Four States, Four Limbs, and Forty Bucks: Navajo Nation and the Four Corners
The only place in America where four states meet — the classic one-body-four-states photo at Four Corners, and why $40 for twenty minutes still felt worth it.
Turn East: A Detour to Canyon de Chelly
A ranger at the Grand Canyon told us to detour to Canyon de Chelly, so we did — the Arizona canyon most families drive right past, seen with five kids.
A Pup, a Patch, and Petrified Forest National Park
220-million-year-old wood, an enthusiastic evening ranger, and the badge that capped nine Arizona park stops — Petrified Forest with five kids and a dog.
Montezuma Castle: Bark Rangers and Cliffside Castles
A cliff ‘castle’ the kids hoped held a queen — Montezuma Castle, Arizona, twenty degrees hotter than the Grand Canyon rim we’d just left, with five kids.
Karma on the Canyon Rim: Goodness at Grand Canyon
Entering the Grand Canyon by the quiet Desert View gate with five kids — wide-open rim views and no buses, a slow start before the crowds at the South Rim.
Cliff Dwellings, Fruit Snacks, and the Island in the Canyon
300 steps down to 750-year-old Sinagua cliff dwellings — Walnut Canyon’s Island Trail near Flagstaff, walked with five kids and a lot of fruit snacks.
Snowballs in the Lava Fields: A Day at Sunset Crater
Snow tucked between fields of black basalt at Sunset Crater — the Arizona volcano that erupted in 1085 — on a short, steep trail near Flagstaff with five kids.
Seeking Sixties and Sunny: Springtime in the National Parks
Spring in the parks means split-second calls — snow at elevation, closed roads, and choosing between Sequoia, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon, with kids.
7 Parks. 6 Days. 5 Kids. 4 States. 3 Minivan Rows. 2 Exhausted Parents. And 1 Welsh Springer Spaniel.
Seven parks, six days, five kids: the southern-border route from Guadalupe’s caverns to Organ Pipe’s cactus, and the seven Junior Ranger badges we earned.
North of the Border: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
A midday stop that still earned a Junior Ranger badge — Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the Arizona-Mexico border, seen in a few hours with five kids.
Saguaro National Park: A Desert Kingdom of Giants
Towering saguaros standing sentinel around Tucson — the Desert Discovery Trail and a Junior Ranger scavenger hunt at Saguaro National Park with all five kids.
Hidden Gems: Why National Monuments Deserve A Look
There are 63 national parks and 130 national monuments — why the monuments, which any president can designate, are the unsung heroes of America’s public lands.