Category: Outdoor Adventures

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Hiking New York On the Water WanderLog

Upstate NY, Lake Placid, & The Adirondacks

Travel Dates: July 24-August 1, 2018

Our time in upstate New York ended up being one of our favorites.  We finally caught up with our friends, the Erickson’s, at Delta Lake State Park outside of Rome (not Italy).  Mostly we just needed a place that wasn’t too far of a drive where we could all hang out for a few days. This totally qualified.

We arrived late in the evening and all the kids were incredibly excited to see each other! Even Kai, the dog, got in on the action. Once we were parked and leveled (and this was the hardest level I think we’d EVER done in the last 4 years) we stayed up way too late talking and catching up.

The next morning, the dads needed to work so Alyssa and I dodged rain storms and scrammed with the kids to the nearby Fort Stanwix for a little road schooling field trip.

We managed to make it back to camp just before it started a downpour. Luckily games are much more fun with friends and no one got too bored. It was actually nice to have a down day and an excuse to stay inside and relax.

We recently purchased Splendor, which is a super fun 4 player game. I think Anibel and Rachel have now played it over and over and they are ready for the expansion!

The following day, the skies cleared, the sun came out and we spent the day at the beach. Sam and I were finally able to pull out the new Needle Nose SUP board that Sea Eagle boats sent us to test out. Unfortunately the beach wasn’t very launch friendly so it wasn’t an amazing test but felt good to be back on the water!

Lake Placid, New York

After a few days, it was time to move on. After debating back and forth about whether or not to visit Lake Placid we decided to go for it. Mostly we were concerned about cell signal (have to work) and whether or not we could find an electric site (the humidity has been nuts). Turns out the weather was perfect, we found a great little RV park to stay at and Lake Placid is now one of my favorite places.

“We paid for one night. And then another. And then three more after that. We almost skipped Lake Placid but I’m so grateful we didn’t. The cool night temperatures, mountain air, and relaxing friend time has been exactly what we all needed. Running around barefoot on the grass creating obstacle courses doesn’t hurt too much either.”

Our first order of business was to take a short walk on the Peninsula Trails and jump in Lake Placid.  The trails were fairly flat, the humidity bearable, and lake swimming is awesome. Perfect combination.

Swimming in Lake Placid

“There are some days where I look around and think, “What decisions did we make in our lives to land us here at this exact moment? Cause it’s pretty awesome.” Swimming in Lake Placid today was one of those.” – @currentlywandering

Hiking Cascade Mountain

One of our primary goals for the Lake Placid area was to HIKE. It’d been way too long and the Erickson’s, especially, were totally hankering for a good summit. After a bunch of research (mostly done by Alyssa) we settled on Cascade Mountain.

“Trees, rocks, more trees, lots of rocks. Sweat. A lot of sweat. Stair climb for hours and then an audible sigh of relief as the trail opens up near the top.

The kids give a whoop and are off like rockets scrambling their way to the summit.

It feels so good to be back in the mountains. The temperature has cooled down, the humidity is less, we don’t run the a/c all the time and have pulled out hoodies and long pants for the evenings.

We could definitely stay here for a bit.” – @currentlywandering

Starting our hike with a talk on Leave No Trace by the trail volunteers.

“There’s something incredibly disappointing about reaching a summit and having it be tree covered. @alyssakerickson worked hard to find us a rocky summit with a view and this one was pretty spectacular. The tallest peak here is only about 5,000 feet (so less than the town we live in) but what they lack for in height they make up for with vertical feet per mile on the trail. This one was STEEP. Which is killer on the way up AND on the way down.

Our kids were troopers and totally rocked it (literally) with only a few minor meltdowns along the way.” – @currentlywandering

Almost there! Short snack break with a teaser view.
Summit looking towards Mt. Marcy
Overlooking the town of Lake Placid

Mountain Biking and ALL the Swimming

Once again it was the mom’s turn to take the kids out while dads got work done. We do this often, mostly so Sam can have peace and quiet and everyone else is entertained but its way more fun with friends! We had kind of an epic afternoon.

Mirror Lake has a FANTASTIC public beach. The water is clear, the sand is good, there’s docks for the older kids to jump off and the boat launch is steps from the beach. All good things when two moms are trying to wrestle six kids.

Everyone liked it so much that the unanimous vote the following day was to return to the beach. Alyssa and I were able to sneak in a trail ride first thing (ALL the roots!) and then we took our paddle boards and played at the beach again for a few hours. We couldn’t have asked for better weather!

