#baby vacation hiking nationalparks

[mama-feminista]

Hiking with a baby can be easy!

I previously blogged about my learnings from traveling with a baby. Surprisingly, our two-week road trip through national parks in Utah and Arizona went quite well. We started and ended in Las Vegas where we rented a car and visited:

Valley of Fire State Park 

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Willis Creek Slot Canyon (I wish we had done Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon too)

Capitol Reef National Park

Arches National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Monument Valley

Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Grand Canyon National Park 

I want to write up all the baby-friendly hikes we did in these areas, since there wasn’t much information online and I saw so many babies in baby carriers, so there are parents out there who want to hike with their little ones. 

Tip: We used a stroller for some of the walks, even if the path was not paved. If we had had a jogging stroller, that probably would have been even better. We met a couple who used a jogging stroller as far as they could and then left it next to the trail as they continued on with their babies in backpacks. No one stole their stroller.

Valley of Fire State Park : Fire Wave hike with the Manduca, but there’s no shade.

Zion National Park: the paved path that leads to the narrows and the hike at the eastern side of the park. We did both with the Manduca, but we could have done the first hike in a stroller. 

Bryce Canyon National Park: Rim Trail with the stroller even though it’s partially unpaved. My partner hiked solo into the hoodoos on a loop trail, which he said he could have done with the baby in a Manduca but after the Rim Trail, she needed a break.   

Willis Creek Slot Canyon in a Manduca

Capitol Reef National Park’s Grand Wash Trail in the Manduca

Arches National Park, Devil’s Garden and Delicate Arch hikes in a Manduca. We could have done the first half of the Delicate Arch hike with the stroller.

Canyonlands National Park: We hiked to Mesa Arch with a Manduca.

Monument Valley: We hiked to Teardrop Arch with a Manduca.

Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend: These were not hikes, more like walks, but we went there with the Manduca.

Grand Canyon National Park: We walked along the rim with the stroller and hiked to Ooh Aah Point with the Manduca.

Best National Park for hiking with baby: Arches National Park to see Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch, both hikes of up to 1.5 hour

Worst Park for our baby: Monument Valley 

Inside monument Valley you drive around to see the different buttes. After driving 2.5 hours to get to Monument Valley, it was another 1.5 hours of driving inside the park, so it was too much driving. We did go on a short hike to Teardrop Arch!

Best meal of the trip: Hell’s Backbone Kitchen

Even though this is an award-winning restaurant, we felt completely at ease with a baby here. There’s no tablecloth for her to pull her; they had exchanged our vase of flowers for a pumpkin as decoration. The service was relaxed and fast without rushing. They even had anon-alcoholic cocktail. The food was excellent without being pretentious. I wish I had ordered more vegetables.

Worst meals of the trip: Mexican food in Page

We went to 2 out of 3 Mexican restaurants in Page, and the quality was bad. So bad we ate at our hotel the last night. 

Best cities: Springdale and Moab

I had thought that these two towns would be too tourist-y for me, but I loved their big natural grocery stores, non-dairy milk for my cappuccino, good food — amazing huevos rancheros at Eklekticafe in Moab, and the site of red rocks all around us. We changed our itinerary spontaneously to stay in Moab a second night so we could go to Cantonlands National Park, and I could imagine spending a third day there to see the rock art and Fisher Towers around there.

City I wouldn’t visit again with a baby: Las Vegas

Our baby loved the big water fountains in Las Vegas, but casinos are smokey and the restaurants are loud. I wouldn’t take a baby to Sin City again. 

City I wouldn’t visit again: Page, Arizona

We spent 3 days and 2 nights here, and there wasn’t so much to do other than pay for guided tours to see different slot canyons. Even Horseshoe Bend, which used to be free, now requires a $10 parking fee. We did see the dam and went down to the water, but it didn’t feel like a town with a lot to offer. 

Best Reason to go back to the area: If we win the lottery for the Wave! I wish we had gone to the Wave. Or at least visited Coyote Buttes, which is the park the Wave is in.If we come back to the area, I’d spend less time in Arizona and more time around Escalante and Moab in Utah, as there are more independent things to do. I’d sign up to hike in Bryce Canyon under the full moon’s light with a park ranger. I’d hike the Zebra and Peekaboo slot canyons. I’d love to see more rock art around the San Rafael Swell and Moab. I’d still visit the Grand Canyon but now the North Rim. 

To be honest, the next trip we take will probably be inside Europe, though.

Where have you gone with your baby on vacation? 

[ismeew]

Mountain goat sighting!! Got to love the babies. #glaciernationalpark #goingtothesun #nationalpark #goat #goats #mountaingoat #mountaingoats #montana #mountains #glaciers #grazing #babyanimals #summer #vacation #family #hiking #nature #naturelover #naturalbeauty #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #writer #writers #writerslife #writersofig #writersofinstagram #instagramwriters

[littlemahmah]

Spent the morning canoeing down the river spotting all types of birds, crocks, and buffalo, then a jungle hike through #chitwannationalpark and ending in see baby and mama elephants at their breeding centre! #baby #elephants #nepal #chitwan #worthit #vacation #wanderlusting #dailyinstagram #hot #sweaty #river #nationalpark #chitwan #lovelypeople #wow #real #conradwashere #miracle #gothimout #wanderlusting #adventure #thisismylife #dontwanttogobacktowork #jennifersmeetupgroupsoon (at Chitwan National Park)