Bryce Canyon in a Day

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May 212012

Known for its weirdly beautiful rock formations, Bryce Canyon is one of the smallest National Parks, covering about 56 square miles in south-central Utah, a 4.5 hour drive from either Las Vegas or Salt Lake City and two hours from Zion National Park. Bryce Canyon City, on the park’s border provides serviceable overnight lodging options and the Bryce Canyon Lodge and campgrounds are available inside the Park. We opted to take a daytrip to Bryce from our base camp at Zion. The spectacular, but white-knuckle, drive in and out of Zion via steep switchback roads and the Zion- Mt. Carmel Tunnel was an added bonus to a day that featured some of nature’s most unusual sculptures.

Bryce Canyon Overlook

The famous Bryce formations occupy vast amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Millions of years of rain water and frost cycles are constantly dissolving the area’s colorful limestone rock and creating an unparalleled array of slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires, also known as ”hoodoos.” Although trails are available to hardy hikers to walk along the floor of the amphitheaters, many visitors adopt our strategy and stick to the overlooks and rim trails. Inspiration Point, Bryce Point and Rainbow Points are all favorites.

Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon

We spent about 5 hours in the park, which allowed plenty of time to visit the main amphitheaters, drive the full length of the access road, enjoy a picnic lunch at Rainbow Point and make as many stops as we wanted along the way. Our hiking was limited to 1/4 mile or shorter walks to various observation points.

Balancing Rock at Bryce Canyon

On a clear day there are views of three states and as much as 200 miles of visibility. Most of the major vantage points are located at 8,000 to 9,000 ft altitudes, which means that even in mid-April snow was still in evidence and we were happy to have fleece jackets and hats and gloves.

Bryce Canyon Rainbow Point Overlook

Bryce was a great day trip for a couple of adults, who didn’t mind spending 4 hours in a car roundtrip, plus the drive time in the park. We noticed a few families where the tweens and younger siblings seem to lose interest in the views well before their parents did. They were anxious for a little more activity than the overlooks offered.

Bryce Canyon Wall of Windows

Given that it was a cool somewhat overcast day in April, the crowds were thin and most of us adults lingered wordlessly for as long as we wanted just drinking in some of the world’s most amazing scenery. Our only regret was that we couldn’t stay longer and do some hiking. We’ll just have to go back again another day.

News from Our Favorite Travel Blogging Families with Teens and Tweens

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May 142012

Its time again to check in with with some of our favorite traveling families. As usual, moms, dads, teens, tweens, siblings, pets, friends and relatives have been exploring the world in any number of unique and imaginative ways from slow round-the-world unschooling to short luxury getaways and everything in between. We hope you find time to visit each of these wonderful blogs and get some travel inspiration of your own from reading each of their stories!

We start by catching up with our favorite round the world travelers.

Updates from Long Term Traveling Families

When we last heard from Tigger and Crazy Dad from 1 Dad 1 Kid, they were packing up to leave Honduras and were heading to Columbia. In their post Welcome to Columbia, we learned how they survived lengthy inquisitions and the loss of a Kindle at the hands of US Customs and TSA agents as they changed planes in Florida en route from San Pedro Sula, Honduras to Bogota. From there they explored Bogata by bike and Couchsurfed through Medellin before heading off to Ecuador two weeks later. If you are planning to visit Columbia with kids, tweens or teens, Crazy Dad has some good travel tips and recommendations in this post.

Next we visited with world travelers Theodora and her tween-aged son who blog on Travels with A Nine Year Old. We read their series of posts about their adventures exploring the Nile and Cairo. We particularly enjoyed their photo essay titled Sailing a Felucca Down the Nile . The images are stunning enough to make anyone want to visit the area. How they find time for homeschooling and blogging amid their adventures we’ll never know but we are glad they stop to share their experiences.

We also checked with Lainie and her tween son Miro who are also in the midst of of their own long term global exploration, which is well chronicled on her blog Raising Miro. We enjoyed the videos of Miro taking an Improv class in English that is offered for travelers in Lima, Peru where they are currently based. Lainie’s post Improv for Travelers! shows how Improv can help even experienced travelers improve their verbal interactions and build self confidence.

