RuthinHolland

We're currently planning a trip to the south-west for May 2010. We'll be travelling with our four year old daughter, who loves hiking, science and theme parks. Our first draft itinerary is

April 29 Fly to Phoenix, spend three nights in a resort to get over jetlag.
Visit splash pads, Enchanted Island, zoo if not too hot.
May 2 Drive to Monument Valley
Jeep tour
May 4 Drive to Moab
Hiking and scrambling, maybe a float trip
May 7 Drive to Bryce Canyon NP
Hiking
May 9 Drive to Zion
Hiking
May 11 Drive to Las Vegas
Stay in a resort somewhere off the Strip, maybe Loews?
Shop, relax by pool, visit Shark Reef, Las Vegas Children's museum
May 14 Drive or fly to LA, stay in Santa Monica
Pac Park
May 16 Drive to Legoland
May 18 Drive to Anaheim.
May 21 Fly home

I realise that there are some longish drives here, but our daughter is an experienced traveller, we regularly drive home to the UK, which is six hours plus a ferry trip. I'd like to know if you think this works as a route and if there are any good places to stop on the drives. Also, if there are any great places to see in Phoenix or Moab. My husband and I have been to all of these places pre-child but we mostly did long hikes (10 miles plus a day) so now we're a bit more limited. The place I'm most concerned about is Bryce Canyon, I'm not sure we'll find enough to do once we get there and the hike down before you hike up makes it more tricky.

Thanks in advance

spirobulldog

You must stop @ Goblin Valley State Park. I loved it, and it seemed to me that kids like it even more. A 4 year old would be in Heaven.

You might want to stop @ Capitol Reef for a quick stop. Maybe get a pie and eat it at the picnic area, where deer are almost present most of the time.

Might also consider Calf Creek Falls

I always tell everyone that heads to Moab about www.deserthighlights.com This is my all time favorite adventure. I don't know how young they take kids, but I suspect they wouldn't have a problem with a 4 year old.

Natural Bridges National Monument, Goosenecks of the San Juan, Moki Dugway, Deadhorse Point State Park are all good places that you will be in the area of.
You might find Ethel M Chocolate Factory interesting in Vegas and its free.

Sounds like you have it planned out about right.

lgott

It seems as if you already have pretty good knowledge. The only thing I can offer is with respect to Bryce Canyon. If you decide you need to look for an easier hike, one possibility is Mossy Cave and the Waterfall.

It's an easy one mile hike. It features - you guessed it - a mossy cave. There's also a constant stream of water in Water Canyon, the result of work done in the 1800's when pioneers dug an irrigation ditch from the east fork of the Sevier River to Water Canyon. It ended up washing away some hoodoos.

My biggest problem with the hike is that it isn't all that interesting. The cave is very small -- barely a cave -- and the waterfall is equally unimpressive. I saw it while it was raining, so perhaps it would be a bit nicer in fair weather.

If you want to see three rather uninspiring photos, go to http://home.comcast.net/%7Elgott3141...ce-Detail.html , and skip to the bottom of the page.

(There's a reason I was never a salesman!)

RuthinHolland

Thanks very much.

Spirobulldog, Goblin State Park looks great, my daughter had a look at the website and said the shapes look like snakes and when can she go and cuddle them, so it looks as if we'll be going there! Desert Hightlights looks good too, although my usband has a real problem with heights, so we'll see.

Igott, thanks for the info on Mossy Cave hike, which made me laugh. It's good to have low expectations if we decide to do it and I agree it doesn't look too impressive as a final destination, much like how I felt about Double Arch Alcove in Zion NP!

boom_boom

If you decide to drive from LA to Santa Monica, avoid I-15 and go via Parhump and Death Valley. It only adds about an hour to the trip and is worthwhile even if you just drive through the Park without stopping.

spirobulldog

Less than 5 miles from Goblin Valley is Little Wild Horse Canyon (be sure and see LITLE Wildhorse not Wildhorse). It is considered one of the best easy to reach slot canyons in Utah. You can hike it about anytime during the day as the sun is shielded almost all the time. I would go about an hour, after that it isn't as narrow. Goblins are great at Sunset. Do see the stars somewhere along your trip at night. Goblin Valley is one of the darkest places on earth. Bryce has special astronomy every night. You can see satellites floating by with the naked eye and you will see 3 or 4 times the number of stars you normally see. my nieghbor is with me on the goblin valley trip. wife and daughter at moab and zion.

Link to our pics of Goblin Valley and Lil Wildhorse
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...B?source=pw980


Link to our Zion pics
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...1?source=pw980

Link to Moab pics
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...6?source=pw980

utahtea

I'd highly recommend a nights stop between Moab and Bryce only because you will be traveling though somescenic areas if you take Hwy 24 though Captiol Reef and Hwy 12. Torrey which is just 11 miles past Capitol Reef makes a great stopping point.

While in Moab take the Potash Road (Hwy 279)along the Colorado river and look for petroglyphs. Also the Kane Creek Road which is on the opposite of the Colorado River has a lot of great ones too.

When our son wasn't even 4 yet he hiked the Queen's Garden Trail in Bryce. If your daughter is an experienced hiker, she will probably do ok with that hike too.

Enjoy your trip.

Utahtea

happytrailstoyou

It was fun to read reality-based travel plans. By all means take Hwy 24 and Hwy 12, as mentioned above. This is one of the most beautiful drives in the US.

