Mountain Mom and Tots

Beach vs Mountains: Carpinteria State Beach Campground Review, California

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I love the mountains, except for one thing – the ocean is a day’s car ride away! Because it’s so far, when we go to the beach, we stay at the beach. That’s what I like about Carpinteria State Beach in Southern California. There’s not many places were you can sleep so close to the big ocean blue.

Even with 200 sites, Carpinteria State Beach Campground is busy place. Reservations are snatched up the moment they become available (six months in advance) so make sure you’re on the ReserveAmerica website early if you want a spot. Plus, it’s not cheap. An individual site runs 45.00 a night minimum, not counting hookups, extra parking or tax.

With that said, Carpinteria State Beach Campground is one of the best places around for family beach camping. The mile long beach is sandy and beautiful, with a smooth, consistent break that’s great for boogie boarding. Plus the morning tide pools are amazing (more on that in my next post). When you’ve had enough sun for the day, kids can bike around the campground road and along the nearby community trail to the park’s playground.

On our trip we stayed with Mountain Dad’s sister and several family friends at the Heron Group site, located next to the showers and with easy access to HWY 101 and the Carpinteria community. The flush bathrooms and showers were cleaned regularly, although with hundreds of people using them daily it was hard to tell at times.

One word to the wise – lock up your food. Raccoons, seagulls, chipmunks, birds, and many other critters are fearless when it comes to raiding your cooler. We had a raccoon devour all the eggs from one cooler, leave muddy paw prints in another and while cleaning up the mess a seagull came and stole a string cheese right out from under us.

The views from other beaches may be prettier (I’m not a huge fan of oil rigs in the distance, but I am a fan of driving so I guess I can’t complain too much) but Carpinteria State Beach Campground is still worth a stay. Even our mountain family had a blast.

Carpinteria State Beach Campground Info

Location: 12 miles south of Santa Barbara on US 101 take the Casitas Pass Road exit heading west. Turn right at the light, then left on Palm Avenue. Follow Palm all the way to the ocean.

Price: 45.00 – 290.00 per night depending on individual or group sites.

Benefits: SO close to the beach, hot showers, flush toilets, picnic table, family friendly and the tidepools are amazing.

Drawbacks: Price, lots of people and fearless scavenging animals

Motherhood Moments: Thank You Stranger

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Outdoors events with kids require patience…and sometimes a little help from others. Kids can be loud, messy and destructive. Parents may be out of their depth. But to those who have ever seen a parent in need and been patient and kind, can I just say THANK YOU.

– Thank you to the man who switched his seat on the airplane so I could sit next to my four year old and wiggly one year old.

– Thank you to the woman who pushed my overfull shopping cart to my car while I wrangled my children in the Costco parking lot yesterday.

– Thank you to the many bikers who gave me “the nod” as I rode with Big E and little g on the Bridal Veil Falls path. We were slow and in their way most of the time, but they still smiled at our effort.

– Thank you to the hikers who gave my kids (and me) lollipops while on the trail last week.

– Thank you to the other parents who helped me chase down my two year old before she ran into the street at our last camping adventure.

To all of the strangers out there, thank you for making room in the outdoor community to raise the next generation of hikers, bikers, campers, boaters, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Waterfall Week – Hike to Stewart Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah

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The final adventure of Waterfall Week was the most difficult. Stewart Falls is over 200 feet tall, falling in two tiers with beautiful Mt. Timpanogos in the background. The hike is only three miles round trip, but with little legs to take into consideration, it was the longest and hardest of Waterfall Week.

Starting out on the Sundance side, we walked through lush green forests until the trail opened onto the Stewart Falls Valley. I was grateful Mountain Dad joined us on this lush summer adventure, not only to have someone to talk to, but to have someone to help with carrying little g. She’s at the awkward age where she’s too big for a carrier but too small to walk long distances on her own which means that Mom or Dad end up carrying her a lot.

In the distance water cascaded while the tots explored the streams that flowed below Stewart Falls. But with a total distance of three miles, this hike was already at the limit of our abilities. Although Big E could do it, little g could not, so instead of pushing on to the base of the falls, Mountain Dad and I decided seeing the waterfall from afar and playing in the stream was close enough.

The extra agony of getting our tots there and back wouldn’t have been worth it since I have a goal to always end an outdoor activity while everyone is still having fun.

Back at home it was obvious that everyone did have fun by the smiles on all our faces. This beautiful hike to Stewart Falls was the perfect end to our Waterfall Week.

Stewart Falls

Getting there: The more popular trail head is near Aspen Grove off Alpine Loop Scenic Byway or Hwy 92. Several trails begin here, but each are well marked. An alternate trail head begins at Sundance Resort.

Length: 3 miles

Difficulty: Moderate – level trail with some short steep sections

Tips: Try snowshoeing to Stewart Falls in winter. You won’t be disappointed.

Check out these other posts on Stewart Falls

Stewart Falls River Valley Hike

Stewart Falls Hike, Sundance Utah

Stewart Falls Hike – We Finally Did It

Waterfall Week – Big E bikes to Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah

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Do all parents beam with pride to see their oldest on a new bike? When I first told Big E I had a great surprise for him in the garage our conversation went something like this:

Big E – “Is it a sports thing?”
Me – “Yeah, I think you’ll love it!”
Big E – “A SPORTS THING? I wanted an angry birds toy surprise!” (yelling, crying and complaining ensue)

You can imagine how excited I was to bring it up again. Luckily a few days had passed and when Big E saw me putting the training wheels on his new bike his attitude suddenly became more amenable to trying this new sports thing.

For his inaugural ride we went to our favorite family biking place – the Provo River Trail from Vivian Park to Bridal Veil Falls. The kids play while I unload bikes at Vivian Park, then the flat, paved trail follows the Provo river to the breathtaking Bridal Veil Falls.

The entire outing there and back takes a two hours or so, longer when your son is discovering the joy of back pedaling brakes for the first time. Even so, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.

On this waterfall discovery adventure we fed fish, climbed rocks, and enjoyed a gatorade from the recently installed summertime snack bar. A special thank you goes out to the snack bar attendent, who overheard me telling Big E that I only had enough money for one gatorade, not gatorade AND fish food. The attendent offered Big E a plastic bag and told him he could pick up trash in exchange for a quarter’s worth of fish food, which Big E was more than happy to do.

Bridal Veil Falls is an impressive waterfall that the kids and I drive by several times each week. Rain, snow or shine it’s cascading levels are impressive, more so when you can stand beneath them and feel the spray on your face. It’s a great place for families to visit on a hot summer day with easy access for strollers, bikes or walkers.

After a long afternoon of riding, climbing, and feeding fish Big E decided he had enough of bike riding. The excursion ended with a rescue call to Mountain Dad, the two kids in the carrier and the new bike shoved in the back. Even so, it was a good time had by all.

Bridal Veil Falls:

Getting there: Take Provo Canyon Road (Hwy 189) north from Provo or 800 North from Orem into Provo Canyon. Bridal Veil Falls parking area is approximately ten miles up the road, Vivian Park another ten miles. Both parks are on your right.

Length: about 2 miles.

Difficulty: Easy – Biking on a flat, paved trail.

Tips: Don’t have a kids bike helmet? A kid’s ski helmet will do.

See these other posts about Bridal Veil Falls:
Bike Riding Adventure
An Advengtable!
Bridal Veil Falls Bike Ride
Bridal Veil Falls Summer Edition

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