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South Carolina

Rainbow Row! Charleston, South Carolina

Your Guide to an Epic Week in Charleston with Kids

February 11, 2021
by Carrie

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Exploring the SF Bay Area & Beyond!

I’m Carrie, a native to the San Francisco Bay Area. I have a huge passion for outdoor adventures (hiking, kayaking, zip-lining, scuba diving to name a few) and love taking my family along with me. I love to inspire other families to get outside with their kids and find outdoor activities everyone will enjoy. We love exploring not only the Bay Area but also California & beyond! I aim to show families with busy school & sports schedules that you can still find time to adventure together!

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marquezfiveadventures

Morning kayak on Lake Keowee in South Carolina 🛶

Kayaking is one of my favorite ways to spend time on the water. We got out early to beat the boat & jetski traffic. It was just us in our double kayak and some quiet fishermen. We paddled along the shore admiring all the homes and then out to some islands in the middle of lake where we beached the kayak and explored a bit 🥾🌲

We rented our kayak from @hartwellkeoweepaddleboard. If you need a kayak, paddleboard or boat, I highly recommend them. They weren’t technically “open” in April when we were there, but allowed us to rent a kayak, were very responsive & easy to work with and, super flexible with our timing.

If I lived here, I’d have my own kayak, and as my daughter pointed out, “this could be your morning every day”. So tempting!

Ocean 🌊 or Lake 🛶? I love the ocean - liste

Ocean 🌊 or Lake 🛶?

I love the ocean - listening to the sound of the waves crash and the smell of the salty air. I love walking along the beach or hiking along bluffs that overlook the ocean and I appreciate the vastness of it all. But if I had to choose I think I’d have to go with a lake. I prefer the calm water, accessibility, and vibe - with kayaks, SUPs, lazy tube floats, water trampolines, and pontoon boats.

Bottom line - I need to be around water and could be happy just about anywhere. Whether it’s the ocean, a lake, or a river doesn’t matter as much as the fact that I’m near water 💦

What about you?

Do you take 1:1 trips with your kids? School sche

Do you take 1:1 trips with your kids?

School schedules threw us a curveball this year with 3 different spring breaks. We embraced it and planned 3 different 1:1 trips. While taking one spring break trip as a family of 5 would have been my preference, there are a lot of great reasons to take 1:1 trips.

🌊 Plan a trip based on their interests. My kids enjoy traveling more when the trip aligns with their interests. My youngest wanted to learn to snowboard so he took lessons and learned new skills. My HS Junior wanted to visit college campuses which would not have resonated with my younger two. My daughter wanted a relaxing warm-weather vacation near water.

👍🏻Flexibility - It’s much easier to be flexible and meet needs when traveling with only 1 kid. If she wanted burgers for dinner then we had burgers. If she wanted to go to the beach instead of the pool then we did. When she was done kayaking we stopped. When traveling as a family of 5 it’s unlikely everyone's preferences are met at the same time.

👯‍♀️Connection - We had a lot of uninterrupted time to connect. At home, we have lots of distractions and commitments which are mostly removed when we travel.

💰Cheaper - It’s much cheaper when only 2 of us are traveling.

While I did have some say in what we did, each kid pretty much dictated the pace of the day. And I even found that because I said “yes” to most everything they suggested, they usually said “yes” if I suggested something. I am usually met with resistance when I suggest a hike, but my daughter was happy to oblige when I found this short hike to Waldrop Stone Falls on our recent South Carolina trip. She even suggested we pick up sandwiches and then have a picnic lunch near the waterfall - it was a win-win! 🙌🏻

🤩The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery East

🤩The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery East Lookout Point🤩

We hiked here from Baker Beach along the Batteries to Bluffs Trail. It’s also accessible by walking up from the SF Bay Trail along Crissy Field - or you can even drive and park at the GG Bridge Welcome Center and walk across the bridge.

