JMH, what is the age range of your children who will be hiking?
Coming all the way from Chicago, there are certainly a lot of places for you to see while you're out here. We can serve up quite a list of things to do, if you give us some ideas of what they can do.
White mountains give you a great view of the Sierra crest. Hiking White Mountain is about the easiest fourteener of all in California. Just 7 miles each way, starting at 12k, only a little more than 2k of gain. But with kids, some might experience altitude sickness (AMS).
There is also Yosemite... any desire to see any of it? While the most popular places there are a zoo, it is still something you might want them to see "just once".
