hiking – Page 9 – Mommy Hiker

Hiking Eaton Canyon – An Active Kid’s Paradise

Posted on October 28, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

Tucked away in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Eaton Canyon is a gorgeous nature area comprised of 190 acres, offering everything from nature walks and environmental educational programs to hiking and stunning waterfalls.

Hiking Eaton Canyon Falls with a toddler

Eaton Canyon Waterfall

During the summer, you can find us at Eaton Canyon at least once a month! It’s such a great hike for kids. There are two different places you can start from to get to the waterfall. If you want to hike the entire 3+ mile loop, then start at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center located at 1750 North Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91001. If you want to get to the waterfall quicker to have more time to relax on the rocks and splash in the water, then cut the hike in half by starting at the Pincrest Gate Entrance. To get to the Pinecrest Gate drive past the Eaton Canyon Nature Park main entrance, heading north on Altadena Drive about a mile. Turn Right on Crescent, then right again on Pinecrest and be careful to observe street parking signs carefully!

Gorgeous Eaton Canyon Trail

We have done the hike starting at both entrances and prefer the Pinecrest Gate Entrance because you get in to the most scenic parts of the hike quicker. Descending the large fire road down, you’ll walk the large bridge which crosses the Eaton Canyon Creek bed. Just at the other end of the bridge, the trail dips down and around doing an almost 180, bringing you underneath the bridge and in to the canyon proper.

Creek Crossings!

Eaton is a gorgeous, towering canyon full of tons of wildlife, half a dozen small creek crossings and tons of little people-sized boulders to scramble over, perfect for kids of all ages to navigate and explore!

Small Boulder Scrambling!

You don’t even have to make it all the way to the waterfall to enjoy some water play! There are several great places to stop along the way for a quick water break or a full blown lunch under the shady canopy of trees.

Mid-Hike Snack!

Make sure to bring an extra change of clothes, socks, a bathing suit and even towels because this is, for sure, a wet and wild hike!

Mommy Hiker’s Fall Activity Guide PLUS an #OutdoorFamilies Fall Activity Link UP!

Posted on October 21, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

Fall is definitely my most favorite time of year. My crafty side peeks its little head out, my yearning for family time doubles or even triples and my wide-eyed smile can be seen from miles away. There’s just something about the crisp fall air, the bright hues of orange and red and the smell of far-off fireplaces that get my outdoor energy flowing overtime and my kitchen working double shifts. I love every minute of it!

In honor of my fall euphoria, I thought it would be fun to compile a guide of our family’s favorite simple and fabulous fall activities! Feel free to add your family’s favorite fall activities in the comments!

Take a Fall Foliage Hike!

Of course, hiking is one of our family’s favorite pastimes, so it would only be fitting to kick off the guide with a great fall foliage hike.

We recently hiked Lake Hollywood which was an incredibly easy trail full of amazing discoveries! The Lake Hollywood Reservoir trail is a 3.5 mile, fully paved hike with only a total elevation gain of 100 feet, making it very stroller friendly.

Visit a Pumpkin Patch!

During the fall, pumpkin patches abound, full of parents pining for the perfect picture of their babe climbing, lifting or trying to eat the largest pumpkin in the patch!

Here’s a great compilation of pumpkin patches in Los Angeles County, but our favorite, for sure is Underwood Family Farms!

Make an Acorn Necklace!

I got this idea a few weeks ago and luckily, I was able to scrounge together supplies that were already cluttering the junk drawer, so all that was left was to forage for a few beautiful acorns!

This was super easy craft and a great way to hone in on V’s concentration and fine motor skills!

She wore it proudly for about an hour…

…until she delightfully pulled it off, watching gleefully as the beads bounced and rolled in a million directions.

Have a Picnic!

Change up your daily routine with a meal outside. It’s a great way to mix things up, get some fresh air and perk up your mood.

Throw some nosh in a bag and drive to the closest park, or just walk out your back door and spread out your blanket.

Adventure out on a Family Camping Trip!

This post would be missing a glaring piece of the Fontaine Family puzzle, if I didn’t include camping. Anytime of year is a great time to get out of the house and get in to nature, but fall is probably my favorite.

Climb a Tree!

Get up close and personal with the gorgeous, bright colors of fall by climbing a tree! A simple, pure delight for any kid (or adult, for that matter)!

Watch a Pig Race!

This year was our first time at a pig race.

At first, I was a little apprehensive of the whole idea, but the little piglets were so cute and the faces of the kids were lit up like it was christmas morning.

Explore a Corn Maze!