“Mirror Lake is a beautiful paddling location. It’s not overly large, and while it would take effort you could paddle across the entire thing. Sure the area is touristy, but not overly so. The weather yesterday was perfect and the water was like glass.

I had my first chance to really take our new @seaeagleboats Needle Nose SUP for a spin and this thing can really MOVE. I felt like it cut through the water with ease, its super stable, and easy to paddle. So excited to keep testing it out as we travel further east!

Thanks @alyssakerickson for standing on the shore and grabbing this shot of me. I love it!”

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We spent some time in downtown Lake Placid (touristy but there are some fun shops. Its super cute!), the adults made it down to Keene for a pie date and then it was time to move on!

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Idaho Outdoor Adventures Wyoming

Grand Targhee Resort Family Guide: Summer Edition

Grand Targhee Resort is located on the western slopes of the Teton Mountains in Alta, WY. Technically in Wyoming, the resort can only be accessed through the Idaho side via Driggs which is where we now have a home base.

A relatively small resort, Grand Targhee is known for its incredible powder during the winter, but also has plenty of activities to fill a summer vacation!

We recently were invited up for a 3 night stay to check out the summer activities and came away incredibly impressed.  If you are thinking about taking a trip to the Tetons, definitely bookmark this page as we’ll take you through the resort from a family perspective!

Directions:

Grand Targhee is located 12 miles from Driggs, ID right on the Idaho/Wyoming border (more lovingly called “Wydaho” by the locals). It takes about 20 minutes to drive up to the resort from downtown.

If you are flying in, the Jackson Hole Airport is 1.5 hours away and the Idaho Falls Airport is about 2 hours. Drive time, Targhee is also about 4-4.5 hours from both Bozeman, MT and Salt Lake City, UT.

Lodging:

There are a lot of options both at Targhee and in the general Driggs are for accommodations (we run an AirBnb listing ourselves when out traveling). However, we loved being right at the resort for a few days. The views were incredible, the vibe was perfect, and we had access to the swimming pool. Total plus for any kid or family on vacation.

We stayed in the Sioux Lodge, which has a loft and sleeps 6 which is great for bigger families. Cara and Andrew claimed the bunk beds, Sam and I took the queen bed upstairs and Rachel slept on the pull out bed in the main living space.

There’s not a full kitchen, but the room does have a mini fridge, microwave and coffee maker. We were able to buy groceries in town (cereal, frozen burritos, instant oatmeal, etc.) to balance eating out. With a larger family is just isn’t cost effective to eat out every meal so we appreciated the amenities.

The Sioux Lodge is next to the Shoshone lift which made mountain biking a breeze, and also across the parking lot from the swimming pool.

Camping

Another option is to camp in your RV! We’ve talked about making our AirBnb available for rent and spending a few nights in the Airstream up at Targhee next summer. There’s just something to be said for mountain biking straight from camp! #amIright?

Camping is $25/night and permits are sold at the front desk. Dry camping only and we did see an average of 5-6 trailers out in the parking lot while we were there.

Activities:

The temperatures tend to be about 10 degrees cooler than the valley which is great as Driggs usually stays about 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The crisp, mountain air is perfect for outdoor activities.

Mountain Biking

I wrote an entire blog post about our experience mountain biking with kids at the resort, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t seen it! Targhee has both cross country trails (free) or you can pay to take the lift up and bike down. Plenty of options to keep everyone busy!

Sam and I were also able to grab some rental bikes (Thanks Targhee!!) and ride the trails down from the Dreamcatcher lift. They are definitely more technical but doable at an intermediate level. At one point we got ourselves onto a black trail and did okay but had to walk a few things (seriously – how does anyone ride those drops?!). I figure we aren’t pushing ourselves enough if we can ride everything so it felt great.

On our last ride my brother in law ended up putting a hole (or three) in his tube so we had a little siesta trail side. As we sat there, bike patrol caught up to us and since she was sweeping the trails to make sure everyone got off okay we all hung out for a bit. Nice to know there are patrols up there in case anything happens!

Summer Day Camp for Kids

Our kids had the opportunity to participate in summer camp for a day. Most of the participants are bused up from Driggs & Alta, but they had no problem including our kids right from the resort as well.

Camp is run Monday-Friday and includes activities like swimming lessons, horse education (Tue/Thur), mountain biking (M/W/F), disc golf, arts & crafts, bungee trampoline, climbing wall, hiking, nature instruction and more!  I dropped the kids off at 9am and then wandered back about an hour later to find them learning about raptors! They were enthralled.