Michelle Duffy of Wandermom, had us laughing with her post Things Your Kids Will Only Say in Amsterdam as her tween tried to convince mom that an evening walking tour of that city’s famous red light district would be educational. Never a dull moment for this family which recently completed a year long round the world adventure!

Spring Break Fun

Next we checked in with the Canadian-based traveling Goodmurphy family who share their travel adventures on the Gone With Family blog. In March, their Spring Break vacation took the family to France for 9 days including a special D-Day Tour of Normandy. They made a 2.5 hour drive (each way) from Paris for a private tour of Juno Beach where the Canadian troops came ashore during the D-Day invasion in 1944. They found the the Juno Beach Centre well equipped to educate kids of all ages about the history of Canada in the 1930′s, the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy. They also paid their respects at the Canadian War Cemetery located in Reviers where more than 2000 headstones are beautifully maintained. It was a moving and educational day for their 10th grader and 8 year old.

Traci and the family from Go Big or Go Home, went to Washington DC for their Spring Break where they found The World’s Largest Collection of Espionage Artifacts at the Spy Museum. The hands on exhibits made the whole family feel like they were in a James Bond movie.

Destinations Close to Home

Kara from The Vacation Gals, tells of taking her 10 year old tween son to Denver’s LEGO KidsFest in her post LEGO KidsFest: Highly Recommended Event for LEGO-loving Kids of All Ages. If you are considering taking a LEGO-crazed tween to one of these events, take Kara’s advice on strategies for getting the most out of these highly creative and exhausting festivals.

Sue of Field Trips with Sue and her teen and tween wrote about a recent caving trip in Northwest Georgia’s Cloudland Canyon. Check out the photos of them crawling on hands and knees through an area that reminded Sue of the chocolate river out of Willy Wonka, in her post Cave Tours in Georgia. As Sue says, “Did I forget to mention the bats?”

Closer to home, Gina Martin, writing as a guest author on Albany Kid, wrote about Family Fun in New York City’s East Village : The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. Kids of all ages enjoy the soft service ice cream and wide range of toppings available there.

In addition to all these wonderful travel stories we also found some great tips for traveling families by reading Sheri May’s Top Two Theatre Picks in NYC for Tweens & Teens and Travelling Mom’s Eternal Rome for Kids and Families.

Although we have never met most of our favorite family travel bloggers in person we feel like we know them well after reading about all their family adventures. We so appreciate the time they take to tell their story. We hope you visit all their sites.

Where Have You Been? Call For Links for Next Blog Carnival

We make an effort to pull together a teen and tween oriented family blog carnival every 8-10 weeks. The next one will focus on Summer Travel and as always we are looking for articles that tell a family’s story, rather than just listing things to do. We expect to publish it in late July. If you have a link to share please email it to – maryt <at> travel-with-teens <dot> com. We can’t wait to hear what you and your teens and tweens have been up to.

Start Your Visit to Zion National Park with a Stroll on the Pa’rus Trail

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May 092012

The Pa’rus Trail at Zion National Park is a recent addition (1995) to the park’s trail system. It connects the Campgrounds near the Visitor Center, the Human History Museum and the Canyon Junction shuttle bus stop. Since private cars are not allowed to stop along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive from April through October, families staying in Springdale generally grab the town shuttle to the Visitor Center than hop on a Park Shuttle for the ride deeper into the Park. The Pa’rus Trail offers an accessible, dog and baby stroller friendly option to begin or end your visit with an hour long 1.7 mile one way stroll criss-crossing Oak Creek, Pine Creek and the Virgin River. Bikes can be rented from Zion Outfitter located near the Visitor Center, sharing a parking lot with the Giant Screen Theater.

Zion National Park's Pa'rus Trail criss-crosses the Virgin River and nearby creeks

The word Pa’rus means “bubbling, tumbling water” and this walk definitely lives up to its name. This lower section of the river is more controlled than the upper reaches seen on the Riverside Walk. A trailside exhibit points out the remains of an old dam and explains how water from the river still supplies nearby Springdale. The design of the trail keeps the water in view as you navigate several footbridges along the way.