I must admit, that I’m a pretty non-directional person and I most certainly cannot rely on my 2 and a half year old’s keen navigational skills to lead us out to the other end of a corn maze.

We have been 2 years in a row and both years we have gotten lost, confused, befuddled and amused! But, I’m keeping hope alive. There’s always next year!

Create Pine Cone Christmas Trees!

On last week’s hike, V was absolutely obsessed with the plethora of pine cones surrounding the trail,

so we hoarded a dozen into our backpack figuring there was definitely something fun we could do with them! Once home, we got out the green acrylic paint, one super big paint brush, a bunch of paper towels and we painted little christmas tree pine cones!

It was an hour filled with creative, slightly messy together time and in the end we had a few cute decorations for the mantel.

Precious Perfection!

Check out these other fabulous Fall Activities from some of my favorite #OutdoorFamilies

Adventure Tykes: Fall Picnics and Camping

The Kid Project: Seize the Fall Season

Adventurous Moms: 5 Fall Activities

On The Beaten Path: Autumn Activities

Family Adventure in the Canadian Rockies:
Autumn Family Fun

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[Guest Blogger Series] The Grand Hiking Views at Grand View Park San Francisco by Melissa Avery

Posted on October 7, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

This week’s Guest Blogger Series welcomes fellow California Mommy Hiker, Melissa Avery of Chasqui Mom! Like me, she is fairly new to the blogging world, but she is surely carving out a niche for herself in the Outdoor world and her kids are reaping the rewards!

Living in the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area, I always try to find an excuse to go into the city of San Francisco. Whether to visit family, friends or just a to visit my husband on his lunch break, I’m always willing to visit the “City by the Bay.” A part of me desires to live in “The City”, another part of me loves the suburb life, and another part loves the solitude of “The Outdoors”. I’ve been able to find a happy medium with our “Urban Hikes” in and out of San Francisco area.

My family and I decided to start our Labor Day weekend with a hike up to Grand View Park, which is in the Sunset District of San Francisco, the west side of the city and south of Golden Gate Park. It’s a 1-acre park that has fantastic 360 degree views of San Francisco and beyond, if there’s no fog! We lucked out and arrived on a perfect clear afternoon.

There are two park entrances (no fees), the back steps on 14th Avenue and the famous steps called “The Moraga Steps”. Most of the hike is all up hill on either entrance with The Moraga Steps being the longer hike uphill. My original plan was to hike up The Moraga Steps and watch the sunset but we got a little turned around and found the backs steps on 14th Avenue first. We later visited The Moraga Steps and I was just blown away with the detailing on the steps. I think if we would have hiked up The Moraga Steps it would have taken us twice as long because our toddlers would have wanted to touch each tile.

The kids were itching to get out of the car and “climb the mountain” so we parked, packed our sweaters and jackets and started up the stairs on 14th Avenue. My two year old daughter was determined to walk up the stairs herself so my husband patiently walked up 100 ft of stairs with her, while my son and I raced to the top of the stairs.

My son found enjoyment playing in the little sandy dirt trail that wrapped around the top of Grand View park, while we waited for the rest of the family to make it to the top of the stairs. My daughter was coaxed to make it to the top after my son yelled, “Hurry up there’s sand up here!”. She scrambled to the last step and happily started playing in the sand with her brother, while us parents enjoyed the grand views. My kids don’t like to hike up a hill but if there are a set of stairs in front of them they will surely go up every step themselves!

We still had not made it to the top but we could see almost all of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks: The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, de Young Museum, Academy of Sciences, Twin Peaks, Downtown and the Marin Headlands. After our little break we circled around on the trail to the top, which in my opinion had better views of the Pacific Ocean then the very top of Grand View Park.

My kids were very excited that they had “climbed the mountain” and they could see the ocean and huge cargo ships going under the Golden Gate Bridge. When we reached the top of the hill, the wind was so strong we knew we weren’t going to be able to stay for another hour and a half to see the sunset. We let our boy climb on the rocks and our daughter happily played in the dirt before we headed down the stairs to find The Moraga Steps.

Our hike up the hill was a little less than half a mile and even if we had gone up The Moraga Steps, this is a very family-friendly 1-mile round trip hike, enjoyable for all. San Francisco is only 47 square miles but you can find lots of family friendly hikes along the Pacific Coast, The Presidio, Golden Gate Park and up the hills. Grand View Park sure does live up to its name and is a great little hike for the family in San Francisco!
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About the Author

Melissa Avery is a San Francisco Bay Area wife, stay at home mom and lover of the outdoors. Her blog, Chasqui Mom is about her family adventures loving nature through hiking, backpacking, and anything outdoors.