Best Hikes with Kids: Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine [Paperback]

Cynthia Copeland (Author), Thomas J. Lewis (Author), Emily Kerr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2007 | Series: Best Hikes with Kids

Search for frogs and turtles in a pond, stay in a cabin, visit a nature center, see waterfalls, or discover abundant wildlife. These are just a few of the new hikes families (and anyone looking for an easy outing) will enjoy in these completely redone guidebooks. Each outing highlights points of interest and opportunities for learning about nature on the trail. The hikes range in length from 1 to more than 5 miles round-trip, are rated easy to difficult for children, and feature optional turn-around points for tired feet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Authors Emily Kerr, Cynthia Copeland and Thomas J. Lewis leave no stone unturned, whether they're dissecting a hike to Rattlesnake Point, the Falls of Lana in Vermont or Mt. Cardigan in New Hampshire." --Pittsburgh Sunday Tribune-Review

About the Author

EMILY KERR and her husband have two little boys who they take on regular hiking excursions throughout New England. They live in Exeter, Vermont.

Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866448
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866445
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Destination health ... hikes in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, April 2, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best Hikes with Kids: Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine (Paperback)

What better way can you think of to connect with your kids other than actually getting out and doing something with them like taking a hike? We're not talking hiking to a fast food restaurant to get an unhealthy meal and a little toy that will soon be lost in the shuffle or end up in your yard sale or chewed up by your dog. We're talking long term benefits, emotionally and physically.

According to the authors, hiking is "healthier than television, cheaper than downhill skiing . . . is within everyone's capabilities and will appeal to toddlers and teenagers, preschoolers and parents." This book also gives pointers on how to make hiking fun and enjoyable for the whole family. There are eighty-five hikes listed: twenty-four in Vermont, twenty-nine in New Hampshire and thirty-two in Maine.

There is a map legend in the front of the book. Scattered throughout the preliminary pages are boxed materials listing the pages containing "best hikes" for seeing a natural waterfall, following a stream, brook or river, beach walking or coast walking, investigating a pond or lake, swimming at a swimming hold or public beach, investigating caves, boulders, or unique geologic features, a summit or scenic vista (many with towers), for visiting a nature center or visitor center, loop hikes, overnight camping, with leashed dogs. You can effectively tailor your hike to your entire family, including your dog if you so desire!

Each hike listed has four main sections to browse and consider:

1. Before You Go . . . referral to a USGS map of the area and a telephone number to access current weather conditions

2. About the Hike . . . a day or overnight hike, how challenging it is for children, dates the hike can be undertaken, how long it is in miles, hiking time, high point/elevation gain and symbols to indicate what to expect

3. Specific directions on how to get there

4. A dialogue on what to expect while you are on the trail

This is a marvelous book! Whether you want to grab your picnic basket and take a leisurely stroll or do some serious hiking, the choice is yours. My choice would be the Ocean Trail, a mere 0.6 miles to Thunder Hole, one of my childhood favorites.

2.0 out of 5 stars Be careful -- this book is not accurate!!, August 8, 2011

By 

Hikerdad - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Best Hikes with Kids: Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine (Paperback)

Bought this book in June 2011 and took my three small children hiking in VT in July. The trail I took them on in Groton State Park was supposed to be "easy" and the author said "even grandparents will want to join.". Ha! After a very vigorous hike through the woods, we lucked out that we were near a road and I was able to trail-run back to the car to pick up the family. Had this not been the case we could have been in real trouble by trusting the advice of this book. These hikes might be OK for kids over 10 but regardless, definitely do your homework independent of this book before you go.

5.0 out of 5 stars full of gems, April 8, 2010

By 

Kate - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best Hikes with Kids: Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine (Paperback)

I have had such wonderful luck visiting the spots highlighted in this book and the sister book about Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island Connecticut, Massachusetts, & Rhode Island (Best Hikes With Kids) that I now seriously plan my vacations around it. I have only done the hikes approved for small children, but my daughter did several when she was two with no whining at all. It's also one of those books that is nice for fantasizing when you're feeling trapped inside.