Category: Hike

Birdsong Trail – Hiking with Kids, Ogden, Utah

I’m always on the lookout for new excursions with the tots. On a recent trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa we went on an outing to the Birdsong Trail at the mouth of Ogden Canyon in Utah.

This one mile out and back trail was great for hiking. Little g, who decided the only way she’d be going would be by stroller, was not a great hiker, but I was surprised with how sturdy my cheap umbrella stroller proved to be. For most of this dirt and rock path I was able to manhandle it into cooperating, which was way better than manhandling my daughter into cooperating.

The trail is great for mountain biking too. In the parking lot I heard two bikers exclaim “Wow, I could do the Birdsong Trail and Rainbow Loop five more times. It was so fun.”

Our family went with cousins to explore the trail, which vacillated from amazing views of the valley to lush jungle mode. I had no idea Ogden, Utah could be so lush. And there were definately birds tweeting from the trees, I was not surprised by the name of this trail. All in all the mile long out and back hike was a great one with young kids, fairly level, with running water and animal sounds. It was a great time had by all.

Birdsong Trail Hike:
Getting there: The south trail head is located at Fillmore Ave and 20th Street. The north trail head is in the northwest corner of the Rainbow Gardens parking lot at the mouth of Ogden Canyon.
Distance: 1 mile out and back
Difficulty: Easy
Tips: Take a camera, there are some great views from up there!

Tusher Tunnel 4×4 trail, Moab, Utah

One of the trails we explored in our Polaris RZR on our recent Moab trip was Tusher Tunnel, a jaw-droppingly cool cave through 100 feet of sandstone. The sandy 4×4 trail to get there takes only an hour or so, but the destination was amazing.

Tusher Tunnel reminded me of Lava Tubes in Hawaii – dark, cavernous tunnels through rock tall enough to walk through. The difference here was that the other side of this tunnel opened up to a beautiful desert vista with striated sandstone and juniper trees decorating the landscape.
Charles A. Wells’ book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails gave detailed trail information, and I highly suggest anyone off-roading in the area pick up a copy. The five minute hike from the parking area to the tunnel was a little bit of a scramble, but the tunnel itself is flat and sandy. And dark and cool – and I’m not just talking about the temperature.
Tusher Tunnel Info:
Getting there: Take Highway 191 North from Moab about 14 miles. Turn left on Mill Canyon Road just after mile marker 141.
Difficulty: Easy, but sandy. The dirt bikes that came with us had some trouble on the sandy terrain.
Time: 1.5 hours
Tips: I wish I had brought a flashlight for better Tusher Tunnel exploration.

Fins ‘N Things Off Road Trail, Moab, Utah

Thanks to Mountain Dad’s Christmas gift of a Polaris RZR, our Mountain family is now an off road family. On our recent trip to Moab, Utah we got to explore the great outdoors in a faster, cooler way than ever before.
Our first trail was Fins ‘N Things, a sandstone trail with some tough steeps sections and fun sandy ones too. The trail is well marked with white dashes and tire tracks, and although some places can get tricky, overall it was a great time had by all.
Detailed descriptions of this trail and many others in the area can be found in the book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails by Charles A Wells. It’s a must have for off roading here, with detailed maps, color photos and trail descriptions.
On this adventure Mountain Dad was driving, and my brother-in-law Jonathan, AKA off-roading expert, was leading the way in his own UTV. The tots were buckled and helmeted in back, and I was gripping my “oh no!”  handle most of the time.

One benefit of off roading is access to remote areas. There’s no way my tots could hike or bike into this wilderness area, and the views were breathtaking. Although next time I may suggest Big E NOT slide down the hill since his pants and underwear came back with half dollar sized holes in them.

Fins ‘N Things was a great trail and well worth seeing.

Trail Info:
Level: Difficult
Distance: 9.4 miles, 2-3 hours in a UTV, longer in a jeep or other 4-Wheel Drive vehicle
Tips: Always go UTVing with others. Remote locations can make for dangerous situations.

 

McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs, Dry Fork Canyon, Vernal, Utah

Before our visit to Dinosaur National Monument, the Mountain Fam visited some cool Petroglyphs located at McConkie Ranch in Dry Fork Canyon near Vernal, Utah. These rock art images date back to the Fremont People over 1500 years ago, and were really fun to see.

On this trip we were lucky to bring Big E and little g’s cousin, aunt and uncle along and pointing out the rock art to the tots along the trail was the best part of the hike. Carved warriors, painted figures, even a carving of a bear graced the walls of this 1 mile hike. 

My sister-in-law is an anthropologist and her insight into the historical culture surrounding the McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs was especially interesting. For me it was tough to differentiate between actual petroglyphs and more recent imitations, but her knowledge of ancient peoples was helpful.
This trail is located on private land, is well marked and requires a small parking fee. It’s well worth it. Although the terrain on the McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs hike was difficult, the total hike was short and with a little creativity the tots found a good way down.
Getting There: From downtown Vernal take 500 North heading west. Turn right onto 3500 West, which becomes Dry Fork Canyon Road/Red Cloud Loop Road. Drive about 6.5 miles to McConkie Ranch Road, follow signs to parking area.
Distance: Approximately 1 mile.
Tips: Three Kings Trail also begins at this parking area and leads off to the right. The shorter Main Trail follows the cliff face to the left.