Handcrafted for Northwest caregivers that want to spark a love of nature, "50 Hikes with Kids" highlights the most kid-friendly hikes in Oregon and Washington. These hikes are perfect for little legs-they are all under four miles and have an elevation gain of 900 feet of less. Some are even accessible by stroller. Every entry includes the essential details: easy-to-read, trustworthy directions; a detailed map; hike length and elevation gain; bathroom access; and where to grab a bite to eat nearby. Full-color photographs highlight the fun things to see along the trail. Not just an outdoor guidebook, "50 Hikes with Kids" will help busy, modern families nurture a life-long appreciation and reverence for the natural world. Wendy Gorton holds a master's degree in learning technologies and is a former classroom teacher. She has worked as a National Geographic Fellow in Australia researching Tasmanian devils, a PolarTREC teacher researcher in archaeology in Alaska, an Earthwatch teacher fellow in the Bahamas and New Orleans, and a GoNorth! teacher explorer studying climate change via dogsled in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Today, she is a global education consultant who has traveled to more than fifty countries to design programs, build communities, and train other educators to do the same. Preface In 2006, when I was into my second year of teaching fourth graders, I became a PolarTREC GoNorth! teacher explorer. I packed up with a topnotch, experienced adventure crew, and we set out to spend two weeks dog sledding, interviewing locals about climate change, and collecting snowpack data. It was the hardest thing I've ever done to date, but it introduced me to the ideas about adventure learning pioneered by the University of Minnesota's Dr. Aaron Doering. My goal was to help interpret the experience for my students back in my classroom and students from around the world who wanted to feel a piece of real-life adventure. Every night, our dogs rushed us through the snow to the next research hut in the middle of Finland. Once inside, we peeled off our layers, cooked dinner from our meal rations, used our maps to plan the next day, and got a good night's sleep. I was physically and mentally exhausted, but I still managed to take pictures, create podcasts, and even host a live webinar with my home classroom. Then as now, I studied each day's route with the eyes of a child-finding the nooks that delighted me, asking myself big questions, documenting things that interested me but that I couldn't identify on the spot, and pondering how to find out about them. Ten years later, I was thrilled to be creating mini-adventures in my own backyard by writing this book for the kids of Oregon and Washington, helping them to become their own intrepid adventurers. The 2016-2017 winter in the region, however, was one of the worst in recent history, a playful jab from Mother Nature to let me know that even though my goal was to share beautiful Pacific Northwest wilderness with parents, caregivers, and kids, she wasn't going to make it easy on me. That's totally fine, because that's the spirit of this book-not only enjoying getting out and getting dirty, but learning to be okay with all kinds of weather, things not working out according to your original plan, and pivoting instead of giving up. That is truly the adventurous spirit and life lesson I hope to spark in all kids. My interest in helping to raise a generation of resilient, curious kids also extends to my day job in education, a field I chose because I want to make sure every child gets a chance to fall in love with a subject that resonates and to make it his or her life's work. The driving question behind this book is how we can design experiences that inspire wonder in our children. That is the question to keep in mind as you use this book, too. If we can provide a fun environment and