When we picked them back up around 4:3opm we had mixed reactions. Cara thoroughly enjoyed herself, Andrew had fun but was exhausted (and maybe slightly sick? He totally passed out afterwards), and Rachel was maybe a little bored. Lol! At 12.5 years old she was definitely one of the oldest participating so maybe stick to slightly younger kids and they’ll do great!

Swimming

We loved having a pool practically out our front door. Targhee heats the pool in both summer and winter, so even when the weather is a bit chilly the water feels great! Due to the day camps, the daytime hours were a bit hectic but our first evening there we practically had the pool to ourselves from 6-8pm.

The hot tub also feels great after a day on the trails. Just sayin’.

Scenic Chair Lift, Hiking, & More

Riding up the lift to the top of the mountain is actually one of my favorite things! Sure you can hike up – but taking the lift up and hiking from there is also incredible. Once you get up to the top there’s a small nature center and then up past that is my favorite view of the Teton mountain range. I expected it to be cold at the top so we went with jackets and windbreakers but the temperature was actually quite pleasant. We totally lucked out! The trail up to Mary’s Saddle is also beautiful and fairly easy. For more hiking information check it out here on Grand Targhee’s website.

Grand Targhee also offers horseback riding and they have an 18 hole disc golf course. I kept thinking that we’d go out an play disc golf in the beautiful evening light after dinner but then we were so exhausted we never managed. I think having ONE more day up there would have been perfect and we could have fit it all in!

Dining

The dining options are more limited during the summer, but what they have is great!

Snorkels is a little bakery, breakfast, soup and sandwich spot. After dropping the kids off at day camp, I grabbed a $9 breakfast burrito to share with Sam. Super filling for the two of us and tasted fantastic!

There’s a General Store located across from the bike shop where I grabbed some muffins one afternoon to tied us over until dinner.

The Branding Iron is a more fine dining experience. They have options from Elk Burger to grilled New York Steak, but also have a kid’s menu (Pro tip: the burgers are the same as the regular menu). On the recommendation of a friend we tried the Fried Brussel Sprout appetizer, and then Sam ordered a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich while I got a burger. Both were delicious! We ate out on the patio and enjoyed the view of the mountain – which is something you don’t want to do in the winter!

There’s also the Trap Bar and Grill which is popular for adults, but as its a bar no one under 21 is allowed. Not a great family friendly option, so we didn’t try it out but I’ve heard good things.

If you are staying for an extended period of time, definitely take the time to drive down into Driggs for food. For a small town, it has quite a few dining options from Mexican, Thai, sushi, pizza, and burgers.

We are incredibly grateful to Grand Targhee Resort for hosting up on the mountain. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and activities and it was nice to have a bit of a “vacation” right as we transitioned out of the condo and into the Airstream this summer. We can’t wait to explore more of what they have to offer in the future!

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Biking Driggs Outdoor Adventures Wyoming

Mountain Biking at Grand Targhee Resort with Kids

Its no secret we love to mountain bike. One of the reasons we love living in Teton Valley, Idaho is the plethora of outdoor activities and trails. Oh, and its not hot in the summer. That’s a huge plus.

We spent the winter skiing at Grand Targhee Resort (and loved it!) so when I started talking to their marketing department about potential partnership opportunities we threw around the idea of bringing the family up during the summer to test out the new beginner mountain biking trails off their Shoshone lift.

Yes, please.

After a couple of days testing out the trails, Grand Targhee is now officially our favorite in the summer as well as the winter. Keep on reading to see the reasons why!

Beginner Lift Serviced Trails

For those that have never experienced mountain biking at a ski resort this could be an entirely new concept. Many resorts convert their facilities over to mountain biking trails in the summer and enable guests to take their bikes up to the top and then just ride down back to the base. Pretty sweet, right? All the fun of downhill without having to bust a lung climbing back up again.

The lifts at Grand Targhee open for bikes at 10am as the staff needs to ride the trails early to make sure everything is clear and safe. This is great since I’m not a super morning person anyway. Plenty of time to sleep in, let the dew melt off the grass, and have the weather warm up just a smidge. Our kids were chomping at the bit to get going, so we were lined up ready to load at 10am sharp.

We dropped Cara off for her mountain biking lesson (more on that in a minute) and then Sam and I loaded up on the lift with the two older kids. The lift is slightly different in the summer as they have dedicated bike chairs – so you have to get your bike on and then you follow it around before being picked up by the next chair. The lift attendants were great, and totally helped my kids get their bikes on when needed.

