All The Canyons (Utah Edition)!
The Post family joined us again for the next leg of our trip, where we visited all of the canyons, so many canyons! This stop was extra special because my dad had traveled to this part of the country as a child and had shared such sweet, fun memories with us over the years. In particular, the awe of Bryce Canyon had really stayed with him. While we were there, my uncle Bill even sent over some old photos from that trip, which made the experience feel even more meaningful!
Bryce Canyon
We had one quiet day with just John, Hannah, and Mina before my parents arrived, and we wanted to squeeze in an outing where the dogs could tag along.
Red Canyon in the national forest turned out to be perfect, a gentle, informative trail that gave us our first real look at what makes this corner of Utah so magical. The star attractions were the striking hoodoos and the towering ponderosa pines. Hoodoos (those tall, skinny rock spires often topped with a tougher capstone) were everywhere, giving the canyon an otherworldly vibe. And the ponderosas are iconic in this region AND we learned their bark smells like butterscotch. Seriously!
To anyone not from Utah, it probably looked hilarious: eight of us wandering around with our noses pressed against tree bark, joyfully sniffing away. But it's soooo good!
Once my parents joined us, we headed into the National Park. I absolutely loved Bryce! I loved how up-close and personal we could get with all the hoodoos, and the hikes on the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden trails were some of the coolest we’ve ever done. The paths wind down into the canyon and weave through all the incredible formations. Thanks to Aaron, we went in the direction with less steep uphill, though it was still a LOT of uphill! I was so impressed with how well everyone did on that hike, and it was such a joy to climb out of the canyon together, high-fiving and celebrating with that incredible view spread out below us.
John and Aaron squeezed in an epic mountain bike ride on the Thunder Mountain Trail back in Red Canyon. The start demanded more climbing than they anticipated, but the payoff was huge: a swoopy ridgeline with incredible flow, a technical descent that kept them sharp, and a final mile of fast, buttery hardpack that sent them flying. By the time they rolled back in, they were grinning from ear to ear. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Of course, as usual, the best part was just being together, and we stayed at some awesome campgrounds perfect for that! In Bryce we camped at Ruby’s Inn Campground where our sites backed up to each other. (John, Hannah, and Mina have a sweet truck camper setup and my parents squeezed in with us again.) The kids had a big space between to run wild. One night my mom and the kids put together a rather impressive s’more platter (Debbie, this one is for you)!
Zion Canyon
What started as one our most anticipated stops quickly became full of unknowns as we arrived to Zion National Park on October 1st, the first day of the government shut down when national park service employees were furloughed. It was difficult to get accurate closure information for the park, and this became pretty routine over the next 5 weeks, with Facebook and Instagram surprisingly being the location of the most accurate and up to date information! Luckily for us Utah kept all of their national parks open with state funds and we could enjoy what became one of our favorite stops yet.
That first evening, we unpacked and immediately hopped back in the truck to explore the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway. It was a stunning introduction to the park, climbing toward the tunnel with those soaring red-pink cliffs draped in bright green vegetation. It was unlike anything we had seen, or would see, in Utah. The mix of vivid red sandstone and lush greenery felt almost unreal. As we drove into the canyon, we all cracked up when Demory, staring out the window with her mouth wide open, said, “I’m gonna need another hoodie.” After five months on the road, these kids are a bit tough to impress but Zion definitely got her!
The whole family enjoyed the shuttle service, hopping on and off at all the best stops. We did a fun little hike to the Emerald Pools and had a picnic under a GIANT cottonwood in the big green space in front of the lodge. We relaxed, played, and were even visited by a couple of wild turkeys!
One of our favorite spots was the Hanging Garden, where we spent quite a while soaking in the quiet and watching the sunlight filter through the dripping water coming off the overhang. It was also really special knowing that one of my sweet besties, Debbie, spent time in this park as a ranger and even wrote her thesis on these very hanging gardens!
When everyone else had had enough, my sweet Grier decided she wasn’t done yet! So, she and Aaron headed to a hidden waterfall they’d learned about through our favorite national parks podcast, Dirt in My Shoes. They took the shuttle to the end of the road and ended up having to walk back along it to find the hidden trailhead. It was late in the day, and with personal vehicles restricted, they had the entire place to themselves, silent except for the occasional e-bike. They both said it felt like such a special time. Full-timing with a family of five means the days are full and noisy, so little pockets of one-on-one time like this feel extra precious.
John, Aaron, and I started applying for the Angels Landing lottery the day we arrived, and somehow all three of us failed to win it three days in a row. We figured we’d try one last time…and we GOT IT! So, the three of us finally got to do the highly anticipated Angels Landing hike together.
The trail was incredible: super exposed along the ridge with sweeping 360-degree views over Zion Canyon. It literally took our breath away. I cracked up afterward when I said, “Man, that was so fun!” and Aaron looked genuinely shocked that I thought it was fun…apparently, I’d been so serious and quiet during the hike that he thought I was enduring it, not enjoying it.
The funniest moment came when I went to snap a picture of John and he suddenly started counting down: “3…2…” I panicked for a second, wondering what on earth he was counting down for, a jumping pic?! I still don’t know whether he was joking or actually considering it. He’s so sure-footed that honestly, I'm sure he would’ve been fine. The whole time I kept saying, “I’m not nervous for myself because I can feel my body and know I’m stable, but I can’t watch other people because I can’t feel their bodies and do NOT know that they’re stable!” Sorry I ever doubted you, John!
The last day, John took us to a great spot for rock climbing, and we managed to squeeze in a couple of climbs before the black basalt got way too hot to touch. At that point we had to abort the mission and pivot to rope swinging instead, which, honestly, was just as fun. Later that same day, John and Aaron fit in one more bike ride, this one high on the mesa, so it was VERY hot and officially deemed “character building.” Meanwhile, Mom and I took the kids to get the literal best frozen treat I’ve ever had: Italian ice on the outside, gelato on the inside, all shaped like a flower. It was perfection.
I finally figured out how to add galleries to your blog so see our Bryce and Zion galleries for more pics!