HTTY

bon_voyage

Your itinerary evoked fond memories of car trips with our kids throughout the Southwest. A few other possibilities to throw into the mix: the San Diego Zoo/Sea World, the Hopi mesas, especially Walpi, Antelope Canyon near Page (somehow we missed this one--it's now at the top of my when-we-return-to-AZ list). The hike to Delicate Arch was one of our all time favorite experiences.

Placename

Why are you bypassing Grand Canyon?

I would skip Monument Valley and go to Sedona where you can do a Jeep trip.

RuthinHolland

Wow, thanks everyone.

Spirobulldog, Little Wildhorse Canyon looks great. We love slot canyons and it's great to hear of an accssible one, most of the ones we've done have had a lot of walking along sandy washes to reach them or have involved scrambling that I don't think our daughter could do yet. She'd love the stars and was very excited to hear she may see a satellite, my husband works for a satellite operator so she's very interested! Where is the rock art in your photos? I'd love to see it.

Utahtea, good to hear that she should be able to manage the hiking at Bryce, she's certainly keen to try. Do you know anywhere good to stay in Torrey, last time we stayed at the Best Western, which was all right but not so good that I'd rush back!

Placename, we're by-pssing the Grand Canyon because we'd prefer to wait until our daughter is a little older so that we can hike into it. My husband and I have visited several times before and feel it's the least accessible of the parks,I tink it may be just to big for her to get yet! Plus, my husband has this issue with heights... I think he'd find it very stressful!

Since I posted this itinerary my husband has found out that he's got a customer event in Phoenix on May 17-19. This means that we're now planning to go a week earlier and have an extra five days away, including the time in Phoenix. We're going to have to rearrange things a bit because we don't need to be in Phoenix at the beginning and end but it means we'll be able to stay in Capitol Reef as well. So, our plan now looks like this:

April 23 Fly to Las Vegas
April 26 Bryce
April 28 Moab
May 1 Capitol Reef
May 3 Zion
May 5 Las Vegas - husband has work meeting
May 7 Santa Monica
May 9 Carlsbad
May 11 Anaheim
May 14 Somewhere between La and Phoenix.
May 16 Phoenix
May 20 Fly home

What do you think? It's not ideal having to loop back to Vegas but as the company will now be paying for my husband's flight I guess we have to!

Thanks very much.

spirobulldog

The rock art is not far from Goblin Valley and Lil Wildhorse. It is located in detached area of Canyonlands National Park called Horseshoe Canyon and there are 4 or 5 galleries. The biggest and best is called- The Great Gallery. Most people consider it to be the "best" in the world. The Great Gallery sets the standard that most others are compared to. It took us 3-4 hours. We spent a little time at each gallery. There is a ranger-led tour on Saturdays that runs about 6 hours.

To reach the trailhead it is about a 30-45 minute drive on an easy dirt road. The trail is somewhat difficult and not much shade. We did it mid-october and weather was cool. It is a very interesting and neat place to see. My somewhat difficult usually translates into pretty darn difficult for my wife. Unless you have a kid that just really is into hiking, I don't think a younger child would like it.

Lil Wildhorse is super easy to reach and you get some nice slots almost immediately.


Here are some website with really good descriptions and photos of hikes. Todds and Climb Utah are great for Utah. Natural Born has some Utah and a lot of other places as well

http://climb-utah.com/index.htm

http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/top10.html

http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Hikes.htm

spirobulldog

By the way, if you remember the guy that had to amputate his own arm in the middle of nowhere in Blue John Canyon--The entrance to Blue John is less than a mile from The Great Gallery. So, yeah this one is pretty darn remote.

utahtea

Sorry, but we've have always camped in Capitol Reef so can't recommend a place to stay.

Utahtea

beechbum

The Phoenix area is filled with hiking trails. Camelback Mountain is a must when in Phoenix. There is a waterpark called Wet n Wild Phoenix, not sure when they reopen for the season but your daughter will love it. The Phoenix Children's Museum is also great.

beechbum

Thought of something else, I would change the CA destinations. I would go from Santa Monica to Anaheim and then to Carlsbad (or San Diego). Then head to AZ. There isn't much between CA and AZ to stay, maybe Palm Springs. Another place in the Phoenix area you might enjoy is the Arizona Space Challenger. www.azchallenger.org

bon_voyage

Playing with possibilities--What if you began your trip in Southern California, flying into either San Diego or Orange County, then on to Las Vegas and Utah, ending in Phoenix?

gabbyvegas

If you're going to be in Vegas, I recommend spending half a day at Red Rock Canyon (http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/). It's about 15 miles west of the Las Vegas strip (past Red Rock Casino) and features a vistor center, 13 mile scenic drive, and about 20 hiking trails of varying difficulty.

dcorey

Been to all of these places and what a trip! Back in the late 60's there was a sod hut in Moab. Worth a look if it is still there.

RuthinHolland

I'd also thought about starting in Anaheim and doing the trip in reverse but we're flying in from the Netherlands and I don't think any of us would enjoy Disney as much with jetlag, it's pretty tiring anyway! Similarly, although it means retracing our steps a bit, I think it'll be better to do Carlsbad before Anaheim to avoid being at Disneyland at the weekend, did a Sunday afternoon there in Spring '09 and never want to repeat the experience!

gabbyvegas, I'd already thought of going to Red Rock Canyon while my husband has his meeting. Is it a reasonably easy drive in terms of traffic?

Spirobulldog, guess we'll be saving Horseshoe Canyon for when daughter's older! Will definitely check out Utahtea's petroglyph suggestions near Moab.

Can't wait until May!

Thanks