A Book Review of “Best Hikes with Kids”
Some of you may remember our blog on the children’s book “Watershed Adventures of a Water Bottle” the tale of the Scout the water bottle’s journey in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Atlantic Ocean by Jennifer Chambers. Well today we are talking about the Ms. Chambers new book entitled “Best Hikes with Kids- Washington DC, the Beltway and Beyond”. Although her last book had a personified water bottle embarking on the journey of a lifetime, I think that this book although it is non-fiction (which to some is the less exciting of the fictions) can be equally as action packed (if used correctly).
In this book Jennifer again demonstrates her local knowledge of the Chesapeake region by focusing on the best hiking opportunities with kids in the DC metro area. With 318 pages of information on the best trails in the area it seemed like a pretty comprehensive hiking guide. However seeing as the title specifically states “Best Hikes with Kids” I thought it would be best to ask the opinion of someone with more experience hitting the trails with kids. So I turned to an adventurous co-worker and mother of two boys, Amy Handen, to see if this book met here needs for planning a hike with her own kids.
“Best Hikes with Kids is a very informative and useful book for those seeking family friendly parks around the Washington DC metropolitan area. The book is broken down by area: Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia and includes very comprehensive description by park that includes directions to the park and information on the trail. The book also contains an overview on topics including encouraging kids to hike, helping your kids become hikers, hiking safety, and the ten essentials for a safe and enjoyable experience trip.
For each trail in the book, a summary that includes length of the trail, approximately hiking time, high point/elevation, and access or trail terrain is provided. I found when reading about the trails in the book that I have actually visited (Cascade Falls Loop at Patapsco State Park is one of my absolute local favorites!), the book was accurate and very descriptive on what to expect about the navigating the twists and turns of the Cascade Falls Loop Trail.
The book has inspired me to plan a trip to a local park that I have always wanted to visit - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park’s Billy Goat Trails. I have always heard great things about this Park and this book was very useful in breaking down the different trails within the Park and helpful for me to determine which trail would be most appropriate for my family.
As a mother of two boys, I highly recommend this book as a resource for those interested in local outdoor adventures with your family. -Amy Handen “
So after getting the “mom stamp of approval” I feel confident saying that this guide is very useful for parents and educators a like trying to engage their kids with nature in a highly urbanized setting, and hope you can find it useful as well.
You can purchase your own copy of Best Hikes with Kids- Washington DC, the Beltway and Beyond HERE