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.

Deer Valley Mogul Freestyle ski World Cup.

We have never been to any skiing event or Deer Valley before, so this was the perfect opportunity to experience both. We arrived early and were glad that we did. Parking was insanely full, so most people had to park really far away or take the bus in from Park City. 

Most people arrived for the finals, but getting there before the qualifiers gave us a chance to meet the teams. They were all really friendly and seemed as excited to be there as we were. We didn't realize how young some of these athletes are until we saw them up close. One of the female competitors is only 15 years old. 

We were able to get a spot in the front right against the fence. We met one of the athlete's family and quickly made friends with them. Having someone to cheer for made it even more fun. All of the athletes would give us five as they would ski by to talk with their coaches and get down to the lift. Seeing these incredible competitors flying down the mountain, bouncing between the moguls at 40 miles per hour, and pulling off amazing jumps makes you appreciate how talented they really are. 

It was really cold, especially when we would get sprayed with snow as they stopped at the bottom of the hill, so we are glad we brought hand warmers. After the presentation of the awards, we got to see a fireworks show that they set off the top of the mountain. We are definitely going again.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $0

Midway Ice Catles

The Ice Castles are a must see winter attraction in Utah. Last time we went, we went too early in the season to see them at their full size. They are continually growing the size of the castles, so the best time to see them is around the end of January or beginning of February.
These backlit ice sculptures look like something you would find growing inside Carlsbad Caverns. There is a fountain, tunnels, slot... canyons, and this year they built ice slides.

We all had a blast, but boy was it cold. Night time is the best time to visit to see the castles lit up, but the temperature is regularly in the low 20s so dress accordingly. Good snow boots are probably the most important thing to wear since you are going to be in ankle deep snow in a lot of places. Parking is really busy and full, so give yourself at least an extra 15 minutes before your scheduled time to make sure you can park and get to the entrance.
Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: see pricing at www.icecastles.com (buy online for cheapest prices and a guaranteed entrance)

BYU Night at the Museums

#terrysweekendadventures

This was the 3rd annual BYU Night at the Museums. All of the museums at BYU are always free, but most of them are only open during the day. Night at the Museums opens all 5 museums on campus from 7PM - 10PM. They also bring in all of the staff, which gives you a chance to ask questions about the exhibits. Shuttles between the museums are also provided so you don't have to look for parking at every building. Another bonus was the live music and the baked goods.

The art museum was the most popular, by far. The Norman Rockwell collection is currently on display, which drew a huge crowd. This kids, however, found this to be one of the most boring. They also weren't huge fans of the Education in Zion either, until we got to the brownies. If you have younger kids, make sure to hit the Museum of Paleontology, the Life Science Museum, and the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. We skipped the Life Science Museum since we have been there several times, but you can read about it here: http://terrysweekendadventures.blogspot.com/2016/01/bean-life-science-museum-on-brigham.html. The Museum of Paleontology has some great dinosaur skeletons that were found in Utah. Kids + dinosaurs always = fun.

Our favorite was the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. They had crafts available for kids, about a dozen displays with 1000 year old artifacts and people to explain their origins and uses. They seemed to really enjoy the simple curiosity of the kids and answered all of their questions. Their goal seemed to be to get kids interested in history.

Overall, it was great fun and we plan on doing this again.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 7

Difficulty: 0

Cost: $0

Pictures