Family Fun: Halloween Hike puts holiday spin on environmental education

This Halloween, the Dishman Hills Conservancy wants families to find treats in the natural world.

The group, along with the Lands Council, is hosting a Halloween Hike through Enchanted Ravine on Saturday. Children and parents are encouraged to wear costumes.

“We wanted to give kids an opportunity to do something fun, outdoorsy and Halloween-themed,” said Isobel Smith, the conservancy’s outreach director.

The 0.8-mile nature walk starts at Camp Caro in Spokane Valley and is geared toward families with small children. Hike leaders will teach participants about local geology, flora and fauna “with a Halloween spin on it,” Smith said.

That will include learning about plants that grow off dead things, a rock formation that looks like a skull and plants that look like witches’ brooms.

“We’re going to trick the kids into learning about nature,” said Jeff Lambert, executive director of the Dishman Hills Conservancy. The event is supported by an educational grant from the Morning Star Foundation.

Registration is full for the guided hikes, but there will be information at Camp Caro for families to take self-guided hikes, Smith said. Trails are well marked with options from a half-mile to 5 miles, she said. There’s a picnic area and playground, as well as lots of open space.

Also at Camp Caro on Saturday, there will be fall-themed crafts like leaf rubbing and coloring, as well as snacks and a Halloween photo backdrop.

To Lambert, the important thing is getting children out exploring nature.

“Those kids with their curiosity are good at observing and asking questions,” he said. “You get kids out and they ask questions about rocks or plants or water, and those questions really stimulate learning about the real world.”