National Park to Park Highway Archives - Page 13 of 17

10 Things To Do With Kids in Bryce Canyon National Park

We finished Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour and wanted to share our top ten activities to do with kids in Bryce Canyon National Park. I especially liked attending the Annual Astronomy Festival and seeing Saturn and its rings. Enjoy!

Hike Bristlecone Loop – Located at Rainbow Point at the very end of the Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive, this 1 mile trail passes some of the oldest trees in the west. Some are more than 1,600 years old.

Bike the Multi-use Trail – This was my favorite part of the trip! The 6.2 mile paved trail runs from Bryce Canyon City to Inspiration Point within the park. It passes the Visitors Center, North Campgound, General Store, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point and Bryce Lodge. The paved trail is relatively flat and passes under towering pines. And it’s great for wheelchairs, strollers and pets.

Have Lunch in the Lodge – What makes Bryce Lodge unique is not only that it’s still standing (built in 1923), but its wavy roof pattern is like an optical illusion. The lodge is worth a visit all on its own whether you stay overnight, stop in for a meal, shop in their gift shop, or make reservations for a horseback ride through the park.

Camp at North or Sunset Campground – With convenient shuttle stops and newly renovated flush toilets, our stay at North Campgound was super easy and fun. I know flush toilets don’t often connote luxury but on this trip it was surprisingly nice. Come early, the spots fill up quickly especially on the weekend. There’s also a laundromat and showers available at the General Store.

Visit Mossy Cave – Mossy Cave in the North section of the park is not on the itinerary for most Bryce Canyon visitors. The cave itself wasn’t too impressive, but we loved playing in the Tropic Ditch waterfall. This man made river was carved by the shovel full by Mormon Pioneers over 100 years ago. On our trip the water flowed cool and quick, but in the winter the waterfall freezes into icicles.

Hike the Hoodoos – The special program called I Hiked the Hoodoos is unique to Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s a scavenger hunt and hike all in one! Several popular trails including Queens Garden, Navajo Loop, Mossy Cave, Tower Bridge and Bristlecone Loop have medallions placed along the trail. Hike 3 miles and take a selfie with the medallion and you can receive a reward from the visitors center.

Become a Junior Ranger – Every National Park in the US has a Junior ranger program that’s perfect for getting kids involved in the park. Pick up a booklet at the Visitor Center, complete the activities, attend a ranger presentation and your 4-12 year old can be sworn in as a junior ranger and receive their own badge.

See the Stars – The night sky is brilliant at Bryce. Away from the light pollution of cities, the whole sky is blanketed with stars. Rangers lead astronomy programs all summer long which typically include a multimedia presentation followed by stargazing with telescopes. There’s also a ranger led full moon hike. Check at the Visitors Center for times and sign ups.

Attend the Annual Astronomy Festival – Once a year Bryce Canyon hosts the Salt Lake Astronomical Society in an awesome star gazing festival. Held in early June, the festival includes special events including an indoor planetarium at Bryce Lodge, special speakers like 2016’s keynote speaker Seth Jarvis from Clark Planetarium, and 30+ telescopes for the public to use. Members of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society are on hand to point out the planets, galaxies and constellations. Big E and I loved seeing Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and its moons, the ring nebula and two distant galaxies. It was so cool!

Cross Country Ski – Winter in Bryce is breathtaking, both the scenery and the weather. With snow topped hoodoos at 9,000 feet elevation it’s a cold adventure all its own. The main road is not plowed in some sections, but it is open for non motorized winter use. So strap on the nordic skis and see Bryce Canyon like few others do.

Thanks for following along on our National Park to Park Highway Tour. Stage 2 begins June 27, 2016. It’s a big one, traveling 7 weeks to 16 National Parks and Monuments for a total of 6,000 miles. You can come along by signing up for the Mountain Mom and Tots Newsletter below. Just enter your email and come along for the ride.

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

10 Things to Do With Kids In Zion National Park

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.

Zion National Park Photo Journal

Our first stop on our National Park to Park Highway trip was Zion National Park. We chose Zion to start Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway tour because we’re already familiar with it and hoped that would make it an easy introduction to full time camping.

Only camping by definition is not easy.

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.

Enjoy these images of Zion National Park as the first entry of my National Park to Park Highway Photo Journal series.