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.
Black Diamonds, Bat Silhouettes, and Back Walkovers: Sedona at Sunset
Sedona’s red rocks with five kids — a black-diamond slickrock trail we nearly talked ourselves out of, the valley views, and the crystal shops we skipped.
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.
Are We Doing This Right? 60+ Nights in Airbnbs and Still Going
What 60-plus nights in Airbnbs taught a family of seven — the tricks, the checkout chores, and why it still beats a hotel when you travel with five kids.
Desolation and Connections: The Extremes of Death Valley
Crossing the salt flats of Badwater Basin — 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America — under a shimmering sky in Death Valley with five kids.
A Near Miss on the Lava Tubes: Mojave National Preserve
‘No services next 100 miles’ — the empty, almost unnatural quiet of Mojave National Preserve, California’s high desert crossed with five kids and a full tank.
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.
On Being Nomadic
‘Where are you from?’ has no easy answer for five kids with American accents and no fixed address — the questions a nomadic family keeps getting asked.
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.
Joshua Tree National Park: Climbing Rocks, Chasing Shade, and Earning an Oasis
Joshua Tree with five kids — Skull Rock, Arch Rock, the 49 Palms Oasis, and an absurd number of Starbursts as the Sonoran desert gives way to the Mojave.
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.
Sledding, Sand, and Surprises at White Sands National Park
Blinding white gypsum dunes that squeak underfoot — sledding the hills at White Sands with five kids, plus the desert wildlife facts that unsettled them.
75 Stories Down: Exploring the Depths of Carlsbad Caverns
An elevator that sinks 75 stories into the earth — Carlsbad Caverns, once a 250-million-year-old reef, and its vast decorated chambers, explored with five kids.
Keeping it Weird: Austin and South by Southwest
Austin with five kids during SXSW — the tech takeover, ICON’s 3D-printed homes, and how a scrappy music town became the place where technology reinvents itself.