Day Hiking Trails: Avoid flashfloods when hiking with children

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Avoid flashfloods when hiking with children

Flashflood in Rochester, Minn. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

Downpours several miles away can quickly fill sandy washes near where you’re hiking with fast-moving water as the rain flows into the intermittent stream. Streams flowing off mountains also can quickly flood from rain at higher altitudes while the mountain base sees no precipitation.

Don’t hike through and never rest in sandy washes unless you’re certain that no rain is forecast for about 100 miles distant. If you see water levels rising or the current picking up in a stream or river, immediately seek higher ground.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Meet the Author

My name is Rob Bignell. I'm a long-time hiker, journalist and editor. My son Kieran and I have been hiking together for the past decade. Before Kieran, I taught middle school students in New Mexico and Wisconsin, served as an infantryman in the Army National Guard, and worked in newspapers. I've won several journalism awards, from editorial writing to sports reporting. In 2001, The Prescott Journal, which I served as managing editor of, was named Wisconsin’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year. Currently I own and operate an online editing business, Inventing Reality Editing Service. After spending several years in Southern California, my son and I now live in Wisconsin on the scenic Red Cedar River.