Looking for advice - Trails for an 8 year old

[rrrel]

I took my girlfriend on her first hike last week. We did algoquin. Its safe to say that she thought that she got her butt kicked, but I think I have her hooked. Now that I she has caught the hiking bug, it is time to get her 8 year old son involved. We live on Long Island and I am looking for a first day hike with her and the little one. My first and only thought is to do the labrinth at Mohonk. I have never done it before, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me.
I am looking for a day trip from where we live, something tha will get the rugrat hooked. Her son is a bit of a "momas boy" so I cant just take him out into the woods for the weekend. If any of you have any ideas or experience with my situation, I would love your advice.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I took my girlfriend on her first hike last week. We did algoquin. Its safe to say that she thought that she got her butt kicked, but I think I have her hooked. Now that I she has caught the hiking bug, it is time to get her 8 year old son involved. We live on Long Island and I am looking for a first day hike with her and the little one. My first and only thought is to do the labrinth at Mohonk. I have never done it before, I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me.
I am looking for a day trip from where we live, something tha will get the rugrat hooked. Her son is a bit of a "momas boy" so I cant just take him out into the woods for the weekend. If any of you have any ideas or experience with my situation, I would love your advice.

The labyrinth is probably not a 'day hike', more like a half an hour or so. A lot of driving and expensive entrance fee for a short hike. It does have a nice view at the top. But that's just my 2 cents....

Also, you could consider a hike to Dibble's Quarry, up the Pecoy Notch Trail in the Catskills. It's a cool place to explore for kids and adults, and you can jump in the stream when you get back to the car.

Also, if you search back you will find threads like this one:

http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=8325

 

[MattC]

Maybe be more specific as to the type of hike you think they would like to do. Mileage? Elevation gain? Rock scrambles? Do you mind paying a fee? How far do you want to drive? Lots of good options between Long Island and Albany, Gunks, Catskills, Hudson Highlands, Harriman, etc.

Matt

 

[TCD]

ADKs book, "Kids on the Trail" may be of use to you.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

I’ve got to throw a vote for Buck Mountain in Lake George in this scenario. It’s a little over an hour closer than Algonquin, 3.3 miles instead of 4.3 and only 2000’ ft of elevation change instead of close to 3000’. I use it as a training mountain when I don’t want the drive and a breaking the cherry mountain for new hikers. Kids on the trail quite often. The views are outstanding. You get to look down onto the majority of Lake George. The smaller mountain will give you a chance to boost her confidence, she’ll feel it’s easier and you can say things like “that’s because you’re getting in better shape, Hun”. She will feel good about her self and you.

Since your plan involves getting them hooked there is a lot of peripheral things to set it up since you should associate as many enjoyable things with the outing as possible. Going through Lake George - a tourist haven, that should be easy. They’ve got really good miniature golf places, little arcades, shopping outlets and are in general a chick and kid magnet. You could get there and do something before hand- helps get the legs going, build anticipation for the hike and take the feel of forever ride out of it for the kid. You might even try a ferry ride and see Buck before you climb it, (note I haven’t done this so I’m not sure on time). Then when you’re done there is those roadside pizza/ ice cream / burger places to hit when you’re dirty.

Please, use caution with your eyes in Lake George, there are many young hardly clothed young females running around at all times. This could be a killer for you resulting in the “look”, you know the one. Maybe sun glasses.

Oh, the last time I took a girl on this hike I got asked, “do you think will be together in tens year” question. Think of your answer ahead of time, I pretended to trip a little bit and change the subject quickly; you may not have that chance.

 

[coldfeet]

rrrel, I too live on Long Island, have done many a day hikes up to the Cats over the last 3 years (long tiring drive to hike 6-10 miles), if your looking at a day hike with an 8 year old I would go to Harriman State Park and hang out there....I took my daughter and friends the last 2 Thanksgivings up to the tower and had some warm soup (of course now it's summer).....you can then go to the zoo and down to the river, they also have an indoor carosel....Tom's idea of the quarry is really good also, I'd like to take my daughter there also....ps....after going to Harriman she did 2 peaks in the Daks and last summer hiked Katahdin, she's 11...take it easy, they will both enjoy it better and so will you...

