Trip suggestions

Here's the deal, I am trying to plan a backpacking trip for me, my family, and a good friend of mine who lives in Michigan. I am currently living in Nebraska. I figure that there are enough people out there that maybe some of you could give me some suggestions on where to go. I want to find a place where my friend and I have about the same distance to travel, I'd like to have mountains, forests and streams, and not many people. Here's the kicker though. My friend is a good experience backpacker, and I have a bit of experience, I'm not the best by any means though. My wife has never camped without the car nearby and I have two small children. I want to find a trail with the features a described, but not too challenging. I'd like to have areas to climb still, but not areas that you have to climb. Is this too tall of an order? The other idea we tossed around would be going to michigan and salmon fishing toward late summer early fall. Maybe I should put the backpacking trip on hold. MMMMM..... I'd rather do the backpacking, though the fishing sounds like fun. I'm just a horrible fisherman. The fish throughout the whole country know who I am and they all tease me and mock me, and I never catch any. I do enjoy fishing though.... Does anyone have any good suggestions on where to go?

 

from experience ,,, one of them younguns will have to be carried at all times,, if not both,,, then you have packs on tops of babies, babies packs n all they entail... best things with lil ones are finding a base camp ..... then doing day hikes from there,,, areas with loops trails are pretty good , they all lead back home and no backtracking... kids bore quickly then when they bore they become irritated lil heathens...
if you are actually thinking of trail hiking without a camp them all terrain trail buggies for rugrats are nice,,, but they are pretty dang expensive..
for the younguns always pack bug catchers or nets small binoculars stuff they can learn with but also walk with and play with at same time helps keep the boredom at bay,,,, kids are really not hikers in general,, long hikers,,, even at 4-5 yrs old many tire and get crabby, 3-4 yr olds need to often be carried or thrown on a shoulder,,,,

 

I agree with dilli, kids are great on the trail for a dayhike but not much more. Look up the American Scenic Trail, it's a new long-distance trail that stretches from Henlopen, Deleware to San Francisco, California. It runs though the midway point between NE and MI. Good luck!

 

yosemite national park.you wont regret it.it will change your life for the better