Hi all!

My family will be traveling in Oregon in August (for those who are interested, the full "evolution" of our itinerary is posted here: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...elp-please.cfm). But since that post is extremely long, I'll summarize We'll be flying into Portland, spending 3 days on the Coast (staying in Oceanside and then Yachats), turning in at Reedsport, driving along the 138 Scenic Byway, heading to Crater Lake, up through Bend and north to the Gorge.

My husband and I are in our mid-thirties and are avid hikers. We're hiked in many parts of the world (including a 4-day hike of Mt. Meru in Tanzania) and so we'd be up for anything! But the catch is that we'll be traveling (and therefore hiking ) with our two young sons - ages 4 years and 16 months. We will be carrying our 16-month-old in a backpack carrier, but my 4-year old son will inevitably be hiking along with us! He's got a lot of energy, but he's still just turned 4 and so we need to tailor our hikes for him of course.

And so I'd love some recommendations on good hikes for us to include in our travel plans. So far, the following hikes have been recommended:

- Benham Falls hike on the Deshutes River Trail (easy hike along the river with beautiful falls)
- hiking through the dunes at Honeyman State Park just south of Florence
- Devil's Elbow - hiking amongst the rocks and discovering the caves, etc.
- Smith Rock State Park
- Toketee Falls along hwy 138
- Multnomeh Falls in the gorge area

My questions are: are there any specific hikes in these areas that are recommended? How about other areas that are appropriate for a 4-year-old?

I'd also love some opinions as to whether these hikes are truly "safe" for kids (not just appropriate level of difficulty). For example, I've been reading that some of the hikes (e.g. Toketee Falls) are easy hikes, but that they require hiking along steep, narrow paths alongside drop-offs. This is something that I really want to be able to consider in advance. I just don't think I'll be able to enjoy hiking if I'm worried that my son is going to get excited and run off of a cliff!! If I'm warned in advance, we can talk to him first (which we'll do anyways of course), but perhaps we can also bring some type of safety gear that would help...

And any other general advice about hiking in the recommended areas of Oregon (mosquitos, weather, crowds) would also be greatly appreciated. When doing a general search on hiking in Oregon on this forum, I found surprisingly little... hopefully this post can fix that omission!

(sorry that my initial posts are always so long, but I find it works better than asking a very general question and getting answers that don't apply, only to have to write out again to clarify... ).

Thanks!
Jenn


Thanks so much!

Multnomah isn't really a hike. You can see it from just a short walk right near your car.

I am going to mention this hike because it is was a good one that we did and is very popular. It has very little elevation gain but it is about 11 miles long. Eagle Creek Trail. You pass by several awesome waterfalls. It does have dropoffs. Not sure that a 4 year old would be able to handle the mileage. The last waterfall you actually pass behind it Tunnel Falls

Another cool place is Silver Falls State Park. The hike there is similar, but a little shorter. I believe there are 3 waterfalls that you pass under or behind there.

Mount Hood is a good hike, because you can ride the chair lift up and then hike down. So it is easy way to do some peak hiking. If you do Mt. Hood, you might as well drive the Fruit Loop and pick up some cherries, etc along the way.

You might also want to check out Mt. St. Helens hiking. I am not big on Visitor Center movies, but the one they have there is well worth seeing.

Actually, there is a hike and it is to the top of Multnomah Falls. It is about a mile and around 600 feet elevation. Most of it is paved, until near the top. There is a platform at the top that overlooks the top of the falls.

I also like Triple Falls in the gorge. There are a couple areas that you would want to watch him and hold his hand, but it is very doable.

Silver Falls is great. The entire look is 7 miles and 10 falls. Very easy hike, and kids love it! I've been going there since I was your DS's age. You can also do parts of the loop if you want something shorter. It is one of those places that is easy to make variations on.

At Mt. Hood, yes, you can ride the chairlift up, but there is also a trail that goes around the entire mountain. You can do parts of it. From Timberline, follow the signs and go as far as you like before turning back. Or just do Ramona Falls.

Benham Falls is easy and not unsafe. Not sure where you plan on starting that one, but we do it from the north end of Sunriver.

Outside of Bend is the South Sister. I definitely would not recommend summiting with him, but I would go up to Moraine Lake at least. You go up through the trees, then at the plains you head right over to the lake. Great place to take a dip on a warm day. You can continue up in the plains if he is up for it. Great views from there too.

These are just a few ideas. There is so much great hiking here that I won't torture you with more suggestions

On your way to Diamond Lake/Crater Lake on the North Umpqua Highway (138) stop at Fall Creek Falls. Around milepost 32. It is a beautiful walk in about 1 mile each way. We live nearby and my youngest daughter has been able to do it since she was 4. The trail cuts through a big split rock, which the kids always love. There are also flush toilets which is a plus. Beautiful pool and waterfall at the end.

Thanks for all of these suggestions! One question about the Mount Hood hike (which we'd love to do)... is there an enclosed gondola for the way up (or is it a simple chairlift -- i.e. with your feet dangling)? As I mentioned in my other post, I'm not afraid of heights but am afraid of things like chairlifts and ferris wheels! The only thing I can find online about this is the "plans" to build a gondola at Mount Hood - but I can't figure out if it ever got built!!!

It is a regular chairlift. It is used for skiers, but in the summer they let nonskiers use it as well.

I never used Wanderlust Tours but I did see one of their rigs at the boat launch at Sparks Lake yesterday. I believe they were out kayaking. There are a couple good trails in the area of Sparks Lake as well.
Wanderlust also runs snowshoe treks on every full moon during the winter ending with a big bonfire with hot chocolate.
http://www.wanderlusttours.com/
Use lots of insect repellent and sunscreen. Check each other for ticks when you get back to your vehicle after a hike. The time to find a tick is then and not when you are getting ready for bed.