As a self-proclaimed National Park Geek, our recent summer vacation was filled with bucket-list adventures! We learned A LOT about traveling to Utah’s famous locations as a family while also seeing some of the most gorgeous views imaginable….in the dead of summer!
We are very fortunate to have family that live in Utah with an incredible camper…so while we did camp, we did not “rough” it. We stayed at a the KOA RV park near the city so we were close enough to enjoy the restaurants and fun of the city while being secluded enough to enjoy the views. The amenities were clean and lovely…including Moab’s largest pool!
Speaking of the city, there are quite a few little places to grab a meal but I have to recommend two specific places: Moab Brewery and Canyon Pizza Co. Both had excellent food and service!
While in Moab, we visited two National Parks and had a very exciting excursion!
While we weren’t able to do everything these parks had to offer, we still enjoyed it immensely! We visited in the middle of July and the temperature flirted with triple digits throughout the day. It was hot. Don’t let these people fool you with “oh it’s a dry heat“. Nope. Hot is hot. I don’t think it’s possible to drink enough water to stay hydrated. It wasn’t miserable…but it was quite warm and there wasn’t a ton of shade on the trails so we were very thankful for neck fans, large water bottles, big hats, and camelbacks.
We all wore “adventure sandals” and were just fine with these trails. They are sandy so if you don’t like dusty feet, maybe try some closed-toe shoes…but honestly, we were all more than fine! The trails we did were short and mostly flat.
Because we visited in July 2024, we did need a timed entry reservation to enter the park. I was VERY nervous about getting a reservation when I logged in the day before and noticed there weren’t any early morning times available. However, more tickets are released at 7:00 p.m. (MDT) each evening for the following day. I logged in right on time and was able to easily secure a ticket for $30. Heads up, you do need your license plate number to complete the purchase so make sure you have that on hand ahead of time!
We kicked off our visit at the Visitor’s Center where we browsed the gift shop, toured the museum, and chatted with the Park Ranger. I try to always visit with the Park Ranger prior to exploring the park just to make sure there aren’t any day-of issues, my prior research is accurate, and we are hitting all the right marks. Because we had two kiddos under the age of 6 with us, I wanted to make sure the trails we chose were appropriate and the Park Ranger was helpful…ambitious…but helpful!
We saddled back into the car and headed to the top of the park which is Devil’s Garden. When you visit in July, trust me…this is aptly named.
Despite this hike being labeled easy, it was appropriately challenging and offered beautiful views…so don’t sleep on this one if you are a more advanced hiker! This trail was approximately 2 miles and allowed us a great view of the Landscape Arch.
After this hike, the kids were DONE. So we jumped into the car and decided to drive around the park. Honestly, this was just fine because the views from the road are gorgeous. We did jump out a couple times for very, very short jaunts to see the Delicate Arch and Windows.
Hell’s Revenge
For our second day in Moab, we decided to do something a little…wild. We contacted Coyote Land Tours for an off-road tour of Hell’s Revenge! We called when we got into town and booked it for first thing in the morning the next day. This is a MUST DO. It was so exciting for both the kids and the adults. There were a few times the kiddos got a little scared but it was never anything too bad. This took around 3 hours because there were several opportunities to get out of the vehicle to explore.
Harrison and I made the mistake of sitting in the very back and it was a little too adventurous for us! We made the switch to the front row at the first stop! The guide was extremely knowledgeable and kept it very entertaining!
Canyonlands National Park: Island in the Sky District
We made the drive out to Canyonlands the same afternoon as the RV tour. Similar to our experience at Arches, we enjoyed most of the park through auto touring. We stopped into the Visitor Center to browse the gift shop, check out the museum, and chat with the Park Ranger. We then crossed the street to view the incredible view before driving through the remainder of that park district. This is a park we will definitely return to when it isn’t so warm!
