With the first stop on our National Park to Park Highway Tour complete I wanted to share our pick for the best 10 things to do with kids in Zion National Park.
Ride the Free Shuttle. Few public transportation options offer the kinds of views you can get from riding the Zion National Park shuttle along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Private vehicles are not allowed on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive road from April-October unless you’re staying in Zion Lodge. So in addition to getting you where you want to go, the shuttle offers amazing views of Zion National Park’s sandstone monoliths. With shuttles coming by every 15 minutes you never have to wait long.
Little G was excited to ride the Zion Scenic Drive shuttle, not because of the views but because, “I get to ride on the bus!” just like Big E does going to school.
Drive the Zion to Mt. Carmel Highway Tunnel This 1.1 mile long tunnel was blasted through the red sandstone in 1930 by the Citizens Conservation Corps. At the time it was the longest tunnel ever built. It’s fun to drive through even for adults, but check vehicle size restrictions, if you’re driving a motorhome expect to pay the $15 fee for a tunnel escort.
Bike the Pa’rus Trail This 1.75 mile paved bike trail follows the Virgin River in Zion Canyon. The path is shared with pedestrians and pets (the only trail on which pets are allowed in Zion National Park). We made frequent stops to swim in the Virgin River, a perfect activity for a hot summer day. Picnic at Lava Point Escape the heat and crowds by driving the Kolob Terrace Road from Virgin. The road crosses into Zion National Park three times. Near the end of the road is a turnoff to Lava Point Picnic area and Campground. This area offers a completely different feel than the typical Zion National Park experience. At 2000 feet higher elevation, the air is cooler and the trees more alpine.
Hike the Riverside Walk The Temple of Sinawava is the end of the road for the Zion Scenic Canyon Drive, but is just the beginning for a beautiful easy stroll along the Virgin River. The paved trail is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers (with a little assistance). With cottonwood trees and canyon walls for shade, it’s a great choice for Zion with kids. This is also the beginning of the famous Zion National Park Narrows hike, a hike/swim through narrow canyon walls.
Explore Kolob Canyon Outside of Zion Canyon there’s lots for kids to do. In the north west corner of the park is Kolob Canyon, with red rock vistas and a 5 mile scenic drive it’s a great short activity for a family.
Swim in the Virgin River Sometimes the only way to escape the heat in Zion National Park is to jump in the river. The mighty Virgin river may not seem so mighty to look at but its consistent flow and intermittent flash floods helped form the Zion Canyon in the first place. Access the river from the Canyon Junction shuttle stop or from several points along the Pa’rus trail.
Camp at South, Watchman or Lava Point Campground Watchman campground is the only campground in Zion National Park that takes reservations and spots fill up quickly. You can reserve your place on recreation.gov or try to get a first come, first serve site at South or Lava Point. South Campground is also in Zion Canyon, get there before noon if you want a shot.
Hike the Canyon Overlook Trail This 1 mile out and back trail is a great hike that packs a lot into a short distance. Beautiful views, shady caves with hanging gardens, sand to dig in, steps in sandstone, even a bridge that connects two parts of the trail over a dropoff. With some steep dropoffs it’s not appropriate for young children who can’t follow directions. At 4.5 and 7 years old, Little G and Big E did great and Baby L was strapped to me the whole time so she was fine too.
Visit the Nature Center At the north end of the campground parking area is the Zion National Park Nature Center, a great place to learn about the park’s wildlife in a kid friendly way. They offer youth programs, games and displays that discuss the wildlife and history of Zion National Park. It’s a great way to get out of the heat and do something fun with kids.
While I wouldn’t count this Zion trip a resounding success (more on that later) I will say that we had fun. After biking the Pa’rus Trail and swimming in the Virgin river all day Tuesday, Big E said “This is one of the best days of my life!” So obviously we did something right.
All the planning has come down to this day. Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Trip officially begins today. We are packed up for our practice trip to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
School for Big E ended just three short days ago. While the rest of the country was out traveling for Memorial Day weekend we were cleaning, prepping, and packing, getting ready for this journey.
When this day came I thought I would feel all excitement, but to be honest I’m still caught in “Get ‘er Done” mode. Did we pack everything? Did we forget something important?
I thought it’d be good to interview the Mountain Fam crew to see what they think about this National Park to Park Highway Adventure.
Sorry to disappoint you Little G. We’re not headed to California just yet.
Packing for a seven week road trip is a daunting task. What will I wear when we visit the Grand Canyon in July? I don’t think they’ll let me in the visitors center in just a swimsuit. What about Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks in the Rainy Pacific Northwest? How will I fit all of those layers into one backpack?
