Today’s Fall Into Fun idea is to get out there and take a hike.  Finding a local trail, wooded area or bike path is a great way to take advantage of the cooler days.

Most state, county and even local parks have hiking trails that vary in difficulty.

Know What You’re Getting Yourself Into

Call ahead or check online to see what types of trails each park offers.  Will you be sharing the path with cyclists?  Is there a lot of uphill climbing?  Are the rest areas along the trail?  These are things you want to know before you get started.

I once found what I thought would be a wonderful path to take my grandmother and her walker on.  It was flat & paved with no hills and benches at very regular intervals.  The one question I didn’t ask was about bikes.  Grandma and I had to scrap the walk due to young kids learning to ride their bikes almost running into her!

Make sure you have a map of the area with your’re route clearly marked, basic first aid supplies and plenty of water and snacks.  Also make sure someone knows where you are going.  The best hiker in the world can fall and twist their ankle needing assistance.

Rails To Trails

Rails to Trails is a great non-profit organization dedicated to turning abandoned railroad lines into hiking trails.  Get information about trails near you.

So why not throw your remote on the end table, your kids in a stroller and some water in a backpack…get up and take a hike!

photo credit: TheGiantVermin

With fall officially upon us, I though I’d share some of my favorite, low-cost ideas for fall family adventures.  Over the next several days, I’ll share some of my favorite ideas, and I hope you’ll share some of yours with me!

You’ve probably heard talk about “staycations”, or vacation type things you can do at home to save money, so here are some great staycation acitivities for fall.

Walk With The Animals

One of my favorite fall activities is going to the zoo.  The animals are much more active if the heat is down and many zoo’s offer lower rates since they are heading into the off season.

One of the keys to making a visit to the zoo affordable is to take your own food and drinks.  Pack a cooler with sandwiches, fruit,  juice boxes and water and put the cooler in the wagon to roll around with you.  Even easier is to pack things that don’t need to be cooled, like peanut butter &  jelly sammies & granola bars that can just go in a backpack.

Our Detroit Zoo has something called a Zoo-Boo every year that they advertise as being “merry, not scary” that families with young children love.

You can check out the AZA website for a list of accredited Zoos and Aquariams.

If you have a zoo close by it is a great fall family adventrue.  I’ve found that even teens enjoy themselves and we all know that finding a fun activity for the whole family can be tricky to accomplish!

photo credit: Jesse Kruger,
photo credit: badjonni