Goose and Bug Adventures- Garden of the Gods and Giant City State Park

My girls have recently discovered that they are hiking junkies.  They want to go every week and they argue over whose turn it is to pick where we go.  Luckily we live right smack dab in the middle of a huge protected forest so there are no limit to the places we can visit.
A couple of the beautiful places we've ventured lately include:

Garden of the Gods

This area is most known for Camel Rock but there are a ton of breathtaking views all along the main trail.  I think Garden of the Gods is the most well-known area in the Shawnee National Forest but it's honestly not my favorite.  It's gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but it's always packed to the gills with visitors and there are usually a handful of falls off the rocks each year by people who don't believe in staying away from the edges.

Giant City State Park

We've been here twice this summer and really enjoyed it both times.  The trails are wide and we managed them with no problem and if you are lucky enough to come in the Spring it's easier to go off-trail and into the hidden nooks and crannies.  Our second time back was during the heat of July and it was too green to get far off the main track.
The first time we went this year was for a school field trip and our guide was really great.  He told us a lot about the history of the area and that the reason it's called Giant City is because of the huge stones that are lined up like skyscrapers.  So when the first settlers wrote home about it they described it as a 'giant city'.  The more you know.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them without my children in view so I will make sure and take more next time we visit.