Road Trip Suggestions through Utah

[robjenson]

Hi all - its been a long time since my last post since moving from Utah...anyways, just wanted to see if anyone has advice on a short road trip with family. I'm married with 3 small kids (ages 3 - 8), but would like to introduce them to the national parks, easy hikes, and scenic views. The options we're considering are:

(a) Salt Lake City to Vegas - stops at Bryce, Zion, Valley of Fire

(b) SLC to Albuquerque - stops at Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde

(c) SLC to Denver - Stops at Arces, Canyonlands, maybe trails in mountain (e.g., Vail)

I'm most familiar with route (a) and have done hiking around Arches. I'm wondering if there are any thought from you experienced folks on Bogley!

[Scott P]

If you can, I'd make sure to fit Highway 12 in between Torrey and (near) Panguich.

[phatch]

The lengths of lots of these trips will be hard on kids that age. I certainly don't consider B or C short road trips. Lots of hours just stuck in a car. For these ages, 2 hour shots in the car is best. You need to have something at that point for them to enjoy. Even a stop in a park is welcomed. Price has a decent museum. There's a handy road side park in Wellington my kids always loved. It was worth the 20 minutes to let the kids move and get tired out for the next 2 hours to moab or wherever.

Lots of short Dino stuff around Moab. Moab has a small free museum as well and some good parks.

Traveling with kids this age is about a pace and points they'll find interesting. Design the trip around them, not you. You'll have a much better experience and they'll look forward to trips with you in the future.

For A, you need an interesting stop or two before Bryce.

For B and C, I think you'll struggle with the younger kids at Canyonlands. Canyonlands is a place that requires some hiking to appreciate and that sort of appreciation grows with age. Island in the Sky has some short hikes, but I question the younger kids finding them particularly interesting. The Whale they'd probably enjoy but the rest I don't know. If your vehicle can do it, the Tusher Tunnel would probably be more interesting to that age.

Goblinl Valley is a great stop for kids this age. Bring super soaker type squirt guns. They'll have a ton of fun with a squirt gun battle in the goblins. Things to climb on and explore on their scale.

[Cannon]

Most of the below will be fine with a 3-year old and adult supervision/help.

SLC - Vegas
- Utah County: Float provo river, hike to Bridal Veil Falls, hike to Stewart Falls
- I-15 Fillmore/Meadow: Meadow Hot Springs
- Cedar City: Hike Kanarra Creek
- St George: Lava Tubes in Snow Canyon State Park
- Zions: Temple of Sinawava Hike; Emerald Lakes Hike
- Bryce: Navajo Loop
- Escalante: Spooky and Peek-a-boo slot canyons
- Escalante: The drive from Escalante to Boulder is amazing
- Escalante: Calf Creek Falls

SLC - Albuquerque/Denver
- Goblin Valley: State Park
- Goblin Valley: Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon
- Moab: Delicate Arch
- Moab: Mill Creek Hike/swimming/jumping
- Moab: Potash Road; watch rock climbers, dinosaur tracks, Corona Arch
- Moab: Dead Horse State Park, hike, incredible vistas
- Moab: Catacombs/Wind Tunnels
- Mesa Verde: Indian Ruins

The best place to find information about most of this stuff is www.climb-utah.com

[pigburner]

My first awakening to the wonders of southern Utah was a 10-day road trip with just me and my daughters ages 3, 9, and 14 (close to your situation, but having the older one was helpful). It was an exceptional experience that is still remembered fondly by all of us. I had to start from my home in Washington, but took two days to get to my uncle's house in Logan, stopping at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and Golden Spike National Monument along the way. The real road trip started from Logan, with visits to Fossil Butte NM, Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Mesa Verde NP, Four Corners NM, Natural Bridges NM, Capitol Reef NP, GSENM, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, and Grand Canyon NP, then back home through SLC.

Granted, this wasn't a short road trip as you indicated in your post and I know it sounds like a death march rushing through so many places, but it actually was really laid back and the only time the younger ones were complaining a little was when it got really hot on our hike to Landscape Arch and the other nearby arches. Here are a few keys I found to make this a great trip that would apply to any road trip with kids, short or long:

1. Overnight stops were planned so the time driving between towns was typically 3 to 4 hours. I think one day was 5 hours getting from Mesa Verde to Capitol Reef, but there were two stops where we got out along the way.

2. Pick hotels with pools if possible, and get in them with the kids in the evenings.

3. Some places were just stops to interrupt the drive and visit a site (like Fossil Butte or Four Corners), while at others I planned hikes or more extensive visits. I researched each location extensively and had list of appropriate hikes or other activities suited to the youngest (far more than we could possibly do in the time we had, typically a morning through early afternoon). We'd get up, eat breakfast, and head to the park. I'd start at the top of the list, and when the kids said they had had enough, we'd pack into the car and head to the next night's stay (this was key - no matter what was left that I wanted to see, when the kids were done, we were done). Once at the next night's stay, we'd find a good place to eat and then do a short hike nearby or play in the pool together before bed.

4. Budget to buy them little trinkets in the gift shops to give them memories and something to play with (and something to look forward to after you finish your hikes in the park)

5. Be flexible and look for little things not on your schedule or jump down the list to things that weren't at the top of your list but caught the eye of your kids. Arriving in Vernal, we saw an ad for their dinosaur museum and we able to slip in shortly before it closed and get pictures next to the giant models of dinosaurs. The dino bones in the wall were great at Dinosaur NM, but the thing the kids talked about most was Josie's cabin out at the end of the road that wasn't even on my list. In Moab, walking around the shops wasn't on my list, but the kids loved doing that before we headed off to Cortez, CO. In Bryce, a scheduled stop at the overlook turned into a 2 mile loop hike when the kids ran down Wall Street and I had to follow. And turning the car around after coming down the hill west of Bryce to go back and watch a thunderstorm led to us standing at the edge of a flash flood in the wash by the highway on our way back down.

6. Make the car ride as comfortable as possible. We took the middle seat out of the mini-van and set up a small TV/VCR strapped to a cooler for the youngest one to watch videos (I can still hear the Max and Ruby song in my head!). Add lots of their favorite treats and some favorite music.

7. We took a yellow rubber duck along and took pictures of it in all kinds of funny and precarious positions, which the kids found fun and entertaining.

The possibilities are just too numerous to list hikes to do and sites to visit, but match the activities to your kids abilities and interests. A walk around Balanced Rock left surprisingly long-lasting memories. Drive to an overlook in Canyonlands (and try to contain your anxiety as your kids approach the edge). Stop at some roadside pictographs. We were worried about the 3-yr old climbing the ladders on a tour a Mesa Verde, but the next older sister just took her by the hand and made sure she made it. Emerald Pools was a great hike and the kids spent a ton of time at the upper pool trying to scramble to the top of the big boulder there; they remembered that so much that on a return visit a number of years later, they were anxious to try again and found with added age they were able to make it to the top without problem. Interrupt a long drive with a hike down to one of the bridges in Natural Bridges NM.

I echo the advice above, Climb-Utah is a great resource, but a warning, you will find enough possibilities there (and many other sites) to fill weeks and weeks of trips.

Lastly, take lots of pictures and make them a photo book for Christmas, so they can relive and remember.

[rockgremlin]

Any way you dice it it's gonna require a lot of seat time on the open road. The question "Are we there yet?" will be frequently asked so be sure to have stuff for the younger kiddies to stay occupied in the car. Personally, I'd spring for the B option. Loads of stuff in and around the Moab area on the way to ABQ (Dead Horse Point, Arches, Canyonlands, etc).