddlers & little kids? Share this with a mom who needs to see!
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Hiking mom, hiking with kids, kids who explore, adventure mom, camping with kids, adventure family, toddler mom, moms who hike, PNW family by @elizabethseeks

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2 months ago

Hot take 🔥: you can live very adventurously while pregnant.

During my pregnancy I’ve done some pretty epic stuff: an overnight at a backcountry hut at Mount Rainier 🏔️ Hiked in gear and spent a night at a fire lookout 60 feet above the trees 🌲 And yes, even an international, third-trimester trip to Ecuador (waterfalls & toucans & zero regrets) ✈️ 🦜

This isn’t to say be reckless—definitely talk to your medical provider about what can work for you. But it IS to say, you can probably do more than you thought you could while pregnant 💪 You can still push your limits & seek adventure. You can still have experiences that make you feel like YOU while growing your baby 💚

Save this for your own pregnancy & send to an expecting friend! And follow along for adventures during this last stretch of my pregnancy 🤰 🥾
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Adventure mom, pregnancy, adventurous motherhood, motherhood outdoors, pregnant hikers, hiking while pregnant, travel while pregnant, hiking mom, hiking family, kids who explore, outdoorsy family, fit pregnancy by @elizabethseeks

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