Did you know?
🌁The bridge first opened in 1937 and the toll was 50 cents. Today it costs $9.05 (or $8.05 with FasTrak)🤑

🌁There are 300 shipwrecks just outside the gate! If you hike along Lands End Trail, there are maps pointing some out. At low tide a few are even visible ⚓️

🌁Orange was not its intended color. The US Navy wanted to paint it black with yellow stripes to warrant visibility of passing ships. Eventually, they settled on international orange because it increases its visibility in fog, complements its natural surroundings, and creates an illusion that the bridge is massive 🧡

🌁The bridge is named not for its color, but for the strait it passes over: The Golden Gate Strait 🌊

🌁It was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World 🌎

⭐️ Hikes with the best view of the Golden Gate

⭐️ Hikes with the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge ⭐️

The best hikes have a hook - something that makes them memorable and worth doing again. What better "hook" than amazing views of one of the most iconic bridges in the world - The Golden Gate Bridge 🌁

These 5 hikes have the most spectacular views of Goldie!

⚓️ Lands End Trail - 3.5 miles along the western edge of SF. Dog & Kid Friendly and fabulous views of the bridge. Explore a rock labyrinth, the Sutro Baths & Mile Rock Beach. Learn about the Cliff House Railway & the many shipwrecks that happened right in the channel.

🌸 Batteries to Bluffs Trail - 3.5 miles from Baker Beach to the Bridge. Stunning views and a gorgeous trail that winds along the bluff, up & down 470 stairs, and traverses 6 Batteries as it approaches the bridge.

🏄‍♂️Crissy Field to Fort Point - 4.5 miles from East Beach to Fort Point which sits at the base of the bridge. This is a flat & easy trail filled with runners, walkers, bikers, strollers & dogs. You’ll likely see kids & dogs at the beach, kite surfers, surfers & fishermen. Stop at the Warming Hut for coffee or hot chocolate.

🏙 Slacker Hill - 3.3 miles roundtrip (Coastal Trail to SCA Trail to Slacker Ridge Trail). 360 degree views as you wind your way up: Cavallo Point, Fort Baker, Alcatraz, Angel Island, San Mateo coastline, and finally the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline.

🦅 Hawk Hill (pictured) - 2.2 miles roundtrip. From the Black Sands parking lot follow the Coastal Trail up Conzelman Road and then up an impressive staircase to Hawk Hill. Fabulous & jaw dropping views of the bridge & SF, Point Bonita Lighthouse & Rodeo Beach to the west, as well as down the coastline.

Check out my newest blog post (link in bio) with more hike details and let me know if you have any other hikes I should add to this list!

We have skied in Tahoe a lot over the years and fe

We have skied in Tahoe a lot over the years and feel like we have a pretty good handle on things.

But I made one BIG mistake when I planned our most recent trip….

I booked us a place to stay at Northstar Village. My plan was to stay in the Village and walk to everything: ski school, lifts, restaurants, the gym, pool & hot tub. Easy!
After I booked our place, I looked at ski school and then decided I’d figure that out later.

When I went back to book ski school a week before our trip everything was SOLD OUT! Group lessons, private lessons - ALL WEEK! I panicked! The whole reason we were taking the trip was so Ben could learn to snowboard and I certainly couldn’t teach him! I checked @diamondpeak and luckily was able to find a private instructor who had 5 hours of availability spread over 2 days. I booked it!

We have skied at Diamond Peak before and it’s a great resort, but it’s about 25 minutes from Northstar. So my whole plan not to drive for the week backfired. Truthfully it all worked out though. Ben’s instructor was fabulous and having a break in between his lessons gave him the chance to go out and practice on his own.

And the great thing about Diamond Peak is their beginner chairlift, Schoolhouse, (where Ben spent his first day) is right next to the parking lot which was essentially empty because it’s spring. While Ben rode the chairlift and boarded down the slope, I walked up & down next to him making sure he was ok and cheering him on. Luckily at 12, he wasn’t totally mortified by my behavior 😬The rest of the week I was out there on the slopes with him ⛷🏂

Turns out, the lessons were sold out not because there were so many kids looking for lessons, but rather there were very few instructors available at the end of the season. Ben’s instructor was the ONLY snowboard instructor at Diamond Peak during our stay.

So always book your lessons EARLY even if it won’t be crowded! And spring is a great time to go - It wasn’t freezing, we never waited for a chairlift, and had the slopes much to ourselves which is fantastic with a beginner who gets nervous when others are close by.

Are your kids competitive with each other? Mine

Are your kids competitive with each other?

Mine are not overly competitive with each other, but they do have their moments. I think it helps that there are 5 years between our boys with a girl in the middle to temper things. 2 years ago my daughter switched to snowboarding and within a few days was able to attempt Burnout, a fairly mild black diamond run. I didn’t remember this, but Ben did. His goal snowboarding last week was to be able to go down Burnout just like her.

