• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Adventuring Beyond

Adventuring beyond through travel, food, and more.

  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • National Parks
    • Arizona National Parks
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Petrified Forest National Park
      • Fun 2 Days in Saguaro National Park
    • Big Bend National Park
      • Big Bend Top 6 Family-Friendly Hikes
      • 3 Perfect Days in Big Bend National Park
    • California National Parks
      • 1 Stunning Day in Channel Islands National Park
      • Death Valley National Park
      • Kings Canyon National Park
      • Lassen Volcanic National Park
      • Mojave Preserve
      • Redwood National Park
      • Sequoia National Park
      • Yosemite National Park
    • Colorado National Parks
      • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
      • Great Sand Dunes National Park
    • Congaree National Park
    • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    • Florida National Parks
      • Everglades National Park
      • Biscayne National Park
    • Glacier National Park
    • Grand Teton National Park
    • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
    • Indiana Dunes National Park
    • Mammoth Cave National Park
    • New Mexico National Parks
      • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
      • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
      • White Sands National Park
    • New River Gorge National Park
    • South Dakota National Parks
      • Badlands National Park
      • Wind Cave National Park
      • Custer State Park
    • Theodore Roosevelt National Park
    • Utah National Parks
      • Zion National Park
      • Arches National Park
      • Bryce Canyon National Park
      • Canyonlands National Park
      • Capitol Reef National Park
    • Voyageurs National Park
      • 4 Practical Tips for Planning a Houseboat Adventure in Voyageurs National Park
      • The Best Things to do in Voyageurs National Park with Kids
    • Washington National Parks
      • Mount Rainier National Park
      • Olympic National Park
      • North Cascades National Park
    • Yellowstone National Park
  • Travel Itineraries
    • The Great Washington Road Trip – Days 1-4, Mount Rainier Road Trip Itinerary
    • The Great Washington Road Trip – Days 5-8, Olympic National Park Road Trip Itinerary
    • The Great Washington Road Trip – Days 9-14, North Cascades NP
    • The Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 Days
    • What NOT to do in Grand Canyon National Park
    • How to spend 1 day in the Badlands National Park
    • 1 Quick Day in Congaree National Park
    • 1 Quick Day in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
    • Complete Guide to 1 Day in Everglades National Park
    • 1 Amazing Day in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
    • 3 Perfect Days in Big Bend National Park
    • The Best 1 Day in the Mojave Preserve
  • Road Trip Travel Tips
    • 20 Best Travel-Friendly Stocking Stuffers
    • Expert Road Trip Packing Tips for Families
    • Essential National Park Packing List
    • Best Family Podcasts for Road Trips
    • Best Audiobooks for Family Road Trips
    • 12 Best Non-Technology Road Trip Activities for Kids
    • Our Best Practical Family Road Trip Tip
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Kim Nelson

Summer Rules for Kids (free printable)

June 5, 2017 By Kim Nelson

Make summer break go more smoothly with this Summer Screentime Rules for kids free printable. adventuringbeyond.com #screentimerules #summerchecklist #summerbreak #chorechart

Summer is officially here at the Nelson house, the kids finished up school last week and are now onto 2nd and 4th grade.  WOW!  I can’t believe that.  Anyhow, summer inevitably means boredom at some point for my kids, which is fine, but when they get bored they tend to pick on each other more.  My kids seem to need some structure in the summer and this summer screen-time chart helps with that.  This year I have modified the routine a bit to better suit our family and have made my own printable summer rules for kids (link at bottom of page).  We are getting ready to head to Washington in July and visit 3 of the National Parks there but for the weeks we are home, the kids really do better when they know what to expect and what is expected of them.  There is, of course, some flexibility to this as I know things inevitably come up that will require a change.  So here’s my new list, which will likely be modified again as needed, but this is what we’re trying this summer. (Content below updated May, 2021)

…

Read More

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Filed Under: Printables Tagged With: summer chores, summer rules rules for kids, summer technology rules

Top 10 Hiking Gear Essentials for Families

May 24, 2017 By Kim Nelson

Our family’s Top 10 hiking gear essentials for families. Updated 5/21/22. Note: this post contains affiliate links, we may receive a small commission if you purchase something through the links. 

Top 10 hiking gear essentials for families

Hiking with kids can be a challenge, but it’s so great to experience all the sights through your kid’s eyes.  It makes those amazing views at the end of the trail that much more fun and beautiful when you’re enjoying it with your entire family.  If you’re planning to hike with your kids (or with adults for that matter), the most important thing to remember is to be prepared for anything.  

