Life is Better in Hiking Boots
Hiking is one of the best ways to get out and experience all that nature has to offer. Endorphins, plus fresh air and getting away from the everyday demands works just like magic to help you connect with your family and you never know what you’ll discover!
WATERFALL HIKES
DRIPPING ROCK TRAIL
Call it an urban hike or call it a nature walk, Dripping Rock Trail is really fun. We know that a dripping rock doesn’t sound amazing, but you will be pleasantly surprised.
GLORIA FALLS
We found a gorgeous new waterfall right in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Gloria Falls plunges over 50 feet down a nicely tiered, wide curtain. Best of all, you can stand right in the spray at the bottom.
HIDDEN FALLS
Our boys love waterfalls. This hike to Hidden Falls couldn’t be any simpler. It’s hard to call it a hike, but the view is well worth the 2 minute walk and provides the perfect place to start hiking.
LAKE HIKES
PAYSON LAKES
Today we went up to Payson Lakes for a picnic. Because it was Labor Day, there were quite a few people there, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, picnicking, and hiking.
BLOOMINGTON LAKE
Bloomington Lake hike near Bear Lake is a gorgeous alpine lake surrounded by granite cliffs. The water is clear, and there is even a rope swing for swinging into the lake.
BELL CANYON RESERVOIR
Bell Canyon is what we like to call an “urban hike” because it starts right in Sandy city. This trail climbs the benches and ends up at a small reservoir.
NATURE TRAILS
CASCADE SPRINGS
One of our favorite family friendly hikes is Cascade Springs. Even the drive up to Cascade Springs along the Alpine Loop is beautiful. We usually visit this area in the Fall, but it is beautiful year-round
AMERICAN FORK CANYON NATURE TRAIL
One of our favorite easy walks is the American Fork Canyon Nature Trail, or sometimes called the Swinging Bridge Trail. At just a quarter mile (1 way) it is an easy and enjoyable walk.
MILLER BIRD REFUGE AND NATURE PARK
Miller Bird Refuge and Nature Park is a wonderful oasis in the city that is fun to explore or just take a pleasant stroll around. It was donated to Salt Lake City in 1935 by Maggie Miller.
DINOSAUR TRAILS
DINO CLIFFS DINOSAUR TRACKS
A dinosaur trackway is different from a dinosaur track because you can see several footprints, which allows you to determine the direction the dinosaur took, the length of his stride, and in some cases the speed of the dinosaur millions of years ago.
RED FLEET AND STEINAKER STATE PARK
Red Fleet and Steinaker State Parks are run as one park. They are both reservoirs very close to each other just north of Vernal. If you are into boating or fishing, you may want to visit one or both of these parks.
COPPER RIDGE DINOSAUR TRACKWAY
This trackway has three different sizes of tracks: some type of quadraped, large therepod tracks, and smaller therepod tracks. We had never seen such huge tracks so it was a fun stop for us.
LETTER HIKES
HIKE THE BLOCK "U"
The Block U, as it is properly called stands on the hill above the University of Utah campus. Houses have encroached on the U since it became the 2nd block letter built in the US and the first in Utah in 1907.
HIKE THE "Y"
We finally did it! We hiked the Y! We were worried that our boys wouldn’t make it, but they did great. And you can, too. So here’s the run down for hiking the Y, which is the largest mountain side letter in Utah, and the entire United States!
HIKE THE "G"
Today we decided to try our first letter, the G in Pleasant Grove. These hikes are steep. Not just a little steep, a lot steep. This hike is 1 mile each way, but the mile up to the G seems like 5, and the mile back seems like a half mile.
Stroller Friendly
RIM TRAIL BRYCE CANYON
The most basic, easy, everybody should do trail in Bryce Canyon is the Rim Trail between Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. This trail is flat, easy, and stroller friendly.
OBSERVATION POINT TRAIL AT SNOWBIRD
The Observation Point Trail at Snowbird is free. This trail is paved and we pushed our stroller the entire way. This is a great summer stroll for anyone, but if you really want to enjoy this trail wait for Fall.
BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE
One of our favorite adventures is to the Bear River Migratory Refuge just outside of Brigham City. This is a free activity with a visitor’s center, a short walk, and a long drive around the refuge.
ROCK FORMATIONS
THE LIVING ROOM
The Living Room is a viewpoint that overlooks downtown Salt Lake City. Someone has taken flat rocks and built Flintstone-style furniture so that you can sit and gaze off at the city while you relax. It is really quite a site.
RED HOLLOW SLOT CANYON
Red Hollow Slot Canyon is a wonderful beginner slot canyon just outside of Zion National Park. We hiked this really cool slot canyon and it was definitely a winner with our boys.
MEADOW LAVA TUBES
We were not disappointed with the Meadow Lava Tubes. When you get out of the car, there is a large impression in front of you (to the east). At the far end of this depression is a short dark tunnel that opens up very nicely.
SUMMITS
MOUNT TIMPANOGOS
My wife and boys were out of town on Saturday, which gave me the opportunity to hike Mt. Timpanogos for the first time. Let me start by saying this is not a hike on which to take your young family.
BUFFALO PEAK
We tried a new little-known hike today called Buffalo Peak Hike. This is the peak you can see from the valley floor just one peak north of Squaw Peak. We liked this hike because it was short and easy, but allowed us to “summit” which is something our boys have never done.
CANYON OVERLOOK TRAIL IN ZION
Along with Emerald Pools, the trail that we most highly recommend for families in Zion National Park is Canyon Overlook Trail. Steep cliffs are very prevalent, and the drops would lead to certain death.
WINTER HIKES
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS
Bridal Veil Falls seemed like a natural choice for our first winter hike because this hike runs about one mile roundtrip along a paved trail to the base of a beautiful waterfall. This is the perfect beginner winter hike.
LITTLE COTTON WOOD TRAIL
The Little Cottonwood Trail runs up (or down) most of Little Cottonwood Canyon. We picked a short segment and walked it in the middle of January. The snow and the trees were a beautiful combination.
DRIPPING ROCK TRAIL
Dripping Rock Trail is the perfect winter hike for families. The destination is fun and often amazing, and it’s a flat, easy walk. When we hiked Dripping Rock Trail in Winter we definitely weren’t getting in the water to splash around.