Family Travel: Olympic National Park Part 2: Hoh Rainforest

*Activities in this post are suitable for healthy individuals from 2 years old to 70 years old.  We did backpack carry our 2 year old in a Tula carrier at times on the hikes. 

On day 4, we moved rental homes from the east side of Olympic National Park (Lake Sutherland) to southwest Quinault Rainforest (Amanda Park/ Lake Quinault) area.  On our drive over, we stopped for lunch and some groceries at Forks (biggest town on the way to Lake Quinault), and visited the awesome Hoh Rainforest. 

When people think of Olympic National Park, Hoh Rainforest comes up as one of the top highlights.  I'll let the pictures do the talking :) 

Hike: Mishe Mokwa Trail to Sandstone Peak

A few weeks ago, my friend Monica came to visit us.  We wanted to take her somewhere special, so we took her hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains.  We've been meaning to do this trail for awhile but it is a little farther out than the trails we usually do (Solstice Canyon, Temescal Canyon - see prior posts in the "Hike" category for more info).  It was awesome! The drive up the PCH (gorgeous ocean views) and through the winding mountain roads was spectacular in itself.  It was a 6 mile moderately strenuous hike that took us about 3 hours.  The views were absolutely breathtaking!  As an added perk, we stopped by Malibu Seafood (review to come) and Grom Gelato on the way home.  This is probably our favorite hike so far!  

Hike: Temescal Canyon Loop Trail with abundant spring wildflowers!

This is the first hike that J and I did Los Angeles.  We went last summer, when we first moved to LA.  It was very sunny day, and quite hot. I remember thinking it was a great hike - it has quite a steep climb for the first half (which is a good workout!) and the views are fantastic, especially on the top of the ridge. The second half (all downhill) is very relaxing.  :)

My friend Stacy came to visit from NYC and we wanted to do a shorter hike (1 1/2-2 hours, 3-4 miles), so I suggested we do the Temescal Canyon Loop. Wow - what a difference it is to hike in the spring when all the wildflowers are blooming and the waterfall is flowing!!! I was so busy taking photos of the beautiful flowers and ocean view while hiking, that I somehow missed seeing the clown snake (poisonous) that Stacy told me slithered right by my feet!!!  Don't worry, as long as you are careful and wear hiking shoes or sneakers, I think it is a pretty safe hike. :)

Do: Hike Runyon Canyon, Hollywood, CA

You can see the Hollywood Sign from this hike!

We've been getting into the healthy habit of hiking on the weekends, usually followed by an unhealthy, but delightful brunch. (stay tuned for a review of grub to be posted tomorrow! :)  Recently, we've done Solstice Canyon and Los Liones Canyon, so we decided to try something different this time and do the more urban Runyon Canyon Hike in the Hollywood Hills.

Do: Hike Los Liones Canyon

Our friend Sheenie invited us on a hike today at the Los Liones Canyon. Hiking is a very popular past time in LA, and we've been getting more into it recently.  A couple of weekends ago,  J and I hiked Solstice Canyon and really enjoyed the views and spring flowers.

We enjoyed this hike as much, or perhaps even more! It was a longer hike (7.5 miles total roundtrip) and took about 4 hours at a leisurely pace. The scenery was incredible (despite the fact it was overcast today and there was a lot of fog/mist) - I can only imagine how amazing it must be on a clear day!   LA has been getting an unusual amount of rain lately, so everything was super green, lush and there were tons of flowers. Here are some photos from our hike....

Do: Hike Solstice Canyon, Malibu, CA

I'm introducing a new category (see "labels" for the others) today!  Living deliciously is not just about eating good food, it is about living life to the fullest, and appreciating both the small and big wonders in the world.

Yesterday, we went for a hike @ Solstice Mountain in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was highly recommended by a friend and we'd been talking about going for a hike for a while.  We are so glad we did it - we had an awesome time! The wildflowers were in bloom and the scenery was amazing.

If you live in LA and are looking for something fun to do, I urge you to go on this hike! It took about an hour to an hour and a half to complete the 3 miles. We went up the Rising Sun Trail (easy-moderate) and came back on the TRW trail (very easy). There is a special surprise halfway - a ruin of an old mansion and a waterfall!  Here are some of the photos from our hike: