https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast daily 0.75 2020-03-04 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/new-york-city monthly 0.5 2020-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583255695435-CU4KGCR4XKB7ET87G5SO/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583256020508-7X7GDTEQ2SQB6ER4523C/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - All four of us went to NYC to celebrate Averhy’s 16th birthday and Eden’s 13th birthday. This was the perfect age for the girls to go, because they could appreciate the sites and handle all of the walking without complaint. Plus, they have both wanted to see a show on Broadway for a long time, so these milestone birthdays gave us a good reason to go. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583257044214-3DS63N6ZDQSK7ZNWK6Y1/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583257086158-87I3O54UQG1Z6Z9JHYV6/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583259075236-K0I6YLM40SC4KRUJNTBS/image-asset.png United States - East Coast - New York City - We stayed at the Holiday Inn - Times Square for the weekend. We chose this hotel because it was a good price and was close to many things we wanted to see. The only downside was that the hotel had only 2 elevators - and they would quickly fill up during busy morning/evening times. I would suggest staying on one of the upper floors (we were on 34) so you can avoid a full elevator in the morning - and enjoy a great view of the city too! The yellow stars on the map show all the main sites we visited during the weekend, and links are in the daily itinerary below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583259726628-X6GK754VOHSHQ29E0MFU/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Day 1: Bryant Park, NYC Public Library, Grand Central Station, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Harry Potter & the Cursed Child. We arrived late on a Friday night, so our first full day in the city was a Saturday. We crammed in a lot during the morning because we knew most of our day would be spent watching Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583260158017-KGV316V3BZYNJ8FW5168/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Our first stop was Bryant Park, where an ice rink was set up for the winter. It looked like a fun option for families & was not too crowded at 10am on Saturday. Next was the New York Public Library, located right next to Bryant Park. The main reading room was beautiful, and there were interesting displays in the side halls. We spent about 45 minutes here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583260331100-75ES1TWK15PMMZAZY070/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Next we walked to Grand Central Station. The main terminal is busy and beautiful, with constellations painted all over the teal ceiling. There seem to be just as many tourists as locals in the building, so find a corner to just stand and enjoy the view for a bit! While we were here, we purchased a metro card to use on the subway for the weekend. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583260498218-14JXNCFXPH1RVTZVGNNT/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Our next stop was St. Patrick’s Cathedral. There was a service happening, but tourists were still allowed to walk quietly around the sides of the sanctuary. In many cathedrals we’ve visited, the front area is blocked off - but this building has small altars all the way around, so you can get a view of the incredible architecture from every angle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583263208887-XMKHJK4H7UPAOIPL9GRK/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - After St. Patrick’s, we walked to the Rockefeller Center Plaza to watch the ice skaters, and then on past Radio City Music Hall before getting back to our hotel to clean up before the show. Our afternoon was spent watching Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric Theatre. This play is presented in two parts, and is simply incredible. It is visually stunning, the acting is fantastic, the magic is jaw-dropping, and the musical score adds depth to the story. We would HIGHLY recommend going to this show if you are in NYC, whether or not you are already a Harry Potter fan. It is excellent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583263798489-9R70X7F7KY23ZPG09GV0/timesq.jpg United States - East Coast - New York City - Between Part 1 and 2 of the show, we ate dinner at Daniela Trattoria, a little Italian restaurant around the corner from the theatre. Then we walked through Times Square and gawked at the lights and people. After the show, we got dessert at Carlo’s Bakery - delicious, but expensive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583264520702-7TS3QVAJH1TYTRENST6S/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Day 2: Oculus, 9/11 Memorial, Trinity Church, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, SIX the Musical, and the Empire State Building After taking the subway south and getting bagels for breakfast, we stopped at the Oculus - the transportation hub for the new World Trade Center. The architecture is really stunning! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583264774323-PCDOX60WIM6RY8RHGSUC/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Across the street is the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. We spent about 30 minutes here, and did not go into the museum on this visit. The outdoor memorials were quite emotional on their own. There is a fee for the museum, while the outdoor memorials are free. We had an hour before our ferry to the Statue of Liberty, so we walked and found Trinity Church (where Alexander Hamilton is buried) and the Fearless Girl and the Charging Bull statues. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583266287244-NSVQ8PAC3QSUKGN0CPD0/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Statue Cruises is the only ferry service to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and you can buy tickets online or at Battery Park. If you want to climb up to the crown of the statue, purchase your tickets well in advance (I bought ours about 6 weeks in advance). The climb wasn’t bad, and the views were great! If you want to avoid crowds, go after lunch. We climbed at 2pm and there were only a few other people there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583266326909-WFDS4YY5OA3U5H9JTRQ5/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - The museum at the Statue of Liberty is also very interesting, so we spent about 45 minutes there, learning about how the statue was built. Next the ferry goes to Ellis Island. There are interactive displays throughout that illustrate the process immigrants went through when they arrived here. Our girls both enjoyed this museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583266369896-159CTS5E1REXAFTOS87D/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - After pizza at Sauce & Barrel, we walked back through the 9/11 Memorial and the Oculus to get a nighttime view of these landmarks. We took the subway back to our hotel, and then went to SIX the Musical for our evening entertainment. The show was completely different from Harry Potter, but still fun and playful. If you like pop music or rock musicals, you would enjoy this show. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583266412673-KPGGS18626J6EXT3QPM5/nyc_night3.jpg United States - East Coast - New York City - After the show, we got dessert at the Roxy Diner and then went to the Empire State Building at 10:30pm for a nighttime view of the entire city - and if you go late at night, you won’t have to wait in line! Sky and I went to the Empire State Building in January 2019, and since then the inside has been completely updated! There is an interactive display that details the construction of the building, its appearances in pop culture, and renovations that made it energy efficient. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583269024772-XDZCC5F5OGHRCZYJ92TX/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - Day 3: Central Park, The Plaza Food Hall, MoMA Our final day in NYC was full of walking, so we were thankful it was a beautiful day! We started by taking the subway to the Museum of Natural History and entered Central Park from the west side. We climbed up the tower at the Belvedere Castle, wandered through the Ramble, crossed over the Bow Bridge, and saw sea lions eating lunch at the Central Park Zoo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583269061510-GF9XISE4X7U7SRYK1ESB/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - New York City - After a tasty lunch in the Plaza Food Hall, we walked to the Museum of Modern Art and spend a few hours exploring the displays. Next we took the subway down to the Flatiron Building, but unfortunately it was covered in scaffolding for repairs! We walked back to our hotel, collected our backpacks, and took a cab to the airport to catch our flight. A busy and fun weekend! https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/gettysburg monthly 0.5 2020-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582565956752-7V9WUX887IHZ9I6NT37U/Gettysburg.jpg United States - East Coast - Gettysburg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582566075150-C47ZNY95YWZ7PW32TAT7/gettysburgfamily.jpg United States - East Coast - Gettysburg - Our family of four took a road trip from Illinois to Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and the Blue Ridge Parkway when Averhy was 14 and Eden was 11 years old. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582568606355-YLMRQZWQZNW6LQZOIKZU/image-asset.png United States - East Coast - Gettysburg - We are big fans of AirBnB, and try to use it whenever possible. We stayed at this cute guesthouse located on the property of an historic home just outside Gettysburg. The owner was friendly and helpful. We visited the starred locations on the map during our overnight stay in Gettysburg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582569267376-L7UTVXQWLEO2U0EG41SB/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - Gettysburg - Day 1: Downtown Gettysburg We drove all day from Illinois to PA, listening to the Ken Burns Civil War documentary most of the way. It was really helpful as a refresher about the big picture and smaller details surrounding the Civil War. We arrived at our AirBnB in the evening and had a late dinner in downtown Gettysburg. On trips like this, we often share 3 entrees to save money on meals - and then we can all try new things! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582569959191-CVCNH3OFB5BK87WLWADT/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - Gettysburg - Day 2: Gettysburg Battlefields and Museum We began our day with a 2-hour car tour of the historic battlegrounds through the Gettysburg Foundation. I would highly recommend this type of tour! Our guide drove our van so we were able to take in the sights while he explained the historical significance of each place we passed or stopped… and he KNEW HIS STUFF! These tours must be booked at least 5 days in advance by calling to make a reservation, and they can fill up in the summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582570412440-8LU23RPTCRWUPYVHANEV/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - Gettysburg - After our tour, we walked through the visitor center and museum. There were several displays that we found especially interesting, including military musical instruments that were typical of the time. We did not watch the film or view the cyclorama painting in the visitor center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582570475383-WCTCED8OSUDZ1IAVWM22/image-asset.jpeg United States - East Coast - Gettysburg - After the museum, we drove back to the battleground areas to take another look at the Valley of Death and Devil’s Den areas. We wrapped up our time in Gettysburg around 3pm to drive to our next destination… Philadelphia! https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/category/New+York monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/category/United+States monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/category/Pennsylvania monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/New+York+City monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/US+History monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Statue+of+Liberty monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Central+Park monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Broadway monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Empire+State+Building monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Grand+Central+Station monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Road+Trip monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Rockefeller+Center monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/useastcoast/tag/Civil+War+Sites monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains daily 0.75 2024-04-01 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/glacier monthly 0.5 2024-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599661668166-C4VINJFEK5AJSVQ5T0QE/Glacier+Logan+Pass+2.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599661930103-VHR80DAXLNAKY73TUP4J/Glacier+Family+Hidden+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Our family of four went on this road trip in late July 2020, when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. This was a great time to take a road trip to these northern mountain states, because many of the trails don’t open until mid-summer (especially in Glacier National Park). There were still a few trails closed that we had hoped to hike, so we’ll have to come back someday! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596752651950-ME474LVO2ZNUEHQHYA2R/Tetons+Packing+List.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599664947326-IPFUIWEGL2YBMDN26QEF/Glacier+NP+Map United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - For this road trip, we stayed in a great AirBnB just outside the south park entrance - basically as close as you could get without being in the park itself: ! Glacier’s Back Door AirBnB The yellow stars on the map show all the hikes and activities we did during our time at Glacier National Park. The park is HUGE - to get from the bottom star (West Glacier) to the top star on the left (Bowman Lake) it took 1.5 hours of driving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596904098746-ODORSBUL5R9LW1CI7JVJ/Glacier+Lake+McDonald.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Day 1: Driving to Glacier National Park Today we drove 7 hours from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. We didn’t have any sightseeing stops along the way, but the views were beautiful! After we arrived at our AirBnB, we picked up burritos from The Wandering Gringo food truck (delicious!) and drove to the north end of Lake McDonald for a sunset dinner picnic by the historic Ranger Station. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596908435522-4AD058KQ9W8PY68ITBA4/Glacier+GTTS+1.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Day 2: Going-to-the-Sun Road For our first full day at Glacier, we decided to drive the entire Going-to-the-Sun road and stop at any parking lots that had space. This scenic drive is 50 miles one-way, with a speed limit of 25-45 mph, so it’s an all-day affair. After buying bear spray at Glacier Guides, we started the drive at 9am. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599670987647-PNTBCCQ9RC9ZMOJWKQW6/SacredDancingCascades.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - We stopped briefly at the north edge of Lake McDonald and then Sacred Dancing Cascades. It was pretty chilly to start the day, so after spending a few minutes here climbing on the rocks and logs at the edge of the river, we got back in the van. Continuing north, the parking lots at Avalanche Lake and the Loop were full, so we kept driving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599671064279-SRV8JEYNSHWAKDSC23VN/WeepingWall.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Once you get to the Loop, the road continues along the edge of the mountains rather than down in the valley. There are gorgeous views and waterfalls around every turn. The Weeping Wall falls even splash on your car, so roll up your windows! Just past the Weeping Wall is a big curve in the road, with these falls on one side and Paradise Meadow on the other. This is a great place to stop and get beautiful photos of the mountains and the river at the bottom of the valley. To get close to these falls, it’s just a short walk up the hill. The highest point of Going-to-the-Sun Road is Logan Pass, and the parking lot was full when we arrived at 10:30am, so we kept driving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599676675385-RTXQXYB4MGR9ZM6POCBD/BaringFalls.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Our next stop was at the Siyeh Pass Trailhead, where we chose to hike to Baring Falls. This easy 1-mile trail was slightly overgrown, so we made sure to call out “Hey Bear!” as we walked. When we arrived at the waterfall, there were several other hikers and families here, and we took turns climbing on the rocks to get even closer to the falls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599678026795-L75BEWNSM8FRH7YR1RJ2/GooseIsland.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Our next stop after Baring Falls was the Wild Goose Island Lookout. There are several parking spots right along the road, and this view is just a short walk along a path. The lake water really was this blue on the beautiful sunny day we had! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909221457-GEOIUL6IHG3V81843QQU/Glacier+Rising+Sun+Campground.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - A little further along, we reached the Rising Sun Campground and picnic areas. The first picnic area had clean restrooms and lake access, where you can take a boat out onto Saint Mary Lake (but not this year due to COVID). At the second camping area, there are picnic areas on the right and a general store on the north side of the road. The rest of GTTS Road was closed past this point, due to COVID - but the picnic area was not busy at all. We enjoyed lunch on a small beach we had all to ourselves! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599678661919-3AWAWQ7OSRR5AMQFK8PG/GlacierBoardwalk.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - At 12:30pm we headed back toward Logan Pass, and found a parking spot right away at 1:15pm! This is the starting point for several trails, but the trail to Hidden Lake Overlook was the only one open due to bear activity down at the lake and snow blocking the Highline Trail. This hike ended up being our favorite of the entire trip! It starts with a boardwalk leading to valley views. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909674389-PN11HJHN9T8MP4G2IBS6/Glacier+Logan+Pass+1.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - The boardwalk ended at a snow field about .5 mile wide, so we were glad to be wearing hiking shoes with great traction. The trail was heavily trafficked because it was the only one open in this area, but the wildlife didn’t seem to mind - we saw 7 mountain goats (including a baby!) and a small herd of bighorn sheep! However, that also means this trail closes frequently due to bear activity. Check the NPS website first… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909907094-F26BQ4O4H7853LZV8EQP/Glacier+Hidden+Lake+2.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - The view from the Hidden Lake Overlook was amazing! There is a boardwalk and viewing platform, as well as lots of large rocks to the side where you can sit and catch your breath before heading back to the parking lot. The mountain goats walk directly on the trail near the overlook, so be sure to give them space! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599678726362-WG9IX2NLGASWLLWBCCEE/Sledding.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - This moderate out-and-back trail is 2.8 miles and took us 2.5 hours - because the girls spent 30 minutes sledding down the snow field at the end, using their jackets as sleds! There were several places along the trail that were very slick due to snow, so wear appropriate shoes. We saw a few people trying to hike across the snow wearing flip-flops, and it was not going well… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596910478966-1F5LTXU4PR1OWEIPYCO9/Glacier+Moose.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - After we finished playing in the snow, we continued the drive back down GTTS Road, stopping at the Loop parking lot this time for another view of the winding valley. The road heads back down into the valley and follows the river toward Lake McDonald - and we happened to spot this moose crossing the river! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596910511794-60Q9YEVGCJJU2R2J5ICM/Glacier+Redrocks+Falls+1.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Our last stop was at the Red Rock Point. The water here is so blue against the red rocks, you won’t believe your eyes! There is a small parking area and a newly-renovated path to an overlook, and it’s easy to walk down on the rocks as well to feel the cold water. We finished our Going-to-the-Sun Road driving day at 5:30pm - a long, fun day! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596911320744-PYCBT6955LC1Y1YHCIXI/Glacier+bike+ride+2.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Day 3: Apgar Bike Trails & Bowman Lake Today we rented bikes from Glacier Outfitters, located inside the national park. They offer a variety of equipment (bikes, kayaks, etc.) but definitely reserve in advance - we were able to walk right up and get our bikes at 10am, but there were lines of people waiting when we rode by later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596911478518-MAK4EIMK6C8D4814TY7T/Glacier+river+in+West+Glacier.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - We spent 4.5 hours riding the bike trails around Apgar Village and West Glacier. Bikes are not allowed on hiking trails, and there are not very many bike trails, so we rode them all! We especially liked the West Glacier trail that crossed the Middle Fork Flathead River. There were several people jumping off the bridge into the river, & whitewater rafting groups on the river too. And more amazing clear blue water!!! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596912006028-IV2S3RYVT32KVBU5EPS7/Glacier+Bowman+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Next we loaded the bikes onto the van and drove 1 hour to the park entrance at Polebridge. From there, the 5 mi. road to Bowman Lake is TERRIBLE and full of potholes, which led to several big dents in the back of our van due to the bike rack bouncing around for the 30 minute drive. Oops! By the time we reached the lake, we only had about 25 minutes to enjoy the lake before heading back to return our bikes. That lake view though… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596912583342-MBDOCK9DDLN2C3N9SNYK/Glacier+Trail+of+the+Cedars+1.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Day 4: Trail of the Cedars, Avalanche Lake, & kayaking on Lake McDonald Today we got an early start, because we wanted to make sure to get a parking spot at Avalanche Campground - and we snagged one of the last spaces when we arrived at 8:15am. Trail of the Cedars is an easy 0.8 mile heavily trafficked loop (half of it is a boardwalk) with beautiful Avalanche Gorge waterfall at the halfway point. The Avalanche Lake Trail continues from this point for another 2.5 miles. This section is less accessible than Trail of the Cedars, but still easy. The path goes through cedar forests and was fairly busy both when we were hiking out around 9am and hiking back at noon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599682244296-8L0IXHEHV67D3EPRS5P0/Glacier+Avalanche+Lake+1.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - We arrived at Avalanche Lake at 9:45am and had a quick snack. Then we kept hiking around the right side to reach the far edge of the lake around 10:45am. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599682293460-CB5HR2403T57NK2R0LUB/Glacier+Avalanche+Lake+3.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park There were fewer people on the far side of the lake, and plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the rocky beach. There was an overgrown trail that continued toward the waterfalls, but we didn’t follow it very far because we were concerned about bears. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599682358236-4D4MTO9O4FAHDNMSMJCN/Glacier+Avalanche+Lake+5.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - We got back to the parking lot at Avalanche campground around 1pm, then drove to Apgar campground, where there was a boat inspection station. We got our kayaks checked and registered so we could spend the rest of the day on the water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596913776065-ELUFJX4JQRT2E84PCYZH/Glacier+Kayaking.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - We spent the afternoon kayaking on Lake McDonald. This was the only lake within Glacier NP open to boating when we were visiting. There were several rocky beaches along the edge where we stopped to have a snack and enjoy the day. Next, we went home to clean up and have dinner, but most restaurants here are closed on Tuesdays! The only one open was a bar & grill called The Packer’s Roost, so we got burgers to go. (They were delicious!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596914277599-H16S852OB2CXWEP91GBO/Glacier+Redrocks+Falls+2.jpg United States Mountains - Glacier National Park - Day 12: Driving: West Glacier MT to Gillette WY After checking out of our AirBnB in the morning, we had a long day of driving to get to our next hotel in Gillette, WY. For the drive home, we decided to break it up into 1 driving day, 1 sightseeing day, and 1 driving day. You can read all about it in this post. Overall, we loved Glacier National Park and would like to come back someday when the entire park is open to explore! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599683093351-4X0GRP3NJHDFMHNUZ41H/Glacier+National+Park.png United States Mountains - Glacier National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/yellowstone monthly 0.5 2020-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598465924573-1615UP14L5IT8AEFCQX1/Yellowstone+Falls.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598467864914-GBUJI2VKFH43HKLQ9HPB/Yellowstone+Family+Mystic+Falls.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Our family of four went on this road trip in late July 2020, when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. We also visited Yellowstone in the winter of 2017, when Averhy was 13 and Eden was 10 years old. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596752651950-ME474LVO2ZNUEHQHYA2R/Tetons+Packing+List.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598469455320-SGL4V6HPQDTU6ZJ6CDBB/Screen+Shot+2020-08-26+at+2.17.08+PM.png United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - For our summer visit, we stayed one night at Absaroka Lodge near the Yellowstone north entrance in Gardiner, Montana. During our wintertime visit, we stayed in Big Sky, Montana and drove down to West Yellowstone to take a snowcoach tour of the park for one long day. The map shows the sites we visited during our summertime road trip. At the end of this post I’ve included some tips for visiting in the winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598469741391-DPODGMI78AQ4KHMVBBTQ/Kepler+Cascade.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone South to North We entered the park from the south entrance, which meant the first part of our time in Yellowstone was spent driving through lots of wooded areas. The road follows a river that is carving out a canyon in the forest. There are several viewpoints where you can stop and take a look at the river and waterfalls on the east side of the road. Our first stop was at Kepler Cascades. This waterfall is easily accessible from the road, with a short boardwalk to an overlook. This gives you a great view of the waterfall on both sides of the lookout point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599058549590-9DF0U699VVXAU5LRS5MF/Old+Faithful United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Driving north from Kepler Cascades, the next main stop is at Old Faithful. There is a visitor center here, restrooms, dining options, and a hotel. We visited Old Faithful during our winter trip in 2017, so we did not watch the geyser during our summer visit. The geyser erupts about every 90 minutes, so if you do stop here, keep in mind that you might have a long wait on a crowded boardwalk. When we visited Yellowstone in the winter, we arrived at Old Faithful about 5 minutes after it had erupted, so we used the 90-minute wait to use the restroom and eat lunch in one of the yurts nearby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599058815308-U18SGCF1C3OL9VSONHH0/Yellowstone+Springs+2.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Continuing north, our next stop was at the Biscuit Basin Trailhead. There is a nice boardwalk here that goes past several colorful hot springs and a smaller geyser (Jewel Geyser) that erupts more frequently than Old Faithful. At the back of the Biscuit Basin boardwalk loop is the start of the trail to Mystic Falls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596902216686-R4P7I61T3ZR0TNRGEI6O/Mystic+Falls+1.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Mystic Falls was one of the locations on our “must see” list at Yellowstone, and it did not disappoint. This easy trail is about 2.5 miles round trip. Most of the trail is on sandy soil through a forested area. About 1 mile into the hike, the path splits and you can either hike along the river (take the left path) or up to the top of the falls (take the right path). We chose to hike left, along the riverbed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599059190751-7RKFR7TX1LGYKB9WK6FA/Mystic+Falls+2.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - It’s possible to get very close to the falls, but be careful because some of the rocks are slippery! Also watch out for some hot springs coming out of the rocks along the sides of the riverbed. The river and waterfall is cold, but the colorful springs along the sides are definitely hot water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596902687627-9MXCF6ARRXNVFJIYLN2V/Yellowstone+Grand+Prismatic.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Our next stop was at the Fairy Falls trailhead. This parking lot was almost full at 12pm. We hiked to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook which gave us this great view of these colorful hot springs. The trail was busy, but better than the crowded boardwalk that you see in this photo. This is an easy, flat trail until you reach the point where it splits - then take the left path up to the overlook. We continued hiking all the way to Fairy Falls, but this was our least favorite hike of the trip. The forest trail was hot and highly trafficked, and the waterfall at the end - though pretty - was not as impressive as Mystic Falls. Total hike 5mi, 2.5 hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596903200021-IM0QSUZ65BGDOC17GYOU/Yellowstone+Falls.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - Continuing north through the park, we briefly stopped at Gibbon Falls. This overlook was fairly crowded. There are some trails here, if you want to hike closer to the falls. Next we drove to the Virginia Cascades overlook. This one-way road hugs the cliff edge and is NOT for large vehicles or trucks pulling campers! At one point, a bison walking in the road slowed traffic for a bit. Finally we arrived at the Artist Point overlook on the south rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to see the lower falls of the Yellowstone River. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599060131179-CXB6NEQU1YIQMDWUVN0P/RoadTrip_album_312.JPG United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - At Artist Point, there were restrooms and ample parking. This overlook was a little crowded and really windy, so hold on to your hats! Continuing back toward the main road, we stopped at Uncle Tom’s trail overlook to get a view of the Upper Falls. There was a good amount of parking in this area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596903772867-4RU45CSXHU16SIMBJUI4/Yellowstone+Mammoth+Hot+Springs.jpg United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park - We spent about an hour enjoying the canyon views, then continued to drive north. Our last stop in the park was at Mammoth Hot Springs. There are several viewing areas at these impressive mineral formations. The Upper Terrace loop drive was closed, but walking paths were open. We parked at the Lower Terraces trailhead to get this view of the Devil’s Thumb and Palette Springs formations. We finished our day at Yellowstone around 7pm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1599063788493-O5T3TFJK8LDBJAG9DFXQ/Yellowstone+National+Park.png United States Mountains - Yellowstone National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/grand-teton monthly 0.5 2020-08-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598453163889-H77EYPUWQAEP6KFI396A/Teton+sunrise+1.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598453327862-V6LE464PIYEO4IKPAE3O/Grand+Teton+Family+Surprise+Lake+hike.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Our family of four went on this road trip in late July 2020, when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. This was a great time to take a road trip to Grand Teton National Park because the weather was mild and the wildflowers were in bloom everywhere! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596752651950-ME474LVO2ZNUEHQHYA2R/Tetons+Packing+List.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598454439080-RTY0H1Z6U0K17CXQ98OU/Screen+Shot+2020-08-26+at+10.06.38+AM.png United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - For this road trip, we slowed down a bit and stayed 6 nights in Grand Teton since there is so much to see. We stayed at Budges Slide Lake Cabin #4, which is a 30-minute drive from the Moose Entrance of Grand Teton. This was the same cabin that Sky’s family stayed in the last time he was here, when he was 16 years old! The cabins are on Lower Slide Lake, located at the bottom right corner of the map, just past Kelly WY. The map shows the trailheads and locations for all the activities we did at Grand Teton National Park. We also went to Jackson WY every evening to pick up dinner, which is further south on the map, following route 191 south about 20 minutes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596814519523-Q6NHDWT9CWYB9K70VWEL/Slide+Lake+view+1.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 1: Driving to Grand Teton We knew that there would be limited grocery store options and no cell service when we arrived, so we stopped in Riverton, WY to load up our cooler with groceries for the week. We arrived at our cabin on Slide Lake at 10pm and got settled in for the week. No complaints about this view and the stars at night were amazing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596815034921-HCBOLACIQEXBD4PA2P6S/Surprise+Lake+hike+2.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 2: Hike to Surprise Lake Grand Teton National Park has a lot of awesome trails and lakes to explore, but the signage at the trailheads is a bit lacking. Be sure to read the maps carefully - our first hike to Surprise Lake turned out to be about 8 miles round-trip and rated “strenuous” (which we didn’t notice before we started!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598455190034-B9ZRBG5ASOHITRV1XZDT/Surprise+Lake+hike+3.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - The trail begins at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead, and the parking lot was nearly full when we arrived at 11am. The first part of the trail is through forest, then a steady incline through alpine meadows with gorgeous views of the valley. The trail has multiple switchbacks as you gain elevation, which takes you in and out of the trees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598455133175-F1L5HSL71NOAX37JZHHE/Surprise+Lake+hike+4.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - After about 2 hours of hiking, covering 3 miles or so, the girls were ready to take a long break. They sat in the shade while Sky and I continued the last mile to Surprise Lake. Near the top, the trail gets more rocky and flattens out, with some large patches of snow covering the path.. Pressing on through the trees, we arrived at Surprise Lake and stopped for a snack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596815114809-SGCGIZPQTJ75XBPTNONK/Surprise+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - There are lots of boulders around the edge of the lake where you can sit and enjoy the view. If you want to hike another mile total, you can continue to Amphitheater Lake (which we did not do). We hiked back down to the girls, then back to the parking lot. This hike was a total of 5.5 hours and 8 miles. The trail was well-trafficked, but did not feel crowded. In the evening we picked up dinner from Liberty Burger in Jackson and took it back to our cabin. Delicious! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596815599585-SP1MW0E7ZURSU2I59OFF/Jenny+Lake+trail.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 3: Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point & Cascade Canyon hikes The next morning we decided to tackle a few connected trails. The parking lot at Jenny Lake fills up VERY quickly, as do the parking lots at String Lake and Leigh Lake. We lucked out and found a spot at the Jenny Lake overlook on the east edge of the lake at 11am. Our first mile of hiking was all flat and easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596816723216-AKLMEJLNAS4G7R966VCA/Hidden+Falls.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - After crossing the bridge at the String Lake trailhead, it’s another 1.7 miles of fairly easy hiking to get to the west shore boat dock, and then .5 miles to Hidden Falls. The trail from the dock to the falls is more uphill, but still fairly easy. The view of the falls is worth the hike, which means this area can be crowded. If you don’t want to hike around Jenny Lake, there is a shuttle boat that goes between the Jenny Lake visitor center and the west boat dock. The cost is $10 adult / $8 child one-way, or $18/$10 round-trip. Due to social distancing guidelines at the time we traveled, they limited the number of people per boat - which meant the line to get on the boat was LONG. (We considered taking the shuttle back to the visitor center after we finished all of our hikes, but we realized the wait would have been over 2 hours… while the hike back would take only 45 minutes. We chose to hike.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596817126652-7JZRDE2OW25KZWDKS7TR/Inspiration+Point+family.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Continuing past Hidden Falls, the hike to Inspiration Point is another 0.5 miles of steep uphill trail and steps. This section is more difficult, but the view at the top is great. We stopped here for a lunch break. It was pretty windy too, so hold on to your hats! Another 1.5 miles of hiking brought us into Cascade Canyon, with beautiful views and a rushing river in the valley. It was worth the extra hiking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596817344485-2UKPU4GZN3ADX8G76F1Y/Cascade+Canyon+1.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - After Cascade Canyon, we headed back to the dock (where we noticed 2 hour wait for the shuttle boat) so we continued hiking 2.5 miles of the Jenny Trail loop back to the visitor center. The trail was mostly flat and easy. Eden and I took a short detour at the Moose Pond loop trail and saw a moose in the pond! Back at the visitor center, Sky walked the final mile to get our van while the girls and I used the restroom and waited. Total hiking today was 5.5 hours and 11 miles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596818047176-LPFTNVPBEUFJQU7X6B1P/Grand+Teton+Family+Jackson+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 4: Jackson Lake & Bar-T5 Cowboy show We brought inflatable kayaks with us on this road trip to enjoy the views of the mountains from the water, and this was a perfect day to do that! Jackson Lake is huge, so we decided to put in at Spalding Bay on the south end of the lake. The road to get here is one-lane rough gravel with plenty of potholes, which meant we had the parking area almost completely to ourselves! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596899627536-9VARS8QSZ5GGIR37DNJ1/Grand+Teton+Kayak.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Before putting your boat in the water, you need to get it checked near the park entrance and purchase an Aquatic Invasive Species decal and possibly a WY boating permit. Check the National Park Service site for details specific to your boat. We spent several hours on the water, enjoying the views and even stopping for a few snacks. Another boater let us know that the wind picks up around 1pm, so stay near the shore after that time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596899681594-TFNCV6T24T114R0QY7HZ/BarT5.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - We finished kayaking by 3pm and then headed back for our evening activity - a cowboy dinner and covered wagon ride at Bar-T5 Ranch in Jackson WY! Although we tend to avoid touristy activities during our trips, this one was fun and entertaining. They did a great job of complying with COVID-19 regulations (masks, social distancing, reduced capacity, and everything was outdoors). We enjoyed the covered wagon ride and the food & musicians were great too! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596899897726-FUNNYTQTU1ZDW8VETCG3/Painted+Canyon+hike+1.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 5: String Lake & Paintbrush Canyon hikes After taking a day off of hiking yesterday, we were ready to hit the trails again today! We parked at the String Lake picnic area, which was almost full at 11am on a Wednesday. Today we combined two trails: String Lake and Paintbrush Canyon. The first portion of String Lake trail is fairly easy, going through the woods around the lake. When it splits, continue on the trail toward Paintbrush Canyon. The majority of this part of the trail is through wooded areas, so we kept our hands on our bear spray and called out “hey bear!” as we walked. The view is rather monotonous until you reach these awesome waterfalls and the path crosses the water several times. There were very few people on this trail - just how we like it! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596900129447-7X72QWMCQ85Y4AR9T2T7/Painted+Canyon+2.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - About a mile past the big waterfall, the canyon really opens up into wildflower meadows without much shade. We kept walking another mile to this overlook in the Lower Paintbrush Canyon backcountry camping zone. What a view! After a snack, we headed back to finish the String Lake loop trail. Total hiking today was 4.5 hours and about 8 miles. We went to Jackson to get pizza at Pinky G’s and ice cream at Moo’s. Tasty! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596901359704-B1E4TOTNWEYYM0QDKQ36/Tetons+Colter+Bay.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 6: Colter Bay hike & String Lake kayaking After sleeping in a bit, we drove all the way to the north side of Jackson Lake to check out Colter Bay. This area had a huge parking lot, a boat marina, and camping areas. We walked the 1 mile Lakeshore Trail before driving back to String Lake. The full trail is an easy 2 mile loop, but we wanted to get out on the water, so we didn’t spend much time here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596901500934-ZSXXJ3CNMWQ5ZUSVFXUU/Tetons+Leigh+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Unfortunately, the parking lots at String Lake were all full by the time we arrived at 1pm. This is a very popular spot for families (both tourists and locals) so arrive early, be patient in the parking lot, and be ready to share the rocky shoreline with others. We had a great afternoon playing in the water and exploring the lake by kayak. The water in String Lake is so clear and shallow that it looked like our kayak was floating on air! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598459804754-GCR13NYA4WK7IOVHM5F6/Mormon+Row+4.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Day 7: Mormon Row For our last morning in Grand Teton, Sky and I got up at 5:30am to drive and see the iconic Mormon Row barns at sunrise. The weather cooperated and gave us some great views! After packing up the van, it was time to get on the road for our one full day at Yellowstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598459842480-Q2B1SOHYGHFA8C7G8Y5Q/Mormon+Row+3.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park - Some photography tips for Mormon Row… this area is very popular at sunrise, so be ready to share the space with other photographers. Try to be aware of those around you, and don’t walk right in front of the barns! If you want to get the iconic barn photo, you’ll need to use a zoom lens from the middle of the field across from the barn, or even back on the road away from the barn. The sun comes up quickly. You’ll only have a few minutes where the barn is really lit up, so don’t be late! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1598462552864-9PYA3YJ0IJ1RYAH7ZQWV/Tetons+Pinterest.jpg United States Mountains - Grand Teton National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/road-trip monthly 0.5 2020-08-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596749117950-9EYFWU1GZ17IINEPE98R/RoadTrip_071.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596751219688-GUAK2VNYHPNF4RHDMXYY/Road+Trip+Map.png United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596751677135-JQCRRFEK24JZYSQN150U/Road+Trip+family.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Our family of four went on this road trip in late July 2020, when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. This was a great time to take a road trip to these northern plains and mountain states, because many of the trails don’t open until mid-summer (especially in Glacier National Park). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596752651950-ME474LVO2ZNUEHQHYA2R/Tetons+Packing+List.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596753805281-E1809C2DHZ420IOI6XFY/Budges+Slide+Lake+Cabins United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - For this road trip, we slowed down a bit and stayed multiple nights in Grand Teton and Glacier since there is so much to see. These were all good, clean lodging options in great locations: Budges Slide Lake Cabin #4 (near Grand Tetons) Absaroka Lodge (near Yellowstone north entrance) Glacier’s Back Door AirBnB (near Glacier NP) La Quinta Inn (near Devil’s Tower) Best Western Plains Motel (near Badlands NP) The map at the top of this post shows the driving route we took. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596814668274-U0YNRCB3PHM1QENNZHPN/Oregon+Trail+Family2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 1: Lincoln, NE to Grand Teton National Park (Day 0 was driving 8 hours from central Illinois to Lincoln, Nebraska). We had about 13.5 hours of driving to do today, so we decided to break it up with a few quick stops at landmarks along the Oregon Trail. The first was Chimney Rock National Historical Site. The visitor center was closed for renovations, but it was nice to stretch our legs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596813670146-3V4X4HVIE0HCSUVZHJIA/Scotts+Bluff.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip After Chimney Rock, it was a short 30-minute drive to Scott’s Bluff National Monument. There is a road that leads to a paved path at the top of the bluff, or you can follow the hiking trail to the top if you want to spend more time here. At the base of the bluff, there is a section where you can walk on the original Oregon Trail and learn about the wagon trains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596814079967-4RYL80RVUII0W4M6EO6F/Guernsey+Ruts+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Another hour and a half further, we stopped in Guernsey WY to see the Oregon Trail Ruts. This National Trail historic site is a section of the Oregon Trail where wagons created ruts in the ground so deep that you can still see them today. There is a short, paved path to the ruts that is very accessible, with informational signs along the way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596814519523-Q6NHDWT9CWYB9K70VWEL/Slide+Lake+view+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - We still had 6 hours to drive to get to our cabin outside the Grand Tetons. We knew that there would be limited grocery store options and no cell service when we arrived, so we stopped in Riverton, WY to load up our cooler with groceries for the week. We finally arrived at our cabin on Slide Lake at 10pm and got settled in for the week. No complaints about this view and the stars at night were amazing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596815034921-HCBOLACIQEXBD4PA2P6S/Surprise+Lake+hike+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 2: Grand Teton National Park: Surprise Lake Grand Teton National Park has a lot of awesome trails and lakes to explore, but the signage at the trailheads is a bit lacking. Be sure to read the maps carefully - our first hike to Surprise Lake turned out to be about 8 miles round-trip and rated “strenuous” (which we didn’t notice before we started!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596815114809-SGCGIZPQTJ75XBPTNONK/Surprise+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - The trail begins at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead, and the parking lot was nearly full when we arrived at 11am. The first part of the trail is through forest, then a steady incline through alpine meadows with gorgeous views of the valley. Near the top, the trail gets more rocky and flattens out as you near Surprise Lake. If you want to hike another mile total, you can continue to Amphitheater Lake (which we did not do). Total hike was 5.5 hours and 8 miles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596815599585-SP1MW0E7ZURSU2I59OFF/Jenny+Lake+trail.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 3: Grand Teton National Park: Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point & Cascade Canyon The next morning we decided to tackle a few connected trails. The parking lot at Jenny Lake fills up VERY quickly, as do the parking lots at String Lake and Leigh Lake. We lucked out and found a spot at the Jenny Lake overlook on the east edge of the lake at 11am. Our first mile of hiking was all flat and easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596816723216-AKLMEJLNAS4G7R966VCA/Hidden+Falls.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - After crossing the bridge at the String Lake trailhead, it’s another 1.7 miles of fairly easy hiking to get to the west shore boat dock, and then .5 miles to Hidden Falls. The trail from the dock to the falls is more uphill, but still fairly easy. The view of the falls is worth the hike, which means this area can be crowded. If you don’t want to hike around Jenny Lake, there is a shuttle boat that goes between the Jenny Lake visitor center and the west boat dock. The cost is $10 adult / $8 child one-way, or $18/$10 round-trip. Due to social distancing guidelines at the time we traveled, they limited the number of people per boat - which meant the line to get on the boat was LONG. (We considered taking the shuttle back to the visitor center after we finished all of our hikes, but we realized the wait would have been over 2 hours… while the hike back would take only 45 minutes. We chose to hike.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596817126652-7JZRDE2OW25KZWDKS7TR/Inspiration+Point+family.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Continuing past Hidden Falls, the hike to Inspiration Point is another 0.5 miles of steep uphill trail and steps. This section is more difficult, but the view at the top is great. We stopped here for a lunch break. It was pretty windy too, so hold on to your hats! Another 1.5 miles of hiking brought us into Cascade Canyon, with beautiful views and a rushing river in the valley. It was worth the extra hiking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596817344485-2UKPU4GZN3ADX8G76F1Y/Cascade+Canyon+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - After Cascade Canyon, we headed back to the dock (where we noticed 2 hour wait for the shuttle boat) so we continued hiking 2.5 miles of the Jenny Trail loop back to the visitor center. The trail was mostly flat and easy. Eden and I took a short detour at the Moose Pond loop trail and saw a moose in the pond! Back at the visitor center, Sky walked the final mile to get our van while the girls and I used the restroom and waited. Total hiking today was 5.5 hours and 11 miles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596818047176-LPFTNVPBEUFJQU7X6B1P/Grand+Teton+Family+Jackson+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 4: Grand Teton National Park: kayaking on Jackson Lake & Bar-T5 Cowboy show We brought inflatable kayaks with us on this road trip to enjoy the views of the mountains from the water, and this was a perfect day to do that! Jackson Lake is huge, so we decided to put in at Spalding Bay on the south end of the lake. The road to get here is one-lane rough gravel with plenty of potholes, which meant we had the parking area almost completely to ourselves! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596899627536-9VARS8QSZ5GGIR37DNJ1/Grand+Teton+Kayak.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Before putting your boat in the water, you need to get it checked near the park entrance and purchase an Aquatic Invasive Species decal and possibly a WY boating permit. Check the National Park Service site for details specific to your boat. We spent several hours on the water, enjoying the views and even stopping for a few snacks. Another boater let us know that the wind picks up around 1pm, so stay near the shore after that time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596899681594-TFNCV6T24T114R0QY7HZ/BarT5.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - We finished kayaking by 3pm and then headed back for our evening activity - a cowboy dinner and covered wagon ride at Bar-T5 Ranch in Jackson WY! Although we tend to avoid touristy activities during our trips, this one was fun and entertaining. They did a great job of complying with COVID-19 regulations (masks, social distancing, reduced capacity, and everything was outdoors). We enjoyed the covered wagon ride and the food & musicians were great too! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596899897726-FUNNYTQTU1ZDW8VETCG3/Painted+Canyon+hike+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 5: Grand Teton National Park: String Lake & Paintbrush Canyon hikes After taking a day off of hiking yesterday, we were ready to hit the trails again today! We parked at the String Lake picnic area, which was almost full at 11am on a Wednesday. Today we combined two trails: String Lake and Paintbrush Canyon. The majority of the trail is through wooded areas, so we kept our hands on our bear spray and called out “hey bear!” as we walked. The trail finally starts to open up once you reach these awesome waterfalls and the path crosses the water several times. There were very few people on this trail - just how we like it! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596900129447-7X72QWMCQ85Y4AR9T2T7/Painted+Canyon+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - About a mile past the big waterfall, the canyon opens up into wildflower meadows without much shade. We kept walking another mile to this overlook in the Lower Paintbrush Canyon backcountry camping zone. What a view! After a snack, we headed back to finish the String Lake loop trail. Total hiking today was 4.5 hours and about 8 miles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596901359704-B1E4TOTNWEYYM0QDKQ36/Tetons+Colter+Bay.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 6: Grand Teton National Park: Colter Bay hike & String Lake kayaking After sleeping in a bit, we drove all the way to the north side of Jackson Lake to check out Colter Bay. This area had a huge parking lot, a boat marina, and camping areas. We walked the 1 mile Lakeshore Trail before driving back to String Lake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596901500934-ZSXXJ3CNMWQ5ZUSVFXUU/Tetons+Leigh+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Unfortunately, the parking lots at String Lake were all full by the time we arrived at 1pm. This is a very popular spot for families (both tourists and locals) so arrive early, be patient in the parking lot, and be ready to share the rocky shoreline with others. We had a great afternoon playing in the water and exploring the lake by kayak. The water in String Lake is so clear and shallow that it looked like our kayak was floating on air! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596901998029-UQZ7NVAY9LCFJ4V75FLN/Teton+sunrise+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 7: Grand Teton to Yellowstone National Park For our last morning in Grand Teton, Sky and I got up at 5:30am to drive and see the iconic Mormon Row barns at sunrise. The weather cooperated and gave us some great views! After packing up the van, it was time to get on the road for our one full day at Yellowstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596902216686-R4P7I61T3ZR0TNRGEI6O/Mystic+Falls+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Since we visited Yellowstone a few years ago in the winter, we were able to skip some of the more crowded areas and instead spend time seeing things we hadn’t seen on our last visit here. After a quick stop at Kepler Cascades (with a nice wheelchair accessible overlook) we decided to hike to Mystic Falls. The trailhead is located at the back of Biscuit Basin, after a boardwalk past several hot springs and geysers. This easy trail is about 2.5 miles RT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596902687627-9MXCF6ARRXNVFJIYLN2V/Yellowstone+Grand+Prismatic.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Our next stop was at the Fairy Falls trailhead. This parking lot was almost full at 12pm. We hiked to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, which gave us this great view of these colorful hot springs. The trail was busy, but better than the crowded boardwalk that you see in this photo. We continued hiking all the way to Fairy Falls, but this was our least favorite hike of the trip. The forest trail was hot and highly trafficked, and the waterfall at the end - though pretty - was not as impressive as Mystic Falls. Total hike 5mi, 2.5 hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596903200021-IM0QSUZ65BGDOC17GYOU/Yellowstone+Falls.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Continuing north through the park, we briefly stopped at Gibbon Falls and Virginia Cascades overlooks, and a bison walking in the road slowed down traffic for a bit. Finally we arrived at the Artist Point overlook in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596903772867-4RU45CSXHU16SIMBJUI4/Yellowstone+Mammoth+Hot+Springs.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - We spent about an hour enjoying the canyon views, then continued to drive north. Our last stop in the park was at Mammoth Hot Springs. There are several viewing areas at these impressive mineral formations, but the best is on the north side. We finished our day at Yellowstone around 7pm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596904098746-ODORSBUL5R9LW1CI7JVJ/Glacier+Lake+McDonald.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 8: Driving to Glacier National Park Today was a driving day - 7 hours from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. We didn’t have any sightseeing stops along the way, but the views were beautiful all on their own! After we arrived at our AirBnB, we drove to the north end of Lake McDonald for a sunset dinner picnic on the rocky shore by the historic Ranger Station. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596908435522-4AD058KQ9W8PY68ITBA4/Glacier+GTTS+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 9: Glacier National Park: Going-to-the-Sun Road & Hidden Lake Overlook Trail For our first full day at Glacier, we decided to drive the entire Going-to-the-Sun road and stop at any parking lots that had space. This scenic drive is 50 miles one-way, with a speed limit of 25-45 mph, so it’s an all-day affair. After buying bear spray at Glacier Guides, we started the drive at 9am. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909003356-RH36AGTY43WTI8J4YHWX/Glacier+GTTS2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - We stopped briefly at Sacred Dancing Cascades and then the north edge of Lake McDonald. Continuing north, the parking lots at Avalanche Lake and the Loop were full, so we kept driving and planned to do those hikes earlier in the day later this week. There are gorgeous views and waterfalls around every turn. The Weeping Wall falls even splash on your car, so roll up your windows! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909221457-GEOIUL6IHG3V81843QQU/Glacier+Rising+Sun+Campground.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - The highest point of GTTS Road is Logan Pass, and the parking lot was full when we arrived at 10:30am, so we kept driving. We hiked an easy 1 mi trail to Baring Falls before driving on to the Rising Sun Campground. The road was closed past this point, due to COVID-19 closures - but the picnic area was not full at all. We enjoyed lunch on a small beach we had all to ourselves! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909488467-AQMG126DFO79P5MMA8DV/Glacier+Logan+Pass+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - At 12:30pm we headed back toward Logan Pass, and found a parking spot right away at 1:15pm! This is the starting point for several trails, but the trail to Hidden Lake Overlook was the only one open due to bear activity down at the lake and snow blocking the Highline Trail. This hike ended up being our favorite of the entire trip! It starts with a boardwalk leading to valley views. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909674389-PN11HJHN9T8MP4G2IBS6/Glacier+Logan+Pass+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - The boardwalk ended at a snow field about .5 mile wide, so we were glad to be wearing hiking shoes with great traction. The trail was heavily trafficked because it was the only one open in this area, but the wildlife didn’t seem to mind - we saw 7 mountain goats (including a baby!) and a small herd of bighorn sheep! However, that also means this trail closes frequently due to bear activity. Check the NPS website first… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596909907094-F26BQ4O4H7853LZV8EQP/Glacier+Hidden+Lake+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - The view from the Hidden Lake Overlook was amazing! There is a boardwalk and viewing platform, as well as lots of large rocks to the side where you can sit and catch your breath before heading back to the parking lot. This moderate out-and-back trail is 2.8 miles and took us 2.5 hours - because the girls spent 30 minutes sledding down the snow field at the end! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596910478966-1F5LTXU4PR1OWEIPYCO9/Glacier+Moose.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - After we finished playing in the snow, we continued the drive back down GTTS Road, stopping at the Loop parking lot this time for another view of the winding valley. The road heads back down into the valley and follows the river toward Lake McDonald - and we happened to spot this moose crossing the river! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596910511794-60Q9YEVGCJJU2R2J5ICM/Glacier+Redrocks+Falls+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Our last stop was at the Red Rock Point. The water here is so blue against the red rocks, you won’t believe your eyes! There is a small parking area and a newly-renovated path to an overlook, and it’s easy to walk down on the rocks as well to feel the COLD water. We finished our Going-to-the-Sun Road driving day at 5:30pm - a long, fun day! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596911320744-PYCBT6955LC1Y1YHCIXI/Glacier+bike+ride+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 10: Glacier National Park: Apgar Bike Trails & Bowman Lake Today we rented bikes from Glacier Outfitters, located inside the national park. They offer a variety of equipment (bikes, kayaks, etc.) but definitely reserve in advance - we were able to walk right up and get our bikes at 10am, but there were lines of people waiting when we rode by later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596911478518-MAK4EIMK6C8D4814TY7T/Glacier+river+in+West+Glacier.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - We spent 4.5 hours riding the bike trails around Apgar Village and West Glacier. Bikes are not allowed on hiking trails, and there are not very many bike trails, so we rode them all! We especially liked the West Glacier trail that crossed the Middle Fork Flathead River. There were several people jumping off the bridge into the river, & whitewater rafting groups on the river too. And more amazing blue water!!! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596912006028-IV2S3RYVT32KVBU5EPS7/Glacier+Bowman+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Next we loaded the bikes onto the van and drove 1 hour to the park entrance at Polebridge. From there, the 5 mi. road to Bowman Lake is TERRIBLE and full of potholes, which led to several big dents in the back of our van due to the bike rack bouncing around for the 30 minute drive. Oops! By the time we reached the lake, we only had about 25 minutes to enjoy the lake before heading back to return our bikes. That lake view though… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596912583342-MBDOCK9DDLN2C3N9SNYK/Glacier+Trail+of+the+Cedars+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 11: Glacier National Park: Trail of the Cedars, Avalanche Lake, & kayaking on Lake McDonald Today we got an early start, because we wanted to make sure to get a parking spot at Avalanche Campground - and we snagged one of the last spaces when we arrived at 8:15am. Trail of the Cedars is an easy .8 mile heavily trafficked loop (half of it is a boardwalk) with beautiful Avalanche Gorge waterfall at the halfway point. The Avalanche Lake Trail continues from this point for another 2.5 miles. This section is less accessible than Trail of the Cedars, but still easy. The path goes through cedar forests and was fairly busy both when we were hiking out around 9am and hiking back at noon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596913400363-GEPXT0GB2MZ7Z3AOJ0XR/Glacier+Avalanche+Lake+5.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - We arrived at Avalanche Lake at 9:45am and had a quick snack. Then we kept hiking around the right side to reach the far edge of the lake around 10:45am. There were fewer people on the far side of the lake, and plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the rocky beach. There was an overgrown trail that continued toward the waterfalls, but we didn’t follow it very far because we were concerned about bears. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596913776065-ELUFJX4JQRT2E84PCYZH/Glacier+Kayaking.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - The Avalanche Lake hike took us just under 5 hours, including an hour of just skipping rocks and relaxing on the beach. We got our kayaks checked and registered again, then spent the afternoon kayaking on Lake McDonald. This was the only lake within Glacier NP open to boating when we were visiting. Next, we went home to clean up and have dinner, but most restaurants here are closed on Tuesdays! The only one open was a bar & grill called The Packer’s Roost, so we got burgers to go. (They were delicious!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596914277599-H16S852OB2CXWEP91GBO/Glacier+Redrocks+Falls+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 12: Driving: West Glacier MT to Gillette WY After checking out of our AirBnB in the morning, we had a long day of driving to get to our next hotel in Gillette, WY. For the drive home, we decided to break it up into 1 driving day, 1 sightseeing day, and 1 driving day. We did try to stop at the Little Bighorn Memorial, but we arrived just after it closed at 4:30pm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596927815979-RQKDWS2ULJQDUS9UXJGV/Devils+Tower.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 13: Devil’s Tower National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore National Monument & Badlands National Park Our first stop was Devil’s Tower National Monument. We arrived at 10:30am, just as the parking lot began to fill up. We walked the Tower Trail, an easy 1.3 mile paved loop around the base of the tower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596927937492-HY2SVSLUOKUXXT8SIOEK/Crazy+Horse.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Averhy twisted her ankle a bit climbing on the boulders, so on to our next stop: the Crazy Horse Memorial. This privately-funded site has an entrance fee of $12pp ($30 per car) and we thought it was worth the cost. There is an impressive museum and visitor center, as well as presentations by local Native Americans that teach about Native traditions and culture. The memorial itself is immense, and we liked learning more of the history behind the sculpture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596928695995-CNT3TH7QTNZA3U4VPYBR/Sylvan+Lake.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Sylvan Lake (within Custer State Park) was our next destination. There is a $20 entrance fee for the state park that allows reentry for 7 days. We had a picnic lunch on the shore, and then walked half-way around the lake. Boating was not allowed today and several trails were closed due to a nearby forest fire, so we moved on to our next stop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596929473800-KDCJM4IBWM72A2K78CWA/image-asset.jpeg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument are also in this area, but they were both closed at the time we drove through - one for elevator repairs, and one due to COVID-19. Check the NPS website to see if they’re open when you want to go! Mount Rushmore has no entrance fee, but there is a $10 parking fee. We found this monument to be less impressive than Crazy Horse, and the super-touristy town of Keystone is one to skip, in my opinion… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596929534842-83M4O8ZVZHZJHUDYB3YE/Badlands+Prairie+1.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - After another 1.5 hours of driving, we arrived at the Pinnacles Entrance on the north side of Badlands National Park. Right away we were greeted with views of prairie dogs, bison, and bighorn sheep! We stopped at Prairie Dog Town, Sage Creek Basin overlook, and Pinnacles overlook before sunset. After dinner, we drove back into the park to enjoy the stars and see the NEOWISE comet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596930057017-8NOY6V40SN1KFCZ36IB8/Badlands+2.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - Day 14: Wall Drug, Badlands National Park, the Mitchell Corn Palace & home! Wall Drug is a quirky tourist trap, but a fun stop while you’re in the Badlands area. After a quick look around, we drove the Badlands Loop road. It took about 45 minutes to get to the Northeast entrance, due to some construction. There are several easy trails along the way, but we just drove and enjoyed the view from the van because Averhy’s ankle was still bothering her. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596990357648-3PDDR26KKIAV1ZRB2C3V/Corn+Palace.jpg United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip - After another 3 hours of driving, we stopped at the World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. The exterior of this building is decorated every year with designs made out of corn! Inside, there are displays about the history of the building, and a large auditorium that is used by the community and schools in Mitchell. There is no admission fee, and this was a fun way to break up a long day of driving and wrap up our 2-week road trip! After 10 more hours on the road, we arrived at home sweet home… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1596991430822-7V80KYJXI2UT2KJ2VSQN/National+Parks+Road+Trip.png United States Mountains - National Park 2-Week Summertime Road Trip https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/category/Montana monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/category/United+States monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/category/Wyoming monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Mammoth+Springs monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Glacier monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Grand+Teton monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Waterfall monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Mount+Rushmore monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Crazy+Horse monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Jackson+WY monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Badlands monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Mormon+Row monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Old+Faithful monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/National+Parks monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Family+Hikes monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Yellowstone monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Devil%27s+Tower monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Jenny+Lake monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Road+Trip monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmountains/tag/Hot+Springs monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest daily 0.75 2024-04-01 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/southwest-road-trip monthly 0.5 2021-08-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1624998266058-0XR7WS57HBLV61RY0WYM/springbreak_44.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1624998614923-NODLT89KGG1GZETETOQ5/IMG_9900.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Our family of four took this 10-day road trip over spring break when Averhy was 17 and Eden was 14 years old. It was a LOT of driving to do in just over one week, but we had fun! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1624999021874-NAKZQXFPNAU4H8W4FDEA/IMG_1520.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - This trip included several days with family in Arizona, so we were able to do laundry during the week. A few new items that I brought and loved included these hiking pants and this camera holster. One thing that is nice about road trips is the ability to bring more stuff… but we still tried to limit ourselves to one Motherlode backpack each, with one extra Camelbak bag for hikes. We did have a cooler packed with drinks and snacks in the van, and the girls each brought activities for the long hours in the van. Oh - and we brought our own saucer sled to use at White Sands National Park! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1624999673393-Z4SKT64AGFUZDNS2GK1K/Screen+Shot+2021-06-29+at+3.47.22+PM.png United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - We drove through the night from Illinois to Arizona, stopping at Cadillac Ranch on the way. Then we stayed with family in Arizona before heading on to our other National Park stops. In New Mexico, we stayed at Hotel Artesia which was a nice spot. In Texas, we stayed at this AirBnB which was the closest lodging to the entrance of Big Bend National Park and had a cool vintage vibe. In Arkansas, we stayed at the Hotel Hot Springs, which was in walking distance to the Hot Springs National Park area. Our road trip route is shown on the map (without the uneventful portions of the drive to/from Illinois). Overall, we put 4,580 miles on our van for this trip! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625003002104-4JKAMIZW7ZG9VYOHYBIU/IMG_9589.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 1: Driving + Cadillac Ranch To start the trip, we got on the road at 6pm & drove all night. In the morning, our first fun stop was at Cadillac Ranch just outside Amarillo, TX. This art installation was a fun way to break up the long drive, & we brought spray paint to leave our mark! After encountering a 2-hour traffic backup in Albuquerque and snow in Flagstaff, we arrived in Phoenix at 7pm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625002951667-UZ4ZSRHMWFNFQHMTGQQ2/springbreak_03.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 2 + 3 : Coachwhip Trail Hike & family time We spent the next two days with Allyson’s parents in Phoenix. On one day, we hiked the Coachwhip & Ridgeline trail loop, which is located in Fountain Hills, AZ. This was an easy trail with nice views of the north side of Phoenix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527006274-UC97KNYIIOPD9WG02MEX/springbreak_18.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 4 + 5: Saguaro National Park & family time Next we visited Sky’s family, who all live on the south side of Phoenix! One day, we spent a few hours hiking the Gould Mine loop at Saguaro National Park Tucson Mountain Region. The easy 4.3 mile hike took about 2 hours. Then we had a picnic lunch before enjoying the touristy but fun Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch near Picacho AZ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527055799-VB3IIHWU1VBJ056R6H8L/springbreak_30.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 6: White Sands National Park Our next destination was White Sands National Park, which is a 6 hour drive away from Florence AZ. We also had to consider the time difference between AZ and NM, so we got on the road at 9am and arrived at 4pm, in time for several hours of fun climbing up - and sledding down - the white sand dunes! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527093365-LX38YR0OZ9UZW5VDGC4O/springbreak_26.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - We tried sledding at the Interdune Boardwalk Trail, and after a few tries we got the hang of it. The sand is not as slick as snow, so it’s best to used a waxed sled and lean back as you slide down the dunes. We brought a sled with us, but you can also purchase a sled at the shop by the Visitor Center when it’s open. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527415661-9AL5TT3PDQ80ST66HDJV/springbreak_40.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Next we drove to the end of the road, which is the start of the Alkalai Flats trail. We only had about an hour to hike until sunset, so we put on our flipflops and walked to the highest dune we could see… then clambered up to the top! The sunset was lovely, but as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon, the sand felt more like SNOW! We ran back to the van and cranked up the heat… brrrr! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527191204-W79WVI1Y62UD2J00ZLGK/springbreak_48.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - We had another 2 hours to drive through the Lincoln National Forest to get to our hotel in Artestia, NM. We would like to come back to this area again during the day. We could tell the views would be gorgeous! We saw several herds of elk grazing right next to the road, so be careful doing this drive! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527262589-YS6QF57MGSX9B491I6PH/IMG_9800.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 7: Carlsbad Caverns + Guadalupe Mountains NP Unfortunately, after an hour drive to Carlsbad Caverns the next morning, all the entry times were already full for the day. Due to COVID, the park service instituted a first-come first-served system at this park to limit attendance. We heard that people had been waiting in line before 7am (the visitor center opens at 8am). We walked to the cave entrance and enjoyed the visitor center, then got back on the road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527311171-4RR7SITNHHSJ83DT4357/springbreak_55.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - On a positive note, this change of plans gave us time to do two hikes at Guadalupe Mountains National Park! First we hiked McKinnick Trail, a 4.8 mile out-and-back which ends at Pratt Lodge - an old stone house that’s a great place for a picnic lunch. The hike was fairly easy, with a few stream crossings. It took us just under 3 hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625527351447-6Z6433BIIH6CJFWWMRJI/springbreak_62.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Our next hike was Devil’s Hall, another out-and-back trail that took us about 1.5 hours. The 4.2 mile trail is rated as moderate, with some large boulders to climb at the end. Back on the road at 4:30pm, we had a 4 hour drive to our AirBnB in Terlingua TX. We learned that there is basically NOTHING in west Texas! Don’t run out of gas because you may not see another car for hours! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625529402989-ZNUGUW9OTWDHNGBD9Q4L/springbreak_64.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 8: Big Bend National Park We only had one day to enjoy Big Bend National Park, so it was a full day! Thankfully our AirBnB was just 2 minutes away from the park entrance. We started with the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, with a stop at Sotol Viewpoint. In the distance, we could see Santa Elena Canyon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625529367555-TG3HK4NNZUHF8QYWYOSS/springbreak_70.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Another 30 minutes of driving got us to the trailhead and the Rio Grande. It was an easy 1.7 mile round-trip hike into Santa Elena canyon. We were impressed with the sheer walls, and the interesting layers visible in the rock. After the hike we cooled our feet in the water and walked across to Mexico for a few minutes! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625529323765-HJF2TJN41STE3ZO8II5A/springbreak_74.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Next we stopped at the Mule Ears viewpoint before continuing all the way to the Rio Grande Village. Several trails were closed here, due to COVID, but it was a pretty drive. We drove up to Chisos Basin next, hoping to do the Lost Mine Trail, but the parking area there was very small, and full for the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625529279580-QFHKRU28A14XRY23Z98B/springbreak_77.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - We decided to hike the Basin Loop trail instead. It was an easy 1.8 mile hike with some nice views of the Window, and we took our time. Hiking counter-clockwise is easier and will give you the best views. Note: Terlingua is a small town with limited options for eating out, so keep that in mind at the end of the day! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625529250154-HV9ERBYZLA3GBTQRQFAE/springbreak_79.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - Day 9 + 10 : Driving + Hot Springs National Park On day 9, we drove for 13 hours to get to Hot Springs, AR… and 12 of those hours were in Texas! That state is BIG! On day 10, we walked from our hotel to Hot Springs National Park, and strolled around for an hour or so. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625529222789-29XT1S0B234WD62T0FBT/springbreak_81.jpg United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip - The Grand Promenade is nice paved path above Fountain Street, and an easy way to view a few of the hot springs that feed the buildings. There are a lot of other trails in the woods throughout the park, but we needed to get back on the road. We had another 8 hours to drive until we got home. Total mileage for the week: 4,580 miles! Whew! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1625617385633-2LBGE79FL821NKD31U9T/Southwest+National+Parks+Road+Trip.png United States Southwest - 1-week Southwest Road Trip https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/canyonlands monthly 0.5 2021-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591642737917-U89RO8LX30Q2CC7HGABS/CanyonlandsNP_01.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591642870134-KKQDVJ7IZ20XKKW7S69J/CanyonlandsNPfamily.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - Our family of four visited Canyonlands National Park for a half-day when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. The hikes we did were really easy and we all enjoyed them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591646951522-KDYTDXCDENUOWXNBSFIQ/Screen+Shot+2020-06-08+at+2.28.24+PM.png United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Moab for 2 nights. It was a great location, close to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, as well as the downtown area of Moab. We went to the following viewpoints/hikes while we were in Canyonlands National Park (yellow stars on the map). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591646625641-0SQQ0FEBFEW6T5VCRZ6Q/CanyonlandsNP_02.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - As you enter this National Park, you drive up on top of the plateaus that are surrounded by canyons. The grassy fields have cows grazing, so keep an eye out. Our first stop was at the Island in the Sky visitor center. Across the road is a lookout with a gorgeous view of the canyons. It’s easy to walk right up to the edge here, so be careful if you have young kids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591644200408-GHW8ALD7ET8421VQ2TBV/CanyonlandsNP_03.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - Driving further into the park, we stopped at Mesa Arch, a short half-mile loop trail to an arch that is especially popular for photographers at sunrise. There were only a few other people hiking this trail when we were there, and it was rather windy at the arch. Raindrops started to fall as we hiked back to the van along the easy path. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591644811692-BKCOZIWW3J0XAS96Q5NL/CanyonlandsNP_04.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - Next we drove to Whale Rock and the Upheaval Dome area, but it started raining more so we decided to not do those hikes. It is possible to get a view of Whale Rock from the road, but if you want to see the crater at Upheaval Dome, you’ll need to do the hike. We drove through the rain to the south end of the Island in the Sky area, and arrived at the Grand View Point as the rain stopped. Our reward was this awesome view of a unique canyon below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591645138024-J2UI5RH4PUK8HWCPMV8W/CanyonlandsNP_06.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - The Overlook Trail is 2 miles long, starting at the Grand View Point. Since the sun was starting to set and the rain was coming back, we weren’t able to hike this rim trail. Instead, we hopped in the van and drove to the easily accessible Candlestick Tower Overlook. This overlook allows you to get right up to the edge looking west. The mist and rain created this interesting view of the plateaus on the other side of the canyon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591645217961-B3F2YM3DJPAONPATZCAC/CanyonlandsNP_07.jpg United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park - Our last stop was the Green River Overlook, which is on the same road as Whale Rock (but it had been raining when we passed it the first time). There is a short paved path to this south-facing view of the canyons. Overall, Canyonlands National Park is beautiful and I wish we had more time (and better weather) to hike here. However, it was a good end to our week! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591646680553-2P4P3UX34CBJFMAVFXL9/Canyonlands+National+Park.png United States Southwest - Canyonlands National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/arches monthly 0.5 2024-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589923125307-Z23SK3RNCAF8PNTPFGLI/ArchesNP_07.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589923530835-0UKO6B1AH5REVXZ14BSH/ArchesNPfamily1.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - Our family of four visited Arches National Park when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. The hikes we did were really easy and we all enjoyed them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589924376618-NVWR1A0LPJJD83IUWLFW/Screen+Shot+2020-05-19+at+4.39.31+PM.png United States Southwest - Arches National Park - We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Moab for 2 nights. It was a great location, close to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, as well as the downtown area of Moab. We went to the following viewpoints/hikes while we were in Arches National Park (yellow stars on the map). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589926419062-GMPPJE9F77LZUYKZ9P9I/ArchesNP_01.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - Moab is just a few miles away from the park entrance, so we were able to get an early start. We were considering visiting both Arches and Canyonlands National Park in one day (which we did decide to do mid-afternoon) and since they are so close together, we enjoyed the highlights without feeling rushed. Our first stop was at a viewpoint along Park Avenue, with this iconic view of the 3 Gossips and Sheep Rock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589926528531-1RA22F38JULXUPN5VN5T/ArchesNP_02.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - The next stop was at the North and South Window Arches, Turret Arch, and Double Arch. All four of these arch formations share a parking lot area, which would definitely get full quickly in the busy summer months. When we were there, we got one of the last parking spaces in the upper lot, and there were not a lot of people on the trails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589926997288-GHS51YEC26BK6ZDMBDJU/ArchesNP_05.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - It’s possible to climb on the Turret Arch and the rocks surrounding it, though there were some people climbing higher than I would be comfortable going! This spot where Sky is standing is easy to get to, and gives some neat views - it’s cool to see these huge rock arches from the underside. Next, we walked to the other side of the parking area to Double Arch, which was my favorite. There were more people here, climbing and exploring the arch, but it was a little more difficult than other arch areas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589927463756-4YH4J3K7LZZ3S7YC2KEZ/ArchesNPfamily2.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - All smiles at Double Arch! We were thankful for the cloudless blue sky and warm sunshine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589927614785-Y3YS6P441DDG9PF0ZPDG/ArchesNP_08.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - Next we drove toward Delicate Arch. There are three viewpoints, and we originally planned to hike all the way out to the arch itself (a 3 mile hike). However, after we viewed it from the Upper Viewpoint, we saw that there were quite a few people there already… and clouds were starting to roll in behind us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589927775866-9IC7VHWKPFSJ586EMDJW/ArchesNP_09.jpg United States Southwest - Arches National Park - The parking lot at Devil’s Garden Trailhead is slightly larger than the one at Double Arch, but it was still mostly full when we were there - and it would definitely fill up quickly in the summer months. The hike to Landscape Arch was easy, and had several side trails to other arches as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1589928877665-X0LA55S51WU9TGPI28AA/Arches+National+Park.png United States Southwest - Arches National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/capitol-reef monthly 0.5 2020-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588950485244-2HKZ81R6NSDCHWY6TL81/CapitolReefNP_02.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588950712639-UN9NGCAHNK6XYWV8AYWA/CapitolReefNPfamily.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - Our family of four visited Capitol Reef National Park when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. The hikes were really easy and we all enjoyed them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588951611080-SX7GEFH5NF48FXRV7N4Q/Capitol+Reef+Map.png United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - We spent the night at the Red Sands Hotel in Torrey, UT. It was a nice hotel, very close to the west entrance to the National Park. The route we took and the places we stopped are marked on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588952019112-YSLVTAC7G1X1BIGKS33I/CapitolReefNP_03.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - Torrey is a short drive from Capitol Reef National Park, so we got up and on the road first thing in the morning. The visitor center is actually a few miles into the park itself, and there is only a fee to access the Scenic Drive south into the park. That means you can enjoy many gorgeous views and several fun hikes for free if you just stay on Route 24. Our first two stops were at Chimney Rock and Panorama Point, both on Route 24. We did not do the 3.5 mile loop Chimney Rock trail, but it looked to be of moderate difficulty and with little shade. We chose to spend our time on other trails. At the Visitor Center further along Route 24, we picked up a map and headed south along the scenic drive. The National Park entrance fee is paid on the honor system here at a drop box, so we hung our Annual Pass from our car mirror instead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588952800084-2B22FBGZJFLAVUEUYP0O/CapitolReefNP_05.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - The Scenic Drive is beautiful, and gives you access to several different trails. Our first hike started at the Cassidy Arch Trailhead, but instead of going up toward the arch, we chose to hike along the Grand Wash trail. We spent several hours exploring this out-and-back trail. It has another access point on Route 24, so it is possible to hike it without taking the Scenic Drive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588953311686-1WWBIZZBWJUSNUSZRK88/CapitolReefNP_04.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - Next we drove further south to the end of the Scenic Drive, and took the Capitol Gorge road to the trailhead. This gravel road was rough, with a lot of potholes and areas that could easily wash out during a storm. Our van handled it fine, but we drove slowly! We did not do the hike at the end of the road, because the parking lot was full and we wanted to move on to other sites. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588954097753-8H602BHAWXJ9S51K7MIR/CapitolReefNP_08.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - The Scenic Drive is an out-and-back road, so we drove back to the visitor center and kept heading east. We briefly stopped to see some petroglyphs along Route 24. The wooden boardwalk makes this stop very accessible. Continuing east, our next hike was to the Hickman Bridge, an easy/moderate out-and-back trail with a loop section once you reach the arch. There were some large “pothole” formations that were fun to climb in as well! This hike took about 1.5 hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588954642771-X5X4QZ0QACWDLBEFE5Q2/CapitolReefNP_06.jpg United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park - After the Hickman Bridge, we continued east on Route 24, heading toward Moab for the next day of our road trip. Overall, we really enjoyed Capitol Reef National Park. The canyons were fun to hike, and the steep walls of the wash areas were really impressive. There were several sections in the Capitol Gorge wash area where the walls seemed to curve out over the road itself! We wondered about the story behind the name of this National Park, and we learned that Capitol Dome (one of the rock formations you can see from the Hickman Bridge trail) was named that because it resembles the Capitol building in Washington DC. Also this entire area surrounds a long wrinkle in the earth known as the Waterpocket Fold, which created the massive chain of rocks/cliffs that runs along the east side of this area (take a look on the satellite view of Google maps and you can see it!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588956466787-GHDF2LNZ9FOLDY2QYVLN/Capitol+Reef+National+Park.png United States Southwest - Capitol Reef National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/escalante monthly 0.5 2020-05-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588627628755-01BTSU7ICNM8FHJBBWTG/GrandStaircaseEscalante_01.jpg United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588627820879-HM5DAX9ZQU8BPDKNDZYF/GrandStaircaseEscalanteFamily.jpg United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Our family of four visited the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. We were surprised at the vast beauty of this area, and we really enjoyed it! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588629664771-BG2TPUDV39332NC6ETGK/Grand+Staircase+map United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - We stayed at the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn, which was just outside the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, which we visited in the morning. After driving through Grand Staircase Escalante, we spent the night at the Red Sands Hotel in Torrey, UT. Our drive is marked on the map, with yellow stars showing the places we stopped. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588630184566-8X16CDRWAZVK2F5NS34K/GrandStaircaseEscalante_02.jpg United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is HUGE, and scenic Route 12 is the main way to drive through it. We traveled from west to east, and the entire drive from Bryce Canyon to Torrey took about 5 hours, including stops. Our first stop was at the Head of the Rocks Overlook, just past the town of Escalante. The view was stunning and literally brought me to tears. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588632675051-JCENHX11MWIP99D3GEGW/Hogback.jpg United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - After the Head of the Rocks Overlook, Route 12 drops down into the winding canyons. Once the road gets back to the top of the plateaus, there is one section called the Hogback, where road follows a ridge that is only slightly wider than the road itself! Again, it’s hard to capture in a photo, but the concrete barriers on the edge are there for a reason… you really need to keep your eyes on the road! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588632879125-SG4OL2Y2VR5GAYQ95ZKY/GrandStaircaseEscalante_04.jpg United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Our next stop was 11 miles east of the town of Boulder, UT at Singing Canyon. This slot canyon is very accessible from Burr Trail road, and the drive to get there is beautiful as well. This slot canyon is not as tight or deep as other more well-known canyons in the area, but the fact that it is easy to access made it a winner for us. It also has fantastic acoustics, and Averhy sang a song while we were there so the canyon could live up to its’ name. After we finished exploring this canyon, we drove further back along Burr Trail road and were rewarded with beautiful cliffs after every turn. Unfortunately the road does not lead out to another major highway, so this was an out-and-back drive for us — but enjoyable the entire time! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588633558630-OIMFCQBQOPJTR1SF7ALM/Heritage+Overlook.jpg United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Our last stop was at Heritage Overlook as we neared Torrey. It was neat to feel the temperature fall as we drove up into the mountains and were greeted by snow on the ground. Overall, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument exceeded our expectations, and we would definitely recommend taking this drive if you’re traveling between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588686469411-RJQ40MF5E39MH65KA8IW/Grand+Staircase+Escalante.png United States Southwest - Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/bryce-canyon monthly 0.5 2020-05-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588343522865-4ZUIV0UWWPQX0DFSNPZH/BryceCanyonNP_01.jpg United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588343712049-YRV80B9ZB9I15HNCV350/BryceCanyonNPfamily.jpg United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park - Our family of four visited Bryce Canyon National Park when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. The hike we did was fairly easy and we all enjoyed this park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588344453615-OX3HJ3IUDIZ2E5VP61LY/bryce+canyon+map United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park - We stayed at the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn, which was just outside the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. The location was great, and the room and breakfast buffet were good too. There was a general store attached to the hotel, where we bought snacks for the day. Since we were here in the winter months, some of the trails were closed due to ice (and one due to a rock slide) so we didn’t do as much hiking as we originally anticipated. The places we went are marked on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588345387519-A5E71MCTGW63PYYEQ0PI/BryceCanyonNP_04.jpg United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park - After getting a map at the visitor center, we learned that the Wall Street trail was still closed for the winter and the second half of the Navajo Loop trail was also closed due to a rockslide. That meant our hike today would be an out-and-back, from Sunrise Point to the intersection of the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop trails. Unfortunately, we made a wrong turn at the start and walked along the very muddy Rim Trail for a bit before realizing our mistake! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588344653658-91N65ILOB4IYRXHONYP1/BryceCanyonNP_02.jpg United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park - After turning in the right direction (and changing out some muddy socks for clean ones) we started at Sunrise Point (the main photo at the top of this post) and quickly dropped down into the canyon. The hike was muddy at parts, but easy overall. There were a lot of impressive views right at the start, and once we neared the intersection of the trails, we were hiking through a more wooded area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588345472120-HIOOZH3Y6D3JOA3ZWBUQ/BryceCanyonNP_03.jpg United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park - The further we hiked, the fewer people we encountered. There is a side trail that takes you to the Queen Victoria Hoodoo, and it seemed like a lot of people stopped here - but I would recommend continuing down into the forest to the Navajo Loop intersection (and hopefully all the way back through Wall Street, if it’s open when you visit!) The entire out-and-back hike took us just over 2.5 hours, with a snack break in the middle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1588347446564-P7Y7QW47L99UHUVCBSHP/Bryce+Canyon+National+Park.png United States Southwest - Bryce Canyon National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/zion monthly 0.5 2020-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585841114638-CVBL27B2H20MDXFAFGZY/Zion+National+Park+valley United States Southwest - Zion National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585843055062-BDB4HT5CNYUPRD46LSC6/ZionNPfamily_1.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - Our family of four visited Zion National Park when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. The hikes were fairly easy and we all enjoyed them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585844594445-51R22656EAUE58WWNQ7M/Zion+trailheads United States Southwest - Zion National Park - We stayed at the Zion Canyon Lodge in Springdale, which was a great location close to the park entrance. It was clean and the check-in process was easy, even though we arrived late at night. We hiked the trails and visited the lookouts marked on this map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585845274727-KYR6U2L7Y61O8GI2K2JU/ZionNP_03.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - Upper Emerald Pool via Kayenta Trail; Riverside Walk; Canyon Overlook Trail The first hike we did was to the Upper Emerald Pool. The trail past the Lower Emerald Pool was closed due to a rockslide, so we took the Kayenta Trail from shuttle stop #6 at The Grotto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585845569420-HCIX9F9EPV855ED844EB/ZionNP_02.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - It took about 1.5 hours to hike the loop to the waterfall at the Upper Emerald Pool and back to the shuttle stop. It was a fairly easy hike, with some fun spots where you have to cross a creek flowing down the mountain. Halfway through the hike, there is a “Middle Emerald Pool” - don’t stop here! Keep going until you get to this giant waterfall at the end. At the Upper Emerald Pool and waterfall, there are a lot of boulders to climb, and there were a fair amount of people there enjoying a lunch break. I’m sure it can get crowded in the summertime. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585845703623-IOUMWWQGIDQNI5BAY8ZY/ZionNP_04.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - Next we got on the shuttle and rode to the Temple of Sinawava (stop #9) to begin the Riverside Walk to the Narrows. The shuttle rides are nice because the driver points out interesting landmarks, and there is an automated recording sharing facts about the park. The Riverside Walk back to the start of the Narrows hike is very easy, and almost completely paved and accessible to wheelchairs. There is also an unpaved trail that goes directly beside the river for a portion of the way. We spent about 1.5 hours hiking this out-and-back trail, including a snack break. We considered hiking part of the Narrows, but the water was moving quickly today and would have been up to our mid-shin. We had worn old tennis shoes that we could early throw away if they got trashed, but we decided that getting our feet and jeans soaked in cold water wasn’t worth it today. There were other canyons to explore instead! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585846062642-VG1Z0EEXDO6DMB9FQNAB/ZionNP_05.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - After taking the shuttle back to our van at the Visitor Center, we drove on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (with beautiful views on its own) through the tunnel to the east side of the park. The rock formations as you exit the tunnel are stunning! We found a parking spot along the road (the parking lots are SMALL and fill up fast) and then hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585846351075-SL3U5Y49QZ17YCJSDC3V/ZionNP_06.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - It took us about an hour to hike this beautiful out-and-back trail. The view at the end is stunning (it’s the very first image in this post). There are also some cool caves on this hike. There are a couple places where the trail has steep drop-offs, so if you’re hiking with younger kids, be very careful! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585846954304-5WGTLH4JYVW3EH4TNU3S/ZionNP_09.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park - Once we finished the hike, we continued driving toward the east entrance, and our next destination of Bryce Canyon. Once cool rock formation we stopped to see was the Checkerboard Mesa. Overall, we enjoyed Zion National Park and found that one day was enough time for us to hike the available trails and see some gorgeous landscapes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585848091260-F68GP1EB78UTX1WQ0VRD/Zion+National+Park.jpg United States Southwest - Zion National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/petrified-forest monthly 0.5 2020-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585082157684-11Z6YCELMEQZBNHT8DA6/Petrified+Forest+NP+1 United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585082494203-JQAG673N7JAZQ1U4C629/Allyson+and+girls United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park - Allyson, Averhy, and Eden visited the Petrified Forest National Park on our way to pick up Sky in Las Vegas. Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old at the time of this trip. (Sky also visited this National Park when he was in junior high.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585087174700-T7HV9X5H3MNG920GOQ47/Petrified+Forest+viewpoints United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park - Because this was a quick stop on our way from Illinois to Las Vegas, we did not stay overnight near this National Park. We also only had time to see viewpoints in the north section of the park. The main road going through the park was closed for construction just south of the Blue Mesa. We stopped at the viewpoints marked with yellow stars on the map. We did not hike any of the trails because this was a very brief visit. The viewpoints are beautiful and I would like to go back to hike someday, especially in the Blue Mesa section of the park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585087859854-EFKEN00AQ2FOB32UCVE7/PetrifiedForestNP_0001.jpg United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park We entered at the Painted Desert Visitor Center and purchased our Annual National Park pass at the entrance. The $80 pass covers entrance fees at national parks for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children age 15 or under are admitted free. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585088051923-ONNL529ZV14F99M8PNWU/Petrified+Forest+Eden United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park - At the very first viewpoint (Tiponi Point) it’s easy to walk out onto the desert a little ways to get a feeling for the scope of the landscape. Can you spot Eden in this photo? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585088853800-AXQRJ3LZN5NCO26YADYL/NatParksUnedited_004.jpg United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park - A little further on, there is a short hiking path between Tawa Point and the Painted Desert Inn. It looked pretty easy (it’s a 1 mile round trip walk) and we walked a little ways down the path before heading to the next viewpoint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585089143034-4TZI1ZKXHK3VONQQHLBO/NatParksUnedited_008.jpg United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park - We drove past a few viewpoints (Pintado, Nizhoni, Whipple, Lacey points) because we wanted to get to the Blue Mesa area - and it did not disappoint! Driving around the loop in the Blue Mesa area, we stopped at one of the first small parking areas. There were a few short trails to several large petrified trees that were neat to see and climb on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585089396435-K3WXW47FT1NQDUIAAKD8/PetrifiedForestNP_0005.jpg United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park - Further along the 3.5 mile Blue Mesa loop drive, there are a few more lookouts, one at the start of the 1 mile Blue Mesa trail, and one overlooking the midpoint of the trail. This was my favorite view of the entire park, and I would love to go back and hike the trail down between the mesas. Overall, this is a very pretty National Park that you could easily explore in one day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585091421979-MHKXF23IUFRCWACFIB9Z/Petrified+Forest+National+Park.jpg United States Southwest - Petrified Forest National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/utah-road-trip monthly 0.5 2020-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585092394469-M8PMCBLEZOFEGLNSHI92/MonumentValley.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585092599068-UXEP0NSFBKM3F12D6GL2/ZionNPfamily_2.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Our family of four went on this road trip in March 2020, when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. This was a great time to take a road trip because Averhy needed to finish up her driving hours before getting her license, so she had lots of opportunities to get behind the wheel! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585084019517-HR4JT07MZ0KQZZBDIW7K/Utah+packing.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585149912319-JBEHWZKDLR2672VN7I42/utah+road+trip+map United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - We stayed at a different hotel each night, since this was a road trip to see multiple National Parks. They were all good, clean lodging in great locations: Zion Canyon Lodge (near Zion NP) Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn (near Bryce Canyon NP) Red Sands Hotel (near Capitol Reef NP) Homewood Suites by Hilton Moab (near Arches and Canyonlands NP) The map shows the driving route we took, starting at the Petrified Forest National Park and going counter-clockwise. After Monument Valley, we headed east and got on I-40 at Albuquerque, then drove home! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585152175885-UYI6LICQRCG21OG4UDPZ/IMG_5338.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 1: Amarillo, TX to Continental Divide (Day 0 was driving 13 hours from Illinois to Texas). The girls and I got on the road for Day 1 around 8am and headed west. Our first stop was at the Continental Divide in New Mexico. There is a gas station right near the sign, so it’s a convenient stop! We stopped every 3 hours to fill up on gas and use the restrooms - we could have driven further between stops, but we liked the chance to stretch our legs! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585152742673-NG1AEE2UL3KCY4PFFXEW/PetrifiedForestNP_0005.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 1: Continental Divide to Petrified Forest NP After the Continental Divide, it was just a 1.5 hour drive to the Petrified Forest National Park. At the visitor center we learned that the road through the park was under construction. The south section was open, but was only accessible from the south entrance, and we didn’t have time to drive around. We spent about 2.5 hours exploring the park. You can read the details about our favorite stops in this post. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585166162248-OHJSX8K1ITGYJLDA7QQA/Las+Vegas United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 1: Petrified Forest NP to Las Vegas to Zion NP After the Petrified Forest NP, we drove through Flagstaff Arizona on our way to pick up Sky in Las Vegas. If you wanted to add a few days to this trip, it would be easy to visit the Grand Canyon during this stretch of the drive. We spent 3 days hiking to the bottom of the canyon and back out in 2016, and you can read about it here. The Grand Canyon really deserves more than a quick stop, so keep that in mind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585166420156-7QH8MH9YCUEJUVCKGGEO/ZionNP_01.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 2: Zion National Park We woke up to some gorgeous views outside our hotel (when you arrive at 1am, you can’t see the mountains around you) and headed to Zion. There is a free parking lot at the Visitor Center; cars are not allowed in the park past the Mount Carmel highway. The lot will fill up during busy seasons, and then you’ll need to pay for parking in Springdale and take the shuttle in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585168676664-654V2T7WHSCBNCR87G89/ZionNP_03.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Unfortunately, the number of open trails at Zion was limited when we visited due to some rock slides. As of March 2020, the Weeping Rock Trail, Hidden Canyon Trail, East Rim Trail to Observation Point, and Lower Emerald Trail are all closed until further notice. We chose to hike the Upper Emerald Pool Trail and walk to the start of the Zion Narrows. Both of these trails had a fair number of people on them, and I can see how they would get very crowded in summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585169022767-NBOFDQFJUP3NJDCBJVLW/ZionNP_06.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - The shuttle ride was also enjoyable and very informative. After getting back to the parking lot, we drove through the tunnel toward the Canyon Overlook Trail. We really liked this trail and the unique rocks in this area of the park. It was our favorite of the three trails we hiked. You can read all the details of our visit in this post. After hiking this trail, we left the park via the East Entrance and headed to Bryce Canyon for Day 3. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585169150066-XTJAQGA4LQSZWKSS9TT6/BryceCanyonNP_02.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 3: Bryce Canyon and Singing Canyon in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument At Bryce Canyon, we encountered some more closed trails - the Wall Street section is always closed in the winter, but half of the Navajo Loop was also closed due to a rock slide, turning it into an out-and-back instead of a loop. We hiked it anyway and finished in about 2.5 hours. You can read more details here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585169399385-J4F8I5GFMNNNGLL3NT0Q/GrandStaircaseEscalante_02.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - We really wanted to see some slot canyons today, so we decided to move on to Grand Staircase Escalante after our one long hike at Bryce Canyon. The drive through this national monument was much more awesome than any of us anticipated. The sweeping views were jaw-dropping, and the drive along the ridge was particularly impressive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585169637818-5DM62VGR1T8AEYC46FEI/GrandStaircaseEscalante_05.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - We found directions to “Singing Canyon” - a slot canyon about 35 minutes outside of Boulder UT, within the national monument. Although it wasn’t as tight as some of the more well-known slot canyons in the southwest, it was lovely and had great acoustics! You can read about our whole day here. We finished the day by driving our hotel in Torrey, just outside Capitol Reef National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585170611439-Z46TD5OZ8B4Z46HWSVOF/CapitolReefNP_01.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 4: Capitol Reef National Park Capitol Reef seems to be one of the less-visited national parks in Utah, but we LOVED IT. The scenic drive is the only part where there is an entrance fee (covered by the National Parks Annual Pass), but there are plenty of beautiful sights if you just want to drive through on Highway 24. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585170696484-IN2HMTN4F9WW5UG5TOMG/CapitolReefNP_07.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Our favorite part was hiking the Grand Wash trail. You can enter it from a rough dirt road off the scenic drive (our minivan did just fine) or there’s another entrance from Highway 24. Further down the scenic drive, there’s a road that goes back into Capitol Gorge. It’s a beautiful, winding road with immense rock cliffs on the sides. Very impressive - we said “whoa!!” around every turn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585170747482-3FBHEQQKKFMJ1HO3JC3S/CapitolReefNP_08.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - After exploring the valleys, we stopped to see the petroglyphs along Highway 24, and then hiked to Hickman Bridge, an impressive arch not far from the highway. You can read all the details of our day in this post. It was a good day and we would recommend this national park for sure! In the afternoon we drove to Moab UT to spend the next two nights. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585179723068-8WXHJN6VMY9WSHUI59M4/ArchesNP_03.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 5: Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park We decided to fit both of these national parks into one day to avoid some rainy weather headed our way. We spent the morning exploring Arches National Park, starting with the North and South Window arches, and the Turret arch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585240185117-GUS8VPQCMNXWEX6KGKVE/ArchesNP_07.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Double Arch was nearby and turned out to be our favorite arch in the park. We spent the most time here, climbing up the sides and enjoying the view. Next we drove toward Delicate Arch, and hiked to the Upper Viewpoint. We decided not to do the full 3 mile hike to the arch itself this time, but we will likely do that hike on a future visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585240859974-DNGUEZ9AOPCSA2F69AY9/ArchesNP_09.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Finally, we drove to the back of the park to hike to Landscape Arch. I wrote about all the details here. The clouds were starting to roll in, so we said goodbye to Arches NP and headed toward Canyonlands NP. The drive from the Devil’s Garden Trailhead parking lot in Arches NP to the Island in the Sky Visitor Center at Canyonlands NP took about an hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585240918296-61YHWBUNY5CP2R3GPKK0/CanyonlandsNP_01.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Across from the visitor center is a great viewpoint to start your visit to Canyonlands National Park. You can see a 4x4 road far below and the La Sal Mountains in the distance, beyond Moab. Next we drove to the Mesa Arch, which has a neat view of the canyon as you look through the arch. The rain started to fall as we finished the short hike, so we drove to the Upheaval Dome and Whale Rock before heading further south. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585240978362-W77SK0AR6G5ETNNEZ8QZ/CanyonlandsNP_04.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Next we drove through the rain and arrived that the Grand Viewpoint Overlook just as the rain stopped, so we got this awesome look at Monument Basin (which looks like a giant dinosaur footprint, don’t you think?) We followed the clouds back north, stopping at the Green River Overlook for a few minutes before driving back to Moab for the night. More details are in this post. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585241128440-2KY37G35JPPKP6G3I0GL/NatParksUnedited_154.jpg United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip - Day 6: Monument Valley to Illinois We left Moab at 9am, and our last day of driving took us through Monument Valley, with a short stop at the point where Forrest Gump finished his cross-country run! We did not have time to do any of the hikes in this area, but it was a scenic drive in itself. We headed southeast through snow on top of the mesas into sunshine in Albuquerque. Driving through the night, we made it back to Illinois in about 27 hours. Whew! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585244356153-O6KXL6NUYVNX1PB2X25B/image-asset.png United States Southwest - The Ultimate 1-Week Utah Road Trip https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/grand-canyon monthly 0.5 2020-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583871067023-8AEXI15FPWFPDSST8F04/Grand+Canyon+Family+Hike United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583881332179-G9LRAWV0BVLH8LX8VJQ3/Grand+Canyon+Family+South+Rim United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - Our family of four hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out over the span of three days in 2016. Averhy was 12 and Eden was 9 years old when we did this hike. Despite the hesitant expression on Averhy’s face at the start of our hike, both girls did AWESOME and we all said we would do this hike again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583947919294-O3PQ9V0U9PQY2VP73MSC/Bright+Angel+Trail United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - We camped the first night at Indian Garden Campground, half-way to the canyon floor. The second night we camped at Bright Angel Camp, at the bottom of the canyon. Staying at these campgrounds requires a Backcountry Permit, which costs $10 plus $8 per person/night. You can find apply on the National Parks website. We hiked all the way out of the canyon on day 3, and stayed at a motel in Flagstaff. We chose to hike the Bright Angel trail down and up because it has more shade than the South Kaibob trail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583948724978-K04C47NMW9D06KZPOAJK/South+Rim United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - Day 1: South Rim to Indian Garden Campground We started our day at Sky’s parents’ house in Phoenix and drove to Flagstaff to pick up our rental gear. We were prepared for hot weather, but we hit rain about 30 minutes outside of Flagstaff and the temperature dropped from 104* to 66* in just 10 minutes! A good reminder that elevation plays a big role in outdoor temperatures. After picking up our gear, we had a big lunch and drove to the Grand Canyon entrance, arriving at 4:30pm. We parked our car at the Backcountry office, got a map, used the bathrooms, and took in the view before starting to hike at 5:30pm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583949062290-MJ8PVVJ0Y4SSVL4X3AAS/Grand+Canyon+Switchbacks United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - By starting this late in the day, the trail was almost completely in the shade. We kept up a good pace, stopping any time the girls needed a short break. There are a lot of switchbacks in this section of the trail, and two small rock tunnels. Sky and Averhy led the way and made good use of the trekking poles. We dropped about 3000’ and covered 4.8 miles of trail in 3.5 hours, arriving at the Indian Garden Campground at 9pm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583949367414-V7P9ALKFYI771HQ6JVQK/Indian+Garden+Grand+Canyon United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - Day 2: Indian Garden to Phantom Ranch We didn’t sleep great, mainly due to the sounds of critters like lizards and mule deer walking through the campground, so we got up at 5:30am. After stretching our legs, eating breakfast, and packing up our gear we were back on the trail by 7:30am. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583949564400-5OO24A8D76B19LM72GTT/Grand+Canyon+Cliffs United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - The landscape in the canyon is much more diverse than we expected! There are creeks and tall grasses in addition to the steep cliffs and desert landscapes. As we hiked deeper into the canyon, we found more of the steep cliffs and red rock formations that I typically think of when picturing the Grand Canyon. However, the sheer scale was surprising! I was also very aware of how steep the drop was beside the trail, and I always made sure Eden was hiking closer to the cliff wall while I was on the outside of the path. We helped the girls overcome the difficulty of the trail by singing songs, counting lizards, and taking breaks anytime the path crossed the creek. There we would soak our hats and shirts with water to help us stay cool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583952883092-Q8QNS7I4ZRN46GGFOUMJ/Colorado+River United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - We arrived at the Bright Angel campground at 10:45am, which meant we covered 4.5 miles and dropped 1500’ in just over 3 hours. We set up our tents, put on swimsuits, and played in the creek for a few hours to stay cool. Around 2pm we walked over to Phantom Ranch to get some sack lunches. It was 110* in the shade and 130* in the sun. Lemonade and cold beer never tasted so good! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583952976485-PPXOVXNBGF9CY7MWX0GE/Bright+Angel+campground United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - In the afternoon we spent more time in the creek, Eden earned a Junior Ranger badge from the park service, and we listened to a park ranger presentation on “night critters in the canyon”. After a supper of tuna, trail mix, and beef jerky, we played cards for a bit. After the sun went down, we could feel the heat of the day radiating off of the rocks all around us. We were thankful for the sleeping pads to break up that heat coming up from the ground, so we could sleep better. We wish we had brought battery operated fans though! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583953203154-LE9V93H0DAULDEHUVCSR/Devil%27s+Corkscrew United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - Day 3: Bright Angel Campground to South Rim Once again, we got up around 5:30am, packed up our tents, and were on the trail by 7am to avoid the heat of the day. Hiking up is harder than hiking down, so we kept our minds occupied by counting lizards (21) and steps (560+) as we started up the Devil’s Corkscrew, a steep series of multiple switchbacks. You can see part of it in the bottom left side of this photo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583953468176-KKA7HZ2Z2MOJ1EHTPTVM/Grand+Canyon+Boulder United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - We passed a rattlesnake in the trail at one point, but otherwise the hike was steady and uneventful. We arrived at Indian Garden Campground at 10:15am, happy to see that our pace hiking up was about the same as hiking down! After cooling off in the creek, we decided to hike all the way out of the canyon today so we could eat a full meal tonight and sleep in a real bed. So 11am-4pm was all about rest and relaxation in the shade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583953620697-IOKS91A35GKNJV94SK78/at+Indian+Garden+Campground United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - At 4:45pm we loaded up for the final trek out of the canyon, this time with Eden and Allyson leading the way. We reached the 1.5 mile marker at 5:45, so we were happy with our pace and hoped to reach the rim before dark. It was encouraging to pass familiar landmarks, and we continued to take breaks to hydrate and eat Clif bars as needed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583954333636-F4LHM3JPM2KL07KLONVN/out+of+canyon United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park - We finally reached the rim right after sunset, at 8:15pm. After dumping our stuff in the car, we ate dinner at the lodge, then drove to Flagstaff to find a motel for the night. This photo shows how we felt about completing this awesome adventure… and you can be thankful it doesn’t show how sweaty we SMELLED! Haha! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587488099970-THOHVNN217W0ES91K9PG/Grand+Canyon+with+Kids.png United States Southwest - Grand Canyon National Park https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/fat-mans-pass monthly 0.5 2020-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582752556541-NF63TLULJ7MKYF6S706I/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582752794974-CVW5CFA3P8ZM8BYXY9O3/fatmanspasswho.jpg United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail - Sky, Allyson, Averhy (15) and Eden (12) went on this day hike during a trip to visit family near Phoenix. Sky’s mom joined us, as well as his cousin’s kids, who were 10 and 9 at the time. We all had a blast! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582752927089-42ZS2SYVPKJK7GM7XTT5/image-asset.png United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail - When we travel to Arizona, we always stay with family or friends (except when we’re at the bottom of the Grand Canyon). Isn’t it nice to know people who live in lots of different places? The hike described in this post is about 15 minutes straight south of downtown Phoenix. When you search for it on Google Maps, look up “Mormon Trailhead” so you will start on the north side of the range. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582753083747-4TTD6VU27X1UTULPRXME/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail - We started at the Mormon Trailhead. There is a parking lot but no restrooms. There were signs at the parking lot with reminders about locking vehicles and not leaving valuables in the car. The parking lot is on the edge of a residential neighborhood, and we did not have any problems with theft. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582753200940-X7EJ2IYL930WS6HOV2UV/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail - The trail is very easy to follow all the way up to the top, and there are some great views of Phoenix. There were a lot of families and their dogs, as well as some mountain bikers riding the trail when we were there. After you get to the top, the trail splits. Go to the left on National Trail, then go right toward Hidden Valley. You’ll find this natural tunnel shortly after you turn onto the Hidden Valley trail, and it marks the entrance to Hidden Valley. There are a lot of fun boulders here for kids to climb. The valley area opens up and has lots of interesting rock formations. Enjoy the views! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582753456654-CYP374EKQFON2NAXENXV/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail - Near the end of Hidden Valley, you will come to another natural tunnel, formed by this giant slab of rock resting on another boulder. A little further on is Fat Man’s Pass. It is about 6’ tall and maybe 11” wide. Sky had to remove his backpack to get through, but the kids all squeezed through without any problems. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582753593021-PXNANU29FDPO1483QK49/pass.jpg United States Southwest - Fat Man's Pass and Hidden Valley Trail - Yep, that’s the pass directly under Eden’s feet! If you don’t fit through it, there is a path to walk around these boulders. After the pass, turn right onto National Trail and head back to Mormon Trail to finish the loop. You will take Mormon Trail from the peak back to the parking lot. Overall, this is a fun and easy hike we would recommend doing with your family! https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/peralta-canyon monthly 0.5 2020-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582672913224-4EBYX09YFWK924V2MRZI/Peralta.jpg United States Southwest - Peralta Canyon Trail to Lone Tree https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582670179591-GFM6G5JCUJI08DQM0K0D/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Peralta Canyon Trail to Lone Tree - Sky and Allyson went on this day hike during a trip to visit family near Phoenix. Sky’s parents (in their 60’s) successfully did this hike the week after we went. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582670577567-TKHB7TTVBPGUJJ6JN1AE/image-asset.png United States Southwest - Peralta Canyon Trail to Lone Tree - When we travel to Arizona, we always stay with family or friends (except when we’re at the bottom of the Grand Canyon). Isn’t it nice to know people who live in lots of different places? The hike described in this post is about 1 hour straight west of Phoenix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582671175899-X072SZAEE8HCCBGU4H7K/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Peralta Canyon Trail to Lone Tree - To get to the trailhead, take Peralta Road all the way to the end. I would recommend having a 4-wheel-drive vehicle, because the road is very rough. There were a few places where we had to drive through standing water, and other places where it was potholed or sandy. There are two parking lots at the end of the road, which do fill up - we started the hike at 11am, and parked in one of the last available spots. Restrooms are available at the trailhead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582671978382-PME08L6GEE7NQOIQ1Z1Z/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Peralta Canyon Trail to Lone Tree - Enter your name in the trail register near the trailhead before you begin.. The trail is very easy to follow all the way up to the saddle. There are a few places where you will hop on some rocks to cross streams of water. If you’re hiking in the winter like we did, keep your eyes open for ice on the trail. Even though we were hiking on a sunny day from 11am til 3pm, the shaded areas of the trail were often slick with ice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582672538961-00UPJMKH540PNIBTECZ4/image-asset.jpeg United States Southwest - Peralta Canyon Trail to Lone Tree - The views just keep getting better the higher you go. This picture is from about half-way up. This seemed to be a popular trail, with lots of families, other hikers and their dogs. Be courteous on the trail and move to the side to allow faster hikers to pass. Once you get to Fremont Saddle, you can keep hiking out to the Lone Tree on the right (yes it’s worth it). There are a few different “off-trail” trails to get there, but just keep heading toward the only tree and you’ll be rewarded with the awesome view that you saw at the start of this post. Happy hiking! https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/category/United+States monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/category/New+Mexico monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/category/Texas monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/category/Arkansas monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/category/Arizona monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/category/Utah monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Zion monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Arches monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Grand+Canyon monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Peralta+Canyon monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Canyonlands monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Fat+Man%27s+Pass monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Arkansas monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Utah monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Capitol+Reef monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Bryce+Canyon monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/National+Parks monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/New+Mexico monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Texas monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Phoenix monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Family+Hikes monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Monument+Valley monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Road+Trip monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Camping monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Arizona monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/ussouthwest/tag/Petrified+Forest monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast daily 0.75 2020-03-08 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/california-central-coast monthly 0.5 2020-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582914586191-1EG8M5KWET8N4VEEVSU5/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582915090510-7Y61XS8JFX4LNDNCUGBR/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - All four of us have visited Central California several times. When we took this trip in 2015, Averhy was almost 11 and Eden was almost 8 years old. (In this photo, Sky is pointing at a sea lion relaxing on the rocks!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582915815590-H87T8QQB3HZTWDJEAEZY/image-asset.png United States West Coast - California Central Coast - During this trip, we stayed in Pismo Beach with Sky’s parents, who were living there at the time. Isn’t is nice to stay with family and friends when you’re traveling? We try to do this whenever possible, and we love it when out-of-town friends stay at our house when they’re passing through Illinois! The yellow stars on the map show all the locations we explored during our week in central California. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582916442854-VTCB95344PDW6T3CFVA2/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 1: Monarch Butterfly Grove & Pismo Beach We flew from Chicago to LA to San Luis Obispo, then driving to Pismo Beach and arrived mid-day. Our first place to explore was the Monarch Butterfly Grove at Pismo State Beach. There were tens of thousands of butterflies everywhere. This photo is not leaves on a tree - it is all butterflies! Monarchs migrate to this area from October to early March every year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582916617827-0Q92UVNQZ6G46D57QVRX/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Next we walked along the Beach Foot Trail out to the ocean. The girls had fun climbing the huge trees, walking among the sand dunes, and finding sand dollars everywhere on the beach. If you find a purple fuzzy sand dollar, it’s still alive so just leave it where you found it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582917208471-LQIC44IGG9XEND08BD39/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 2: Smuggler’s Cave, Pirate’s Cove Beach, Ontario Ridge Trail, & Avila Beach After breakfast, we went on a short hike to see Smuggler’s Cave which had some neat rock arches. It started to get windy, so the girls and Sky’s parents walked down to play on Pirate’s Cove Beach. It was a rocky area that was fun to explore - but be warned that if you walk all the way down the beach, there is an area that’s clothing-optional! Sky and I hiked the Ontario Ridge Trail instead, which had one very steep section, but overall was not difficult. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582917668302-L5W1CGWT30O9T9YNZKH5/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - After meeting back at the house for lunch, we drove up to Avila Beach for the afternoon. It was fun to dig in the sand and explore one large section of rocks that were covered with mussels. We also walked down to the pier and saw lots of sea lions resting on the docks. Although it was sunny, the water was cold so we did not go swimming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582918597021-UT9EYW3QC29725ZT07DW/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 3: Morro Bay, Elephant Seals & Big Sur Sky and I drove up the coast while the girls spent the day with their grandparents. However, we all ended up seeing the same things! First up was Morro Bay, with a view of Morro Rock. This is a cute town, and during a previous visit to this area in 2013 we spent more time here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582919044429-JGSASPTFAI6S7LA4B5IB/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Next up was the Elephant Seal viewing point on Highway 1, north of San Simeon. If you’ve never heard a hundred elephant seals hanging out together… they are LOUD. Their mating season here is November to March, so hopefully you can see them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582919163914-X4RDHJGTY4CJKDCY6OFW/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Sky and I kept driving along Highway 1 all the way to Monterey, enjoying the gorgeous views of Big Sur and lots of little beaches like this one along the coast. Driving straight through, it takes about 3.5 hours - but if you want to make a lot of stops and enjoy the view, plan on driving most of the day. We arrived in Monterey around 3pm as the fog began to roll in, so we took the 101 inland to drive home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582919590819-JPBDPZU2VCDDYKJGEGBA/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 4: Montana de Oro State Park & Spooner’s Cove Today was a bit of a rest day. After a relaxing morning at home, we drove to Montana de Oro State Park to briefly see some pretty views, and then spent more time at Spooner’s Cove. The rock formations here were interesting, with caves in the steep cliffs and jagged rocks along the shore. It kept us busy for quite a while! In the evening, we relaxed at home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582920609723-K0DWNBM0U2HFGQPUNCXJ/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 5: Bishop’s Peak Hike & Pismo Beach Sky and I spent the morning hiking trails around Bishop Peak, which included some neat wooded areas as well as great views at the top. In the afternoon, we all went back to Pismo Beach to play (our girls could spend all day digging in the sand). Sky & Averhy got in the water for just a little bit - it was still pretty cold! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582919795434-H0OW76GT9B3H5KFPCVKX/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 6: Hearst Castle & San Simeon Hearst Castle is a really interesting place to visit, and our girls enjoyed this tour. There are a lot of different options, but we did the basic 1-hour Grand Rooms tour and found it to be just enough to keep our girls interested and engaged. After the tour, we walked around some more, then had a late picnic lunch on the beach in San Simeon before heading back to Pismo Beach for the evening. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582920967210-GBCLRK7Q16QPSIV1OC4F/image-asset.jpeg United States West Coast - California Central Coast - Day 7: San Luis Obispo & Serenity Swing Trail For our last day in central California, Sky and I drove over to San Luis Obispo to enjoy the views. We stopped at a few random viewpoints before finding a trail that led to the Serenity Swing. The girls spent the day playing with their grandparents at Avila Beach, and we wrapped up our week with some local theatre. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583703376703-D4N2PONOT7G0T9HIO3AU/Central+California+Vacation+Pinterest United States West Coast - California Central Coast https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/category/United+States monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/category/California monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/tag/San+Luis+Obispo monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/tag/Hearst+Castle monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/tag/Morro+Bay monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/tag/Avila+Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/uswestcoast/tag/Pismo+Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada daily 0.75 2020-04-21 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/new-brunswick monthly 0.5 2020-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587480908558-DWEB6S29LYBXXXKVIQJ7/NewBrunswick_001.jpg Canada - Jacquet River https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587484944186-HJNBL17SM48EXJQTM51J/jpeg_canada_family.jpg Canada - Jacquet River - Our family has traveled to New Brunswick, Canada three different times. The first was when Eden was 2 and Averhy was 5 years old, then again the following year when Eden was 3 and Averhy was 6, and most recently when Eden was 10 and Averhy was 13 years old. These were all 24-hour road trips, and you can read lots of trips for traveling with kids in this post. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587483856669-H48WYK3FXBQETJ42M0V9/New+Brunswick+places Canada - Jacquet River - For our trips in 2009 and 2010, we drove straight through from Illinois to Jacquet River, NB and stayed at Sky’s grandma’s house. In 2017, we stopped at Niagara Falls on the way to Jacquet River. You can read about that fun day in another post - but it is a good way to break up the long drive. Near Jacquet River, there are hotel options in nearby Belledune and Bathurst. In the Jacquet River area, our favorite places are marked with yellow stars on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587485133654-4QTTY39Z8P2KZU4NNK6A/Jacquet+River+Gorge Canada - Jacquet River - Jacquet River Gorge One beautiful park we visited was Jacquet River Gorge. There is a lovely lookout spot at “Paul’s Cabin”, where you can learn a bit about the history of this area and have a great view over the wooded gorge. There is also an 18-mile point-to-point hike through the Gorge, but we did not do the hike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587484355646-OFMKCS3ZB46PTTH1T0C4/Chaleur+Bay Canada - Jacquet River - Chaleur Bay The coastline of Chaleur Bay from Belledune to Jacquet River is filled with rocky outcroppings, little caves, and fun places to explore. We would spend hours walking the pebbled beach every day, and our girls enjoyed finding natural treasures around every bend. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587485762518-AZTFDE7BHXVV6KR9G3EN/Mount+Carleton+Provincial+Park Canada - Jacquet River - Mount Carleton Provincial Park A few hours drive southwest of Jacquet River is Mount Carleton Provincial Park. We hiked a wooded trail to a viewpoint (about 2.5 hours up and back) and enjoyed the lake views as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587485878264-73LGWICN3H6D0QCV3XZL/Benjamin+River Canada - Jacquet River - Benjamin River Swimming Hole The little town of Benjamin River is a few minutes drive west of Jacquet River, and there is a fantastic swimming hole just south of the main road through town. We spent a full afternoon here, jumping off the rocks and enjoying the clear, cool water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587486311906-TU9B3GLQXIOHP1FBS303/NewBrunswick+Family.jpg Canada - Jacquet River - Dairy Delight One place we always stop is the local ice cream shop - Dairy Delight! With lots of flavors to choose from, and colorful picnic tables where you can relax and enjoy your ice cream cones, this place is on our “must visit” list every time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587486480235-DW7M6LO79OW7VSPY5DXS/New+Brunswick+Sunset Canada - Jacquet River - When we’re in New Brunswick, we try to end every day with a bonfire on the beach, roasting marshmallows and skipping rocks in the lake. If you’re looking for a great off-the-grid relaxing location for a week with your family, Jacquet River NB is the place to visit! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1587487778294-ACCSH5CUVCJ89K41Q9TZ/New+Brunswick+Canada.png Canada - Jacquet River https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/category/New+Brunswick monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/category/Canada monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/tag/Jacquet+River monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/tag/Road+Trip monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/tag/Lake+Vacation monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/canada/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland daily 0.75 2024-07-22 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland/icelandsouthcoast monthly 0.5 2024-07-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582331224322-DB2RSWNJWH2RVNJD3LCO/image-asset.jpeg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582331481841-TQ3Z0LTMC145QU0EXEMQ/IMG_9057.JPG Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - All four of us traveled the south coast of Iceland and lived in a Happy Camper van for 6 days and nights. Averhy was 14 and Eden was 11 years old when we took this trip. It was a great way to explore this unique country! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582331791507-L7RTBS34FIDYUTJSOU3I/IMG_8733.JPG Iceland - Iceland's South Coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582331738404-OB42DTOYM1GQCF6TTRJV/IMG_8732.JPG Iceland - Iceland's South Coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582334058209-F0HKMBV6LSP6DR5BYIWR/Screen+Shot+2020-02-21+at+7.13.47+PM.png Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Our lodgings were also our transportation for this adventure! We rented a converted van through Happy Campers, and were really pleased with how it worked out. The van has room for four to sleep comfortably, and we didn’t feel too crowded. The map shows all the locations we went to during our six day trip. We hoped to drive all the way around the island, but weather changed our plans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582335266668-RC69JC30QX3VY17IIFZC/IMG_8790.JPG Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Day 1: Bridge Between the Continents, Thingvellir National Park, the Golden Circle, and Selfoss We arrived in Keflavik at 4am, but our van wasn’t available until 8am. Next time we’ll book a later flight! After getting the van, we bought breakfast/lunch groceries for the week before heading to the Bridge Between the Continents, connecting North America and Europe. Next stop was 90 minutes away - Thingvellir National Park. We spent a few hours here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582335860753-8K5RKVVVOJQ4Q21RYKJ3/iceland_d850_035.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast Some of the parks have an entry fee that you pay in the visitor center. There were a lot of nice trails to waterfalls, including Drekkingarhylur and Oxarfoss. We continued around the Golden Circle, seeing the original “Geysir” (though it’s no longer erupting) and other hot springs and geysers. The final waterfall of the day was Gulfoss, and the sun set at 5pm. We spent the night at a campground in Selfoss. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582336117092-07OMIXOCE456FI1ILHYQ/iceland_d850_049.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Day 2: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Reynisfjara Beach, Reynisdrangar, Fjadrargljufur Canyon We underestimated how cold it would get at night, so we all woke up shivering. The rest of our trip, we all wore two layers of clothes to bed! Seljalandsfoss and Gljufurarbui were the first waterfalls of the day. There were a fair number of tourists here, and it clearly could get very crowded in the summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582336850334-BK6Q06HKID9EX8MAOV1L/iceland_d850_077.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Skogafoss was the next (even bigger) waterfall, just 25 minutes down the road. Sky & the girls got very close to this one! Skogafoss was the next (even bigger) waterfall, just 25 minutes down the road. Sky and the girls got very close to this one! As we drove toward Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach (another 30 minutes away) we stopped to see some Icelandic horses by the roadside. These friendly horses, as well as sheep, are everywhere. When we arrived at the beach, we were greeted by some serious WIND! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582337385247-4TI9ILWQPX9YG7BEBB7K/iceland_d850_082.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - The basalt sea stacks were really impressive, and the black sand beach was fun to explore in spite of the wind. The surf here can get dangerous, but the ocean was fairly calm today so we were able to climb around some rocks and get a different view of Reynisdrangur. The basalt sea stacks were really impressive, and the black sand beach was fun to explore in spite of the wind. The surf here can get dangerous, but the ocean was fairly calm today so we were able to climb around some rocks and get a different view of Reynisdrangur. You can also see the Dyrholaey sea arch back to the west. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582337666644-XVTXLAE3W3OCEW50U0DH/iceland_d850_108.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Fjadrargljufur Canyon was our last stop for the day, and we arrived as the sun was setting, so I was glad I brought my tripod to get this shot. Fjadrargljufur Canyon was our last stop for the day, and we arrived as the sun was setting, so I was glad I brought my tripod to get this shot. The hike to the viewpoint took about 30 minutes, but the path was clear and the view at the end was worth it! We hiked back down in the dark, using our flashlights. Our campground for the night was a short 15 minute drive further, at Kirkjubaer II. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582342130037-HKFF3SMYG18OMXW141UA/iceland_d850_118.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Day 3: Secret Glacier, Fjallsarlon & Jokulsarlon Iceberg lagoons, and Diamond Beach On Day 3 we were supposed to hike a glacier, but the weather did not cooperate, so we had to reschedule and change our plans for the rest of the week… but it turned out for the best because we found a secret glacier! To get there, take the main Route 1, east from Skaftafell for about 10km. Then turn left just past the river, on to the unmarked F-road toward Falljökull Glacier. Park in the lot and hike to this awesome glacier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582342200658-AI68U0C39IHFC707O8JK/iceland_d850_151.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast After lunch we drove 45 minutes to Fjallsarlon Iceberg Lagoon, which was extremely windy (but we were basically the only people there) and then the Jokulsarlon Iceberg Lagoon (less windy, but more people), and finally Diamond Beach right before sunset. It was amazing seeing these huge icebergs floating out to sea! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582342257245-2N0VMJFIJLVG5VSIZO9P/iceland_d850_165.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Day 4: We spent the night at the campground in Hofn (most towns in Iceland have inexpensive campgrounds, which makes it really easy to travel this way) and then spent an hour or two exploring a Viking Village (formerly a movie set) where we climbed sand dunes and met some Icelandic horses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582342390400-D4174CP9XFIAKT31CO5R/iceland_d850_194.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast A very bumpy road took us to a trail that led to Flaajokull glacier. We didn’t hike all the way to the glacier this time, but it was still a beautiful walk for a few hours. We drove back to Skaftafell campground for the night. This was a great campground, with nice showers and bathrooms. It probably gets crowded in the summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582342588354-PPHA9XWSSBCKSNXTZPLT/iceland_d850_230.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Day 5: We decided to do a glacier walk and ice cave tour with Arctic Adventures because that’s the only safe way to go inside an ice cave. Our group had about 15 people in total, mostly older, so we moved at a slower pace than we would normally hike. The ice cave was really interesting to see, and I wish we could have had more time inside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582313484018-5HZTOTUHYK0S0ZPOARSI/iceland_d850_238.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast After the glacier hike (including some hot cocoa) we turned in our safety gear and took a short walk to Svartifoss waterfall. When we returned to the campground, one of the rangers suggested that we drive all the way back to Selfoss tonight, because there was a wind advisory starting early the next morning. Driving in the wind a few days earlier was not fun at all, so we took his advice and started the 3.5 hour drive before dark. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582351420405-D2TH3N8STUBGQBDAUUZU/IMG_8012.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast - Day 6: Our last full day started where we began the week, in Selfoss. We did some souvenir shopping before heading out to see a few more waterfalls. The first was Urridafoss, which has the highest volume of water of all falls in Iceland. Next we drove to Hjalparfoss (above) where the parking lot and walkways were coated in ice! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582344442773-4H49534JYAI7JJ0PI2JK/BNCE0165.jpg Iceland - Iceland's South Coast We ended our trip by going swimming at the Secret Lagoon (Gamla Laugin) hot springs. The wind was COLD so we stayed as low in the water as we could for several hours before driving on to Reykjavik for the night. We enjoyed the best meal of the week at Icelandic Street Food in downtown Reykjavik - highly recommend! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583702364450-5K9C8ZQZ73CEFE8E7V8F/6+Days+in+Iceland+Pinterest Iceland - Iceland's South Coast https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland/category/Iceland monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland/tag/Waterfalls monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland/tag/Packing+List monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/iceland/tag/Iceland monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia daily 0.75 2020-03-24 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/melbourne monthly 0.5 2020-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585063241490-SQIAX5N4K41JWEKOIVZS/Melbourne+City Australia - Melbourne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585064179669-4GVAAHV8MCM0NG6EY1LP/Melbourne_Family Australia - Melbourne - Our family of four traveled to Melbourne for the last two days of our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Melbourne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Melbourne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585064948317-IYCF2N6YOUDMY537CP1P/Melbourne+map Australia - Melbourne - We are big fans of AirBnB, and stayed at this awesome apartment while we were in Melbourne. It was a great location with a gorgeous view of the city. During our time in Melbourne, we visited the spots marked by yellow stars on the map. Most of them were within walking distance of our AirBnB, or within the free tram zone downtown, but we did have to take a taxi to St. Kilda Pier on our second day in the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585066095015-BDW0I5GGK0KR58CT1EAM/State+Library+Melbourne Australia - Melbourne - Day 1: State Library Victoria, Melbourne Museum, Graffiti, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Queen Victoria Market We arrived in Melbourne on a Tuesday evening, so our first full day in the city began on Wednesday morning with a visit to the State Library Victoria. It was lovely inside, with a large reading room in the center and various art, history, and literature exhibits on the surrounding floors. Next we walked to the Melbourne Museum to see a special exhibit on rock & roll. There were also displays of dinosaurs, animals around the world, and the human body. We spent a few hours here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585066699714-U5CVTLFAYLTXD6F02IZK/Melbourne+Graffiti Australia - Melbourne - After lunch, we tried to find all the graffiti throughout the downtown area. We started at Hosier Lane, which was pretty crowded with tourists, and then wandered the streets of downtown to find other alleys filled with artistic graffiti. AC/DC Lane was a fun find, and Duckboard Place graffiti alley was right around the corner. You can pretty much walk down any street and find some artwork on the walls! Next we stopped in St. Paul’s Cathedral (no photos allowed inside) and then tried to take the free downtown trolley - but it was crowded and slow-moving. We ended up walking to Flinders Street Station, another iconic Melbourne spot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585067388198-RIFJ6MTITW9MDE9SHGUL/Queen+Victoria+Market Australia - Melbourne - In the evening, we had dinner at the Queen Victoria Market, which was having a special “winter nights” event with food and vendors. It was crowded, the food was only okay, the vendors were not especially unique, and I probably would not go to this event again… However, the experience might be better during a regular day, instead of a special night event. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585068289546-8M2BBW2SINTDGYBQZDVB/Old+Melbourne+Gaol Australia - Melbourne - Day 2: Old Melbourne Gaol, Federation Square, National Gallery of Victoria, St. Kilda Pier Penguins After breakfast at our AirBnB, we went to the Old Melbourne Gaol (pronounced “jail”) for an interactive tour. It was really interesting and entertaining, and I would definitely recommend it. We ate lunch outside in Federation Square (which is just a large gathering space outdoors, surrounded by interesting architecture) and then walked to the National Gallery of Victoria. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585068642583-2JG3DDPJZCKXO69O958B/National+Gallery+of+Victoria Australia - Melbourne - The National Gallery was actually one of our highlights of the entire trip, because there was an orchestra practicing in the main hall for a concert to be held that evening. It was beautiful! There were a lot of famous works of art by Picasso, Monet, Matisse, and others (can you spot the first bronze casting of “The Thinker” in this photo?) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585068899758-Y2ZKYAIZENN9DVY9OFL8/St+Kilda+Pier+Penguin Australia - Melbourne - We ended the day with a sunset visit to St. Kilda Pier, where penguins live among the rocks! During the day, the parents are out in the ocean, and at sunset they swim back to their nesting ground among the rocks to feed the baby penguins. There were a lot of tourists here, but everyone respected the signs reminding us to stay quiet and not disturb the penguins. This was a great way to end our time in Australia! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585069453261-GXSMDSNNS56MK8QAA439/Melbourne+Australia.png Australia - Melbourne https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/great-ocean-road monthly 0.5 2020-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584991843677-GQ2WGL9OKLMML8N2JH1Y/Great+Ocean+Road+view Australia - Great Ocean Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584992220531-WQ5PX2YSIZFQNE2OB609/Wreck+Beach+Family.jpg Australia - Great Ocean Road - Our family of four traveled the Great Ocean Road near the end of our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Great Ocean Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Great Ocean Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584997609225-XY9DEIW67ITG4RZ28GMI/Great+Ocean+Road+locations Australia - Great Ocean Road - We stayed at Bimbi Park campground, which was near the middle of our Great Ocean Road drive from Melbourne to Port Campbell. The camping house (similar to a mobile home?) was not fancy by any means, but it was clean, inexpensive, and the check-in process was easy. During our time driving the Great Ocean Road, we visited locations marked by yellow stars on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584999004691-4GIW0T9XAXVSL9EQBNWQ/Point+Roadknight+Beach+1 Australia - Great Ocean Road - Day 1: Torquay, Point Roadknight Beach, Cumberland River, Apollo Bay, Great Otway National Park After we arrived in Melbourne late on Sunday night, we spent the night at a hotel near the airport and began our two-day road trip the next morning. We began the Great Ocean Road drive in Torquay, a surfing town. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584998931380-846GN83HZO7N6FB45INX/Point+Roadknight+Beach+2 Australia - Great Ocean Road - Next up was Point Roadknight Beach in Anglesea. This rocky beach was really unique, with the ocean on one side of the rocky outcropping seeming to be higher than the other. This beach is also a protected area for birds, so dogs are not allowed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584999365343-4MPGNTTLZMM720E8B91I/Cumberland+River Australia - Great Ocean Road - Split Point Lighthouse was a quick stop (we did not climb up) before having a picnic lunch in Lorne with about 30 cockatoos! Continuing the drive, our next stop was where the Cumberland River empties into the ocean. The rocky riverbed was fun to explore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584999461378-SOVNR4RN218XP6KKF07J/Kangaroo Australia - Great Ocean Road - We chased a rainbow into Apollo Bay, where we stopped for a dinner of fish & chips. Then we drove on to Bimbi Park Campground, located in the Great Otway National Park. A group of kangaroos welcomed us to the park, and this big guy even said hello the next morning! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584999590681-O1OHA6ZBLEFXLLGE524K/Wreck+Beach Australia - Great Ocean Road - Day 2: Wreck Beach, Twelve Apostles, Loch Arde Gorge, Razorback, Thunder Cave After driving to the tip of Cape Otway, we got back on the Great Ocean Road. Our stop was Wreck Beach, at the end of a rough narrow road. It was worth it - we had the whole beach to ourselves and spent an hour exploring. This was one of our favorite stops of the entire Great Ocean Road drive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1584999876991-QJCXCMC41C1JR1D0CLYW/Twelve+Apostles Australia - Great Ocean Road - At the Twelve Apostles visitor center, we finally encountered other tourists. It was clear that this scenic drive can get crowded during the summer, and once again we were glad to be here in the off-season. There are several scenic viewpoints in this section of the Great Ocean Road, and they all have well-maintained sidewalks or walking paths. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585000016971-3GTGPKUICIEJBSO6I42Z/Island+Arch Australia - Great Ocean Road - Although it was chilly and the sun kept ducking behind rain clouds, we enjoyed each of the different scenic viewpoints. Most people do this drive from east to west, as we did. We saw a few tour buses, but I would highly recommend driving this route in your own vehicle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585000230822-B7UZO62L3MEB1NVXB13D/Loch+Ard+Gorge Australia - Great Ocean Road - Our last stop was Loch Ard Gorge, and then we drove inland to head back to Melbourne (about a 3 hour drive). Overall, this was a beautiful drive, and the rolling hills inland were just as gorgeous as the stark cliffs along the coast! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1585001474179-1L6ZHRY1QVGAVUD35FQC/Great+Ocean+Road.png Australia - Great Ocean Road https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/fitzroy-island monthly 0.5 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583517556077-OBS2BF6DWWEQZ99QFBKB/Fitzroy+Island+Nudey+Beach Australia - Fitzroy Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583514998908-3F4ESJZDOAVUZV1QVVIJ/Family+Travel+Fitzroy+Island+Australia Australia - Fitzroy Island - Our family of four traveled to Fitzroy Island during our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. This photo was taken on our hike to the top of the island, where it was just a little bit windy… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Fitzroy Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Fitzroy Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583515680227-NBME7X3VI4PYSJ0H0BKR/Fitzroy+Island+Places+to+Travel Australia - Fitzroy Island - This was our last full day in Queensland, so we checked out of our AirBnB in the morning, and went straight to the airport at the end of the day to fly to Melbourne. During our time on Fitzroy Island, we visited the spots marked by yellow stars on the map. It is a small island, so there is time to see pretty much everything in a day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583516083625-BBYXFW52DT17VQBKK153/Fitzroy+Island+Beach+Harbor Australia - Fitzroy Island - There are a few options to get to Fitzroy Island from Cairns. We chose the Fitzroy Island Flyer because the departure times going to/from the island worked best with our schedule. It was a 45 minute ride to the island, and on the way we saw a whale in the distance. This is the view of the beach when you arrive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583516303008-S5UF79XGDFCY66HG6K0K/Fitzroy+Island+Family+Hike Australia - Fitzroy Island - As soon as we arrived, we signed up to visit the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center later in the day. Visits are limited, and you can only purchase tickets on the day of your visit. We decided to hike to the lighthouse and the summit of the island first, then go snorkeling after working up a sweat. The hike was surprisingly steep at times, but there were butterflies and beautiful views to keep us going! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583516340415-OE13HTU3KL9DGD04OMXV/Fitzroy+Island+Ocean+View Australia - Fitzroy Island - The view from the summit was gorgeous, and the water is stunningly blue! The hike took about 2 hours from start to finish. After the hike, we went snorkeling - but before we even got in the water, we were surprised to see two humpback whales breaching in the bay! It was pretty incredible and something we’ve never seen before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583516592493-GC56UIPIR5ZFDF8KS16R/Sea+Turtle+Fitzroy+Island Australia - Fitzroy Island - We snorkeled for a little while - Sky and Averhy stayed out longer than Eden and I did, because the water was cold and Eden got a little claustrophobic - but we can say we’ve seen the Great Barrier Reef for ourselves! After getting some lunch, we went to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center. It was interesting learning about the efforts to help these animals, and seeing them up close. We finished the day relaxing on Nudey Beach (no, it’s not a nude beach) before hopping on the last ferry back to the mainland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583525043156-6TEQU72641K5VLFYFDFK/Pinterest+Fitzroy+Island Australia - Fitzroy Island https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/cairns monthly 0.5 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582522737313-VVE5KI4H6GKJWYVAHKVZ/Cairns.jpg Australia - Cairns https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582522830971-OYTMME64BYPX017CS3RK/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - Our family of four traveled to Cairns for two days of our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Cairns https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Cairns https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582523733553-E8RACI1YIQ2N6ZY1DN7Y/image-asset.png Australia - Cairns - We like using AirBnB whenever we can, and whenever it is less expensive than a hotel - which was the case in Cairns. We stayed at this cute cottage in a quiet neighborhood. During our time in Cairns, we visited the places marked by yellow stars on the map. Some of the roads getting to Kuranda were very curvy, and this time Allyson got to learn how to drive on the left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582524495143-7M85NJ1Z2S82YFK7JMOH/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - Day 1: Kuranda and Barron Falls Koalas are protected, so there are only a few places where you are allowed to interact with them. It was my goal for our girls to be able to hold a koala, and I’m glad we decided on Kuranda Koala Gardens. Many of the animals are allowed to roam freely, and the staff members were helpful and informative. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582524767980-6UBUM32CSCGQR24UZMXL/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - Birdworld is attached to Kuranda Koala Gardens, and we purchased entry to both attractions. Birdworld was so enjoyable that we ended up staying there until closing time! I would definitely recommend it. There were hundreds of exotic birds flying freely within the large enclosure. The girls were able to hold several birds simply by extending their hand next to a bird on a perch. One highlight was seeing a cassowary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582525192446-M2OU8HMFTEANM4OKW046/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - Next we drove to nearby Barron Falls, which is a huge waterfall in the rainy season… but it was just a trickle when we visited because it was winter. The hike to the falls was an elevated path through the rainforest. Walking near the middle layer of the rainforest was a very different perspective than walking at the base of the trees! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582525468447-3QT7J6W28D7OBCQQ4G5Z/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - Day 2: Ellis Beach, Balancing Rocks Beach, Mossman Gorge, Four Mile Beach, and the Esplanade in Cairns After getting breakfast at the awesome farmers’ market in Cairns (only open on weekends) we drove north toward Daintree Rainforest, stopping at several beaches on the way. The first was Ellis Beach, where the water & sand created a suction effect on our feet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582525518056-NA26ORX30VQS9L58235S/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - Further up the road we stopped at Balancing Rocks beach and added our own cairns to the collection. We spent nearly an hour here, admiring the stacks of rocks and building our own precarious piles of stones. Our next stop was Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest - one of the oldest continuous rainforests in the world, and a World Heritage site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582525585511-JAOXAKF8YUS77X7E4GVC/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns To visit the gorge, you have to park at the visitor center, pay an entry fee, and ride a shuttle bus into the rainforest. There are also several walking tour options, but we chose to explore on our own. This area was more crowded with weekend visitors, so we climbed on rocks and waded in the chilly water for only about an hour. We decided to avoid the crowds and head to Four Mile Beach a little earlier than planned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582525666924-CQTX9G9JUEOEO3L0MA8I/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - We stopped at a grocery store to get things to make a picnic lunch, and then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Four Mile Beach. The beach was incredibly wide, with shallow water that reached way out into the ocean. We played in the sand, collected shells, and walked a full mile down the beach and back before the sun started to set. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582525715868-ETGNGLSYE81VAE42EBSA/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Cairns - After getting cleaned up, we drove downtown and walked around, checking out souvenir stands and restaurants. Just like the night before, the area was crowded with weekend tourists. After dinner, we walked to the Esplanade Lagoon and were surprised to see huge fruit bats in all the trees! We could hear them munching on the fruits, and occasionally they would fly past us, swooping from one tree to the next. A surprising way to end our two days in Cairns! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583525862584-97IQDUMMLHPKDU72RJ0J/Cairns+Australia+Pinterest Australia - Cairns https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/jervis-bay monthly 0.5 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582436150003-EAV3CL0UGMCIV8KMMJMY/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582436413611-JTEBXSAWRHO40Y4K71ML/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - Our family of four traveled to Jervis Bay for two days during our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Jervis Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Jervis Bay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582439302459-CORXFPZP9YKKGC2RVF5Z/Screen+Shot+2020-02-23+at+12.27.35+AM.png Australia - Jervis Bay - We are big fans of AirBnB, and use it whenever we can. We stayed at this house in Culburra, just north of Jervis Bay. It was a pretty good AirBnB, though the house number wasn’t illuminated so we went to the wrong house at first! A good reminder to confirm directions with your host before you arrive. For our last night in the area, we stayed at the Ibis Budget Sydney hotel near the airport, because we had an early morning flight. During our time in Budderoo National Park and Jervis Bay area, we stopped at the locations marked by yellow stars on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582439758463-IZ35UQT77OHH6I4MUIHD/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - Day 1: Minnamurra Rainforest & Fitzroy Falls We began the day with a 2 hour drive from Bondi Beach, and enjoyed the rolling hills changing into woods as we entered the Budderoo National Park area. There was an easy loop trail in Minnamurra Rainforest, with an out-and-back section as well. We spent about 1.5 hours here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582440289728-5J1OCX8F8Q6PTM9FJV9L/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - Our next stop was for lunch at the Robertson Pie Shop. Their traditional meat pies and dessert pies were excellent. About 30 minutes further was Fitzroy Falls. There was an easy trail leading to an extremely steep and tall waterfall. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting a friend and driving to our AirBnB. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582440919137-JEV9RMT0AB5V78TOIIXB/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - Day 2: Jervis Bay The first beach we visited on Jervis Bay was Hyams Beach, which claims to have the whitest sand in the world… and we would agree! It was such a fine texture that it squeaked as we walked on it. Once again, we were nearly alone on the beach because it’s the off-season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582441059499-NVYG7MO7U6J05Q8L45EJ/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - We hadn’t seen any kangaroos yet, so we decided that would be our next activity. I had read that kangaroos often hang out on golf courses, so we headed toward the St. Georges Basin Country Club and… bingo! Kangaroos lounging along the edges of the fairway. Satisfied with our kangaroo encounter, we picked up some more meat pies and pastries for a picnic lunch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582441388186-BBGVZKSYO0ZM5SF6KVI2/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - The sun finally came out, so we spent a couple hours at Huskisson Beach eating lunch, finding shells, walking in the water, and climbing on the rocks. Next we decided to try our hand at Australian lawn bowling, so we drove over to the Currarong Bowling Club. The game is similar to bocce ball, but the balls are lopsided and must be rolled, not tossed. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582441759018-R05C4EAULNXC53DIFD0S/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Jervis Bay - We finished the day with a visit to Point Perpendicular Lighthouse and Honeymoon Bay, which are on the Beecroft Peninsula, across from Hyams Beach. As the sun began to set, the wind picked up and the temperatures started to drop, so we got back on the road after sunset. We stopped for a delicious dinner in Kiama, at a casual trendy restaurant called Silica. This was our last day in New South Wales, so we drove 3 hours back to Sydney in order to stay at the Ibis Budget Sydney hotel near the airport, since we had an early flight the next morning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583595390778-O578G2Y04YSEDDMFGGF4/Jervis+Bay+Pinterest Australia - Jervis Bay https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/sydney monthly 0.5 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582430447358-ZF89RY6LXWXA7R6NB3W9/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582430980968-3ODNOW137IZ9HCCSOR9V/australia_129.jpg Australia - Sydney - Our family of four traveled to Sydney for two days of our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Sydney https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Sydney https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582431841196-1QC0DRWNDMKNXCW9PKBH/image-asset.png Australia - Sydney - We stayed at the Coogee Bay Beach Hotel, which was a little drive outside the city but on the way to our morning destination. It was clean, fairly inexpensive, and within walking distance of the beach and a few restaurants. During our time in Sydney, we walked and drove to the starred locations on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582432769577-5D1RZYJZ9SNSZF2ADBX3/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney - Day 1: We arrived in Sydney around 9:30am and spent the morning having family photos taken by my friend Sarah Gardan Photography. Whenever we travel, I use it as an opportunity to have professional photos taken. As a family photographer, I really value quality family photos, and scheduling this during our trips adds another fun memory to the experience! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582432891557-1H3VI9N3PFMZI6T94OZA/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney - After family photos, we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House. This was easily one of the highlights of our entire time in Australia. The building is gorgeous and the architecture is stunning. I would highly recommend taking a tour if you can. We were able to walk up and book a tour, but I would guess they might fill up in the summer months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582433327625-ATWH50WRRLBINFMY2Q18/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney - After the tour we got sandwiches to eat as we walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens over to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. It was an easy walk to get a different view of the city skyline. The girls had fun climbing on the rocks at the edge of the harbor. To get back to the downtown area, we walked on the waterfront path, and were rewarded with a different view of the Opera House as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582433752012-O29V9G6XRLGESA3TKUJZ/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney - We finished the day by walking through the Rocks area (a more historic area of the city) to get a pint at the Lord Nelson Brewery, Sydney’s oldest pub. Once it got dark, we ended the day where we began, at Campbells Cove Lookout, to get some night photos of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s the perfect location if you want family photos with those iconic backgrounds! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582434618094-TDHFM86422IMNO780GOR/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney - Day 2: Bondi Beach We started our day with breakfast from the Crabbe Hole, which is the poolside restaurant at the Bondi Icebergs Pool. The pool is open all year, and is located right next to the ocean - so occasionally big waves splash over the edge! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582434884521-TAQ52LUSMG3YYZ5TQS6Z/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Sydney - If we had all day to spend here, we probably would… the beach is beautiful and wide, and is popular for surfing. The morning we were there, a group was setting up for a surfing event. I would guess this beach gets crowded in the summer, but it’s beautiful and worth a visit. This ended our time in Sydney, so we got back in the car to keep driving! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583536338996-RQHKS08BWSHQJ1OJ32EQ/Sydney+Pinterest Australia - Sydney https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/bluemountains monthly 0.5 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424374027-5P07V7X4Z83FYIKJZS0I/image-asset.jpeg Australia - Blue Mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424469698-ONTXJHYD4561UBQX2QYU/Family+Blue+Mountains.jpg Australia - Blue Mountains - Our family of four traveled to the Blue Mountains on the first day of our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424736736-8F1YI9KD85BY3OALGSHV/Packing+Australia.jpg Australia - Blue Mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582424774183-3IL5AY6WYNFE067I6PPW/Packing+Australia+2.jpg Australia - Blue Mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582427599927-BFI7KVKFI1BOHSD35GSF/Screen+Shot+2020-02-22+at+9.12.50+PM.png Australia - Blue Mountains - We stayed at the Echo Point Discovery Motel, which was conveniently located directly across from the Three Sisters lookout in Katoomba, New South Wales. The motel was not fancy by any means, but it was clean, inexpensive, and the check-in process was easy and friendly. During our time in the Blue Mountains, we hiked the trails marked by yellow stars on the map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582428820799-GA5DPZ68FS6DKUY8LIH4/australia_015.jpg Australia - Blue Mountains - After we arrived in Sydney, we drove directly out of the city 2 hours into the Blue Mountains area. It was different driving on the left side of the road, but Sky quickly got used to it. Our first stop was for lunch in Wentworth and then we went to Wentworth Falls and canyon. This was an easy first hike, which we appreciated because we were all tired from our long 17 hour flight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582428585269-4464XFRZC62HMBH0ARBM/Leura+Cascades+2.jpg Australia - Blue Mountains - Our next stop was in the neighboring town of Leura. The girls had fun climbing on the Upper Falls at the Leura Cascades, and then we all hiked down to the Lower Falls area (about 1 hour round trip). Next we drove to Katoomba, the next little town, to catch sunset at Echo Point with a view of the Three Sisters. We were getting pretty tired at this point, so we didn’t hike the longer trails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582428507288-L3BSC2DZBLRLM3RDF1MA/Three+Sisters+1.jpg Australia - Blue Mountains - In the evening, we had dinner at a fun and funky restaurant called Avalon. We would recommend it, both for the food and the decor! The next morning, we woke up early thanks to the difference in time zones, so we were able to enjoy a view of the Three Sisters at sunrise before driving back into Sydney. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583538078528-RR82MBGHDZRHIATBIJ89/Blue+Mountains+Pinterest Australia - Blue Mountains https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/category/New+South+Wales monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/category/Victoria monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/category/Australia monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/category/Queensland monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/New+South+Wales monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Kangaroo monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Flinders+Street monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Blue+Mountains monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Honeymoon+Bay monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Lorne monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Koala monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Leura+Cascades monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Sydney+Opera+House monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Bondi+Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Huskisson+Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Jervis+Bay monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Point+Perpendicular+Lighthouse monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Apollo+Bay monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Minnamurra monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Melbourne+Museum monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Twelve+Apostles monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Bondi+Icebergs monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Hyams+Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Mrs+Macquarie%27s+Chair monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Fitzroy+Island monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Cumberland+River monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Three+Sisters monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Cairns monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/St.+Kilda+Pier monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Sydney+Harbour monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Lord+Nelson+Brewery monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Melbourne+Gaol monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Australia monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Wreck+Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Loch+Ard+Gorge monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Sydney monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/australia/tag/Queensland monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/central-america-and-mexico daily 0.75 2020-02-21 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii daily 0.75 2024-07-22 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/kauai-7-days monthly 0.5 2024-07-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1627919409602-9K9OGPVCQ38WTVZ6V2P3/hawaii_nikon_209.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1627920297675-15IZK74H9OF600U2FSS1/hawaii_shutterfly_387.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Our family of four went on this trip in June 2021, when Averhy was 17 and Eden was 14 years old. We had previously visited in both spring and fall, so we decided to try summer for this trip. The weather was great (as usual) and even though restaurants were busier, we found that any time is a great time to visit Kauai! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628609269171-7LBG0THQKG4IJJHFW5LF/packinglist.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628189186793-Z1QKMU7GCFLY3DKQ0C70/Screen+Shot+2021-08-05+at+1.46.08+PM.png Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - In 2021, we stayed in a great AirBnB in Princeville, on the north side of the island. More recently, in spring 2022 we stayed at this beautiful house and will be returning there for all future visits! We like the proximity to the NaPali coast and our favorite Hanalei beaches. The yellow stars on the map show all the hikes and activities we did during our time on Kauai. The island is fairly small, but the main road does NOT connect all the way around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628611706510-C7BBI5UKZJ071PO8A7DW/hawaii_nikon_067.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 1: Getting settled in We had a late morning flight from Maui to Kauai, so our first day on the island started with lunch at the Greenery Cafe in Lihue. We got groceries, drove up to our AirBnB in Princeville, and got settled in. The view from our balcony was amazing! The day ended with dinner at Oasis on the Beach in Kapaa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628611766052-H7YWCB14044SU9F5AKZJ/hawaii_nikon_068.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 2: Wailua Falls & Ho’opi Falls We woke up to a rainbow over the mountains and decided this would be a great day for waterfall adventures! First up: Wailua Falls. There is a very small parking lot near the upper viewing area for the falls, so be prepared to wait - or park further down the road. This is the view from the overlook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628629580042-1MLBLC22L25ZEPUPGWPA/IMG_3594.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - To hike to the bottom of the falls, go about 100 feet past the fence on the right side of the viewing area and look for the trailhead (unmarked) that has some ropes tied to trees. The trail can be muddy and very steep, so don’t try this one in flip flops! At the bottom, you can swim under the falls or just enjoy the view! It’s rocky, so water shoes are helpful. This adventure took about 2 hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628611927435-INF20GN2R92KGURXNV4H/hawaii_nikon_071.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Our next adventure was a hike to Ho’opi Falls. The trailhead is in a residential area, so be polite choosing where you park - don’t block a driveway or park in someone’s yard! Also, be quiet while walking this easy trail, because the first section goes along backyards of several residences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628612003351-2QG9L2DYU7RHWBGH9LTS/hawaii_nikon_074.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - The trail follows a river through the jungle and passes several waterfall areas. If you want to try out the fun rope swing, keep going past this view at the top of the falls. The trail will curve back around to the bottom of the falls. It can be muddy, and will involve climbing on tree roots to get to the bottom - which is lots of fun! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628691181900-GDBY4K8ZVFI43R0WMM26/lighthouse.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - After we all took a turn (or 2 or 3) on the rope swing, we hiked back to the car and drove to Kilauea Lighthouse. It was closed today, but the view over the cliffs was pretty! We ended the day by watching Jurassic Park, which was filmed on Kauai - including one scene at Ho’opi Falls! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628612817993-HN5TM7PXOA6FP89S7NXW/hawaii_nikon_084.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 3: Queen’s Bath & Hanakapi’ai Beach We started day 3 by walking to the Queen’s Bath. The trailhead is in a residential area, and there are only about 4 parking spots. Parking on the street is strictly prohibited, so if you drive here, be prepared to wait in your car. The trail is fairly steep at points and can be muddy, so hiking shoes are best (although we did see people climbing it in flip flops). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628612897045-Z95XIKOSZSTEPUQUW9HQ/hawaii_nikon_092.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - There were a lot of people here when we visited, so we got away from the crowds by walking out onto the lava flows near the water. We did see people jumping off the edge into the ocean, but the waves are unpredictable and rough, and there are multiple signs warning against cliff jumping here! While we were here, we saw 5 or 6 sea turtles playing in the waves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628613284940-6EI8G2OGI8UXER4DXPH6/hawaii_nikon_093.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - After lunch, we drove to Ha’ena State Park. This area has changed a lot since our last visit in 2016. Now reservations are required to visit the park, and can be booked 30 days in advance. Reservations sell out VERY quickly. Although it seemed inconvenient at the time we booked our hike (I had to get up at 4:30am Illinois time to make the reservation), we appreciated the nearly empty Kalalau trail - it was extremely crowded the last time we were here! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628613374006-N90DM1BRDDFD36WFADV4/hawaii_nikon_099.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - The 2-mile hike to Hanakapi’ai Beach was moderately difficult and took just under 1.5 hours. We were rewarded with a nearly empty beach! The waves can be very rough and dangerous here, so do not go in the ocean if you’re alone or a weak swimmer. We played in the waves on the shore for a bit, and then explored a sea cave on the left side of the beach. Hiking back to the parking lot took just over an hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628691405401-U9YQ0L0DUBXUT2AJTEG5/hawaii_shutterfly_339.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 4: Hideaway Beach & snorkeling After a busy hiking day yesterday, we decided it was time to relax on the beach near our AirBnB. The path down to the beach is steep, but we managed it carrying beach chairs and snorkel gear! Hideaway Beach is a small beach with heavy sand - which leads to extremely clear water and excellent snorkeling! We saw multiple sea turtles and tons of fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628613686620-ST6IS9UN29IA70V26TIU/hawaii_nikon_106.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 5: Waialeale, Awa’awapuhi & Waimea Canyon We got an early start on day 5 to drive all the way to the other side of the island. From Waimea, there are two roads that lead to Waimea State Park. We prefer the more curvy and scenic route 550. Our first stop was Pu’u O Kila lookout - the wettest place on earth! Luckily it wasn’t raining while we were there, so we got a clear view of this impressive valley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628613785351-ZA22SXSVNF69LILQVWS3/hawaii_nikon_112.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Heading back down the mountain, we got to the Awa’awapuhi trailhead at 11:45am. This trail leads to some incredible views of the jagged NaPali coast, but much of the trail is actually through forest. It is moderately difficult trail, and felt longer than we remembered from our last visit. It took us 1.5 hours to get to this viewpoint. After a snack and rest, we headed back - mostly uphill this time. Overall, this trail is 6 miles long and took us just over 4 hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628613919757-KG2QTBA6YCR9VMF91WEX/hawaii_nikon_115.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Continuing back down the mountain, we stopped at the Pu’u Hinahina lookout over Waimea Canyon. This is a great spot to get an incredible view! Continuing down the mountain, the road splits into route 550 and Kokee Road. If you drove up 550, you might want to take the Kokee Road back down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628614010663-4CB4IQWXERVSLCYUWUVC/hawaii_nikon_116.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - We stayed on 550 because we wanted to stop at the Red Dirt Waterfall. These falls are just on the side of the road, and it’s easy to get up close. Be careful of cars that might drive too fast here. Once we made it back to Waimea, our reward was Jojo’s Shave Ice - delicious! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628631938175-O8N9G8JQ6ZR5H2BQLRNZ/hawaii_nikon_124.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 6: Makauwahi, Kiahuna Beach & Surfing! After a relaxed morning, we decided to explore some new places on the south side of Kauai. Our first stop was the Makauwahi cave preserve, which we all really enjoyed! There was an easy trail leading to a sinkhole cave, a very informative guide at the cave, and tortoises we could pet at the nature preserve! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628632183190-AO0PDQKMNDLMY62SPYS8/hawaii_nikon_154.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Next we went to Kiahuna Beach for the afternoon. The beach was fairly crowded without a lot of shade, but people didn’t stay very long, so we were able to move into a shady spot before too long. The girls wanted to try surfing, so we had signed them up for a lesson with Nukumoi Surf Co. They had a blast and were able to get up on the waves multiple times! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628632433052-8BVY72PMC1UV03DKQXOR/hawaii_nikon_161.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 7: Hanalei & Napali Coast catamaran tour For our last full day in Kauai, we booked a catamaran tour of the Napali coast. This area of Kauai is only accessible by helicopter or boat. In 2010, we did a helicopter tour, so this time we chose a smaller boat tour that allowed us to go into some of the sea caves along the coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628634557247-9HBB5967P8WFLF9X1AKN/hawaii_nikon_175.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - The tour included about 45 minutes of snorkeling just beyond Hanalei Bay, a sack lunch, snacks and drinks. We were especially lucky to have a pod of nearly 30 dolphins swim and jump around our boat for about 15 minutes as well! The 4-hour ride took us up the coast, into 4 sea caves, under a waterfall, past Hanakapi’ai Beach, and almost to the end of the Awa’awapuhi trail viewpoint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628634615089-9EP6VRMXTPUFTOS6PBX3/hawaii_nikon_200.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - For the ride back, Eden chose to sit up front. She had a blast and got soaked! We really enjoyed this tour. When Sky and I visited Kauai in 2010, we took a helicopter tour of the Napali coast. After doing both, I think we preferred the boat tour. The ability to go into sea caves was fun, and the dolphins were an added bonus! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628634701378-2AM76RI1SVH0ARAK5YG0/hawaii_nikon_213.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - Day 8: Hanapepe & south island sights Our AirBnB checkout was at 10am, but our flight home was at 10pm, so we decided to explore some sights on the south side of the island that didn’t require swimsuits and a shower afterward! We stopped at the historical Menehune fish reservoir, Glass beach (not much glass these days), a Japanese cemetery, and the Spouting Horn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628634786033-9JAATNELNUS6O2AVHIP8/hawaii_nikon_214.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary - After getting some delicious Dole Whip, we walked around Hanapepe - the home of Lilo and Stitch! The swinging bridge was interesting, and we strolled through several artists’ shops in old town Hanapepe before getting lunch at Japanese Grandma’s Cafe. We finished the day by relaxing at Poipu Beach before heading to the airport. Thanks for a great week Kauai! We can’t wait to return! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1628693218217-XN4FMWDZM9KSJM9ODKWC/Copy+of+Zion+National+Park.png Hawaii - Kauai - 7 Day Itinerary https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/4-days-kauai monthly 0.5 2022-10-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582310686936-CFWZ8DGMQCB6WZUS0Z0G/image-asset.jpeg Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582309706656-FR6ZYEI3H4GZ7MFTXSK9/IMG_4438.JPG Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary - Sky and I first went to Kauai in 2010 to celebrate our 10th anniversary, as a part of a 10 day trip to Maui and Kauai. We loved it so much that we went back to celebrate our 16th anniversary in 2016! For that adventure (described in this post) we spent 4 days on Kauai at the end of a 2 week trip exploring the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. We can’t wait to come back and bring our girls! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582305029337-3HR2AIB9ASYW0NZ9Y3NO/Screen+Shot+2020-02-21+at+11.09.39+AM.png Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary - We are big fans of AirBnB, and for this trip we stayed at a condo in Princeville. Since that time, we’ve found our new favorite place - this gorgeous 4-bedroom house. Kauai is so small that you can stay just about anywhere and still travel everywhere easily. We love Princeville because it’s close to Hanalei Bay, which is one of our favorite places in the world! The map shows all the main locations we went to during our four day trip. There is not a road that goes all the way around Kauai, but even though we stayed on the north side of the island we were easily able to see everything we wanted to! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582309805354-RMG4L11N8CB2VU0BLJON/IMG_4435.JPG Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary - Day 1: Awaawapuhi trail & BarAcuda After an evening flight from Maui, our first full day in Kauai began with breakfast at the condo, packing lunches for the day, and getting coffee at our favorite spot, Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Company. Then we drove toward Waimea Canyon to hike the Awaawapuhi trail (2 hours from Princeville to the trailhead). It’s about 6 miles round-trip, and the final view is incredible! The entire hike took about 4 hours. Next we drove to the Waimea Canyon Lookout, but it started to rain and our feet were tired, so we headed back to the condo to clean up. We ate dinner at BarAcuda in Hanalei. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582309892315-XHRQ9SH76Z85Z326TXOT/IMG_4444.JPG Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary - Day 2: NaPali coast, Tunnels Beach, & Ho’opi’i Falls We started the day by hiking the Kalalau Trail of the NaPali coast, but it was muddy from rain and rather crowded with tourists today. The NaPali coast has a very long out-and-back trail that we will tackle some day, just not on this trip. We drove to Tunnels Beach to do some snorkeling before lunch. Next we drove to Kapaa to hike two waterfalls, both called Ho’opi’i Falls. There were some people swimming at the first falls, so we kept going to the second falls - which we had all to ourselves. There was even a rope swing into the pool at the base of the waterfall! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582309625212-I7ZNHKUYPDMLXPGEFAFH/IMG_4537.jpg Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary - Day 3: Kuilau Ridge Trail, Wailua Falls, & Anini Beach The Kuilau Ridge Trail was a long, easy hike through several types of rainforest. It was interesting to see the types of vegetation change as the elevation changed. After a snack, we went to Wailua Falls. The view from the top is great, but we wanted to hike down to the bottom as well. Unfortunately, we missed the trail and ended up a little stuck, so we crawled back to the top… only to drive around the bend and see the actual trailhead! Whoops! We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on Anini Beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582310013336-2IR4UUXALAA3O5S69HV4/IMG_4454.JPG Hawaii - Kauai - 4 Day Itinerary - Day 4: Hanalei, Lydgate Beach Park, & Waimea Canyon We spent our last morning in Kauai on the beach at Hanalei swimming and watching the surfers for a few hours. Then we drove to Lydgate Beach Park, which consists of two man-made tide pools by the edge of the ocean. We did some more snorkeling there before rinsing off and changing into hiking clothes. Our flight was in the late evening, so we had time to drive up to Waimea Canyon Lookout (no rain tonight!) to watch the sunset before heading to the airport. https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/category/United+States monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/category/Hawaii monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Beach monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Waterfalls monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Hawaii monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Kauai monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Family+Hikes monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Packing+List monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Road+Trip monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/hawaii/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest daily 0.75 2020-06-02 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/shawnee monthly 0.5 2020-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591116456641-JYUCPFIA0LMI6PG1TZ6V/Giant+City+State+Park006.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591116709191-Z6QW839Z3R5KKUIUMU9G/Garden+of+the+Gods002.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Our family of four took this weekend trip when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13. We all enjoyed exploring these natural areas in our home state! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591118118125-HHOMOQ3RGRIOCEH98S7R/Screen+Shot+2020-06-02+at+11.59.02+AM.png United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591118867627-4KT2LSXWL0PK7OKUCIQP/FerneClyffe001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Ferne Clyffe Waterfall Trail We started our day with a hike at the Ferne Clyffe Waterfall Trail, an easy and well-maintained out-and-back trail that’s less than a mile long. There are interesting rock formations along the path, and it is an easy hike to start your day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591119414301-2DFDBEKOG96A7BU9ZNLY/FerneClyffe004.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Once we reached the waterfall (on the right side of this photo) the area got a little more crowded. There were kids playing in the water at the bottom of the falls, and some people climbing up the rocks behind the waterfalls. If we had the area to ourselves, we would have climbed up too, but we moved on instead. If you want to avoid crowds, I would suggest doing this hike on a weekday, or perhaps even a Sunday morning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591120069259-3JO3KII1OQ10WKJ0HUHQ/BellSmithSprings001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Bell Smith Springs Scenic Area Our next stop was Bell Smith Springs. A word of warning: the road to access this area is TERRIBLE and the parking lot is extremely small. We arrived around 1:30pm and had to park on the side of the road. If you notice cars parked on the side of the road as you arrive, stop and park immediately, and walk the rest of the way on the road. The road gets so narrow that if you meet another car, you’ll have to back up… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591120252760-FNHY9TOCEUEB2IC5H4NX/BellSmithSprings002.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - This trail gets busy on nice weekend days because there are several swimming holes and lots of large boulders for jumping into the creek. We did not plan on swimming, and it was too crowded for us anyway. For us, the highlight was the natural bridge hiking trail. Follow the yellow trail markers across the creek and they will lead you to a huge natural stone arch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591120842976-0S3YYKS7DHW80LI80XFT/BellSmithSprings003.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Continuing on the trail, you’ll find a metal ladder built into the stone so you can climb up on top of the arch before following the path back down to the creek. The natural bridge trail is a loop trail of 1.5 miles, and we spent about 2 hours at this park. There are actually four trails in this scenic area, with a total of 8 miles of hikes. So if you decide to brave the bad road conditions and limited parking, you might just make a whole day of it! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591121455336-BEPV3WEIUF7CJJNG9IYK/Garden+of+the+Gods001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Garden of the Gods Our next stop was perhaps the most well-known part of Shawnee National Forest: Garden of the Gods. Unfortunately, we found it to be crowded and slightly underwhelming. On the positive side, there was ample parking and the trail to see the main features (like Camel Rock in this photo) is well-maintained and easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591121595952-NGWY41VNCR8MC7PBSUTU/Garden+of+the+Gods005.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - The Observation Trail is just 1/4 mile long and offers several great views of the rock formations and interesting features of erosion. There are other trails in the area, and I think we would have enjoyed this section of the Shawnee National Forest more if we had visited on a weekday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591121893154-L2AE84AFV5UD6P02SM1E/Rim+Rock+Trail001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Rim Rock Trail & Beaver Trail Our last stop of the day was at the Rim Rock Trail area. Though the parking lot was small, this area was not crowded. We chose to hike the lower Rim Rock trail, which had some sections of steep stone steps and narrow paths - one of which is called “Fat Man’s Misery”. There are also some caves on this path, one of which was used as a stopping point for the Underground Railroad. The lower Rim Rock trail connects with the Beaver Trail to get back to the parking lot. This trail is only about 1/2 mile, and we spent about an hour exploring here. We enjoyed hiking in this area, and it was a great way to finish our first day in Shawnee National Forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591122724123-D9PFAKHC6PX15ZTFK3QQ/Giant+City+State+Park004.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Giant City State Park Our first hike on Sunday was the Giant City Nature Trail, and it turned out to be our favorite hike of the whole weekend. This is a 1-mile trail with lots of interesting spurs and off-shoots that make it extra fun! In one of the rocky overhangs, Sky realized that the cave underneath actually went through to the other side… so we got a little muddy and crawled through! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591123089081-LFTCBJ5LAL5D9T766N6U/Giant+City+State+Park007.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - There are several narrow passageways (even more narrow than the Fat Man’s Misery from yesterday, or the Fat Man’s Pass in AZ) that are really fun to explore too. We spent about 1.5 hours exploring this trail. Next we hiked the Devil’s Standtable Nature Trail, which was a short hike popular with rockclimbers. It included this huge rock formation with boulders that were fun to climb on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591125270157-7L7LBRRW9VXZS4BHABE9/Giant+City+State+Park001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - We were also impressed with the ample parking, well-maintained trails, and multiple picnic pavilions throughout Giant City State Park. You can pick up a trail map outside the Visitor Center, but it is not very detailed - so when you’re hiking just look for the well-worth paths and take them all! The most interesting rock formations we found were on the spur trails just off the main path. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591124370533-P2Q35PHFW9KIUQUJPEQK/Pomona+Natural+Bridge001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Pomona Natural Bridge Our next stop was a short and easy hike to the Pomona Natural Bridge. The gravel road to get here is more well-maintained than the road to Bell Smith Springs, but there are still a few potholes here and there. This natural bridge is smaller than the one at Bell Smith Springs. Since it is on the way to the Little Grand Canyon, it’s an easy hike to break up the drive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591125609495-AGKAJWXRHU8IL7OGMYDZ/Little+Grand+Canyon001.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - Little Grand Canyon Our last hike of the weekend was the Little Grand Canyon. There are three sections to this 3-mile loop hike, and we took the left 1-mile path that leads directly to the main overlook. It was a well-maintained series of up and down slopes along a ridge. At the lookout, you can see the Big Muddy river below, and the Mississippi far in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591125709639-JJ34V76ES7WJDNM3XBCJ/Little+Grand+Canyon003.jpg United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest - We continued down into the canyon for a little ways, and a small stream with a trickling waterfall was our reward. Other hikers coming up mentioned that the the trail was very muddy and slick at the bottom, so we decided to call it a day. This hiking area had a larger parking lot than Bell Smith Springs, but it was still crowded at 4pm on a Sunday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591126936530-71CIHRA87BBZ0QCA7GOT/Shawnee+National+Forest.png United States Midwest - Shawnee National Forest https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/category/United+States monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/category/Illinois monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/tag/Illinois monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/tag/Family+Hikes monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/tag/National+Forest monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/usmidwest/tag/Hiking monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe daily 0.75 2024-03-24 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe/austria monthly 0.5 2026-04-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/c79746c0-f3b7-42d0-9ba5-d34ef973c8bb/Austria_10.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/052ac5b6-f205-4fa5-9dbf-3977f532a95f/IMG_3450.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Our family of four went on this trip in March 2024, when Averhy was 20 and Eden was 17 years old. The last time Sky and I visited Austria was in 1999, but this was our first time skiing in the Alps! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/b198c35a-724d-497b-8173-5ff14da2a223/IMG_3471.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/8d95ff20-d9f4-4d76-9c82-ded22db7ff32/Screen+Shot+2024-03-24+at+11.38.45+AM.png Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - For this trip, we stayed at the Living Hotel an der Oper in Vienna, and an AirBnB in Innsbruck. We chose each one based on their location. The yellow stars on the map show the locations of the sites we visited in Vienna. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/19e05fe2-19ce-4042-8873-a499c07bfb7c/IMG_3150.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 1: Rathausplatz & Votivekirche We had a direct flight overnight from O’Hare to Vienna on Austrian Airlines. We arrived in Vienna at 8am and took the train into the city. After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we began exploring. We walked past Parliament to the Rathausplatz, where they were uncovering rose bushes and dismantling an outdoor ice skating area, to get ready for spring. Sky and Allyson remembered visiting the rose gardens in 1999 - they are huge and beautiful in the summertime! Nearby was Votivkirche. The intricate design of the roof and gothic spires were impressive. We met Averhy’s boyfriend for lunch at Cafe Central, then continued exploring the city in the rain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/e8de6203-98a7-4dff-9dd3-cb10b3fbc290/IMG_3157.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 1: Palais Daun-Kinsky Our next stop was Palais Daun-Kinsky, an 18th century palace that is now an auction house. The stairway and painted ceiling were so fancy! Jet lag was catching up to us, so we went back to the hotel for a nap before a delicious dinner at GRND. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/4ce06742-ba75-478c-8846-4263aafe67af/IMG_3178.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 2: St. Stephan’s Cathedral We started the day by taking the metro from Karlsplatz to Stephansplatz, to have breakfast at Aida cafe and then see St. Stephan's Cathedral. It was beautiful but a bit crowded inside, so we decided not to climb the towers. We hopped back on the metro to go to Palmenhaus for a drink, and Schmetterlinghaus to see butterflies! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/93848f7c-562b-481e-afaa-84fc66f9c140/IMG_3214.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 2: Weltmuseum Wien Our next stop was Weltmuseum Wien. We especially enjoyed the rooms filled with different types of knights’ armor. There was also a large display about musical instruments that were invented in Vienna. At the end, Eden found a section where we could play different types of instruments and see the mechanisms working! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/38c8e5f0-e6eb-41cc-a055-1d95f77b7bda/IMG_3224.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 2: Ankeruhr Clock We got back on the metro to Stephansplatz to find the Ankeruhr clock. We were there in time to see it change to 4:00 which included chimes! Next it was time for a snack: Wurstel - a cheese-stuffed sausage shoved into the middle of a baguette with ketchup and mustard. It hit the spot! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/b9b97b42-d687-4771-8a88-952de1f0f5f3/IMG_3240.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 2: Vienna State Opera House After a tasty dinner at Restaurant Bier & Bierli, we quickly walked to the Vienna State Opera House for an evening of music. We got there just in time (latecomers are not admitted... whew!). Our seats were in the first row of the very top balcony, with screens in front of each chair to display the song lyrics... in German or Italian! The 2-hour performance by Vittorio Grigolo was just the right amount of opera. He was very entertaining, and the pianist played solos between the vocal pieces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/2c6bd5b7-91f0-441d-ad0f-6c5b74bf098f/Austria_01.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 3: Schonbrunn Palace Today we took the train to Schonbrunn Palace for the morning. We took the 1-hour self-guided audio tour to see the great hall and residence rooms. So much gold, and so many chandeliers! After the palace tour, we went out to explore the grounds. They are HUGE and include gardens, fountains, and a zoo! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1876c5a3-8d8c-470f-a615-bb12d263a205/Austria_09.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 3: St. Charles Church & Belvedere Palace We took the train back to our hotel, then walked to St. Charles’ Church and a Soviet army memorial fountain. Then it was a walk of several blocks up a hill to reach Belvedere Palace, which is now an art museum. Inside, you can find “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt, and outside there are statues that look like men punching horses! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/33802973-2fa3-4557-889e-943e2a7789d9/IMG_3318.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 3: Austrian National Library State Hall After Belvedere Palace, we hopped on the tram and rode back toward our next stop, the Austrian National Library State Hall. It was incredible! So many books on tall shelves, with each section labeled with Roman numerals. Definitely the most impressive library we’ve ever visited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/36e853e2-6ae8-4a98-9bc4-cd150ea65b06/IMG_3332.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 3: Naschmarkt We ended the afternoon by strolling through the Naschmarkt - a market with produce stands, restaurants, fishmongers, spiced nuts, baklava, and some touristy stuff. Eden bought a huge pomegranate and an orange. Dinner tonight was at Bauernbrau, with tasty local cuisine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/4c3366bf-d1f1-4469-b9e3-dfdb32b5d6d0/IMG_3373.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 4: Train to Innsbruck This morning we said goodbye to Vienna and hopped on a high-speed train to Innsbruck. We got some pastries for the ride and enjoyed the changing landscape as the train sped across Austria, into Germany, and back into Austria - hitting 225km/hr! We arrived on time to Innsbruck, a picturesque city surrounded by the Alps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/b87ac252-d6c5-4ac6-873a-6ebf0ddcf05a/IMG_3470.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 4: Innsbruck After dropping our bags at the AirBnB, we got delicious pizza for lunch at Mamma Mia, then wandered the cute city streets. The views from the river bridge were lovely! Some interesting places were the Goldenes Dachl "Golden Roof" and the Dom St. Jakob with a beautiful interior and impressive pipe organ (but photos inside cost 1 Euro and we didn't have any cash!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1615e9db-3186-404e-acd0-5e690a860547/IMG_3438.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 4: Innsbruck - Nordkette It was an easy walk to the Congress Station entrance where we got on the Nordkette - a funicular and cable car that took us all the way to the top of the mountains by the city. The stations had cool architecture, and the views were incredible! We should have worn our snow boots because it was icy up top. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/8a840ed8-6f9c-404b-8798-820499f9f63d/IMG_3505.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 5: Stubai Glacier Up early today because it's time to hit the slopes! Walked to our bus stop at 7:30am and got the last row of seats on the bus (4EUpp) for the scenic 1.5 hour ride to Stubai Glacier. The ski area is HUGE. There are two base station areas, one mid-mountain station, three upper-mountain stations, and then the summit! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/e3b4ac37-70ef-41aa-a5a2-ca79c8c84de0/IMG_3499.JPG Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 5: Stubai Glacier We got our gear and headed to the top of Tyrol at 3,210m. We think we could see the Dolomites and Tres Cime from here! A beautiful day with challenging slopes. No green runs here - just blue/red/black. We did our best, slid on our butts, and Eden tweaked her knee... but the views were amazing! The lifts closed promptly at 4pm. Back in Innsbruck, dinner at Farina Pizza was a delicious way to end the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/556be605-4895-48db-b0e2-ba45cf65d192/IMG_3525.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 6: Stubai Glacier Our AirBnB host allowed us to do a late check-out at 8pm tonight, so we were able to enjoy another full day of skiing before packing to go home tomorrow! Today we ate lunch in the bustling cafeteria, and finished the day around 3:30pm. We returned our gear to Intersport rentals and were very impressed with the service - they gave us a refund for Eden’s equipment today since she didn’t ski! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/51cd1bc8-b8a3-4117-9bac-7b433aa44503/IMG_3585.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck - Day 7: Travel home After cleaning up and packing our bags, we stored them in a CityLocker while we got dinner and waited for our Night Train at 12:45am. The coachettes on the train were little stacked bunks that we could lock from the inside, with color-changing lights and lockers between. We all got some sleep during the 6-hour train ride, and the direct flight home was easy too! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/8aca64ed-33d0-405c-b6b2-eb714e271801/AUSTRIA.jpg Europe - Vienna & Innsbruck https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe/london monthly 0.5 2024-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/55908f96-72a6-440b-9501-350091d01df7/UK_album_259.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/e643bf0e-db69-42eb-bc68-ab1f11d16de9/UK_album_242.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Our family of four went on this trip in June 2023, when Averhy was 19 and Eden was 16 years old. The last time Sky and I had visited London was in 1999, but this was our first time driving in the English countryside! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/feef5f75-be16-4813-9ecf-82b9a6d872c1/UK_album_223.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/e0814b3f-d808-415d-a64d-afccbaba3565/Screen+Shot+2023-06-30+at+4.17.52+PM.png Europe - London + the English Countryside - For this trip, we alternated staying in hotels and AirBnBs. We chose each one based on their location, as well as our ability to book using credit card points. The yellow stars on the map show the locations of the cities and main sites we visited: Oxford, Gloucester, Bath, Stonehenge, Arundel, Birling Gap, Dover, Canterbury, and London. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/871ef092-799e-4c34-be4d-743fa76e51dc/UK_album_002.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 0: Travel from US to London This year we started playing the credit card points game, so we were able to save several thousand dollars by booking all of our flights using points, the Southwest companion pass, and transfer bonuses. We were also able to access airport lounges like this one in Boston with Priority Pass, included with one of our cards, which made waiting in airports much more comfortable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/bc6c9245-3fa5-4271-af7a-7f7212b22cdc/UK_album_024.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 1: Oxford We arrived in London around 11am, picked up our Turo rental car, and headed into the countryside! Our first stop was at Christ Church in Oxford, which had a self-guided audio tour we all enjoyed. Some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed here, or inspired by these buildings. We also learned that Alice in Wonderland had its beginnings at Oxford! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/f1ac9949-1e25-46ec-a96c-c4b15df6f1db/UK_album_048.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 1: Gloucester Another 2 hour drive led us to Gloucester Cathedral, about 15 minutes before it closed! This gave us just enough time to admire the architecture and see the cloisters - also featured in Harry Potter films. Back in the car for another hour to get to Bath, where we ate a delicious dinner at Sally Lynn’s - the oldest house in Bath, built in 1482. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/f9edfebe-b75a-4dba-8cab-9796067ca532/UK_album_066.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 2: Bath We had a nice breakfast at our hotel before visiting the Roman Baths for a few hours. The self-guided audio tour was great, and we enjoyed learning about the history of the baths. We spent some more time walking around the town, and enjoyed this view of the Pulteney Bridge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/ea4ae38e-aed8-4356-ab14-7f327871be79/UK_album_095.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 2: Stonehenge Stonehenge wasn’t at the top of our “must see” list, but it was on the way from Bath to Arundel so we decided to stop by! We chose to walk on the free public footpath rather than paying for entry, and the views were just as good. After another hour of driving, we arrived in Arundel and explored this cute village. We had drinks at Kings Arms (the oldest pub in town) and had dinner at the Red Lion - yum! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/0067ee4b-7096-469d-9f42-20f49d6387e5/UK_album_139.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 3: Arundel Castle After breakfast, we visited the Arundel Cathedral, perched high atop the hilly village, as well as a neat antique market in an old church building. Then it was time for our tour of the Arundel castle and gardens. The plants were beautiful and it was interesting to see everything you’d expect in a castle: velvet-carpeted libraries, high stone turrets, and even lion-skin rugs in front of two fireplaces in the great hall! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/e58b774f-10b3-455d-aa54-e733a7a50613/UK_album_192.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 3: White Cliffs of Dover After getting lunch from the Edible Sandwich Co., we drove south to see the white cliffs at Birling Gap. Clouds started to roll in, so we continued on to Dover, hoping they would clear enough for us to see the coast of France. Luckily, they did! The park there closes at 7pm, so we took a quick walk on the cliffs before heading north to Canterbury. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/e9016999-5c86-46ad-b2f2-cb527125f019/UK_album_215.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 4: Canterbury to London We enjoyed walking around Canterbury, and the cathedral was our favorite of this trip. It is more narrow than others, which makes it feel much taller. We also stopped by the Crooked House bookstore before driving back to London. After checking in to our AirBnB, we headed to see The Dear Hunter (one of Sky’s favorite bands) in concert nearby! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/d15dffd0-bd9c-4668-b167-35d6b7a3ea9f/UK_album_244.