Monte Sano Stone Cuts Trail dayhike w/ kiddos

Well we arrived at Monte Sano SP around 10:30am. After purchasing a trail map @ the camp store ($2) My DW carrying a hydration pack w/ snacks , 2 older DDs carrying small daypacks and myself carrying our youngest in a Tough Traveler Kid Carrier. We left the van at the country store parking lot and walked north to the old closed Bankhead Parkway. This closed roadway is very scenic w/ overlooks of the northern slope of MonteSano. After folowing the Bankhead Parkway for about 1/8th of a mile the Sinks Trail went off the road to the right. The trail was pretty muddy after getting rain the last 2 days tbut not overly slick. The kids saw LOTS of snails and centipedes on the trail enjoying the dampness. After negotiating 3 trail intersection and having one snack break we arrived at the Stone Cuts after about an hour of slow hiking (3yo pace).

The Stone Cuts is an area of bare limestone rock in which erosion has created some small canyons through it. So that you are hiking thru a small rocky corridor with 10-25 ft of rock walls enclosing you with a couple of small caves that you hike thru. DW and the 2 oler DDs split of one of the early split in the trail (trail is blazed thru the cuts) and had to scramble over a boulder cave-in to rejoin the trail. We all loved it.

We returned by following the Stone Cuts trail SE to the Sinks trail and returned via the Southern end of the Sinks trail. Be forewarned tha both ends of the Sinks Trail is somewhat steep and uses switchbacks so either way will have a slight challenge for those not entirely in "trail shape".

Another neat trip, that the kids enjoyed as much as the adults.