costa rica hiking
 

We are planning to go to Costa Rica this summer end of June, early July, with another family (4 adults, 10 kids). We have travelled a lot together and really enjoy hiking. I am having trouble finding a good resource for hiking in Costa Rica. Does anyone have a good suggestion of a book or a site? Does anyone have suggestions for beautiful or interesting hikes? We can take up to 6 miles of pretty strenuous hiking. Also, will the weather at that time make hiking more strenuous?
Thanks in advance!

There is hiking literally everywhere. Lots of good guide books. Maybe check some out at the library if you don't want to buy.

The Arenal and Osa areas have nice hiking. In Arenal, you can do a volcano hike, hike the Hanging Bridges, and hike the waterfall and swim at the base. If you want something more challenging, the Rio Celeste hike is supposed to be nice. On the Osa, you can go hiking for hours and see amazing wildlife. Monteverde would have hiking in the reserves. That's rainy season for a lot of the country, so you'll probably encounter some wet trails.

Nice hikes and excellent guiding at Hacienda Baru. Kid-friendly.
www.haciendabaru.com

Also lots of good hikes and horseback riding on the grounds of Arenal Observatory Lodge. The free morning guided walk is a good introduction. The White Hawk Villa would be nice for a large group.

http://www.arenalobservatorylodge.com/index.php

The Osa is well know for it's hiking, and the bonus is you can see a lot of wildlife as well. June / July is a fine time to hike Osa or Corcovado National Park, for that matter, you might have a little rain, but nothing like October. If you do a search here for Corcovado or Osa, you'll find a wealth of information.

Pura Vida,
Ballardo Diaz, jungle guide