Need suggestions for kid friendly trip

[jwurst]

We'll be taking the kids out to S Utah for the first time at the end of September. The idea is to give them a good canyoneering experience since all they have been able to do so far is drool over our pictures.

The kids are 4 and 6 years old. The biggest factor in a good hike is a short approach distance so the kids don't get bored and start complaining before we even get there. Once they are having fun they can go forever. Its okay to just do one end of a long hike if that gets us our short approach and good sporting narrows. Besides that we'd like some hikes with some fun climbing. Water is okay as long as it isn't too often or too long.

So far we're planning to take them through the Peek-a-boo/Spooky loop and then several North Wash side canyons (Lep, Shillelagh, Blarney) in and out from the bottom, and probably hit Goblin Valley on the way through.

Any other suggestions on hikes to consider? We'll be going through Capitol Reef. Is there anything around there that we might like? Is there anything else down the Hole-In-The-Rock road that would be good?

Thanks for any ideas you can give.

Jeff

[abirken]

My kids really liked Little Wildhorse Canyon and I know lots of folks on here would recommend it with kids. Lot's of fun watching them wedge themselves through the tight spots and it's not a long hike at all. Also my kids enjoyed Horseshoe Canyon although it's more of a hike rather than a slot canyon. Have fun!!!

[pfinjt]

Second on Little Wildhorse Canyon. Took my kids up it when my son was four and daughter was one (she was in a kid carrier). Everyone had a great time.

[Don]

My 6 year old loved Little Wild Horse earlier this year. I also like the nearby Ding & Dang loop. It

[Alex]

You really can't go wrong heading to Goblin Valley/Little Wild Horse canyon. So I guess I am forth on LWH

[jwurst]

I'm not too keen on LWH. It has sections of good narrows but the ground is mostly gravel. I'm looking for something a little more sporting. I've considered Ding/Dang. I like the challenges in the canyons (especially Dang), but 6 miles is on the long side, as is 1.2mi for the Ding approach and 1.6mi for the Dang approach.

[Jaxx]

Have you looked at Blue John canyon? I did the main fork and it was a super easy approach and a couple 30ftish rappels. There are a couple obstacles that you could set up a meat anchor for the kids and then downclimb 12ish ft. The narrows in the main fork are some of my favorite. It gets a couple hundred feet tall and about 3 feet wide, like a hallway. We excited through horse shoe canyon but I wouldn't take the kids that way. I don't know exactly how far the regular exit is from the road.
You could hike past the exit and check out the "Ralston Narrows" and the last big rap and then come back to the exit it would probably add 2-4 hours with kids.

We did Ding&Dang this year. The approach is actually pretty quick because it is so flat. With a 8,5,4 year old we did the approach in about 30 minutes. It is a full day hike though.

[rockgremlin]

North Wash recommendations from the gremlin:

With kids, Leprechaun from the bottom up is a good idea. This way you can access some of the best/most scenic stuff first, and the level of difficulty depends on how far upcanyon you want to travel. Once you get to where that skinny middle fork comes in, you can shimmy and climb up as far as you want, and then return once things get too difficult.

[nat]

I'm not too keen on LWH. It has sections of good narrows but the ground is mostly gravel. I'm looking for something a little more sporting. I've considered Ding/Dang. I like the challenges in the canyons (especially Dang), but 6 miles is on the long side, as is 1.2mi for the Ding approach and 1.6mi for the Dang approach.

Ding and Dang loop could be a great choice. We did it when our kids were about 4 and 6, and they had a great time. We probably had to entertain them a bit on the approach with word games. They did fine with the physical aspects of it, though I lowered them down a drop in Dang with a rope. You might want to bring a short (30ft) rope.

Nat

[DWayne27]

If you want a little more sport that LWH, crack canyon is pretty good. I went through with my wife, some friends, and my brother and his family. At the time his kids were 11, 6, 4 and 1. I thought the kids might get tired and be whinny, but that is because i dont have kids... they were just running all over the place and i couldnt keep up with them. Crack doesnt get as narrow or deep as LWH, but has some really cool sections with some fun downclimbs where we just handed the kids down from one adult to another... As for the approach- once you get to the trailhead, you can drive in as far as you feel comfortable. i'd say my brother took his 15 year old suburban down a ways and cut off about a half mile of the approach, so it wasnt too bad

[Iceaxe]

We'll be going through Capitol Reef. Is there anything around there that we might like?

Maybe one of the best kid friendly hikes in Utah is in Capitol Reef....

Sulphur Creek - Capitol Reef
http://climb-utah.com/Capitol/sulphur.htm



Also check out items listed in:

Family Fun
http://climb-utah.com/family.htm

and Weekend Warrior
http://climb-utah.com/weekend.htm

Everything in Family Fun will work for you and most of the stuff in Weekend Warrior will work.

Good luck and post pics when you return.