Category: Hike

Top Ten Things to Do with Kids in Rocky Mountain National Park

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Rocky Mountain National Park was the first park the 1920s National Park to Park Highway visited, and for good reason. It’s proximity to Denver and long history of tourist development in Estes Park makes it one of the most highly visited parks with more annual visitors than both Yellowstone and Yosemite.
On our trip we spent most of our time on the east side of the park, as do a lot of visitors.  If you have time explore both the west and east sides of the park, there’s so much to see!

 

Visit the Moraine Discovery Center – With exhibits on the geology of Rocky Mountain National Park this museum in the wild has something interesting for everyone. We went during Discovery Days, a special program for kids that runs on select days throughout the summer. Check the park newspaper for more information.

Camp at Glacier Basin Campground – With easy access to the free shuttle system, a mini ranger station, excellent bathrooms and over 100 campsites, this campground was a great home base for exploring Rocky Mountain National Park.
Ride a Horse – Several trails in Rocky Mountain National Park are open to horseback rides, in fact there’s a livery stable near Sprague Lake.
Become a Junior Ranger – Rocky Mountain National Park has a great Junior Ranger program complete with a dedicated Junior Ranger Station at Hidden Valley.
Hike around Bear Lake – This popular hike is handicap accessible, although steep in certain sections. The tots (including their cousin E) loved scrambling on the giant boulders around the lake and giving the bear paw post markers high fives as they passed.

Swim at Sprague Lake – This shallow lake is great for a cold swim, or rather wade. A sand bar through the lake allowed Mountain Dad, Tio Monte and the tots to walk out to the center of this glacier lake. We also saw canoers and fly fishermen.

Drive Over 12,000 Feet – For a taste of road travel from the 1920s take the 15 mile per hour, unpaved motor nature trail up Old Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitors Center. This one way dirt road gives you a taste of what the 1920s National Park to Park Highway group had to deal with on a daily basis. Complete the trip over the continental divide by driving down on the Trail Ridge Road which connects the east and west sides of Rocky Mountain National Park.
See Snow in July – It’s not every day that you can explore a snowy tundra in mid-July. While driving the Trail Ridge Road be sure to get out and explore the tundra trails up above the tree line. Little G and Cousin E spotted yellow bellied marmots and pikas from the Gore Range Overlook and we loved exploring the area around the Alpine Visitors Center until frozen rain forced us back to the car.
Search for Wildlife – Whether its spotting elk fom the Trail Ridge Road, marmots on the tundra or hummingbirds in the trees, Rocky Mountain National Park is home to a wide variety of animals. My favorite was watching the yellow bellied marmots scuffle on the tundra. Good thing they have furry coats – it’s cold up there, even in summer.
Ride the Free Shuttle – Avoid traffic and parking hassles by catching the free park shuttle from Estes Park or the Park and Ride from inside the park. There’s even a bus stop at Glacier Basin and OTHER campgrounds.

 

Get Off the Beaten Path in Yellowstone

For most of the parks we visit on the National Park to Park Highway I will be posting our top ten picks of kids activities, but Yellowstone is a special case. The first National Park is so huge and so popular (especially on Independence Day weekend when we visited) that instead of a top ten list I decided to share some off-the-beaten-path adventures with you instead. As always, follow @mountainmomtots on instagram for daily updates and to see what park we’re visiting right now.
First some tips:
If you’re traveling to Yellowstone save your gas money and choose just one area a day to focus on in the park. Whether it’s Old Faithful, Mammoth or Canyon areas, it’s more fun to get out and explore than hurry back to your car.
Get out of your car and onto a hiking trail. There’s a statistic out there that more than 90% of visitors to Yellowstone never go farther than a boardwalk, road or visitors center. Even if it’s just half a mile off the road, you can find solitude and nature away from the crowds.
Try less well known areas like the ones we visited here:

Firehole Lake Drive – Between Old Faithful and Madison Junction
This short, one way drive off the main road offers great geyser and hot springs viewing, not to mention a surprise spring. The features are similar to other geothermal areas in the park but the crowds are minimal.
Bike off of Fountain Flat Drive –Between Old Faithful and Madison Junction
Fountain Flat Drive is a short road that dead ends at the trail head for a primitive bike trail and hiking area. This gravel bike path is flat and easy to maneuver (except when your son gets a flat tire in the parking lot). Features to see along the 9 mile path include Ojo Caliente Spring, Goose Lake, Sentinel Meadow Trail, Fairy Falls Trail, and the Firehole River Crossing.
Ojo Caliente – 0.3 miles from the end of Fountain Flat Drive
We loved this little hidden hot spring not only for its secluded, off the beaten path location, but also because the hot water empties into the Firehole River. Touching water in the hot springs is not allowed (not to mention its a terrible idea) but you can swim in the river downstream from the spring. Can I just say, it was like sitting in a hot tub in the most beautiful place on earth.
Junior Ranger Station  – Madison Junction
We loved this little gift shop and information station. The hands on exhibits of animal furs, skulls, antlers and horns are great for little (and big) explorers plus you can look for wildlife with their spotting scope. Stay for a ranger talk which happen every half hour throughout the day and enjoy the beautiful views.
Beaver Ponds Trail – Mammoth
Because the Mammoth area of the park is so much further north than the rest of the park fewer people are on the roads to get there so pull over at some scenic overlooks. Once you’re at Mammoth try hiking to the Beaver Ponds Trail to get a view of the hot springs from behind.
Swim the Boiling River – Mammoth
This is a popular swim spot since the hot springs empty into the river. It is not off-the-beaten path but it is still worth visiting, especially if you can catch a glimpse of elk munching across the river like we did.
Do you have any favorite off-the-beaten-path locations in Yellowstone? Share them here.