Since we’re living out of our truck on our National Park-to-Park Highway tour, we’ve adopted a backpacker mentality.
Each family member gets one backpack for all of the clothes they will need for the entire National Park to Park Highway Trip. Those of you who have thru-hiked the Appalachian trail may think that one backpack just for clothes is a luxury, but for a mom with dirt loving children, it’s not much space.
I will be wearing my outdoor essentials, and plan to bring those for my tots too.
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Comfortable Cotton
I believe in layers for me and my kids. Leggings, wool socks, shorts, t shirts, fleece sweatshirts, jackets and hats will all be along for the ride, but my go to outfit will be a comfy cotton dress.
I wrote about this in my 6 Tips for Style in the Wild post, so you may already know that I’m a fan of the outdoors skirt. That’s why I approached Synergy Organic Clothing to be a trip sponsor. They have a wide variety of soft, easy to wear skirts and dresses that look great.
The Leaf Flame Boatneck Dress from Synergy Organic Clothing is my favorite. The leaf pattern on the sleeves makes me feel classy while the cotton spandex blend fabric moves when I do. I love the ease of movement while still feeling stylish.
Looking at their website you may think you need to be a supermodel to wear their clothes, but take it from me the clothes are as comfy as they are chic. They also have great womens leggings, tops and jackets and all of their applique is done by women in Nepal for a living wage. I like that my clothing choice can do some good in the world.
Foot support
Hiking outdoors requires a good set of shoes. And we’ll be doing a lot of hiking. We’ll be packing waterproof sandals and comfortable tennis shoes for each of us (except Baby L who isn’t quite walking yet).
I’ve always been a fan of regular tennis shoes or trail runners for hiking instead of clunky hiking boots. That’s why I approached Vionic to sponsor our National Park to Park Highway Trip. They have well designed shoes and sandals that help with body alignment and the ones I’ve tried are all light and comfortable.
What’s unique about Vionic is their orthaheel technology. With arch support designed into every sandal, your feet are working for you for proper body alignment. It took a while to get used to, but after a few days of wearing Vionics it felt like my back and legs were creaking into the places they’re meant to be.
I really like their Muir Sandal (love the name!) as an outdoor water hiking option. With the Vibram outsole for traction I’ll be set to go. I also like the orange and pink pair Sunset Mary Janes they sent. No surprise. I’m not shy of color.
Outer Wear
The big question in packing clothes for the family is how warm we will need to be. It is summer on this trip, but we’ll be sleeping in the mountains in several places. I’m bringing a winter hat and mittens for each of us – these are essential, but should I also bring winter jackets?
Next week on Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour we’ll be camping at 10,000 feet in Cedar Breaks National Monument. We’ll be there the very first day the campground opens. A local ranger said there’s still snow on the ground. For that trip I will bring winter coats, but for the rest of the trip I’m hoping rain jackets and warm fleece sweatshirts will suffice.
I’ve already mentioned that I’ll bring a winter cap and mittens for each of us, but what about when the weather is beat down hot and sunny? For that we also have hats.
Little G got a Kid’s Rambler Sombrero Hat from Outdoor Research that’s UPF 50. I like the wide brim for shade protection and the strap to keep the hat from flying away. Plus the brim floats in case she drops it in the water. Pretty cool.
I’ll be wearing this Maldives Hat from Outdoor Research. Not only is it stylish, it’ll protect me from the sun, hides unwashed and uncombed hair, and it doubled as an umbrella for Little G when we were caught hiking in the rain.
Sierra Trading Post
Last week I was invited to a blogger party celebrating the grand opening of Sierra Trading Post in Salt Lake City. I’d never been in one before so it was fun to see what all the fuss was about.
Sierra Trading Post is known for having awesome prices on quality outdoor gear and I saw that for myself. Clothes, shoes, packs, camping gear, even pet supplies were all available at 30% off the regular retail price. Pretty good deal. If we end up needing an extra fleece on this trip hopefully we can pick one up at a Sierra Trading Post along the way.
We’ll obviously be doing laundry on this trip too, but I’m wondering if I’m missing something. If every piece of clothing you’d wear for the next seven weeks had to fit inside a backpack, what would you put in? Leave a comment or contact me ontwitter, instagram and facebook. I really do want to know!
Thank you to Synergy Organic Clothing, Vionic Shoes and Outdoor Research for sponsoring our National Park to Park Highway Tour. Check out all our sponsors on our sponsor page. This post includes affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links.