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 5: Tower of London & Borough Market This was a busy day, starting with a Beefeater tour at the Tower of London. Our guide was great! Tons of facts about the buildings and history. We crossed the Tower Bridge, went to the busy Borough Market for lunch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/8a2a8528-37ab-4794-a98a-5106bfc51b69/UK_album_282.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 5: Millennium Bridge & St. Paul’s Cathedral Next we walked back across the Thames River on Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral, to go down in the crypts and up to the top of the dome. Unfortunately the whispering gallery was closed for repairs, but the view over the city from the top of the dome was great! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/a270e2de-b2d4-4252-b78b-f33806e011db/UK_album_296.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 5: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre After dinner and drinks in downtown London, we went to the Globe Theatre to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was EXCELLENT! We bought tickets for the standing room only area, and going to an evening performance was a good choice, since the weather was so hot. Overall this was the best Shakespeare experience we’ve ever had! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/44d64066-7914-42bc-afd6-9da1341dbbb0/UK_album_327.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 6: Westminster Abbey & Mercato Mayfair Today we started at Westminster Abbey, which was our least favorite stop of this trip - was too crowded. We crossed the river to get some views of Big Ben and Parliament before hopping on the tube to get to Buckingham Palace. Next we walked through Hyde Park and ate lunch at Mercato Mayfair - a food market inside of an old church! I would definitely recommend this unique lunch spot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1d96e311-0283-4e7c-8091-0f44ab166f0c/UK_album_345.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 6: Afternoon Tea & the British Museum After cleaning up at the AirBnB, we went to have Afternoon Tea at the Savoy to celebrate my birthday! It was fancy and fun, but honestly more expensive than it was worth. Oh well! We finished the evening with a short visit to the British Museum, which is free and open later on Fridays. There we saw the Rosetta stone and ancient Greek and Egyptian relics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/0131d084-f7ea-42b1-87ba-b4271ca8dae2/UK_album_357.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 7: Cubs vs. Cards at London Stadium After two very hot days with lots of walking, we were exhausted and took it easy today, sleeping in and spending the morning at our AirBnB. In the afternoon, we took a bus to London Stadium, where West Ham United usually plays soccer - but this weekend it was converted into a baseball stadium! It was fun watching the Cubs win, and we even explained the rules of baseball to the Brits sitting near us! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/b8d81f23-75cf-46c4-853d-d9dbd8355db0/UK_album_375.jpg Europe - London + the English Countryside - Day 8: Tate Modern & travel to USA Our flight home the last day wasn’t until 5pm, so we still had several hours to spend in London. We left our bags at Left Luggage at the train station, then got breakfast and spent two hours exploring the Tate Modern art museum. When we got to the airport, we relaxed in one of the many airport lounges at Heathrow before flying out. Another great trip in the books! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/bcb5d498-143a-4af1-bf37-418d9beacbc5/London.png Europe - London + the English Countryside https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe/italy-14-days monthly 0.5 2023-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/c0b7a00a-8db0-4442-a881-e177bd69550b/Italy_album_1010.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1fdd94b6-0746-45dd-a410-aed816cf1cb8/Italy_album_0215.JPG Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Our family of four went on this trip in June & July 2022, when Averhy was 18 and Eden was 15 years old. The last time Sky and I had visited Italy was in 1999, and it was great to go back! Summer in most of Italy is HOT and very busy, so be ready for heat and crowds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/b71fea0a-08ab-4065-a4b3-ff8650e555c2/Italy_album_1041.JPEG Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/0f76b709-5758-4594-a760-b9a5974d178e/Screen+Shot+2022-08-12+at+10.35.50+AM.png Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - For this trip, we stayed in AirBnBs in each city. We chose each one based on their location, so it was easy to get to the AirBnB from the main train station or key sites we wanted to visit. The yellow stars on the map show the location of the cities we visited: Venice, Selva di Val Gardena, Verona, Riomaggiore, Pisa, Florence, and Rome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/44565d88-8995-4d1f-89f4-ad5b1d691433/Italy_album_0016.JPEG Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 0: Travel from US to Venice Air travel in the summer of 2022 was full of delays, cancellations, and we were not immune. Thankfully we stayed calm and rolled with the changes, and got to Venice just 6 hours later than planned. There aren’t any non-stop flights from Chicago to Venice, so we ended up connecting through Munich Germany. Pro tip: get TSA pre-check and use carry-on bags only! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/9534b0c6-2bb8-41f1-b3ca-e24f4a0e1b42/Italy_album_0062.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 1: Venice Our first full day in Venice, we ate lots of gelato and walked 18,000 steps! We started with an elevator ride to the top of the Campanile bell tower on the Piazza San Marco. If possible, reserve a time early in the day to avoid the long ticket line. For the rest of the day, we wandered the city, avoiding the busiest streets as much as we could. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/c6489426-a0d1-4739-9758-ba45d9383206/Italy_album_0156.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 2: Murano & Burano There are several other islands near Venice that you can visit, either on your own or with a tour. We bought 24-hour ferry tickets and explored Murano and Burano on our own. Murano is famous for glass-blowing, and Burano has colorful buildings and traditional lace-making. We enjoyed them both! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/18ddbff4-0341-4090-b1c7-61ff2d5fc92f/Italy_album_0276.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 3: Venice Our last full day in Venice started early, with family photos at sunrise with a local photographer. It was fun wandering the city before most people were up and about. The rest of the day we continued exploring: 25,000 steps today! A traditional gondola ride is a must, which is typically a loop, but since our ride was at the end of the day our gondolier took us from a stop near our AirBnB over to the Piazza San Marco, where we wanted to end our day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1ef632ea-8575-4574-ba49-b294b0c267c6/Italy_album_0360.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 4: Travel day & Dolomites paragliding Most of our travel between cities was by train, with the exception of our time in the Dolomites. We took a morning train from Venice to Verona, then rented a car to drive 2.5 hours north to Selva de Val Gardena. The highlight of today was paragliding with Gardenafly Tandemflights. It was great! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/53ac0ae2-2683-4414-8473-8afb4db97094/Italy_album_0400.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 5: Hiking the Puez-Odle trail in the Dolomites On our first full day in the Dolomites, we hiked the Puez-Odle trail, which is 9 miles long, but the first section is a gondola ride up 700m so that helps! The views are incredible and unlike anything we’ve hiked before. There are a few strenuous uphill sections, but most of the trail is downhill and moderate to easy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/64ddfdbc-015c-4d83-a617-9094d62a0bce/Italy_album_0509.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 6: Hiking around Tre Cime in the Dolomites Tre Cime National Park was a 2-hour drive from our AirBnB, with beautiful views on the way. Other than one short but steep uphill section, this trail was easier and shorter than yesterday’s hike, but just as gorgeous! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/d745d643-744e-4455-a70b-6db26973d98d/Italy_album_0576.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 7: Verona + Travel day We returned our rental car in Verona around noon, dropped our backpacks at the luggage check desk in the train station, then spent the afternoon exploring Verona. It was another HOT day, so we stopped often for drinks and gelato. Some highlights included Juliet’s balcony, the arena, fruit markets, and window shopping. Our train left at 5pm for Riomaggiore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/5cab1c5b-73a8-4bbe-b2d8-8bc49554d1da/Italy_album_0605.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 8: Riomaggiore, Corniglia, & Manarola We purchased the Cinque Terre 2-day train and trail pass, which gave us unlimited rides on the train between the villages, as well as access to the Cinque Terre trail. On our first day, we explored Riomaggiore (where our AirBnB was located), Corniglia (380 steps up from the train station to the town), and Manarola (with a rocky coast where people were sunbathing and swimming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/a29a0267-d832-4c0a-bfb0-a9cfa654b510/Italy_album_0660.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - In the evening, we took the train to La Spezia for a private cooking lesson in the home of a local couple. This was a really neat experience, and we enjoyed meeting local residents and learning to make several delicious dishes! We booked this experience through Cesarine and would definitely recommend it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/538aa8a7-ba60-40b1-887d-ededf44d6553/Italy_album_0693.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 9: Vernazza & Monterosso Our second day in Cinque Terre was a beach day. We started with a quick visit to Vernazza, which was very crowded so we didn’t spend much time exploring. Then we went to the beach in Monterosso. Italian beaches (lidos) are very different from those in the USA. Most lidos have beach chairs and umbrellas for rent, which may include changing rooms and restrooms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/59986421-eaac-4f0f-8952-9fb5f586f25e/Italy_album_0726.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 10: Pisa + Travel to Florence We broke up our train ride from Riomaggiore to Florence with a quick stop in Pisa, just long enough to get the iconic photo at the leaning tower! We kept our backpacks with us instead of using the luggage lockers, because it’s just a 20-minute walk from the station to the tower. After grabbing some lunch to bring on the train, we had another hour train ride before arriving in Florence. Our AirBnB was centrally located between the train station and the main historical areas we wanted to visit. We arrived around 3pm, so we still had lots of time to begin exploring Florence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/ab026e42-2e1d-41f8-90e9-47869292ff1c/Italy_album_0762.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - We did a load of laundry, then went out to explore. The line was very long at the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s David sculpture is located. We did not buy tickets in advance, but the gallery was open late today, so we decided to have an early dinner and come back to the museum closer to closing time. This worked out great! Dinner was delicious and when we got back to the museum, there was no line at all! I would definitely recommend this approach to visiting the Accademia Gallery if you can. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/f0000b28-ee6b-4054-a6b8-d92d64ffeaf2/Italy_album_0798.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 11: Florence The next day we had purchased tickets in advance to visit Brunelleschi’s Dome. These tickets do sell out, so definitely plan ahead if you’d like to visit the Duomo. The pass we purchased gave us access to the dome, bell tower, cathedral, museum, and baptistry over three days. We visited them all in one day, but the flexibility of the pass helped us avoid long lines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/68093b1e-a3f9-401c-9f3c-1e7210363083/Italy_album_0883.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 12: Travel day + Rome We took a morning train to Rome and arrived at our AirBnB by 1:30pm, so we had the entire afternoon to start exploring Rome. First we visited the Pantheon which is free to enter, and the line moves quickly. The Trevi Fountain was packed with people, and the Spanish Steps were actually closed in preparation for a fashion show the next day! Then we walked to Castel Sant’Angelo and Vatican City for sunset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/51ec0d45-89cf-4be6-8cdd-b7be20e7d64b/Italy_album_0954.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 13: Rome For our first full day in Rome, we explored on our own in the morning, visiting Campo de’Fiori, the Altar of the Fatherland, and several cathedrals. In the afternoon, we took a small group tour of the Roman Forum and Colosseum through LivItaly. Our guide was excellent and it was worth it to skip the lines and see the underground area of the Colosseum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/03ba90d8-edd0-42b9-86fa-c8716a71ba1a/Italy_album_0984.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 14: Rome For our last day in Rome, we had booked another small-group tour through LivItaly - this time for an early-access visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. This was also a great tour, and definitely worth getting up early to avoid the crowds. We were thankful we could enjoy the art in the museum without peering through masses of people. Next we visited Saint Peter’s Basilica, starting in the cathedral and then purchasing tickets to the top of the dome. In the cathedral (and most cathedrals in Italy, including the Pantheon) knees and shoulders need to be covered. For the rest of the day, we went window-shopping, visited other cathedrals, ate lots of gelato, and enjoyed a final delicious meal in Italy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/60ee4331-bd5f-4216-ad81-ab6b9d2f0c0d/Italy_album_1044.jpg Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary - Day 15: Travel home Our flight home was also plagued with some cancellations and delays, but we finally made it back to the USA! Big lesson learned from this trip: if there are ANY changes made to any of your flights for any reason, double- and triple-check all of your other flight confirmations with the airline! Also, check in 24 hours before your flight - don’t wait to check in at the airport! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/a6d5b021-77c4-48b4-874c-fc022014175e/image-asset.png Europe - Italy - 14 day itinerary https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe/category/Austria monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe/category/Italy monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/europe/category/United+Kingdom monthly 0.5 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/packing daily 0.75 2020-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582600453059-ULKBY67JRFSX4LHMHFPS/Packing+Steps.jpg Packing - Step-by-Step Packing Tips https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582600684446-W4Z7LYSJ9CMYGEHHYC78/image-asset.jpeg Packing - Backpacks & Packing Gear https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/home daily 1.0 2023-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582296955213-6TB12EYDZDYZPNXIFRSO/Places+Iceland.jpg Home - Places https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582296999746-94DOH77OX91BRZKPZXCL/Places+Hawaii.jpg Home - Packing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582297038920-LZJSG8MS93RSJSL6CJS1/Places+Southwest.jpg Home - Photography https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/photographygear daily 0.75 2020-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582232835164-TPOL9QJ8WQNW7XT6W0B5/image-asset.png Photography Gear - Nikon D850 This is my main camera body. I have always loved Nikon cameras, and I have have used the D600 and D700 in the past. This camera has a live view and touch screen (though I prefer using the viewfinder and buttons). One feature I love is the ability to link my iPhone to the camera via WiFi through the SnapBridge app, which lets me take family selfies without using the self-timer. Using the app, I can also send jpegs to my phone and post them to social media without having to download everything to my laptop first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582232803952-1GJCY9R2WOKONO8H22OZ/image-asset.png Photography Gear - Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm lens This is usually the only lens I bring on our family trips, because the 28-300mm range encompasses all of my other lenses. What it lacks in aperture (f3.5-f5.6) it makes up in space saved in my luggage. In addition, the D850 does great with high ISO settings, so even when the lighting isn’t stellar, this lens/body combo gets the job done. This lens also offers two vibration reduction settings. Most of the images on this website were taken using this lens or my iPhone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582232934607-5I8V457DOEF3OTDHAZAF/image-asset.png Photography Gear - SJCAM SJ4000 with WiFi This little action camera is a cost-effective alternative to a GoPro. Any time we go on a trip involving beaches or waterfalls, this camera goes in the bag. The kit I purchased included a waterproof housing and several attachments so you can clip it onto a snowboarding helmet or other items. We learned the hard way that the camera doesn’t alert you when you’re running out of video space on the memory card… it simply starts recording over the oldest files… which meant we lost a lot of video during our trip to Hawaii… oops… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582233022909-DTMO86T9V2N44TP8K31B/image-asset.png Photography Gear - Lexar SD Memory Cards On our trips, I bring a variety of memory cards with different capacities, and usually switch out cards every other day of travel. So if we take a 12 day trip (like when we went to Australia) I will bring 5-6 memory cards with me. They’re so small that it’s not a big deal to pack extra cards. I do this mainly to protect my images from loss… if a memory card got corrupted, or my camera fell in the ocean or got stolen, I’d much rather lose just 1 day’s worth of photos than the entire trip! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582232015693-ZAEQIIYOEJPE16HTD53B/image-asset.png Photography Gear - 10” Mini-Tripod Unfortunately, the Sunpak tripod I use is no longer available for purchase, but it’s similar to this RetiCam Tabletop tripod. I like having a small, portable tripod to capture low-light scenes, but I don’t want to bring a full-size tripod with me., so this little guy fits the bill. If I’m in a location where the tripod needs to be higher, I just find a table or rock and then put the tripod on top! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582231980594-PUHKIG9RASPOBBXMYAN7/image-asset.png Photography Gear - Case Logic Camera Backpack On trips where we use the “one backpack per person + one carryon suitcase” rule, my camera backpack is the one I carry, usually filled with all of our electronics. I have an older version of the one pictured here, but it’s still holding up great after 10 years. I like the variety of pockets and the removable padded inserts, so I can divide up my gear as needed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582232293654-KBE2WZX2MRABACLF0EMX/image-asset.png Photography Gear - Foval Car Power Converter This handy device was indispensable during our trip to Iceland, where were living in a campervan for a week and had very limited access to electricity. The standard outlet allowed me to plug in my camera charger while we were driving (to recharge my extra battery) and the two USB ports gave us extra phone-charging stations. The device is small enough to fit in a side pocket of my camera bag (along with the extra camera battery and charger). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583254510506-DXR0ST7NXYOQN57N6JFT/Screen+Shot+2020-03-03+at+10.53.32+AM.png Photography Gear - Black Rapid Camera Strap I purchased this cross-body camera strap at the start of 2020, and used it during our 3-day trip to NYC as well as our two long road trips in March and July. It was easy to adjust, kept my camera safely at my side, and was fairly comfortable even with my heavier 28-300mm lens attached to the camera. The rubber shoulder pad kept the strap from slipping, but it did get a little uncomfortable by the end of each day, so I might look into getting a thicker shoulder pad to add to the strap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1606843527896-LZ388N8HZ5LY410O8J8A/image-asset.png Photography Gear - Cotton Carrier Sling Harness I purchased this sling-style camera harness recently, because I wanted something that would hold my camera closer to my body while hiking. I used it for our weekend trip to the Smoky Mountains, and liked how it freed up both of my hands when we were climbing on rocks! The weather cover and wrist strap are both easily removable, and the mechanism that attaches the camera to the harness is easy to slide in and out - but not so easy that it feels unstable. For hiking trips in the future, I will probably use this harness more than the Black Rapid strap. However, for city trips or simple walks in the woods, the Black Rapid strap will be more convenient. https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/places daily 0.75 2023-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582265005810-E4734S2RO3B61CJORMG8/Places+Australia.jpg Places - Australia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582264989485-L82KPGP08PZVH0ZT9JDT/Places+Iceland.jpg Places - Iceland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582266373084-6E4B5Q8DIKBAJ0D27OA6/Places+Hawaii.jpg Places - Hawaiian Islands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/896931e7-b0f9-4fa6-9f27-730a6712a77e/Italy_album_0833.jpg Places - Europe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582266229890-MZVIWDQ5G0I95DQAEZBV/Places+Canada.jpg Places - Canada https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582264968926-WMJWTTWS8VD33JYWM9CR/Places+Mexico.jpg Places - Central America & Mexico https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582264914151-EX5GJ4LPNM7HXA6K9CN7/Places+West.jpg Places - United States West Coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582264876188-OH0HST0CZSU170V1AUET/Places+Mountains.jpg Places - United States Mountain States https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582264938575-XBESFJ6B4PKIC8RIQ6RA/Places+Southwest.jpg Places - United States Southwest https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582264846476-GY6BFLN7KQXF5YKTOVES/Places+East.jpg Places - United States East Coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1591130006960-NDOU33EJ7SMPDKHB3A1A/Little+Grand+Canyon001.jpg Places - United States Midwest https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/packing-tips daily 0.75 2020-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582589264980-FC5TTUILBV2RVPJK0J3H/image-asset.jpeg Packing Tips - Step 1: Choose a bag Before I start packing, I figure out what types of bags will work best for our trip. This mainly depends on our mode of transportation. If we are flying, I limit our bags to carry-on size or smaller because I don’t want to waste time waiting at baggage claim or dealing with lost baggage. If we are taking a smaller plane, I try to limit our bag size even further, because smaller planes usually don’t have the same overhead or under-seat storage space as a larger jet. If we are going on a road trip that only involves driving, then I’m more willing to bring a suitcase… but I’ll probably have the girls share one while Sky and I share another. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582598397062-ITWY2KFRXKV51IYNQN93/packing+list.jpg Packing Tips - Step 2: Make a list The next step is to make a list of the number and type of items of clothing we will likely need. I often use the following per person plan as a starting point, adding on specialty items depending on our destination: Socks, underwear, Tshirts = 1 for each day of travel Jeans/shorts, bra, pajamas = 1 for every 3 days of travel Sweatshirt or comparable light jacket = 1 for every 5 days of travel “Nice” outfit (nicer shirt/pant/skirt) = 1 for every 5 days of travel Swimsuit = 1 for every 2 days on the beach (max 3 swimsuits) Activewear outfit (hiking pants/tank/sports bra) = 1 for every 2 days we are planning to hike Max 3 pairs of shoes (1 tennis/hiking, 1 flipflops/sandal, 1 versatile pair of “nice” shoes) Minimal toiletries (for example, if we are staying at a hotel, I don’t pack shampoo or a hairdryer because most hotels provide those) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582599130345-0XI1IE9P58LUOI8C2YDV/image-asset.jpeg Packing Tips - Step 3: Lay it all out Once I have my list, then I start looking through our closets and choosing items that fit these categories AND can be mix-and-match. For example, each shirt should be able to be worn with multiple pairs of pants/shorts, or the “nice” shoes should look good with the dinner outfit as well as jeans. It helps me to lay out all of the items for one person on my bedroom floor. Then if there’s something that clearly doesn’t work with anything else, it’s easier to identify. If my kids are choosing all of their own clothes for the trip, I give them each a list of items to choose from their closets with a suggestion to mix-and-match… but if they don’t want to, that’s okay! They have their own sense of fashion :-) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582599082091-8UUXYYRKYTY2HWMDQSBO/image-asset.jpeg Packing Tips - Step 5: Start packing If you like puzzles, this is the fun part! The way I pack our bags varies depending on the type of trip and the bags we’re bringing. For both our Iceland and Australia trips, I used the daily Ziploc bag method, but how we carried the Ziplocs varied: in Iceland they all went into the suitcase and our backpacks carried snow gear, sleeping bags, shoes, and electronics; in Australia I put the daily Ziplocs in separate backpacks based on where we would be (all Cairns daily clothes were in one bag, all Sydney daily clothes in another bag, etc.). However, on shorter trips when we each carry our own backpack, then we each carry all of our own clothes in whatever compression method works best. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582599206129-LKDWT6BJ1RWACPTUAVN7/Packing+Iceland+1.jpg Packing Tips - Step 6: Pack the extra stuff Last, I pack toiletries, electronics, and any other extra items in the exterior pockets of our bags. I generally pack one bag of toiletries/liquids for all four of us, which also helps us get through TSA more quickly. However, we completed the TSA pre-check process last year and it was well worth the expense! If we are each carrying our own bag, then we also each carry our own electronics and entertainment for the plane/car. Our girls are old enough now to be responsible for their own items, but when they were younger I would pack all of the entertainment and snacks into one bag, so I could keep track of it all. On trips where I bring my camera backpack, I put most of the electronics in that bag and divide up my clothes between everyone else’s bags. https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/gear daily 0.75 2020-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582234647521-UVTFMYFHVPHSPDS5LVYZ/image-asset.png Gear - TLS Motherlode Weekender Jr. We recently bought three of these backpacks (for Allyson, Averhy, and Eden) and Sky used one on a few recent trips to Utah, Wisconsin, and Colorado. They are AWESOME and will now be our go-to bags for all our travel. The bag opens like a suitcase, has lots of handy sections inside and out, and is expandable if we need to add space for souvenirs. It has handles on the top and side, so if you prefer to stow the shoulder straps and carry it like a briefcase that’s easy to do. When it’s not expanded, it meets airline requirements for a carry-on and will fit under the seat in front of you. Bonus… there is a removable toiletry bag too! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582235180587-XTPSPAGCHA9NTSDQL0F5/image-asset.png Gear - 5.11 Tactical Rush 12 This backpack is the only reason I didn’t buy four of the Weekender bags. We fondly refer to this bag as “Sky’s Magic Backpack” because it seems to never run out of room! It is made of durable material, with a large inner compartment that has a divider for shoes. The small exterior pocket is perfect for passports, the large exterior pocket fits snacks and a hard headphone case, and there’s a tablet pocket on the back. Overall, it’s smaller than the Weekender, but fits best in an overhead bin because of the shape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582231980594-PUHKIG9RASPOBBXMYAN7/image-asset.png Gear - CaseLogic SLR Camera Backpack On trips where we use the “one backpack per person + one carryon suitcase” rule, my camera backpack is the one I carry, usually filled with all of our electronics. I have an older version of the one pictured here, but it’s still holding up great after 10 years. I like the variety of pockets and the removable padded inserts, so I can divide up my gear as needed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582510479097-0TN6BNG8FCN8WTKPWHCD/image-asset.png Gear - Camelbak Helena This is a great backpack when you want something a little smaller than the Motherlode, and was one of our primary backpacks until recently. Allyson carried this backpack when we hiked the Grand Canyon, and it has a removable hydration flask. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582510821666-JJ1LCZHYNJWQBT91P46L/image-asset.png Gear - Camelbak Daystar This backpack is slightly smaller than the Helena, but it still has a fair amount of space. Averhy carried this one when we hiked the Grand Canyon, and we often use it for overnight trips. It also comes with a removable hydration flask. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582235893400-R0HD6JYYCCCW8CXHYLGM/image-asset.png Gear - Compression Packing Cubes One of the keys to traveling with one bag per person is using a compression packing system. These compression packing cubes are one way to do that, and the two smaller cubes fit nicely into the Weekender backpack. There are a lot of options out there (Eagle Creek is another quality company) and I’m always on the lookout for better compression packing options. I usually use packing cubes for items that we wear more than once: jeans, long-sleeve shirts, and shorts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582236134425-I6UT02ZTLT7XEAQOGAKV/image-asset.png Gear - Gallon ZipLoc Bags! It might sound silly, but gallon Ziploc bags are my favorite compression packing system! I typically use one bag per day, which will hold 4 underwear, 4 pairs of ankle socks, and 4 tshirts. I roll up the items tightly, fill the bag, then sit on it to get all the air out before zipping it closed. Then at the end of the day, the dirty clothes go back in the Ziploc bag and don’t stink up the rest of the suitcase. If your family wears larger sizes you might need two bags per day - or you could use a larger size of Ziploc bag. Bonus tip: use a sharpie to label the bags so you know which one is for what day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582236660046-2K3OXMC9NY51MLNWFIDY/image-asset.png Gear - Eagle Creek Garment Folder We have had this item for 20 years, and it still works as well as it did on day one! The folder comes with a guide for folding dress shirts or pants, and they stack up perfectly until you fold up the “envelope”. This folder fits in the Weekender easily, and even fits in our girls’ school backpacks. It’s perfect for packing items you don’t want to roll up. https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/about daily 0.75 2024-09-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1582309706656-FR6ZYEI3H4GZ7MFTXSK9/IMG_4438.JPG About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1583942510933-3DT6B0JA70WDGQUOTEZ0/Averhy+and+Eden.jpg About https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/travel-with-kids daily 0.75 2020-04-08 https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/photo-art daily 0.75 2020-12-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1606844465883-AJUC3HGUYIOAC6RP5CLU/smokies_03.jpg Photo Art https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1606844646500-8TXTIR1BWLCC6ERQ4PRW/PetrifiedForestNP_0006.jpg Photo Art https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1606844768863-TKAT96OE3CBYDLD5BOCC/Grand+Teton+Sunrise.jpg Photo Art https://www.littlebagsbigworld.com/photography daily 0.75 2020-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1606846565463-4AFDT4RM8XPH1LUBDDKY/smokies_21.jpg Photography - Photography Gear https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4eba2fe7a5763638b26cdd/1606847061901-ULAE3BFO44MWK709SWCH/iceland_beachwaterm.jpg Photography - Fine Art Photography