Bryce Canyon National Park Photo Journal – Happy National Trails Day

Today (June 4, 2016) is National Trails Day and what better way to celebrate than hiking the best 3 mile hike in the nation? That’s how Bryce Canyon National Park describes the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop hike through hoodoos.

Panorama from the Canyon Rim Trail

I can see why, the scenery is beautiful. The tots prevented me from finishing the full trail, but I was able to explore this otherworldly area on stop number two of our National Park to Park Highway Tour. Enjoy these photos of Bryce Canyon National Park and stay tuned for more of our National Park to Park Highway Tour.

Bryce Canyon Amphitheater

Hiking with cousins
Behind the Tropic Ditch Waterfall on the Mossy Cave Trail
Star light, Star bright 
Biking under towering pines was my favorite part of this trip.
Baby L loves the water
Biking the Multi-use Trail
Bryce Canyon Amphitheater
Sunset is the perfect time to hike the Canyon Rim Trail

What’s Your Kind of Wilderness?

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Over spring break, my Mountain Fam had a mix of outdoor experiences. We played at a park, biked on a local trail and camped in a beautiful, forgotten corner of the Utah desert. It brought to mind the question, What’s my kind of wilderness?

Urban Jungle
For some people getting outdoors just means a stroll to the neighborhood park. A chunk of manicured green cut out from concrete streets and brick buildings may be all the outdoor love you need.

When Little G was first born, before we moved to the mountains, this was the extent of my outdoor experience. I walked to the park around the corner to push my two tots on swings and spend hours watching Big E dig in the sandbox in our backyard.

A backyard sandbox, herb garden or hammock might be just enough wilderness to get all the benefits of being outdoors without leaving home. It was nice. But it wasn’t enough for me.
Suburban Wilderness
After moving to the mountains near Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, my daily outdoor experience changed. I live with a forest right outside my front door and a ski hill just down the road. We live far enough out of town to be surrounded by trees but close enough that grocery shopping isn’t an all day ordeal.

In the canyon near my home is my favorite Go To Outdoor Space – the Provo River Trail. I love it because the flat paved trail runs along a river on one side and mountains on the other. It’s nothing if not beautiful.

Since one of my goals this year is to teach my kids to ride bikes, we hit this trail last week on a balance bike from WOOM (pronounced VOOM). Technically its Little G’s WOOM 3 with the pedals removed but since Big E has yet to learn to ride a bike even though he’s in first grade, I put it to use like a balance bike. Big E loved it.

I’m grateful for locations like this suburban wilderness bike trail. It’s only a 15 minute drive from town, easily accessible at multiple parks and it even passes Bridal Veil Falls, a 200 foot tall waterfall. Many hikers and bikers enjoy this trail all year long and sometimes the trail heads and parks can be overly crowded, especially on weekends.
Outdoor Destination
Think of the outdoor spaces within an hour or two of your home. Those places you could drive to for a day activity – beach, mountain, river. People go there for a day or two to enjoy the outdoors and relax.

Most of my camping adventures fall into this category. We live in the vast Wasatch Uinta National Forest where there are loads of hiking, mountain biking, and camping all within an hour drive. These destinations are great for day or overnight trips, to really get out of the norm. I could camp if I want but I usually don’t since it’s close enough to get back home fairly quickly.

These kinds of spaces are usually more remote than the local park or Suburban wilderness. They allude to vast wild spaces before man walked the earth, but the trail heads are still full of people. I like these places because it puts me in a vacation mentality when I go there. They’re far enough away that you take the day off work and do something out of the norm. But they’re not what calls to Mountain Dad.

Utter Isolation
Last weekend we took our first camp out of the year in the San Rafael Swell desert area of Utah. We explored sandstone rock spires, hoodoos, a gypsum sinkhole and desert washes and canyons. We camped on BLM land without seeing another person for more than 24 hours.

This remote kind of wilderness is what Mountain Dad craves. The vast natural beauty and utter lack of people is exactly up his alley. As we explored Cathedral Valley and the Buckhorn Wash pictographs he said, “Any other state, this would be a National Park.” He might have something there. 

Although beautiful, the remoteness of this destination makes it difficult. You must feel comfortable providing for your own needs. Water, bathrooms, lodging, food – there’s no resources nearby. You have to take care of that on your own. The closest ‘town’ to our adventure in Cathedral Valley had two gas stations and no stoplights. Not exactly a destination location.

Yet Mountain Dad was effusive in his praise. Something about getting away from people and enjoying beautiful scenery is like magic for him. I agree it was beautiful and fun to feel like we found something special that few people experience. But when the thought, “What would happen if we got a flat tire?” popped into my head, I wondered if I needed THAT much isolation.


What’s Your Kind of Wilderness?
For me, I prefer the adventure of getting away from home for several days, but I don’t mind sharing my outdoor space with other nature lovers either. For Mountain Dad, the more remote and beautiful (and crowdless) the better.
So what is it for you? Are you content with a stroll in the local park or do you crave to leave the crowds (of whatever size) and find that untouched wild space? Leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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