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I agree with Coldfeet about Harriman since there are some other attractions you can tie in with the hike. You can also hike Anthony's Nose on the AT, then walk across the bridge into Harriman, visit the zoo, etc.

Another hike to consider would be in the area around North Lake in the Catskills (fee). Minimal elevation gain, nice views for little effort, and can take a dip in the lake afterwards if you want. This hike is also by Kaaterskill Falls, which would make a nice stop before or after the hike.

 

[rhihn]

I agree with Coldfeet about Harriman since there are some other attractions you can tie in with the hike. You can also hike Anthony's Nose on the AT, then walk across the bridge into Harriman, visit the zoo, etc.

Another hike to consider would be in the area around North Lake in the Catskills (fee). Minimal elevation gain, nice views for little effort, and can take a dip in the lake afterwards if you want. This hike is also by Kaaterskill Falls, which would make a nice stop before or after the hike.

Given your distance, and the information you provided, I second pudgy-groundhog's recommendations.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

As already mentioned there is a lot of good hiking near NYC. The Bear Mt and Anthony Nose hikes mentioned above are excellent starting hikes.

North of West Point there is a nice loop from Route 218 that starts from the Stillman Spring. The Howell Trail climbs up to the Pitching Point on the Crows Nest with views of the Hudson River. The trail continues along a ridge, then down through a valley, and then up to Storm King Mountain. Storm King can also be climbed on a shorter hike from Route 9W.

North of Cold Spring, Bull Hill is another good starter hike with good views. Further north Breakneck Ridge has awesome views, but you may want to get few other hikes in first as it is a very steep climb with considerable exposure.

The above hikes and many others are described in Day Walker, 32 Hikes in the New York Metropolitan Area with line maps and published by the NY/NJ Trail Conference. Another more comprehensive book from the same publisher is the New York Walk Book. It covers all of the above, and has coverage extending up into the Shawangunks, Catskills, and Taconics, and it has topo maps in the book. The book maps are not as detailed as the map sets published by the Trail Conference, but they are adequate to get you started.

If you do decide on going to the Shawangunks, you should be aware that the trailhead parking areas tend to fill up on weekends with good weather. The admission fees can be expensive. Lake Minnewaska is the most economical in that it charges $9 per car. The Mohonk Preserve charges $9 per adult, children under 12 are free. The Mohonk Resort (parking on Mohonk Rest Road) is yet more expensive. You may start at one location and continue into any of the others at no additional cost. So if you hike into Mohonk Lake resort from the Preserve, you will save. It is possible to hike into the Labyrinth from a number of different Mohonk Preserve trailheads, and it would become more of a day hike with many scenic views and rock scramble options along the way.

Another nice hike is the Gertrude's Nose and Millbrook Mt loop at Minnewaska. The easiest and least expensive approach is from Lake Minnewaska. It can also be reached from the Mohonk Preserve at the Trapps. It offers many spectacular cliff top views for a relatively minimal amount of elevation climbing.

In the Shawangunks you will probably want to buy the Shawangunk map set in order to see the detail of the maze of trails. Many like the Labyrinth are not shown on the maps in the New York Walk Book. For Minnewaska you can download a scan of the free Hiking Map and Information Pamphlet available at the park gatehouse from this web page.

 

[Raymond]

Gee, my son had climbed 11 of the Adirondack High Peaks before his eighth birthday. He’s small for his age, too. Are you sure you’re not underestimating your girlfriend’s child’s ability?

We did spend a few nights at Johns Brook Lodge for some of those hikes, but usually we stayed in motels, so it’s not as if you have to rough it.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Gee, my son had climbed 11 of the Adirondack High Peaks before his eighth birthday. He’s small for his age, too. Are you sure you’re not underestimating your girlfriend’s child’s ability?

