Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

family adventure

Hiking and Hunting For Treasure in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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One of the many highlights of our week-long family camping trip in southwestern Utah was a hike to Calf Creek Falls in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Our sons at the start of the Lower Calf Creek Falls hike.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which was set aside as a national monument in 1996, contains 1.9 million acres of land in southern Utah. There are three main regions: the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante.

Family photo in front of Lower Calf Creek Falls.

Our trip started in Goblin Valley State Park. On Day Three of our trip, we were going to be traveling along the north boundary of Grand Staircase-Escalante on our way to Kodachrome State Park. Even though we were only traveling through the Escalante area, we wanted to experience it more intimately than simply driving through it, which is how we experienced it a few years ago.

After only brief investigation it became clear that we would be remiss – nuts, even – if we didn’t hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The hike is three miles one-way (6 miles roundtrip), and the reward for hikers is big: a 126-foot, beautiful waterfall, at the head of Lower Calf Creek Canyon, which plunges into a perfectly round green pool. Its upper tier fall, which isn’t visible from the base of Lower Calf Creek Falls, is 88 feet tall, making the waterfall’s total height 214 feet. Hikers who want to see the upper fall can scramble about a mile further up to catch a glimpse.

Lower Calf Creek Falls is glorious. The “ribbon-like” waterfall is outlined with green and yellow colors from algae growing on the sandstone, which thrives on the waterfall’s year-round flow.

My boys, all five of them, enjoying a picnic at the waterfall.

After a wonderful picnic near the waterfall, we had another adventure to tend to: To find a geocache that was reportedly in the vicinity. Our older sons, Wolf, 11 and Hayden, 9, and I scrambled above the trail in search for the treasure. After using our GPS to determine its location, and some fun exploring and mystery, we were successful in our “hunt.” It was very exciting! Finding the geocache marked our first official geocache find. And, I might add, our family is now hooked on geocaching.

We had big expectations for the hike, and our expectations were exceeded. Our almost-four-year-old son hiked the entire six miles with not too many complaints and after only a handful of bribes. His brothers, ages 11 and 9, were great “adventure leaders” on the hike.

Yeehaw! Our older sons, Wolf and Hayden, pose with the geocache they found.

I highly recommend this hike. The trail is wide and mostly packed dirt. It’s level and easy-going, beautiful, and includes 15 interpretive markers. A bonus are the pictographs hikers can glimpse on the massive, tall cliffs while hiking past interpretive marker #9.

Here’s a short video that shows you some of the scenery included in the Lower Calf Creek Falls hike, as well as a little bit of the geocaching adventure:

Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts about Kodachrome State Park and Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

“Surprise Adventure” Was a Splash

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Last Sunday morning, I roused my husband, Jerry, and our three sons, out of bed. I told them to “rise and shine” and get their clothes on because we were going on a surprise adventure.

We started their surprise adventure off right by stopping at the local bakery to get ’em a box of donuts. Next, we pointed the adventure wagon north and headed out of our town of Lander, WY, on Highway 789 and then Highway 20 through the scenic Wind River Canyon.

The boys were excited, but curious. They pounded us with questions in an effort to get clues. They asked if we were going hiking? No. To the cabin? No. Sledding? No. Camping? No. Skiing? No. Biking? No.

Wolf, our oldest, and almost-11-year-old son, admitted he was excited, yet anxious. When I asked what it was like to not know, he said, “Well you say it’s an adventure, and I remember you once telling us that what makes an adventure an adventure is to have some hard work involved and some unknown challenges that come along. Also, the backpack you take on your ‘epic adventures,’ is in the back of our car, and, well, that makes me kind of nervous.” Smart kid. 🙂

Hayden, our middle and 9-year-old son, said he was, “Curious. Just really curious.” To which, Fin, our youngest, and almost-4-year-old son, said, “like Curious George!”

Just creating an adventure that was a surprise for our boys was an adventure for Jerry and I. We enjoyed the heck out of it. For quite a while, it was great to have this surprise to hold over our three young, eager sons. It was a 90-minute road-trip that had a backseat full of anticipation. It was a riot, and I highly recommend other parents do the same if you’re looking to shake things up and create some new fun for the family one of these weekend days.

Our surprise adventure was swimming at the Star Plunge, located in Hot Springs State Park.

Located at the edge of the town of Thermopolis, WY, Hot Springs State Park was built around the world’s largest mineral hot spring. Big Spring pours forth millions of gallons of mineral water every day at a constant temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Wyoming Tourism‘s website, “The perpetual fountain forms a seething caldron from which some of the water is channeled into pools to be cooled and then piped into bathhouses for public use. From another stream, the water flows over enchanting Rainbow Terrace and then spills down into the Big Horn River.”

Star Plunge has two large pools, one indoor and one outdoor hot tub with jets, two outdoor slides and one tube side, steam room and sauna. The indoor pool temperature ranges from 94 to 98 degrees F, and the sides and bottom of the pool are lined with a porcelain-smooth layer of pale pink mineral deposit, the result of decades of contact with the thermal water. The pools and steam room at Star Plunge are supplied with hot water from nearby Big Spring.

The boys loved the slides and the jumping board. They even triple-dog-dared me to jump off the jumping board. It was scary but I did it. Just one time. I especially liked the “Vapor Cave,” and Jerry liked the “Lobster Pot” extra-hot hot tub.

My guys.
Hayden enjoying one of the slides.
Wolf, pulling the rope to signal to his brother the slide was clear for takeoff.
Fin, having a 'Fintastic' time.
My boys, just soaking.
More like, 'Caution: Mommy is Flying.' (I did this on a triple dog dare from my boys).

Blue Ridge Lookout: A Perfect Family Hike

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Blue Ridge Lookout is a short, but exciting hike for families, especially those who have small children. These are our boys.

I live in Lander, Wyoming, which is an awesome town with about 7,000 people in it, located in the foothills of the spectacular Wind River Range. Those of you who follow me and this blog are well aware of my love of this area and for hiking.

Recently, my husband, Jerry, and I took our three young sons on a favorite local day hike. The hike is only one mile round trip, making it an “easy adventure” for young children with small legs. (The hike starts at 9,600 feet elevation so there could be some effort and huffing and puffing even from the adults in the group.)

Family timer photo on top of the historic Blue Ridge Lookout.

The Blue Ridge Lookout was constructed in 1938. The views from the top are magnificent. Among other sights, you’ll see Wind River Peak and Atlantic Peak, Fiddler Lake and lots of forest. I have fond memories of making this hike with my siblings and parents when I was a kid. It is truly one of the best short hikes and picnic spots for families here in my back yard.

The trailhead is located about 23 miles southwest of Lander, along the Sinks Canyon-Louis Lake Road. The trail, which starts at about 9,600′ elevation gains about 365 feet by the time you reach the top of the lookout.

Note: Keep your young children on a short leash. This could be a dangerous destination for kids left unattended due to the heights of the lookout.

Here’s a short “video journal” of the day’s outing. It will provide visuals for the actual hike, as well as the lookout. Enjoy!