Wedged In: A Slot Canyon Scramble in Utah
A blue-sky morning in a Utah slot canyon with five kids and a spaniel — narrow walls that keep everyone moving one way, and the scents that overwhelmed the dog.
Inventory Flow Meets Hoodoo Magic: Bryce Canyon National Park
Hiking Sunrise to Sunset Point with nine people spanning seventy years — a first day in Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos that became a lesson in family logistics.
From Canyon Rim to the Narrows: Zion National Park
Zion top to bottom in a single day with five kids — the steep Canyon Overlook climb, icy river wading, chatty chipmunks, and bighorn sheep on the way out.
Cliffs, Courage and Compassion: Sand Cave Surprises
A one-mile hike to wind-carved sandstone caves near Kanab that went sideways — twisted ankles, a hospital trip, and the strangers who helped, with five kids.
Capitol Reef: Peach Pie à la mode in the Desert
Our fourth snowy park in a row — Capitol Reef pelted with Dippin’-Dots hail, the historic orchards, and peach pie a la mode in the desert, with five kids.
Canyonlands: Four Lands, Two Days, Zero Lost Children
Canyonlands’ four districts in two days with five kids — Newspaper Rock’s ancient petroglyphs, the Needles, and Island in the Sky, and zero children lost.
Hailstones Under the Arches: A Cold, Wild Day at Arches National Park
Arches with five kids on the first day of timed entry — the steep, windblown climb to Delicate Arch, 60-mph gusts on the ledge, and hail before day’s end.
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.