After a short 10 minute ride to the top we were ready to tackle the trails. We had picked out Bring it On Home as our first trail – the easiest green one down the mountain. It was fast, flowy, fun and my kids couldn’t wipe the grins off their faces.

We then spent the rest of the day alternating between riding, the swimming pool, riding, eating, and more riding.

The trails off Shoshone are great for beginners as they aren’t too technical. There are plenty of berms to practice cornering, while Chutes and Ladders has plenty of jumps for those looking for a challenge. The trails are smooth single track which helped our kids gain confidence along with speed.

 

Mountain Biking Lessons

I’ve talked quite a bit lately about our “divide and conquer” mode of operation when it comes to family mountain biking. Anything the older two kids can ride ends in tears for Cara, and anything she enjoys riding completely bores the others. Usually we’ll start together but then split as one adult rides faster with Rachel & Andrew, while the other lags behind with Cara.

When we planned our trip up here, we decided that a lesson might be exactly what Cara needed to push to that next level. She struggles to take direction from us (Stop telling me when to shift, mom!), but as evidenced by skiing lessons, she’ll do anything for an instructor. Our Targhee contact scheduled a 1.5 hour intro to Targhee lesson first thing in the morning and we were set!

Cara was nervous to be by herself, but her instructor, Chris, immediately put her at ease. They started out in the parking lot going over basic skills, then moved to some of the easier cross country trails, and finally ended up on the lift practicing what she learned on the downhill.

We met up with them in between runs and the girl was all smiles.

I followed behind the two of them for a bit to get a feel of how it was going, and listened as Chris called out “Ready position!” and “Get high on the berm” as they flew down the trail. Cara did awesome! She was full of confidence and couldn’t wait to show us all she had learned.

I feel like the mountain bike lessons at Targhee are affordable and a great way for kids (and adults!) to improve their skills. We’ve always been impressed with the instructors at the resort both in winter and a summer. They are patient, confident, and know how to work well with kids.

Targhee also offers a 3 hour lesson that I’ve got my eye on for next summer. You can do just a lesson or a combination of lesson, rental, and lift ticket. Plus, its a great way to help your kids improve (and be supervised – ahem) while you go out and tackle some of the bigger trails! Find out more information on their website here. 

Skills Park

New this year, Grand Targhee just added a small skills park to their trail network. While not expansive, its super fun and a great way to spin your tires at the end of a day. There’s a pump track around the outside, some plank walks in in the middle, a rock garden, and boulders to hop. Andrew had fun doing a few laps after dinner our last night there.

Cross Country Trails

In addition to the lift serviced downhill trails, Grand Targhee has miles of cross country trails that are free to ride. There are some easier ones west of the lodge (where Cara had part of her lesson), which Sam and Rachel did a lap or two on after some downhill riding.

The rest of the cross country trails aren’t necessarily more technical (still pretty smooth) but have more elevation gain and loss. Sam and I had a biking date a few weeks earlier and rode out to Quakie Ridge. It was enough climbing to get my heart rate up with some flowy downhill and beautiful views mixed in.

Having both kinds of trails is great as they are different forms of exercise and use a variety of skills. We spent most of our time on the downhill trails since we had a lift ticket for the day, but living so close I can guarantee we’ll be back to tackle more of those trails with our kids.

We’ve been to a few other resorts that have downhill mountain biking (Steamboat Springs, CO, Sundance, UT, & Snowbird, UT) and really just love Grand Targhee – especially with kids. Having easier trails specifically designed for the beginner crowd is pretty unique and we felt we could enjoy the experience together as a family!

We are super grateful for Grand Targhee and their partnership with us! They provided the lift tickets, bike lesson, and accommodations but as always, all opinions are our own. We love the ‘Ghee!

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Outdoor Adventures

Free Mini Challenge JUST for Kids

Hooray for summer!! As part of the 365 Mile Challenge, we’re kicking off a mini-challenge called “Kids Moving Miles”  and we’d love to have you join us!

It’s no secret that many kids just aren’t moving enough anymore. Between the lure of screens to a fear of letting them roam more freely, kids are spending more time indoors and less time outdoors moving. While finding a solution is huge and involves a widespread commitment from our society in general, we are doing our part this year to start helping where it matters most – at home!

