How old to take DS on Billy Goat Trail?

[Anonymous]

I did section C (the super easy section) with my 2.5 yo on my back in a carrier. He probably could have done that part on his own difficulty-wise, but we were afraid of him slipping into the river (ymmv re whether that's a valid concern).

[Anonymous]

We did section C when DD was probably 5 or 6 and that worked out well. She's not the most coordinated so we didn't feel comfortable taking her on other sections at that age with all the rocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, that is *awesome* that your 5 yo did Old Rag! I love Old Rag -- and I didn't "discover" it until I was in my 20s. I haven't tried it in years...I'd love to do it again with DS soon.

Can anyone recommend easy hikes for me and my 2 yo? I have no idea how far he can walk, but he certainly seems energetic when he's running in circles around the house. It doesn't matter though, we don't have to finish any loop. I'd probably stick to 1 mi for his first time out. I'd also be lugging around 3 mo DD in a carrier, so it'd have to be a very easy hike.

This lovely weather is great!

How about Rock Creek Park -- Beach Drive is closed on the weekends, and it's super mellow. You can either walk right on the road, or take some of the footpaths further up. There's also Sky Meadows in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

These are both short in case your kid gets tired:
Roosevelt Island (right off of GWP)
Mason Neck in Lorton
National Arboretum

BGT is my favorite trail in the area and I wasn't thinking of taking my kids until they are close to 8 or 10, but that's talking about section A only. I'll have to check out B and C.

[Anonymous]

Next to the nature center in RCP is a little 0.5 mile loop in the woods that my 2.5 yo loves and does with no problem. I second the Roosevelt Island recommendation, and also Great Falls, MD side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See, now, I'd take a 5 year old on Old Rag, but not the BGT. Something about that rock scramble above the river just freaks me out. Sometimes I get stuck there and momentarily paralyzed by fear. The thought of my kid falling into the river would push me over the edge! Old Rag is tiring but there are no places where I'd worry about mortal injury...

Really? I feel the opposite. BGT has scary "views" and sure you could get hurt, but in most parts there are rocks or trees that would stop a child before they fell. Unlike OR, which if I recall has crevices that you can't really get down if you fall.

In any case, I would NEVER take a child under 8 to either, and even then only one who shows athleticism or interest, for fear of injury.

[Anonymous]

I just tried Billy Goat A with a 5 year old who loves Billy Goat B and has done B lots of times. BGA was way too hard. Also really hard to deal with a kid that little being on so many cliffs with big falls. Even my 7 year old found it tough but he wanted to keep going when we turned back.

[Anonymous]

Just a portion of it? I've seen toddlers on there, including mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Just a portion of it? I've seen toddlers on there, including mine.

Good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did section C when DD was probably 5 or 6 and that worked out well. She's not the most coordinated so we didn't feel comfortable taking her on other sections at that age with all the rocks.

+1 I think you can start section C at 3, if you were willing to not walk the entire loop to keep it shorter, and there would be a few moments where you'd need to help them. At age 4 they could do the whole thing themselves.

[Anonymous]

There are three loops - A is the one with a lot of scrambling. B has some boulders you need to climb over but no drop offs that I can recall, and C is basically just a pretty walk in the woods. C is the farthest from the parking area though so your child would need to be able to walk for a couple of miles to get to C, walk C, and walk back. There's a path that goes along the canal and each walk loops off it - first A, then B, then C.

[Anonymous]

I think you also need to take into account how risk averse/trustworthy the kid is. My 3.5 yo can climb & scramble up practically anything and hike a few miles but will run towards a cliff without understanding the risk. I obviously wouldn’t take her on something like Billy Goat A for a long time (unless she’s on my back in a carrier).

[Anonymous]

C is great for small kids.

Park by the pavilion and head down from there rather than by the rock climbing area. That way, if you need to bail early, there are lots of side trails that head back to the parking lot.

[Anonymous]

We took our kid at 4 and he wore a climbing helmet for that long scramble. He had been climbing before, and we have an only so we could support him. We went at a not very crowded time and we put our full attention on him. He was game too, which is probably the most important part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are three loops - A is the one with a lot of scrambling. B has some boulders you need to climb over but no drop offs that I can recall, and C is basically just a pretty walk in the woods. C is the farthest from the parking area though so your child would need to be able to walk for a couple of miles to get to C, walk C, and walk back. There's a path that goes along the canal and each walk loops off it - first A, then B, then C.

If you park at the pavilion (Carderock exit on Clara Barton) you are next to the entrance to C. The parking lot is pretty big there. I did C a couple of weeks ago and there were young children on it - 5 was about the youngest. There’s one place where you go on rocks over a stream,the rest is just walking. And it’s very short. We continued on the towpath for a bit just to make it a longer stroll.