new here

Hi all, I'm new to the group and new to backpacking as well.  I grew up camping and hiking just not really together. I've been slowly getting gear and really want to go backpacking but now that I'm looking at sites, there seems to be NOTHING around me. The closest I've seen is several hours and I'm not sure if there's much there to even see. So, I was wondering, on average, how long and how often are your trips? How far do you have to travel to get there? 

I'm starting school in a few weeks (as is my daughter) so I'd really only have the weekends to go right, but it seems a long way to drive for just a night or two. 

Also, if you have kids at what age did you start taking them backpacking. (I have an almost 2 year old and a 6 year old). I've read alot of varying things online but would love some personal experiences/opinions on that.

Thanks for any input I appreciate it. I'm having a hard time meeting anyone in my area interested in backpacking to discuss it with.

Jade