I think if he hasn't hiked before, he's looking to ease him into it. The goal is for him to enjoy it so he'll want to do it again. Even if it was within his ability to do harder, longer hikers, if he doesn't enjoy it, it defeats the purpose.

Another hike that would be good is Sam's Point Preserve (fee required). Again, minimal elevation gains and you get a view after little effort at the beginning of the hike. This is where the ice caves are and would think this would appeal to a kid. The ice caves isn't very far from the trailhead. I can't remember mileage off the top of my head, but for a little longer hike (but still fairly level) you could continue on to the waterfalls (Veerderkill I think?). Sam's Point also had a new visitor's center that you could stop by (not big, but at least see the stuffed animals in there). Sam's Point gets pretty crowded, so if you go, I would recommend going as early as you can.

 

[rrrel]

Thanks

First, I want to thank you all for your replies.

So here is how it went. Because I put my post up last minute, I did not allow enough time to see all of your replies (less than 24 hours). I went with the original plan and did the Labyrinth at Mohonk. It worked out well. We had a bit of a tough beginning, but it was quite a success.

Here are the details...

After 133 "are we there yets?" we arrived. With the little one all gung ho, we cheated and took the bus to trailhead. Now like I said, the kid is a bit of a momma's boy and has never done anything like this before. He started out well, but very quickly became really scared. Remember when we were kids and everything seemed much bigger? He was shaking. Anyway, we got him through the first few little scrambles with lots of reassurance and few "boosts". The hardest part was teaching him how to position his body to keep his balance and use what holds were available to him. Once we got him comfortable, he was fine.
For the rest of the time, he was 99% hooked. His mom and I put him in the lead for most of the hike, only putting him in the middle for a few "tricky" spots (for a 4 foot kid). He led us up the crevasse and did well; only once did he need a boost to find a place to put his feet.
All told, it was a great day. I don’t think he’s going to do Katadhin this year, but he will be ready by age 10 (I hope, lol).

On a side note, our little trip was fantastic and a first for a relationship. Getting her son involved in something he would never have done, and giving him a bit of adventure and accomplishment, is worth its weight in gold.

Again, I want to thank you guys for your info you guys are giving us great ideas for our next trip.

One last word of advice, don’t take your "city girl" to Mohonk unless you know you will be spending a weekend there sometime soon. For some reason I don’t think that I can get away with a “romantic getaway” at JBL.

 

[Grumpy]

It's good to read that all turned out OK on this first hike. Your brief TR reinforces the idea that kids often can do a lot more than we might think they can. It's important to give them opportunity and encouragement to try. And, as your experience shows, it doesn't hurt to provide a little boost and instruction, too. The growth of their self confidence is a wonderful thing to foster and watch.

G.

 

[skidoc22]

Another suggestion for the future

Overlook Mtn. in Woodstock is a great one for kids. It is a 1400 ft vertical over 2 1/2 miles. Near the top is the ruins of an old hotel and a few other outbuildings (not to mention a broadcast tower). At the top there is a picnic table and a firetower with a super view of the cats and the Hudson. It's helpful for the kids to have a friend (who is hearty) in my experience and to keep them well fed (their little tanks run empty much faster than ours).

They can certainly work up to the bigger hikes over time - my son who is just 12 is now a 45er in the ADK high peaks and just hiked Skylight and Gray (about 21 miles and over 3500 vert ft) last Sunday.

 

[banjolady]

harriman is great for kids and urban sweeties. lots of early outs. we do "kids'n'dogs" hikes during summer and school vacations which have become quite popular. often kids who don't really like hiking will come out if there is a dog or 2 involved. we get lots of grandparent/grandkid combos. it is fun to see the kid quail before a scramble that his 80 yr old grandparent leaps up like a mountain goat. check out our group and you are welcome to join us in the park.
susan
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrimanhike/