Alright, well this just happened

[RedShu]

Let's cut to it; I'm originally from St. Louis, MO (ground rules.. MO stands for Missouri - NOT Missor-rah.. think Misery...but slower) and grew up eating toasted ravioli, provel (no, not provolone), and other food-products containing food-based cheese foods that really didn't endorse the outdoors life.. but to be honest... it is food that that only a true Mid-Western can love (yes, I'm definitely thinking about not exaggerating this but that thought lost the battle).

So there I was battling cheese-food-products and the desire to be outside and doing some kind of extraneous activity..well... more strenuous than "kick the can". Only to see my heart sink when i'd look at a map and see the topographic feel between regions of these here United States.

So, wow, the midwest is boring; topographically speaking (anthropologically speaking...the mississippi valley is awesome...but we're not here to talk about anthropology).

So... shortening what is undoubtedly a longer story.. after some time living in the Seattle area.. we elected to move to Vancouver, WA. Now, why this is related to the board? We used t go hiking every week after our kids (the four of them) were finished with their activities..but we stopped a few months prior to relocating. Now that that is generally over, we're looking to get back into the kick of it.

I'm specifically looking for kid friendly backpacking around the gorge (1 -2 nights maximum). I promised my eldest two that we'd backpack before their school starts. I've been looking at the site but finally decided it was time to get this stuff moving.

[retired jerry]

Herman Creek would be good - not as busy as Eagle Creek which gets pretty crowded, but that would be good too.

Go up PCT to Benson Plateau. Or Ruckel Creek trail. Lot of elevation gain.

[Grannyhiker]

Late in August, when the mosquitoes (infamous in July) have died down and the huckleberries ripen, Indian Heaven is a wonderful, kid-friendiy place for backpacking. You'll find lots of other families with kids there. You might even find this aging grandma with my 14-year-old grandson doing some serious fishing--or swimming--in the many lakes! If the berries are ripe, you'll see lots of purple hands and purple tongues. And it's high enough so that if it's too hot for hiking lower down (as it was last week), the temps will be very refreshing. Do wait a month, though--right now it's Mosquito Heaven and definitely the opposite place for humans.

As you'll find in the Field Guide (click on it in the green bar above), there are lots of great places to go on the Washington side of the river! I assume you already have your Discover Pass (for WA state-owned lands) and Northwest Forest Pass or equivalent (for National Forest lands in both WA and OR).

I don't want to make you homesick, but I have friends in the midwest who think the Ozarks are a wonderful place for hiking and backpacking.

[sprengers4jc]

Welcome back to the area! Not once have I ever regretted moving seven years ago from North Carolina to live here. The closest thing one can get for exercise there mostly involves moving from couch to kitchen and back .

As for recs, Siouxon Creek would be a great first time backpack for your crew but if you set up camp right after crossing the bridge at 4 miles, you must have some sort of rodent-proof sack for your food. The mice were quite bold there, climbing seven feet up a tree and tightrope-walking 8 feet or so to chew through my compression sack and eat our food. There were not afraid of our dog even, and one ran across my back while we were sitting near the fire and another ran right up to my wife's sandal and stopped, looking up at her while she was peeing. Closer to the river, I doubt you would have that issue. But it's a great place for exploring and really easy to hike (maybe a total of 300 feet of elevation gain to the bridge?) We do easier backpacks as well and have our eyes on both the Lewis River as another option, or Indian Heaven, which granny recommended higher in this thread.

[Lurch]

How old are the kids?