great takes on family travel in the U.S.

Hiking is one of my favorite recreational activities. It isn’t just about great exercise, either. Hiking provides an opportunity to clear your head and enjoy a great conversation. You can marvel at the natural world and retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. What’s more, you can find something “walkable” almost anywhere you go and it’s absolutely free!

My favorite spot to hike in central Texas is outside the small town of Fredericksburg. As you drive through the rolling hillsides, dotted with oak and cedar, you will see a giant “bald” rock rising out of the landscape. This mountain is made of ancient pink granite and looks magnificent as well as out of place….standing sentry over the soft green landscape.

The park has many trails, but, you have to start with the climb to the top of Enchanted Rock. It is a short steep scramble up the granite. Once you reach the top and catch your breath, the view is inspiring. Gaze at the endless landscape of rolling hills and embrace the fierce wind that whips around you, carrying with it the scent of cedar and wildflowers .

Once you are done hiking, head back into the picturesque old German settlement of Fredericksburg.  Visit some tasting rooms (this is Texas’s wine country region), do some shopping in the many boutiques and antique stores that are on Main street and then indulge in some tasty German fare.

Food and wine never taste sweeter than after a hard day’s hike!

Where is your favorite place to hike?

Thanks to Krikit for the beautiful Enchanted Rock photo.

If you are visiting San Francisco for a few days, you may want to take a break from the city center and take a hike on the west side of the city.  I always take my out of town guests on this hike, no matter their age, thye just have to be able to manage a nicely paced walk. This hike combines breathtaking views of San Francisco, the architecturally awe inspiring Sea Cliff neighborhood and vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Combine it with a tour of Golden Gate Park, lunch at  the Cliff House and a short tour of the Legion of Honor.  It is a a full day showing the best sites San Francisco has to offer and minus that ‘tourist’ feeling.

How to get there

I usually drive to the trail head because parking is easy and free. Otherwise take a bus to the Legion of Honor and walk down Lincoln Boulevard to the trail head.  You should see the bay on your left. Tip:  you may want to look up and to your right for the memorial to the holocaust. Few people see it because it is not part of the museum indoor complex.

Land’s End trail

The coastal trail is an easy to moderate hike (my six year old can do it with ease) and is approximately three miles each way.  The single track trail meanders along the golf course, turns into the forest and then follows a single track bordering the cliffs along the blue Pacific. The trail meanders a bit due to the heavy use it receives, but if you keep the ocean on your right you will be fine.  After about 30 minutes you will arrive at the  Sutro Baths, Sutro Bath Park and the Cliff House restaurant.  You can stop at the renovated Cliff House for lunch or continue to  Ocean Beach.  If you wish you can continue up through Golden Gate Park or  you can double back on the trail to the Legion of Honor, by following Camino Del Mar.

Hopefully, the weather will be sunny and warm for the outing.  I always bring a sweatshirt for the hike since the fog likes to linger out this neighborhood.

Photo by Ingrid Taylar

You don’t have to be a mountain goat or buy a truckload of mountain climbing gear to take a hiking day trip out of New York City. And you won’t be needing maps, or have to spend half a day traveling to the Adirondacks, and neither will you have to pay for one of those fancy upstate New York vacations. The only thing you have to do is get a Metrocard and optionally, join the NY-NoJ Chapter of the AMC.

The AMC does more than 2000 trips each year, and most are for beginners, are free and can be reached from NYC by public transport (so your Metrocard is sufficient). Plus they give you a monthly magazine listing hikes and instructions for newbies, and the hikes are led by volunteers. All said and done, its well worth the annual membership fee ($25 to $40, depending on your age), but if you don’t want to join, you are allowed to join in as a guest to try out how it works. You just need to be there at the starting point of the hike. Be that as it may, listed below are some of the hikes which you can take on your own.

Palisades Interstate Park, NJ - The trails are easily accessible by public transport from New York City. If you’re taking the subway, take the A express subway line to 181st Street, and walk across the George Washington Bridge. And then you have to hike. :) More details about the trails, directions and maps available here.

Cold Spring, NY - Its a quaint and beautiful place on the banks of the Hudson River with breathtaking river views and a lot of historical things to see. Best thing to do is to take the Metro North from Grand Central to Cold Spring, and from there its a 7.5 mile round trip hike to and from Mt Taurus. A bit strenuous, and occasionally hair-raising, but if you’re upto it, then the view along the way, with abandoned estates dotting the Hudson River Valley… Let’s just say it’s worth the sweat. Ask around in Cold Spring for directions to Mt Taurus, maps, and any other help you might need.

Then there’s Anthony’s Nose, which offers one of the most spectacular trail views you’ll ever see. Its a 900 ft mountain on the eastern side of the Hudson. From the top, you can see the entire Bear Mountain Bridge (see pic above) exactly below you spanning across the river, which stretches left and right as far as you can see. Again a bit strenuous, but you’ll remember the view for a long time to come. You might also want to make note of Cold Spring as a cozy weekend getaway.

Photo by jothenomad via flickr (creative commons)

1. The wind-we get high winds in my little town, sometimes it drives me crazy, but most to the time it feels strangely cleansing, it means home in a chilling kind of way. Great place to be during a heat wave.

2. The salt marsh-I never really knew much about  saltwater marshes, now I can see it change with the seasons and find it a place of peace especially at dusk on a calm evening.  Lots of hiking trails through the marsh even if the shopping mall is just across the street.

3.  Flower power-along time ago, an environmentalist found a flower that can only grow on the hill behind my house, it is called the Tiburon Lily.  This little flower stopped the developer dead in their tracks and now we have a fabulous set of trails to hike and grassy fields to gaze upon all day long.  It is officially found only on Ring Mountain from March to June.  You can find me on the mountain almost daily.

4.  San Francisco Bay-laps at the town’s borders. I love its icy water, the beaches, kayaking, the way the water reflects the sky.

5.  Richmond-San Rafael Bridge-definitely the forgotten bridge of the bay area, but I can see it from my home and I love the graceful curve rising above the water.  Plus, Berkeley is just across the bridge and you can spend a day there.

6.  Ships-as they pass under the bridge.

7.  Twin Cities Little League Park-it looks exactly like a major league park in miniature. Toss a baseball here and feel like a major league player.

8.  Picco’s Restaurant-technically this is not in my town, just across the border, but to get food this sublime in a little town, fabulous.

9.  Two malls-only five minutes away, it can’t all be about ships passing and hills for hiking, a girls’ gotta have shoes.

10.  Bike paths-the bike paths that go through and along the marsh and then along an old railroad that are great for family biking trips.  Nice and flat…

11.  Rick’s Wine Shop-tiny little storefront with delicious wines and service with genuine warmth. Great for adults.

12.  Paradise Beach-this secluded bay beach offers a peaceful setting, grassy lawns, a rocky shore and a fishing pier and it is only a ten minute drive from my house.  Great for kids.

13.  My neighbors-after college I lived in two large metropolitan areas, Seattle and San Francisco, I met only three neighbors in 15 years that I consider friends (and I am not shy).  I moved to the ‘burbs.  Now I know everyone on my street-it is so wonderful to drive up our little street and know the names of the people who live in each house and what they are doing for vacation, their dog’s name.  It feels safe to me. So not a reason to visit, but a reason to stay.