On one of our family hikes in Arizona, “JoyJoy” slipped on a rock while crossing a stream and skinned her knee. Luckily Ross was prepared with a small first aid kit and got her patched up quickly.  Other than the obvious things like water and snacks, our family has compiled a top 10 list, in no particular order, of some of our favorite and/or essential hiking gear items below.

…

Read More

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Filed Under: Hiking Tips Tagged With: backpack, bear spray, bug repellant, family hikes, hiking, hiking pants, hiking poles, hiking shoes, hiking tips, hiking with kids, sunblock

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

April 25, 2017 By Kim Nelson

Moist, delicious, pop-able, Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins. Gluten free, refined sugar free, grain free. adventuringbeyond.com

We love muffins and peanut butter in this house and I love bringing muffins on our road trips for quick breakfasts or easy snacks, but the regular size muffins get squished so easily and end up a crumbly mess. These flourless peanut butter chocolate chip mini muffins from Averie over at averiecooks.com are awesome and they travel much better than a bigger muffin. An added bonus, they’re gluten free!  Super moist and pop-able, nothing goes better together than peanut butter and chocolate, or peanut butter and banana for that matter. These little guys come together pretty quickly as they are mixed in a blender or food processor. When taking them on trips I make them ahead of time and freeze them until the day we leave. They then get stored at the top of our cooler (if there’s room in the cooler) or at the top of our “food bag.”…

Read More

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Filed Under: Road Trip Worthy Snacks Tagged With: flourless muffins, gluten free muffins, grain free, mini muffins, refined sugar free, road trip snacks

Paleo Cinnamon Honey Granola

April 18, 2017 By Kim Nelson

Big crunchy clusters of grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free, paleo cinnamon honey granola. adventuringbeyond.com

Any other yogurt and granola lovers out there? When our family did a modified Whole 30 (really more of an elimination diet) with our kids back in February of this year, the thing my husband and I missed the most was our morning yogurt with granola. We both eat that for breakfast EVERY morning.  Since finishing the modified Whole 30, our eating habits have changed a bit, amongst other changes we have switched to plain yogurt (I couldn’t give up yogurt, or dairy for that matter, completely!) and have drastically reduced our gluten intake.  Thus my search began for a yummy gluten free, grain free granola with no refined sugar that still created those amazing, crunchy clusters.  This recipe from Julia over at The Roasted Root is the best one we’ve tried so far.  I will be making a big batch of this to take on our road trip to Washington this summer….

Read More

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Filed Under: Road Trip Worthy Snacks Tagged With: cinnamon, clusters, gluten free granola, grain free granola, granola, honey, paleo granola

12 Best Non-Technology Road Trip Activities for Kids

April 16, 2017 By Kim Nelson

The best non-technology road trip activities for kids. Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Long road trip ahead? Try these 12 non-technology road trip activities for kids next time you have to spend a lot of time in the car. adventuringbeyond.com

We inevitably have a lot of long days in the car on our trips and we don’t like our kids to be on the iPad or watching movies the entire time.  Over the years we have found quite a few other activities to keep them (and us) entertained and occupied on those long days.

…

Read More

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Filed Under: Road Trip Travel Tips Tagged With: 20 questions, audiobooks, bingo, car games, hangman, podcasts for families, road trip activities, road trip with kids, scavenger hunt

« Previous Page

Primary Sidebar

About Us

Hi everyone! In 2015 our family set a goal to visit as many National Park sites as we could in the Contiguous US before the kids graduate from high school. This blog is our way of sharing what we do and helping others learn from our plans (with some fun extras thrown in as well)! Join our family as we passionately pursue adventuring beyond through travel, food, and more. Read More…

Email subscription

Categories

Top Posts & Pages

  • Top 9 Things to do with Kids in Great Smoky Mountains
    Top 9 Things to do with Kids in Great Smoky Mountains
  • The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Pinnacles National Park in 2 Days
    The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Pinnacles National Park in 2 Days
  • Big Bend Top 6 Family-Friendly Hikes
    Big Bend Top 6 Family-Friendly Hikes
  • The Best of Canyonlands National Park with Kids
    The Best of Canyonlands National Park with Kids




Archives

Blog Meets Brand

Footer

 

Loading Comments...