Goblin Valley State Park

‪#‎unpluggedutahadventures‬

Utah is full of natural treasures and one of the funnest places to visit is Goblin Valley State Park. It sits in between Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. There are a few designated hiking and mountain biking trails, but most of the park is open to explore.

Unlike most parks that tell you to stay on the trail and don't climb on anything for fear of damaging them, you are free to roam and climb anywhere you like here. Everything is made of compacted clay and stone and is constantly changing due to wind an water erosion. There is virtually no vegetation to prevent this, so it will look a little different every time you visit. The wind and rain carve out mushroom like formations that look a little like goblins, hence the name.

The weather was perfect in the high 60's with a slight breeze, but it can get brutally hot during the summer with very little shade. Make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen. We spent a couple of hours hiking around, but only ended up walking about a mile since we spent so much time climbing and exploring. It really is like a giant playground.

As we were leaving, we decided to visit some pictographs that we had heard were nearby. As you leave the park, instead of turning right on Temple Mountain Road, take a left. There is a cliff face on the north side of the road a couple hundred feet past the first campground with these ancient works of art on them. You can see them from the road, but you should definitely get out to see them up close. The cliff has crumbled away, so getting up to them is rather perilous. As you can see in the pictures, some of the drawing have fallen off and others were shot full of holes. We also found cans and litter around there. Please make sure to take care of these treasures so everyone can enjoy them for years to come.

The road in to the area is on open range land. Be careful as there can be herds of cattle crossing the highway. We got to see some real cowboys at work, driving a herd from one area to another. This was our first time there, but we plan on coming back every year to do some camping and exploring in the area.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 4
Cost: $13/vehicle

Jordan River Parkway, Saratoga Springs.

‪#‎unpluggedutahadventures‬

We had another weekend of great weather, so it was time to get outside. We had family visiting and wanted to go for a hike, but we had to take into account the toddler and baby. Fortunately, the Jordan River Parkway is really close and accessible to everyone. The kids wanted to get their bikes out that have been parked in the garage all winter and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

We started at Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs. There are restrooms and parking at the park, so they seemed like the best place to begin and end. There are also some hot springs just to the south of the park, but that is an adventure for another time. Although there are some busy roads just a few hundred yards from the trail, it seems very secluded. You also get brilliant vistas of the mountains. There is very little elevation change over the trail, so it was easy going for everyone.

As you head north, you pass a radio controlled airplane field. It was fun to see these hobbyists putting on a little air show. We ended up stopping after about 1 1/2 miles and turning around. We stopped at a playground on the way back so the kids have a snack and rest a bit. We plan on coming back to ride the entire length all the way to the Great Salt Lake.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 9
Difficulty: 2
Cost: $0

Antelope island.

#unpluggedutahadventures

When winter decides to take a day off and give us a sneak peak of spring, you have to take advantage of it. We packed up the car this morning and headed to Antelope Island. It was about 50 degrees all day with a slight breeze, perfect for hiking. We decided to try out the Dooly Knob trail, and were so glad we did. It was near 1000' in elevation gain in just over a mile, but the kids handled it just fine. 

That wasn't nearly enough hiking for one day, so we came part way back down and headed over to the Frary Peak trail. We hiked about 1.5 miles to the top of the first peak and had lunch there. It was a little muddy on the trail from all of the melting snow, but nothing we couldn't deal with. There is a really cool little tunnel you go through where some large boulders that crashed down the mountain eons ago are leaned up against each other. The views from on top of these hills are breathtaking.

After we got back down to the car, we went looking for bison. Sometimes the park rangers will drive them into corrals to check their health so that is the first place we went looking. As it turns out, they were out roaming free, which would explain the numerous patties all over the trails. We first encountered the herd a ways off the easternmost road on the island. We zoomed in and got a couple of okay pictures, but nothing like those Yellowstone type encounters. After driving around for while more with no better luck, we gave up and headed home. Fortunately, there was this amazing bison couple that had broken off from the herd and were only a little ways off the main road. These guys were spectacular and kept looking up a our car to give us those priceless photos. 

Hiking this time of year can be really fun, especially when the sun decides to come out, but it can also be a bit more difficult to prepare for. Always bring something a bit warmer than you think you may need. There were times we were in t-shirts and other times we were all in beanies, gloves, and sweatshirts or coats. Also, bring plenty of water. We each pack a 2 liter hydration pack, which are rather inexpensive, but are much better than hauling up water bottles. Finally, good footwear, like trail runners or lightweight hiking boots and some merino wool hiking socks to keep your feet warm and dry, are essential so you can enjoy the hike. We hope to see you on our next outing.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 9
Difficulty: 7
Cost: $10/vehicle

Park City Museum.

Part 2 of our trip up to Park City and out of the smog took us to the Park City Museum. We didn't know much about the history of Park City and thought it was just a ski town. The museum takes you all the way from the early pioneer settlers, to the mining boom, all the way to the ski mecca that it is now. 

There are a lot of interactive displays that keep the kids entertained. You get to sit in the Skier Subway, go down into the original Park City Jail, stand in a mine shaft lift, and jack hammer through a stone wall. The kids thought the jail was cool and creepy. It was a nice change from the typical walk up and down main street that most people do in Park City.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 7
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $10/adult $5/youth

Gorgoza Park, Park City.

During the coldest months in Utah, the inversion sets in and you have to get out of the valleys to get some clean air. Fortunately, Park City is only a short drive up Parley's Canyon and is a winter sports dreamland.

For those that don't ski, but still want some winter time fun, there is Gorgoza Park. It is located about 2 miles east of Parley's Summit right next to the freeway. There are activities for all ages here. We opted to just do the mini snowmobiles for the kids this time. Our kids have never ridden on snowmobiles before, so this was a real blast. For the very little ones, there is Fort Frosty, which consists of a carousel that pulls the tubes around slowly and a little bunny hill for sledding. They also have 3 groomed tubing lanes complete with a conveyor belt style lift for the less daring and the kids under 42" tall. For everyone over 42" you have the option to continue up the hill on a rope tow type lift to the big tubing lanes. 

The park is rather busy and costs a lot more than tubing at Soldier Hollow, but the variety of activities for all ages and the convenient location are unbeatable. Visit their website for all the details and to download the waiver to save yourself time.http://www.gorgozapark.com/

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: Varies by activity. Visit http://www.gorgozapark.com/ for complete pricing info.