Good trail to walk this weekend with a young toddler?
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Anonymous
| Hi all, since they are calling for decent weather this weekend, my DH and I were thinking of finding a local trail to walk with our 16 mos old DS. Trails that came to mind were Billy Goat and along the canal near the chain bridge. Can you tell me if either of these are toddler appropraite, or recommend other local trails that would be good for a young toddler? We are located in McLean and our DS is a proficient walker, but not really capable of walking well on rocky terrain or climbing. Thanks! |
Anonymous
|
How long are you talking? With a 16 mo old you will probably end up carrying him.
There is a small trail behind the Rock Creek Nature Center in Rock Creek Park, but even that might be tough for such a young age. |
Anonymous
| I'd avoid Billy Goat with a small one. Maybe try TR Island? |
Anonymous
| We did TR island with our baby in the stroller. It was great! |
Anonymous
I agree-- this is a good option, or maybe around Candy Cane city in Rock Creek Park. Billy Goat trail is not at all a good idea for a new walker (or any small child even) and a lot of the paved paths get high/speedy traffic. TR doesn't because you can't really go anywhere (and it's very nice to boot). |
Anonymous
| Burke Lake Park has a great trail! |
Anonymous
|
Huh. It would be impossible to walk a trail in the traditional sense with my 17 months old, who would be diving into the bushes, sitting down to play with the dirt, leaves, grass, you name it, taking interest in some rocks, and running all over, but not on the trail, or in one direction.
Is my kid unusual? |
Anonymous
| LOL at trail walking with a 16 month old. |
Anonymous
Not the OP, but why are you laughing at her? We used to walk with our kids when they were that young. Sure, you're not going on day-long hikes, but it's great to get them out on a trail at a Nature Center or something. They love it. And, I'd prefer that, to keeping the kid cooped up inside watching Dora. (nothing against Dora, before I get flamed) OP, check out any of the Nature Centers. Where are you located? Or, we used to go to Brookside Gardens all the time at that age. DD loved it. OP, here's a link that might help when DC is a bit older: http://kidfriendlydc.com/2010/06/07/walks-in-the-woods/ |
Anonymous
| Brookside Gardens is another good idea, or the Cabin John park. |
Anonymous
| OP here. I should have clarified that I don't expect my DS to walk the entire trial. I figured much of the walk would be spent with him in a stoller (we have a Bob, so should be good for trail usuage) but that he would want to walk and explore for at least part of it. I was looking for advice on trails that could accomodate a stroller and exploring toddler. Thanks for all the recommendations so far! |
Anonymous
| Lake Accotink (Springfield) is great with an off road stroller. It's about a 4 mile loop. If you want to play in the woods, short trails, and nature center - check out Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale (near the beltway). They have eh playground equipment, but a good outdoor play space behind the nature center building. |
Anonymous
| You have to check out Meadowlark Gardens which is fairly close to McLean. They have a paved walking path around their gardens and a duck pond. It is great with little kids. I was thinking of going there myself on Sunday. |
Anonymous
With the rain we've had this past week, I think TR island might be muddy. |
Anonymous
| Roosevelt Island has pretty easy walking trails for a stroller and a large center plaza that is good for running around. But I'd get there on the early side, not sure how parking would fill up. |