It was Sunday afternoon. Our dining room was strewn with boxes from the basement. Mountains of outgrown baby clothes surrounded me. The kitchen was still a mess from breakfast, and the Kid had every single piece of toy train track we own crisscrossing across our living room floor. It was too much chaos. We had to escape.

“Let’s go for a hike!” I proclaimed. I didn’t have to ask the Kid or Sweet Husband twice.

One of my favorite Lawrence amenities is the abundance of well-maintained and nearby trails. The following are some that have features that are particularly fun for kids. They’re also all under 2 miles, which makes them definitely small-leg friendly.

DeVictor Park (1100 George Williams Way, across the street from Langston Hughes School)

The good stuff: This is a new trail that we discovered on the aforementioned chaotic Sunday afternoon, and, goodness, does it have some kid-friendly bells and whistles. You’ll see the first one ? a stump and rock-climbing area ? right as you enter the park. Veer off slightly to the left and you’ll find an awesome tree house.

A walker crosses a suspension bridge in DeVictor Park, one of the many parks in Lawrence home to some great walking trails for a family outing.

While you can get a nice walk by following the paved trail that surrounds the park, if you venture onto the dirt trails in the woods you’ll find a suspension bridge, a tiny stream and an outdoor classroom.

Beware of: Make sure you wear real shoes. This trail is full of sharp Hawthorn branches, which will pierce right through flimsy sneakers or flip-flops.

Wells Overlook (3/4 mile east of U.S. 59 on the south side of North 1000 Road)

The good stuff: While Wells Overlook does have a short nature trail, the real attraction is the big observation tower. On a clear, fall day you can see for miles from the top. While some of the graffiti on the tower is of the usual asinine variety, some people have also taken the time to make doodles that are quite beautiful.

Beware of: The park is officially open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. While it seems like it would be an ideal spot for stargazing, I’ve heard rumor that it’s not so safe after dark.

Prairie Park (2811 Kensington Road)

Prairie Park has everything ? woods, open fields, bridges, and a lake for public fishing. With a mix of paved and dirt trails, we’ve even let the Kid bring his balance bike a few times to coast along as we, the parents, jog next to him. While the nature center’s reputation precedes it, we honestly haven’t yet made it inside. The outdoor area is just too much fun!

Beware of: It’s hard to think of anything.

Saunders Mound (Clinton Lake North Shore, trail starts on the west side of the road just before you get to the dam)

The good stuff: Summer, fall, winter, or spring ? this is our favorite family hiking spot. We park on the shoulder of the road and follow the paved trail until we get to the bottom of Saunders Mound. (When the Kid was really small, we sometimes even used his stroller for the first part.)

Then, it’s onto a dirt trail that switchbacks up the hill to the park bench and beautiful view at the top. You can walk back exactly the way you came, or follow the trail over the crest of the hill to scramble down to the lake shore and toss rocks in the water.

Beware of: We’ve never gotten a tick from this particular section of trail, but ticks are prevalent at Clinton in general. Be sure to use bug spray and check everyone over carefully when you get home.

— Meryl Carver-Allmond lives in Lawrence and writes about chickens, babies, knitting, gardening, food, photography, and whatever else tickles her fancy on any given day at mybitofearth.net.