The “Kids Moving Miles!” challenge is a spur off our wildly successful 365 Mile Challenge, running throughout 2018. It’s a response to parents, but most importantly, KIDS who want in too. And since our larger goal is “families outside and healthy”, we couldn’t ignore that plea AND wanted to reach as many kids as possible.

What it is:

  • A mini challenge just for KIDS to go a self-powered mile a day for a week
  • A kick-off to summer (and hopefully a boost to get out and moving!)
  • Daily emails delivered to families (and then passed on to kids) for encouragement and ideas on how and where to get moving!
  • Giveaways just for kids – all signed up kids/families are eligible!
  • A FREE digital magazine offered to all participants (this will be sent the first day!)

When:

June 18 – 24, 2018

How to Join Us:

Want some encouragement for your kids?

What your kids could win:

  • Merrell Moab Shoes (7 winners)
  • Kids RxBars (5 winners)
  • VTech Smartwatch DX2 (3 winners)
  • VTech Action Cam 180 (3 winners)
  • WOOM Bike (1 winner)

We’d love to have you join us for the week! Don’t forget to tag your photos on social with #kidsmovingmiles  so we can see what you are up to!

Categories
Biking Hiking National Parks Utah WanderLog

Boondocking in Southern Utah, Hiking the Narrows & Mountain Biking

Southern Utah is one of my favorite places. Like ever. The red rocks are unreal and there are piles out of outdoor activities that could keep an sane person busy for a lifetime. Mountain biking runs a close competition to skiing as my favorite sport, so naturally as snow season wound down we started planning a spring trip to warmer, dryer climates.

To make re-entry in full travel a little easier, we decided to head right back to where we left off last spring: Hurricane, Utah. The camping is free, the trails are incredible, and if we get bored Zion National Park is a quick 30 minute drive. Not too shabby, right?

JEM Mountain Bike Trails

We were able to camp right along Sheep Bridge road (Campendium Link) in the middle of the JEM trail system. It was perfect for intermediate enthusiasts that we are. Enough uphill to give our lungs a work out, and some sweet rolling downhill to bring on the fun. Our oldest two kids had a blast, and we would switch up who rode with who. Andrew and I did a loop together up Dead Ringer to the top of the Mesa, Sam & Rachel took a spin, and Cara & and I had some one on one time on the easiest trail we could find. At one point Andrew said to me, “Mom, if we came here every year then I could see how much better I’m getting by the trails I ride.” Wise words, my boy, wise words.

For deets on the trails, we love the Trail Forks app (Apple, Google). I love the GPS dot that shows my location and its easy to plan a ride that loops back the way we want. My favorite loop was up Dead Ringer to More Cowbell, down JEM, down Goosebumps, and then back up Dead Ringer. Pretty sweet ride. Cara loved the little green loop we did on JEM from the Gould South parking lot.

Cool off in the Virgin River

Since the temps were flirting with the high 90’s (a little too hot for us actually!) we spent a great deal of time cooling off in the Virgin River. Our Airstream friends, the Ericksons, were camped inside Zion so one afternoon we drove in for a potluck and a swim.

Another evening we met up with Arika from Zion Adventure Photography (she took our photos back in December of 2016 and we LOVE them) and Shanti from Hike it Baby and their families for pizza and a dip in the secret spot with the swing. Totally fun meeting up with these ladies and the kids all had a blast swimming in the river. We ate at River Rock Roasting Company and I wish I could eat there everyday. We had an assortment of pizza, sandwiches, and salad and it was all delicious. Also ordered a cinnamon roll to go and secretly ate it with Sam after the kids were in bed so I didn’t have to share. 🙂

Hike the Narrows

We hiked a small portion of the Narrows back in 2015 when our kids were super little. Although we knew we didn’t have the gear (or the desire) to hike the entire thing this year either, we decided to hike up as far as we wanted and then turn around. We jumped on the shuttle around 3pm at the main Visitor Center and started hiking about 45 minutes later.

The water was cold, but not completely freezing, and we managed okay in just our Chaco sandals & swimsuits. The trail in from the shuttle stop is about a mile along a paved path, and then we hiked for about another mile through the water until we came to a swimming hole. The kids were brave and took turns jumping in, then we found a quiet spot to eat our picnic dinner and headed back.

Someday I think we’ll hike the distance (and rent dry suits!) but for now we just needed to cool off and this totally did the trick!

Relax

Most importantly we dove right back in to traveling life. There’s been some adjusting, but mostly I feel like we picked up right where we left off. The weather was a tad windy, but we did manage to have some good outside relax time while we were at it!