Tot Travels: The Redwoods!

We actually didn’t get to see anywhere near as much of the Redwoods as I had hoped to see, so this was a good lesson in remembering that kids are in charge on trips ;] Between naps, mealtimes taking forever, tired little legs, etc., it just didn’t work out to do all the extra stuff I’d hoped for. But what we did see was amazing!

Redwoods Favorites
-Prairie Creek Visitor Center, where we got Tallest Tree as a souvenir and Nana spoiled them with Rangerland Jr. 

-Big Tree, a great little hike for the little ones. I did spot poison oak semi close to the trail a few times but it was otherwise a really easy hike for the little ones. A was three and ran it almost the entire way. B was two and did ask to be carried a lot (it ran into naptime for her) but in general walked quite a bit of it herself… and ten-month-old C just napped in a carrier on Daddy’s back most of the time. 

-Fern Canyon… there actually weren’t really any Redwoods here, just stumps leftover from logging. The hike was definitely a bit too much for little ones on foot, especially since at some point you have to cross over a creek to do it. Ryan had on good waterproof shoes so just walked them across it because walking on the logs would just not have worked for them. There were also a lot of stairs which is rough for our two-year-old either way… either she climbs up and down them herself, which is scary and takes forever, of we climb up and down stairs while holding a two-year-old, which is tiring and scary. We weren’t actually able to get down into the canyon itself either, but the trail was still really cool to see and I bet the canyon is amazing! This is also where a portion of Jurassic Park 2 was filmed.

-Banana slug!!!

-Seeing the awe on A’s face… this is why I love traveling with kids. Amazing. It was also really cool to hear him share the occasional factoid he’d learned from reading Redwoods a few times before the trip.

We tried to do the junior ranger activities but they were still just a little over our guy’s head and he was just enjoying the hike so maybe next time! =] 

Homeschool/Roadschool books we enjoyed before/during this trip: The United States of America: a state-by-state guide // Are We There Yet? // Are We There Yet, Daddy? // Bon Voyage, Lucy // Olivia Takes a Trip // Redwoods // The Tree in the Ancient Forest // Tallest Tree