Strolling the Pa'rus Trail

Due to the fact that there is little shade, this is a trail best done on cooler days or in the morning or evening on hot days. We visited in the late afternoon on a warm spring day and found the trail almost empty except for a few very polite bike riders. We are told it can be pretty busy on a summer morning however. As with all the trails in Zion National Park, the Pa’rus offers one stunning view after another. The cliffs at this end of the canyon are not as steep or as sharp as those closer the Narrows but are beautiful in their own way.

Along the Pa'rus Trail

Depending on your plans and energy levels, you can opt to walk a short section of the trail as far as the Museum, keep going to the end of the trail or turn around and stroll back to where you started. For one way walkers, the shuttle bus stop at the end of the trail offers access to the rest of the sights and trailheads along the Scenic Drive, as well as the option of a quick return to the Park entrance when you are done for the day.

If you have walked on the Pa’rus Trail let us know your thoughts.

Zion’s Riverside Walk Offers Easy Access to Park’s Wonders

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May 032012

Zion's Riverside Walk Offers Easy Access to Park's Wonders

During our recent visit to Zion National Park we explored some of the easier hiking and walking trails including the Emerald Pools Lower Trail, the Pa’rus Trail and the Riverside Walk. The level, lightly paved Riverside Walk begins at the Temple of Sinawava shuttle bus stop, the last one along the Canyon road. The trail travels a mile along the banks of the Virgin River until it disappears into the river itself. It is a this point that the sides of the Canyon quickly close in and the famous Narrows Trail begins, allowing adventurous hikers to walk through the water for miles deep into the narrowest parts of the canyon in the summer when water levels are low. In the Spring, the Narrows are off limits but the Riverside Walk is a [...]

The College Search Concludes! It’s UMass Amherst!

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Apr 302012

The College Search Concludes! It's UMass Amherst!

As any parent of a college-bound high school senior knows, May 1 is the decision and deposit due date for most college admission acceptances. After visiting 14 different colleges, writing more than a dozen common application, supplement and scholarship essays, and participating in 3 accepted student programs #1 Son’s final decision is UMass Amherst – the very first college we looked at when we began this process 18 months ago in August of 2010. In case you are wondering why UMass Amherst? In the beginning of his search, #1 Son was strongly focused on small liberal arts schools that offered highly interactive classes. In fact, many of the schools he visited and applied to were only slightly larger than his high school. He ended up applying to 7 colleges, most of them small. He included UMass [...]

Emerald Pools Lower Trail Great for All Ages at Zion National Park

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Apr 292012

Emerald Pools Lower Trail Great for All Ages at Zion National Park

Zion National Park is known for challenging hiking trails such as the trip to Angel’s Landing that rises almost 1500 feet in 2.5 miles and requires the hiker to cross near vertical rock faces using small footholds and chains bolted into the rock. Another classic, the Narrows, involves miles of strenuous walking in the Virgin River – it is only open in the summer and fall when spring water levels drop to safe levels. For those visitors with smaller kids, older adults, and others that don’t see themselves tackling those more challenging trails, Zion still offers some lovely options including our three favorites for all ages: The Emerald Pools Lower Trail, The Pa’rus Trail, and The Riverside Walk. Each of these trails is suitable for all ages yet allows access to some [...]

April Has Our Vote as the Best Time to Visit Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks

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Apr 262012

April Has Our Vote as the Best Time to Visit Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks

With or without teens, April has our vote as the best time of the year to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Both parks are relatively small and prone to crowding during peak summer months, due to the fact that a single road provides access to each Park’s iconic sites. In April, you have an opportunity to quietly experience each Park’s unique and beautiful transition from winter to spring. This timing also aligns well with Easter and spring break holidays from many schools. Zion Canyon is located at approximately 4,000 feet elevation with popular trails like the hike to Angel’s Landing rising much higher. Bryce’s high point is over 9,000 feet, meaning that snow is still possible even in early April. On our recent visit, sans teens, we found both parks [...]

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