First Overnighter w/ 7 year old: Olympic Penninsula

Shi-Shi Beach is a great place for kids, but a long drive. Unlike adults, the kids just love the extremely muddy second half of the trail. It's 2 miles from the trailhead to the beach. It is a bit pricey, because you have to buy a recreation permit from the Makah Nation and pay to park at a house near the trailhead (no overnight parking allowed, and the piles of auto glass in the parking lot tell you why). My grandkids, their dad and I go there every year.

Take your time and let the kid enjoy the trip. So what if the kid needs an "energy break" every 15 minutes? Let him examine snakes and slugs and bugs. All part of learning to love the outdoors, and a lot more important than keeping to a schedule.

I hope Sarah sees this and posts a reply. She's done a lot of exploring on the peninsula, and I assume Ford was with her on occasion.

I am going to take my 6- and 9-year-old grandsons on an overnighter this summer to Lake Valhalla.

I also recommend Shi-Shi beach, most kids love the ocean and it will be less buggy than a rain forest hike. I'm thinking a 7 year old will really enjoy exploring the tide pools at Shi-Shi.

edited for poor spelling

Aaron – I have a few suggestions based on our experience this weekend hiking to Lake Valhalla. Do what you can to protect your daughter from the mosquitoes. They were truly awful for us, both on the trail and at the lake. I broke down and dotted both of the boys sparingly with DEET. Mr. B and I also had them use our headnets, which sort of helped.

The other suggestion is about food. The boys didn't like much of what I brought. I had checked with my daughter, and she was rather vague about what they would like. I brought things that Ford likes, based on Sarah's reports in her Freezerbagcooking book, but they wouldn't go for it. They eat a lot of junk and fast food, unfortunately. I'd have done better to bring cold pizza and frosted flakes.

Other than that, they had a lot of fun!

Thanks for the beta, Kathleen.

Yeah, this is the worst year for mosquitoes that I have ever seen in WA. I think the really wet early spring, immediately followed by the above average warmth created a breeding haven.

We went camping at Deer Park in the Olympics over Independence Day weekend and found them to be ferocious even above tree-line. The kids didn't seem to get bitten as much because they were moving around a lot, but I found that the camp-fire smoke seemed to neutralize the herbal spray that we brought, which otherwise worked well.

Regardless, I think we will opt for a windier area next time, perhaps the coast, until the wee biters ebb.

We brought fresh salmon, veggies and red potatoes, which we cooked in the fire, using AL foil…the girls loved it. We seasoned with lemon, pepper, salt, & olive oil. I was picky when I was young, but I don't cut 'em any slack ;). Now they love eating salad and fresh fish + whole-grain rice, etc.

When my daughter was 7 I took her to Crescent Lake, we base camped there and hiked Hurricane Ridge, various trails near the lake and out to the ocean. Just a thought. She was particularily stoked by the hot springs.

Larry,

Which Hot Springs are you referring to? Dol Duc or Olympic?