We were so excited to have J’s sister and her family visiting for a week this summer! His niece and nephew are 6 and 8 years old, and it was so fun to see everything through their eyes, since we don’t normally have a lot of kid visitors. J’s nephew had apparently been telling everyone at home that he was going to climb a mountain in Seattle, so we had to deliver! Since the kids had never been hiking before, we weren’t sure how much they would be able to do (and still have fun!). We spent an afternoon at Snoqualmie Falls and the kids loved it, so we decided to take them to Rattlesnake Ledge and attempt a “mountain”!
The weather was typical Seattle and was gray and rainy when we started out, but we were really hoping it would clear up by the time we got to the top. The hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge is about 4 miles round-trip and 1000 feet of elevation gain.
We switchbacked our way through the forest, and overall the kids did great and really loved the hike! When hiking with kids, I think it’s just important to take plenty of breaks when they need to rest, and try to come up with games or other fun things to keep them from getting bored. (Those are actually some pretty good tips for adults when hiking, too! haha) We spent a lot of time counting “squishes” (mud puddles from all the rain), which they were so occupied with that it was a pretty quick hike up to the top!
And the view from the top is so incredibly beautiful. The color of Rattlesnake Lake is just gorgeous, and I loved the view of the surrounding mountains through the clouds.
So proud of her! We kept asking the kids throughout the trip what their favorite thing was, and they both said that hiking to Rattlesnake Ledge was the best. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a short hike with incredible views to do with your kids!
On the way down, the weather cleared up more and we even had some sunshine poking through! I love hiking in the Pacific Northwest – even rainy hikes are gorgeous, but then when you unexpectedly get some sun too – there is nothing better 🙂
They’re expert hikers now!
We stopped by Rattlesnake Lake on our way back to the car, and you can get a great view of the top! The kids were so proud to have climbed a mountain in Seattle 🙂
One of the biggest things I learned from this visit about traveling with kids is to always build a lot of extra time in to your schedule, especially if there is water nearby! Anytime we stopped at a lake or a river with rocks, the kids were SO excited to throw rocks in!
It was a wonderful day and such a fun experience hiking with the kids.
Looking for more hikes to do with kids? Check out Snoqualmie Falls, about 45 minutes east from Seattle. Out on the Olympic Peninsula, Marymere Falls and Sol Duc Falls are great options too!
See my full list of Washington hike recommendations here, and more Washington travel inspiration in this post!
You provided such great lifetime memories for you niece and nephew!