Part of me didn’t want to let him do it, but I decided to let him take the lead. The whole reason he improved so much was because he pushed himself, so I decided not to get in his way.

It was nice that he had the whole week to work on this goal without the pressure of his sister being there. I don’t mind when they compete with each other as a way to motivate themselves and push each other to do their best. There’s nothing like someone nipping at your heels to make you work a little harder. What I don’t like is when they do it as a way to make the other one feel inferior which unfortunately happens sometimes. We’re still working on that, but I do think that as they get older their competitiveness is usually more of a positive than a negative.

**Big smile on Ben’s face at the top of Burnout before he takes the plunge!

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courag

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” - Mary Anne Radmacher

So proud of this kid. He has been skiing since he was 4 and decided that for his spring break, he wanted to go to Tahoe and learn how to snowboard. I was the reluctant one, selfishly thinking that skiing is one thing our family can all do together, and having him start over again would set us all back.

But guess what? Every day he went out there excited to learn. I never saw him get discouraged - and each day he got better. By the third day he was comfortably snowboarding on intermediate runs 🟦 and by the fourth day he was on black diamonds🖤(um, where’s the black diamond emoji??). I admire his willingness to start over and his determination to master a new skill 🏂

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself less willing to start over or make a change when something is comfortable. But I’ve also been more aware lately that as we get older it’s more important than ever to keep learning and challenging ourselves both mentally and physically. I also need to remind myself that mastering a new skill takes time so sometimes I just need to get out of my comfort zone and keep trying - just like my kiddo!

This is my kid who thrives in cold weather, loves

This is my kid who thrives in cold weather, loves rain & snow, and says he’s moving to Canada when he gets older. His spring break is coming up - I’m ready to head to warm weather and soak up the sun. He wants to go to Tahoe and learn how to snowboard.⁣
⁣
All 3 kids have different spring breaks this year so we’re letting them plan their own trips. Youngest kid wants to go to the snow, middle kid wants the beach, and the oldest wants to look at colleges. They are all so different - I guess it’s kind of nice they can each do their own thing this year!

Happy St Patrick’s Day!🍀 Still one of my fav

Happy St Patrick’s Day!🍀

Still one of my favorite shots from our trip to Ireland 🇮🇪 - we randomly pulled to the side of the road on our way back to our hotel one afternoon and hiked to Aasleagh Falls in Connemara. It was gorgeous….and so muddy our oldest hiked right out of one of his boots.

All 5 of us unanimously agree this is a country we’d love to go back to! Have you been to Ireland?

🍀🌈🍀🌈🍀🌈🍀🌈🍀🌈🍀

Last year, I took our youngest to Yosemite for his

Last year, I took our youngest to Yosemite for his spring break. We stayed at Rushcreek Lodge and did some amazing hikes. Our favorite was the Mist Trail to the top of Nevada Falls. It was a tough hike and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go all the way to the top. He sat down on this rock looking at Nevada Falls and questioned why he should keep hiking when he could already see the falls from where he was. I told him it was up to him and I’d follow his lead. I was pretty sure he was going to turn back around, but then he got and started heading up the trail. We made it to the top and both agreed it was worth it 💪🏼🙌🏻🤩

If you’re heading to Yosemite for spring break, be sure to check out my Yosemite spring break post linked in my bio!

We’ve been to some amazing places as a family an

We’ve been to some amazing places as a family and Thailand 🇹🇭 is still one of our most memorable trips! One of the last stops on our 2018 trip was Krabi in southern Thailand where we found lots of adventure. We chartered a boat to explore the islands in Phang Nga Bay, snorkeled in the brilliant turquoise water, swam with colorful fish 🐠 and enjoyed the white sand beaches. We also searched for monkeys while kayaking through mangroves, explored limestone cliffs and navigated through caves filled with stalactites. And we couln’t visit Krabi without rock climbing on the cliffs at Railay Beach where they have routes for both advanced & beginner climbers.

I was thrilled to contribute to an article recently about the best family destinations to travel with kids by Asha from @travelingbambinos. Her full article is linked in my bio - check it out for more info about our time in Krabi as well as additional family travel inspiration in the US and all over the world!

We went for the views of the Golden Gate Bridge bu

We went for the views of the Golden Gate Bridge but my daughter’s favorite part of Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands was these stairs that looked like they just dropped off the side of the hill.

