New Mexico
White Sands National Monument (Alamogordo, NM) – (The most magnificent site of gypsum salt dunes. Make sure you grab a slide before you come. It will be difficult for you to be able to purchase one close to the dunes. Our KOA ended up having some for us to borrow but had they not we would have been unable to find any. Also, as tempting as it may be do not park at the front. Continue to the back of the park. There are areas with covered picnic tables and dunes you can walk for miles and sled on. Bring a lunch because it is a perfect spot to eat lunch and read a book while your children (and you) slide. There are also bathrooms that were very clean and taken care of.)
Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument – (We started at the visitors center and hiked the La Cueva Loop. We went off the path some to view the cave and hike on some of the rock formations. It was a hot winter day and I had wished we had all worn shorts. Be prepared as this trail is great for children but there is a lot of climbing, nothing steep but just hills. Make sure you have enough water as well.)
Arizona
Walnut Canyon National Monument – (This was one of our favorite places we visited. The hike down and back is no more than an hour. You really could just make this a quick stop on your trip and not an overnight stay. The hike down was beautiful but I did get a bit scared with my younger son as most of it was not fenced in and there were some fairly stark cliffs. When there is a railing it is very minimal and nothing that would keep him from falling off. However the dwellings are amazing. Reading the history of the people who used to live here is astounding. Make sure you visit the gift shop, it is small but worthy of a look through.)
Sedona – (We loved Sedona. The drive there is magnificent. The tall pines sit like elegant ballerinas on the edge of cliffs. I was truly amazed at the tourist town that surrounded the sandstone formations. If you want to stay somewhere posh stay here. There are spas, restaurants, shopping and so much to do. Yet it is quaint and cute all at the same time. Sedona is also somewhere you could rent or bring an off road vehicle. We saw a ton of Polaris’ driving off road. We chose to take the Devils Bridge trailhead. It starts off on a robust road and leads to a trailhead that includes hiking up stone stairs to some steep climbs. There were a lot of children on it but ours did not make it to the top. It is about a 4 mile round trip and the first 1.2 miles are tough. You are on an open road but you are in the desert and so it is very hot. Even on a winter day my children were getting winded and exhausted. The sand on the road is thick and makes the hike more difficult. We ended up bringing our jeep down the road to the trailhead after we realized the jeep could make it. Dane walked back up to bring it down. I am not sure the children would have made it back up the 1.2 miles of hill. But the hike is worth the view. It is beautiful and I would recommend only take your children if they can handle the hike. It would not have been so bad if most of it was not on a road but a trail.)
Grand Canyon (I just love the Grand Canyon. The North Rim was closed, not sure if it was due to weather or the Pandemic but either way we ended up staying on the South Rim. We brought out ebikes which can carry all 4 of us and decided to bike the entire rim up to Hermit’s Rest. It’s about 11 or so miles from the Bright Angel bike shop to the top. The first 2 miles or so are winding through the bottom of the park and among trees before you start to ascend. If you have children biking on regular bicycles I would not recommend it. The way up, is well up and can be very strenuous. We were mostly on the road except there were a few times bikes were able to get onto the trails, but it was not often. The ebikes were great. We were able to stop at every lookout along the way, pack in our lunches (remember only leave footprints!) and stop at Hermit’s Rest for hot chocolate, cider and souvenirs. The ride down was amazing. If our children were older I would have loved to have hiked down into the canyon and camped, however that too is closed right now due to the pandemic. I believe in the world we are living in today, this was the best way to see the Canyon. We were isolated, no shuttle bus, on our own schedule and were able to stop and see so much. Bright Angel Bike Shop has bikes you can rent, both ebikes and not.)
Lake Powell (Page, AZ) (I had truly never seen anything so spectacular before we arrived here. We stayed at Wahweap, which is the most beautiful well kept campground I have been to on this trip. You will see coyotes, jack rabbits, bunnies and more as well as the beautiful canyons and water right out your front door. I have seen lakes and canyons but never together. It is very majestic. We were here for a week due to it being the week of Thanksgiving. I was thankful (get it) to be here that long instead of somewhere else. We rented a small boat for the whole day while we were there. It was exceptionally chilly when the sun went behind the clouds, but when the sun was out it warmed up fairly quickly. It is a huge lake. Spans the Arizona and Utah border and lives in both states. You could be in Arizona one minute and Utah the next. There are tons of places to explore by boat on the lake. From Wahweap it is a bit of a haul to get to Rainbow Bridge in one day, however we were able to check out Antelope Canyon (not the slot canyon you read about, you must make reservations for that, however it is also closed right now due to the pandemic), Navajo Canyon and Labyrinth Canyon. We enjoyed riding back as far as we could get the boat, stopping the engine and taking in the peacefulness of it all. We also took a drive to see Horshoebend which is only about a 15 minute drive from Wahweap. You do have to pay to enter but it was only around $5 per car. The hike takes about 10 minutes and is not strenuous at all. There is a fence where the iconic horsehoe picture is taken, however at your own risk you can climb the rocks around it where there are not fences. The cliffs around it are more like mounds but you must be careful as there are these random openings in the rock you may not see if not looking. I would have loved to paddleboard below it, but the only way is to go to Lee’s Ferry and put in there, or find a local company that will drop you at the dam and pick you up at Lee’s. It is however about 16 miles of paddling. We also enjoyed exploring Lone Rock Beach. We took the jeep and went off roading some and found a little corner all to ourselves. There are tons of hikes and activities to do when the pandemic is not an issue, or the weather is warmer but we enjoyed our time relaxing, taking in the view, hiking the beach, biking the trails on the campsite and enjoying a beautiful campground.
Utah
Snow Canyon (Ivans Utah)
TO COME
