About Kids Outdoors
Kids Outdoors is a free online community from the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) designed to help families get outdoors close to home around Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and northern New England. Kids Outdoors offers local expert advice and more than 500 outdoor activities, many close to public transportation, based on AMC’s Outdoors with Kids book series.

The site features:

• Close-to-home hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, and playground ideas for kids up to age 12, searchable through Google Maps
• Tips for getting started with your family in the outdoors
• Opportunities for parents to ask questions and get advice in our Discussions
• Outdoor advice and ideas for parents, by parents
• Local event calendar, including AMC chapter family activities
• Ability to share favorite trip ideas, photos, comments, and ratings
• Ability to share with friends via Facebook and Twitter

Our Experts
Boston: Kim Foley MacKinnon is a Boston-based editor, journalist, and travel writer. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, AAA Horizons, Travel + Leisure, and USA Today, among others. She’s been writing about what to do and where to go in New England since her teenage daughter was a toddler. Her latest book for AMC is Outdoors with Kids Boston: 100 Fun Places to Explore In and Around the City.

Northern New England: Ethan Hipple’s passion for the outdoors was ignited as a teenager working on a trail crew for the Student Conservation Association—and he also served as a croo member in AMC’s huts. He has directed the New Hampshire Conservation Corps and is currently the Director of Parks and Recreation in Wolfeboro, N.H. He lives in Tuftonboro, N.H., with his wife, Sarah, and two kids. They love to find secret swimming holes, fish, kayak, surf, and play music on the porch. His latest book for AMC is Outdoors with Kids Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont: 75 of the Best Family Hiking, Camping, and Paddling Trips (co-written with Yemaya St. Clair).

New York: Cheryl and William de Jong-Lambert, co-authors of Outdoors with Kids New York City: 100 Fun Place to Explore In and Around the City, live with their two young children in New York City. Cheryl is the editorial director at the NYU Langone Medical Center and a longtime freelance writer. William is an associate professor of history at Bronx Community College, City University of New York, and affiliate faculty at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University.

Philadelphia: Heather Manning and her partner live in Bethlehem, PA, with their sons, Lucas and Miles. Together they hike, boat, run, swim, visit farms, and attend festivals throughout the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley area. Heather has fifteen years of experience with children’s mental health organizations; she is currently a board member of her local food co-op. Heather and Lucas are currently in training for their first 5k together.

AMC's Vision 2020
AMC’s Kids Outdoors community supports AMC’s strategic “Vision 2020” goal of getting 500,000 young people and their families outdoors by the end of the decade. AMC is committed to broadening the range of family activities offered through its chapters and local partnerships, in addition to increasing the use of AMC destinations easily accessible to urban areas, including AMC’s Mohican Outdoor Center in New Jersey’s Delaware Water Gap and Ponkapoag Camp in the Blue Hills outside Boston.

Sponsor
AMC offers special thanks to its Kids Outdoors sponsor, L.L. Bean.

About the AMC
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of America's Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. AMC helps people of all ages and abilities to explore and develop a deep appreciation of the natural world. With chapters from Maine to Washington, D.C., guidebooks and maps, and unique lodges and huts, AMC helps people get outdoors on their own, with family and friends, and through activities close to home and beyond. AMC invites the public to support its conservation advocacy and research, youth programming, and care of 1,800 miles of trails. More information is available at www.outdoors.org.