Selecting a bike route your kids will love

“My favorite part was the ice-cream place,” five year old Anya beamed. “And the lady who gave me a new bubblegum ice-cream after the cone fell down.” My husband, Lorenz, and I grinned at each other remembering our family’s stop at the Tillamook ice-cream factory on our two week family bicycle tour down the Oregon coast.

“I liked the airplane museum best.  And the view from the top of Yaquina Head after that steep climb,” Lorenz added matter-of-factly. Our family was waiting for our fish fry dinner in a little shack perched over the ocean in Florence, Oregon. It was the last night of our 250 mile cycling tour down the coast; and the four of us were sharing our favorite memories of the trip.

“I loved watching the sunset from that great campsite on the beach.” I smiled at memories of our two daughters digging castles in the sand as Lorenz and I stood at the ocean’s edge watching the reddening sky spread purple and pink across the waves.

“What about you, Yvonne?” I cuddled my three year old daughter who was cheerfully banging a piece of green beach glass on the red-checkered table cloth.

“Finding manemones,” she giggled waving the glass in her chubby little fingers. “And the crabs and the starfishes.  And my green rock.” Lorenz looked at me puzzled.  Suddenly we both laughed, remembering the tidepools filled with anemones around the haystack rocks of Cannon Beach.

Finding manemones, I mused as my sandy, but happy, family munched on fried clams and French fries. In the two decades that we have been pedaling with our kids, I have never forgotten Yvonne’s lesson: children love bicycle trips for distinctly different reasons than their parents. Like most adults, Lorenz and I cycled the Oregon coast for the physical pleasure of being on a bike; for the vistas and natural beauty and interesting historic sights. Our daughters, on the other hand, found joy in another world that we had never noticed: child sized memories of eating ice-cream, playing in tide pools, and finding manemones.

Kids like routes that allow them to play, to explore the world around them, and keep them entertained off the bicycle.  While you and your partner are standing astride your bikes at the top of a bluff, marveling at the views of the coastline, you can be sure that your kids have discovered that the best part of their trip is the giant bug crawling in the grass below your bicycle tires.    Moral of the story: plan a route that provides bugs, ice-cream and manemones  as well as spectacular climbs and vistas and you have the makings of a wonderful family bike trip.

Here are a few tips for selecting routes that will keep your kids happy to pedal along, regardless of their age.

 

Routes for infants

Visions of a wailing hungry baby and changing diapers at the side of the road often keep parents away from cycling with their infants. Yet, cycling with infants is often far easier than cycling with older children.  Infants have very simple needs and desires (although they do have a habit of reminding you of those needs fairly regularly).  Best of all, infants sleep a lot, and are easily rocked to sleep by a rumbling child trailer. Generally as long as you plan a route that allows for frequent stops to feed and change your infant, you can cycle for hours along routes that interest you.  Routes that are extremely hot or sunny or very cold and exposed to harsh wind or rain should be avoided since babies do not have the same heat regulation systems as adults.

Toddlers and preschoolers

For many parents, cycling and touring with toddlers and preschoolers is probably the most difficult stage. Toddlers and preschoolers have very short attention spans, need to get up and run around frequently, and need time to play with other children. On the positive side, toddlers and preschoolers are generally easy to keep happy with simple activities such as digging in the sand, playing in water, or climbing on a jungle gym.  Tours with small children should be kept short, averaging no more than twenty to thirty miles per day, with frequent stops planned along the route.

Ideally you should select a route that passes through numerous small towns and villages. That way, every few miles you can plan on stopping for a variety of amenities such as playgrounds, bathrooms or grocery stores to stock up on kid-friendly treats.  We have found that routes that follow water (rivers, lakes and oceans) are always successful at this age.  Preschoolers and toddlers generally love to dig in the mud, splash in the water and look for fish or clams or rocks at the waters’ edge.  Tourist routes, such as the Oregon coast, are often a great choice.  Tourist destinations offer many family and kid oriented activities such as carousels and ice-cream shops; and best of all they are filled with families and children, giving your child a chance to play with kids their own age.

Children in elementary school

The dream age for cycling with children is probably elementary school. Six to twelve year olds are stronger than preschoolers, have far more endurance, and are much more able to entertain themselves for longer periods of time. They are also still devoted to their family and far less independent than teenagers. However, despite their increased strength and endurance, tours for school-age children should still be limited to twenty to thirty miles a day, with layovers planned in fun destinations.  Although children this age can tolerate a few long days, it is important to allow enough time for fun activities and sightseeing to keep them happy.

Children in elementary school still enjoy playing and running around, so routes that include playgrounds and parks along the way continue to be a good choice. In addition however, six to twelve year olds begin to develop their own unique interests and hobbies. At this age our daughter, Anya, became completely enamoured with history and the pioneers; while her sister, Yvonne, became fascinated with scientific activities showing how things worked.  As a result we planned routes that passed by local historical museums or included visits to lighthouses and cheese factories. Routes that follow a historic theme (such as Lewis and Clark or Revolutionary war sites) or a personal interest (airplanes, trains, canals and locks) are likely to be a great hit.  Elementary school is also perfect age to consider cycling overseas, particularly through Europe.

Teenagers

Teenagers pose a strange paradox for families that want to cycle together. On the one hand, teenagers are the most physically capable of going on a long distance tour: they are taller, stronger and many begin to enjoy the physical challenge of cycling.  On the other hand, teenagers are becoming much more independent and focused on their peer group.

The essential rule for planning a successful trip with your teens is involving them in the decision making.  Teenagers no longer want to be told where to go and what to do and will resent a trip that does not consider their interests or their other time commitments. Parents may want to propose several different trip options and dates and let their teens make the final choice.  Allowing your growing young adults to plan the route for the day, or to help plot out the route for the entire trip can also involve them in the process and give them a sense of ownership of the trip. Suggesting that your teen invite a friend along can also make the trip far more attractive.

By this age, many teens truly enjoy the challenge of cycling.  This is an excellent age to consider a long distance trip such as crossing the U.S. or pedaling the West coast.

 

Part of the joy of cycling with children is discovering a new world, a child sized world filled with extraordinary wonders and special memories.  I hope you, too, find many special manemones along your route.

 

This article was originally published in Adventure Cyclist. It is republished here with their permission and gratitude for their support. https://www.adventurecycling.org/adventure-cyclist/