Nothing beats hiking along the California coast on a day with clear skies, warm weather, and endless views ☀️🌊🤩

I was surprised to see so many redwood trees sitti

I was surprised to see so many redwood trees sitting in the flooded waters at Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve🌲Thanks to all the posted signs along the trail, I learned that redwood trees actually THRIVE in a floodplain environment. In fact, redwoods grow larger and more quickly in flat areas near rivers than they do on hillsides. Living in Northern California, we are used to seeing redwood trees, but the trees in this park were massive old growth redwoods - some dating back 2,000 years!!!!

🌿With all the pristine ferns, moss, and greenery it really felt like we had stepped back in time and I was half expecting to run into some dinosaurs on this trail! 💚

Top 2021 Hikes: 🥇Number ONE 🥇- The Mist Trai

Top 2021 Hikes: Number TWO - Wapama Falls, Yosemit

Top 2021 Hikes: Number TWO - Wapama Falls, Yosemite 💦

This hike is an underrated gem in Hetch Hetchy Valley - Yosemite National Park.

Wapama Falls is not in Yosemite Valley so it draws much smaller crowds which in my mind is a huge plus! Ben and I were blown away by the views and the towering granite walls in Hetch Hetchy Valley. The hike begins by crossing over O’Shaughnessy Dam and then through a tunnel. Just about every step of this hike has gorgeous expansive views of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir and cliffs. We went during his spring break at the end of March 2021 and Wapama Falls was roaring!

🥾Distance: 5 miles
📈Elevation: 200’ gain
✔️Our rating: Moderate
❌No dogs; no strollers
🚗Parking: Free
✔️Restrooms: Yes (at trailhead)
❤️❤️Our Rating: 10/10

Much of this trail is exposed so go early and carry lots of water - especially on a warm sunny day. The trail varies between crushed granite and granite rock. There was a lot of water from the snowmelt streaming across the trail when we were there. This made the trail very slippery - Ben took a hard fall on his wrist at one point - I recommend hiking boots or shoes with really good traction.

I can’t believe that in all my previous trips to Yosemite I never even knew this area existed! Yosemite Valley is beautiful, but don’t overlook Hetch Hetchy!

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 3️⃣ - Maple Falls, Apto

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 3️⃣ - Maple Falls, Aptos, CA

Maple Falls located in the Forest of Nisene Marks near Santa Cruz meanders through second- and third-growth redwood forest to a 30' waterfall 🌲💦

🥾Distance: 8 miles
📈Elevation: 950’ gain
✔️Our rating: Moderate
❌No dogs; no strollers
🚗Parking: $8 park entrance fee
✔️Restrooms: Yes
❤️Our Rating: 10/10

This trail starts out down a fire road and then begins to weave through the forest filled with redwoods, ferns, bright green moss, and creeks. It’s magical. We crossed a creek around 15 times, balanced on logs, hopped across creeks, and scrambled up rocks. Ben compared the latter half of the hike to a parkour course. January - March would be a great time to do this hike (or anytime after a good rain) to hopefully see the falls in full force. The falls are not huge, but any time we come across a waterfall it’s a good day! It was also pretty muddy in places so hiking shoes are a must.

Parking can be tough so we decided to go mid-week and arrived around 9:30am and were able to get a spot. There are lots of other trails in the Forest of Nisene Marks I hope to check out - though Maple Falls would be hard to beat!

**Hiked in February 2021

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 4️⃣- Montgomery Grove T

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 4️⃣- Montgomery Grove Trail; Ukiah, California

Thanks to the manager @brewerygulchinn in Mendocino for suggesting this hike which wasn’t even on our radar! This little gem is tucked away in Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve about an hour from Mendocino.

🥾Distance: 1.8 miles (we clocked 4 - read on to find out why…)
📈Elevation: 282’ gain
✔️Our rating: Easy
❌Dog Friendly: No
🚗Parking: Small parking lot plus some overflow parking in a turnout across the road.
✔️Restrooms: Yes at trailhead
💚Our rating: 9/10

This was an exceptional hike through an old growth redwood forest🌲🌲The redwoods here are some of the tallest in the world. The ground was soft and we could barely hear our footsteps - it felt surreal. The highlight of this trail for Ben was the flooding from all the recent rains which created quite the parkour course (we were there at the end of December). Unlike most trees, redwoods thrive in a floodplain environment - who knew?

