- Part 2

Around and about Anchorage on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Alaska, Best trip archives No Responses »

Jul 162011

Around and about Anchorage on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Many tourists spend limited time in Anchorage either at the beginning or end of their Alaska trip. If your schedule permits, there are plenty of activities to fill a long weekend including the Flattop Mountain hike we recently wrote about and the 11 mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which is a paved bike and walking path hugging the coast between downtown Anchorage and the woodsy Kincaid Park. Be warned that given that Anchorage tides often reach 30 feet, the coast is really a broad, and dangerous, mudflat where the mud can act as quicksand and visitors are warned to look but not touch. Our teens and their tween cousins took a couple of hours to ride about 17 miles, roundtrip, on the trail starting at 5th and L Streets where competing bicycle rental [...]

Teens and Tweens Enjoy the Hike up Flattop Mountain near Anchorage, AK

Alaska, Best trip archives No Responses »

Jul 092011

Teens and Tweens Enjoy the Hike up Flattop Mountain near Anchorage, AK

We’re back from Alaska and have many great stories and photos to share. In 7 days we covered roughly 700 miles from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula and Whittier to Hatcher Pass and Willow. We felt like we just got a taste of what the State has to offer but are thankful that we had fairly good weather and enjoyed lots of time with cousins, aunts and uncles along the way. Over the next few weeks we’ll share our Top 10 list of the best things to do when visiting Alaska with teens and tweens, starting with a hike up Flattop Mountain in the Chugach State Park on the eastern side of Anchorage. The summit of the 3,500 foot mountain is reached via a 1.7 mile trail that rises 1300 feet [...]

Summer Family Travel Off the Beaten Path with Teens and Tweens

Resorts, Wishlist 1 Response »

Jun 072011

Summer Family Travel Off the Beaten Path with Teens and Tweens

With summer coming we’ve been sharing ideas for getting outside with your teens and tweens. So far we’ve featured our five favorite state and national parks, plus special reader dude ranch discounts and deals. Today, we are featuring a couple more options for family trips off the beaten path in and around more state and national parks. Explore Zion National Park and the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort Zion National Park, in the southwest corner of Utah, runs 30 miles through colorful sandstone cliffs and canyons, reaching to heights of over 8,000 feet. Lodging is available in the park at the Zion Lodge, but just outside the park’s eastern border, the 4,000 acre year round Zion Ponderosa Ranch offers a wide range of on property activities, dining choices and lodging options that include RV and tent [...]

Five Favorite State and National Parks for Family Vacations with Teens and Tweens

Hawaii, Jersey Shore, Mt. Washington Valley, South Dakota, Yellowstone No Responses »

Jun 022011

Five Favorite State and National Parks for Family Vacations with Teens and Tweens

With school getting out and summer coming in, many families with teens and tweens will be thinking about hiking, camping and getting into the great outdoors. State and National Parks offer access to a wide array of natural wonders and family adventures. If you are looking for ideas consider some of our favorites from across the country including: Custer State Park in South Dakota Stay at one of the park’s lodges, drive the wildlife loop to see the buffalo herd, big horn sheep, antelope, begging burros and more. Don’t forget to visit Sylvan Lake. Take a mile long stroll around the lake or follow the trail for a thrilling day hike to 7,244 ft. Harney Peak. Its a great hike for teens and tweens. Side trips to Jewel Cave [...]

More Summer Family Fun Arrives at New England Ski Resorts

Mt. Washington Valley, New England, Resorts, Smugglers' Notch, Vermont No Responses »

May 282011

More Summer Family Fun Arrives at New England Ski Resorts

For a number of years, New England’s ski resorts have been investing in a wide range of attractions and activities designed to encourage families to visit all year round. This summer, there seems to be an emphasis on attractions of interest to families with teens and tweens at some of our favorite New England summer destinations. If you are heading to New Hampshire’s White Mountains this summer be sure to check out the new Adventure Park at Mount Cranmore in the Mount Washington Valley. In Vermont, Smugglers’ Notch is adding a number of new summer adventure options and jazzing up its day camp and evening programs for teens and tweens. Mt. Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park Opens Memorial Day Weekend The new Mt. Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park opened Memorial [...]

More Dude Ranch Ideas for Teens and Tweens

Resorts, Wishlist 1 Response »

May 222011

More Dude Ranch Ideas for Teens and Tweens

Last week we featured the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch, which is offering our readers the opportunity for teens to pay little kid prices during the summer of 2011. Today, we’ve got two more ranches that have something special to offer families with teens — so if you are heading west to get outdoors this summer you might consider these as well. Colorado’s Drowsy Water Ranch Teen & Tween Discounts The 70-year old, 600 acre Drowsy Water Ranch in Granby, Colorado is an all-inclusive ranch that includes lodging, all meals, a horse for the week, and lots of activities from hayrides to fishing to river float trips. The ranch offers one of the more economical family dude ranch experiences that we have found. Teens ages 14-17 get a discount of slightly [...]

A-to-Z Guide for Traveling with Teens, Tweens and Kids

Resources No Responses »

Mar 312011

Wendy Perrin, Conde Nast Traveler family travel editor extraordinaire, has recently launched a travel contest to find the best tips from A-to-Z for traveling with kids. The winner gets a $16,000 family vacation for four to the Grace Bay Club on Turks and Caicos. Stop by the Conde Nast Traveler contest page to learn more. Reading Wendy’s A-to-Z Guide for Traveling with Kids and dreaming about a family trip to the Grace Bay Club, inspired us to do one of our own, aimed at families traveling with teens and tweens and younger siblings or cousins. Groups with wide age ranges need lots of options, time outdoors and high energy activities so the kids sleep well at night. So, here we go: A is for America. Whether it is a city, a suburb, a farm [...]

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