Tag: Waterfall

Waterfall Week Bonus: RZR to Cascade Springs, Utah

Fall is officially here. As a farewell to summer I wanted to post one more time about the things we most loved this summer. A few months ago I did a series of posts on local Utah County waterfalls (Stewart Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Battlecreek Falls) and wanted to include this last waterfall visit as an end of summer goodbye. Read more about Cascade Springs here.
Cascade Springs, Wasatch – Cache National Forest, Utah
Big E, Little g, and cousin watching for wildlife in the springs.
Little g on the trail.

 

Off roading trails begin near Cascade Springs and we had a blast driving the RZR on them.

 

Mountain Dad, Big E and Uncle exploring a secret swimming hole.

 

Brrr! That water’s cold!

 

Big E and cousin loving to play outdoors.

 

Me and little g resting in the shade.

 

I love the mountains!

 

Waterfall Week – Battlecreek Falls in Pleasant Grove, Utah with The Kid Project and GoAdventureMom

This last week the tots and I explored three amazing waterfalls, all within a 40 minute drive of our house. The first falls of Waterfall Week was Battlecreek Falls – a favorite of mine that I got to share with some great blogging friends – Alyssa from The Kid Project and Kathy from GoAdventureMom.

The great thing about connecting with other outdoor moms is that they get it. They understand that getting young children out in nature isn’t easy, but like me they believe it’s worth it even through the dirt, tears and mishaps.

And this adventure had several mishaps.

1. My spray sunblock could’ve doubled as mace. The faulty tip made a powerful five foot spray that hit my eyes and that of Alyssa’s son (sorry again), ruined my shirt and overall did little to protect against the sun.

2. Rumbling sounds and dark clouds were not enough to keep us from hiking to the falls, and incidentally the hike ended in pouring rain and crying kids.

3. Little g said “I wanna walk!” but would then stop to examine every pebble and bug, forcing me to strap her screaming into a MobyWrap for the majority of the trip.

4. Nature called for Big E, forcing us to use a trailside toilet AKA a boulder behind some bushes.

5. Little g ate cherries, dug in dirt and played in the blackened remains of a fire pit leaving her looking like this.

Even with the misadventure parts of this adventure, watching my son run with delight through the trees, or proudly show off a bug he found reminded me of why I bother. It’s this. Being outdoors with my kids brings me joy, and sharing that joy with other moms makes it all the more joyful. Thanks Kid Project and GoAdventureMom for a great outdoor adventure!

Battlecreek Falls
Getting there: In Pleasant Grove follow 200 South toward the mountains. The road becomes Battlecreek Drive and dead ends at the trail head.
Length: 1 mile out and back
Difficulty: Moderate. The rocky trail follows a stream for much of the way but there are some steep sections that are tough with kids.
Tips: Bring other kids along to help entertain and encourage yours!

Bridal Veil Falls Bike Ride

One of the best parts of spring is relishing the warm weather. The tots and I do this best at the park, and thankfully Provo Canyon has plenty of parks to appreciate. On this recent biking adventure with the tots, we started out at the playground at Vivian Park. This park boasts a paved bike/hike trail, two playgrounds, two pavilions, restrooms, a fishing areal and a river to throw rocks at, not to mention the Heber Creeper railroad comes to visit every once and a while.

While the tots played on the playground I got my bike and trailer set up. The Provo River Trail, which ends at Vivian Park is great for tots of all ages. It’s a paved trail that runs from Utah Lake to Vivian Park and is popular with bikers, hikers and anyone interested in being outdoors. The section we biked, from Vivian Park to Bridal Veil Falls, was only about twenty minutes, and that was with towing an extra seventy five pounds of tots and bike trailer.
Little g was ready to go as long as we had ‘Monkey Pack’ on her back. She and Big E rode in the trailer along a flat section of the Provo River Trail – Vivian Park to Bridal Veil Falls. The trail meanders along the Provo river, with majestic mountains along one side. Bright greens, wet from a recent rain, grew along the trail and the earthy scent of the outdoors was a refreshing reminder of the season.

At Bridal Veil Falls, Big E was giddy with joy feeding the fish. For a quarter you can purchase a handful of fish pellets and bask in the joy of your youngster’s laughter as he watches the fish fight for each mouthful. Little g loved it too, but mostly because she got out of the bike trailer.
The bike back to Vivian Park was calm and pleasant and overall it was a great outing on a great spring day.

Red, Yellow, Green and All Colors Between

On a hike this past Sunday the whole fam got out to enjoy the fall colors. Little g did good in the pack, probably because Mountain Dad had her this time. In the pack with me is another story. The trail we did was the Sundance trail to Stewart Falls. I love hiking this trail, even though I have yet to make it to the falls with the tots. It’s nice because there’s a river that runs alongside for a while, a great distraction for tired tiny hikers. This time of year is especially nice since the colors exploded on the scene. Looking at the mountainside, it’s as if Monet painted an amazing impressionist painting using treetops as brushstrokes.