While this trail was only marked as 1.8 miles we hiked nearly 4 miles. In theory, this trail is an easy loop good for all skill levels (with the exception of a short steep incline at the very start it's mostly flat and easy). Once we reached a redwood grove, we could go left or right to begin the loop. We chose to go right. Parts of the trail had running water crossing it and everything was very damp. After several hundred yards, we finally reached a part of the trail that was impassable and we began to parkour our way through - rock-hopping across the flooded trail, balancing across fallen redwoods. We finally reached a point in the trail where I wasn't even sure where the trail was anymore and I didn't feel like getting lost an hour from our hotel. There were other hikers out as well all trying to get as far as they could, but we all seemed to turn around at about the same spot.

So we hiked back to the grove and then went left and followed the loop from the other direction. I preferred this way as there were lots of wooden bridges, fallen trees with massive exposed roots, and less parkouring!

PS - For reference, Ben is just over 5 feet tall

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 5️⃣ - Slacker Hill, Mar

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 5️⃣ - Slacker Hill, Marin Headlands

🥾Distance: 3.3 miles
📈Elevation: 810’ gain
✔️Our rating: Moderate
❌Dog Friendly: No
🚗Parking: Yes, but lot fills up quickly on weekends and nice days!
🤷🏼‍♀️Restrooms: Port-a-potties in parking lot, but they were locked when we were there!
❤️Overall Rating 8/10

I highly recommend this hike especially on a clear day in order to take advantage of the 360 degree views.

From the parking lot, we took the Coastal Trail to the SCA Trail to Slacker Ridge Trail which took us to the top of Slacker Hill.

After a quarter of a mile, the trail crosses Conzelman Road and from that point, there are fabulous views. First, the trail overlooks Fort Baker, Cavallo Point and the Bay Area Discovery Museum - and out towards Angel Island and Belvedere with the Golden Gate Bridge behind you. Then the trail shifted southwest with views out towards the Pacific and down the San Mateo coast. Finally, we rounded back towards the bridge and reached a plateau at the top of Slacker Hill. Ben immediately found a spot on the hillside overlooking the bridge, which looked enormous from this vantage point, and San Francisco a little further in the distance. My sister and I checked out all the views, but eventually ended up next to Ben to admire the bridge 🌁 We could have sat there forever but eventually pried ourselves away to get lunch @tacolicious in the Marina 🌮 We did this hike late morning on a Friday in December (it was also my birthday 🥳) - we had no problem parking and the trail was pretty much empty. I was so surprised given it was a gorgeous & sunny day.

Be sure to add this one to your list!!

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 6 - Mt Umunhum, Los Gatos,

Top 2021 Hikes: Number 6 - Mt Umunhum, Los Gatos, California

🥾Distance: 7.7 miles
📈 Elevation: 1187’ gain
✅ Our rating: Moderate
❌ Dog Friendly: No
🚗 Parking: Limited parking at Bald Mountain Parking Area (we got the last spot at 9:15am on a Sunday)
✅ Restrooms: Yes
🗑Note - we didn't see garbage cans anywhere so be prepared to pack out what you pack in!
👍🏻 Overall Rating 7.67/10

Mt Umunhum (or Mt. Um) was the first hike we did in our @sixpackofpeaksnorcal challenge. Mt. Um is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz mountains at 3,486 feet. We had a 360 degree view at the top - from the Pacific to the Sierra Nevada!

The trail was clearly marked the entire way, was extremely well maintained, and wasn't very crowded. We went on a very warm day and appreciated that there was a fair amount of shade on the trail. We had great views, plus we saw lots of wildflowers, oaks, and native plants. This mountain has an interesting history - first home to the Ohlone, then in 1845 mercury or "quicksilver" mining began which was essential to process gold during the Gold Rush, next it was procured by the US Government in the late 1950s for use as an Air Force Base during the Cold War. The mountain was cleaned up and opened to the public in 2017. I enjoyed the challenge and the views. Mike appreciated how well maintained the trail was. Ben was not impressed and said there was "nothing at the top except a building". I guess he missed the incredible views.

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Recent Posts

Hikes with the Best Views of the Golden Gate Bridge
Top Hikes 2021 – Epic Hiking in Northern California
Hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail
Spring Break: 3 Days in Yosemite
Hike to Wapama Falls – Lost Yosemite

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