Until recently, the only thing I had seen in Utah were the beautiful mountain landscapes near Salt Lake City. And that was for skiing (surprise, surprise), pre-kids. It was a momentous trip that I will never forget. Everything from the skiing to the après ski, to the company I was keeping, was spot on. It turns out we were even there during the Sundance Film Festival. Needless to say, this added another layer of fun and excitement to our getaway.
In recent years, with two competitive freestyle skiers in my house, I’ve been feeling confident that Utah would soon come calling again. I just didn’t expect it to be during the summer months. Yet that’s the situation I found myself in when my husband borrowed his dad’s RV and hastily crafted an American road trip to replace our postponed vacation to Greece.
Unlike our spring RV vacation to Arizona, this road trip was ambitious in scale. In total, we journeyed through 7 states. Utah was part of the second half of our trip.
When you are away from home for a significant amount of time, you always worry that your kids might lose interest. But that was certainly not the case with my pair. Utah delivered some epic experiences, not to mention some amazing landscapes.
Here are some of our favorite stops. Each delivers a totally unique opportunity for kids to enjoy.
Bear Lake
Because I started this post with a nod to my family’s infatuation with skiing, let’s start with Bear Lake. It is impossible to visit Bear Lake in the summer and not think of Lake Tahoe – our favorite place to ski in California. The lake itself is about 90 square miles smaller than Lake Tahoe. But Utah’s Wasatch Mountain Range backdrop is just as beautiful as the landscape of its Sierra Nevada counterpart. More importantly, Bear Lake offers the same type of water sports, hiking, and outdoor activities that families like mine crave.
As you roll across the Idaho border, your kids will gleefully point out the water trampolines moored offshore. These are rentals that you can book in 2-hour increments for your family. And just down the road from Garden City, you’ll find Bridgerland Adventure Park, which has an awesome zipline course.
But, really all you need to enjoy the “Caribbean of the Rockies” is your swimsuit. The water is clear and turquoise in color, and the beaches are great.
If you want to up your game a little, consider staying at Conestoga Ranch for one night. This is glamping at its best. Not only will your kids get to stay in a roomy, well-equipped wagon, modelled after those used in the 19th century, but they get free reign of the place. Let them run around Conestoga’s playground, use the game tent, learn to lasso, play lawn gams, and make S’mores. In return, you can sit back and relax knowing that there is a great restaurant and massage service onsite. Or, if you want to stretch your legs, borrow some of Conestoga’s complimentary bikes. Bear Lake has a great 4.2-mile paved bike path.
American West Heritage Center
Speaking of the 19th century, the American West Heritage Center is a great place to get a feel for what life would have been like for early pioneers. Not only does its location in Wellsville ooze the type of untouched Utah landscape you imagine pioneers would have experienced, but the 275-acre living history museum is a real treasure.
You don’t need to time your visit to Pioneer Day to get a robust experience either. You just need to seek out one of their amazing docents, like Suzie. With her as your guide, your family will learn all about how mountain men and pelt traders lived in the early 1800’s. Your kids will get to see and touch various pelts of animals from the area. They will also learn about the type of trades that happened 200 years ago. Plus they will get to see some of the tools that were once part of daily life. If you are lucky, you may even be able to try your hand at throwing a tomahawk.
From the trading post, move down to the pioneer settlement. Here you will learn about the Homesteader’s Act of 1862. Did you know that there were all kinds of stipulations about the type of structure that homesteaders could build? Seeing a 12’ x 12’ family home will likely blow your kids minds. At the same time, if you let them play with some of the faithfully replicated toys from the Mendon Cabin, they may discover that simple things can give just as much pleasure as today’s fancy creations.
Finish up your visit by swinging by the frontier town and the onsite farm. And, before you leave, check out the indoor museum with its carefully crafted historical dioramas. There is even a station where you can make a complimentary rag doll.
Bryce Canyon
I can’t talk about Utah without mentioning the otherworldly landscape of Bryce Canyon National Park. Its rock formations look like they’ve come straight out of a Star Wars movie, or a Disneyland ride. The bulbous columns that proliferate the area are called hoodoos. Even their name sounds like it belongs to another planet.
The unusual shape of hoodoos is the result of something called frost-wedging. This happens when snow and ice get caught inside fractured rock, only to thaw and refreeze over and over again. Eventually, the process causes the rock to crack.
Interestingly Bryce Canyon, together with the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park, is part of the world’s most complete historical rock record. Called The Grand Staircase, the sedimentary rocks along this part of the U.S. showcases 525 million years of history.
There are 65 miles of hiking trails in Bryce Canyon. However, for kids, I recommend, taking them out to Sunrise Point and having them walk the Queens Garden Trail. It is supposed to be the least difficult of all the trails and it gets you close to hoodos. You’ll also be able to see rock windows and the canyon wall. While it is only 1.8 miles, this route takes you 320 feet down into the canyon. As such, bring plenty of water, sensible shoes, and be mindful that you have to climb back out the way you came.
Zion
Like Yosemite in California, Zion National Park in Utah offers up some truly majestic landscapes for your viewing pleasure. However, with limited places to park a vehicle, Zion is best explored via its complimentary shuttle system. The shuttle takes you along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and hits up many of the park’s main features. Or, if your kids are older, and you are feeling more adventurous, you can rent an e-bike by the visitor center.
For young kids, there are plenty of easy walking/hiking paths. Most are one mile or less and show them unique things like Zion’s famous weeping walls, waterfalls, and natural “pools.”
However, if you have older kids (over the age of 8) I highly recommend taking them to The Narrows. This non traditional hike is accessible via Riverside Walk. It will have you wading up the river, through a huge slot canyon. As such, it is nothing but memorable and will be unlike anything they’ve done before. Just make sure you are prepared.
Bring water shoes and a towel with you, as well as plenty of water, snacks and sunscreen. The wading is fun, but you will be walking on rocks and uneven surfaces. There will be some areas of fast-moving water, as well as moments when your kids will be wading up to their waist. Also give yourself plenty of time. The way in is slow going because you are moving against the current. While the entire out-and-back hike is only 9 miles, there is a good chance you may only make it a couple of miles upriver.
Buckskin Gulch
Speaking of slot canyons, Buckskin Gulch is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the Southwest. Located about 2 hours away from both Bryce Canyon and Zion, it is an easy activity to tack onto your trip if you are in the mood for a different kind of hike. And, unlike the heavily trafficked Antelope Canyon, which is just 30 miles away in Arizona, there are very few people at Buckskin.
The best trail to take is Wire Pass. However, this means you will have to drive about 8 miles down a primitive dirt road called House Rock Valley Road first. If you choose to park at the Buckskin Trailhead, about 4 miles in, be aware that you will have to hike along a riverbed for another 4 miles before you reach the slot canyon. This can make for an exceptionally long day, especially in summer months, as the route offers very little shade. Plus, your kids will have to hike back out the way they came – unless you realize that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, and send your husband back to get the RV and drive it to the Wire Pass Trailhead.
Once in Buckskin Gulch, your kids will be wowed by how narrow the passage gets, as well as how vertical the canyon walls are. They will also enjoy the undulating rock formations on the way out of the Wire Pass Slot Canyon, as well as climbing up (and down) a 10-foot wooden ladder at a choke point in one section.
As with all slot canyons, please make sure that you check weather reports before embarking on your hike, as flash floods are not uncommon.
Happy Travels!
