The Family Vacationer Podcast hosts Rob Jones and Danny Evans invited me to talk to them about traveling to southern Utah with kids to visit the state’s Mighty 5 National Parks (Zion National Park, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Capitol Reef National Park). We covered everything: how to bribe your kid to hike using candy, how to avoid the half-mile line of cars to get into Arches, ….. I hope you will have a listen!
Kristen Cummings
CATEGORY
National Parks, Kids & Family
DESTINATION
Utah
POSTED ON
July 20, 2021
Podcasting is super fun for me, so I jumped at the chance to be on the Family Vacationer. They asked me to talk about what age to start hiking with kids, how to make them good hikers, and the best things to do at each of the Mighty 5 National Parks in Southern Utah that are kid-friendly. I will give you some tidbits here, but you will need to listen to the show for all the deets.
Taking the family on vacation to Disneyland is touristy. Taking the family for outdoor adventures in Utah is touristish.
What is the Best Age to Start Hiking with Kids
I told Rob and Danny that I started hiking with my kids when they were born. No, really, I did. Of course, I was wearing them and doing all the work, but I was acclimatizing them to still, quiet time in the woods. It is never too early to start hiking with them. Once preschool age, they can do their own hiking for easier hikes, but once they are about seven years old, they are capable of the same hikes most adults are!
What are Some Tips for Making Kids Good Hikers
I gave several tips on this subject… Bribes, comfort, special gear, patience and flexibility, and an extra-geeky, slightly-dweeby, yet effective motivator that I won’t spoil here.
Utah’s Mighty 5 with Kids
Southern Utah has five National Parks and numerous State Parks and National Monuments. The Mighty 5 National Parks are:
- Zion National Park
- Bryce National Park
- Arches National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
For each Park, we talked about best kid hikes, other family-friendly activities, and how the best lodgings typically have jeeps hanging from their signs. You’ll have to listen to the show for the major plot twist about Capitol Reef, but I won’t spoil that here…
What is Canyoneering?
No discussion about southern Utah is complete without talking about my favorite way to experience the backcountry: Canyoneering. We spoke of what canyoneering is and what ages the sport is appropriate for. You can bet there will be more detailed posts about this from me soon!
Listen to the episode in your favorite Podcast app, or by clicking below:
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