Utah Family Vacation
If a family vacation to Utah isn’t on your bucket list, it needs to be! Justin and I have been several times over the last couple years, but this was the first trip to Utah as a family. It did not disappoint. There is so much to see and do, and the breathtaking views are a bonus.
Our vacation started in Northern Utah! We stayed in Lehi but also visited the Alpine and Draper area. First off, our accommodations in Lehi were not something we would recommend. We stayed at Home2 Suites by Hilton. I had booked this hotel quickly, and it looked great online. Yeah, it was not what we were expecting. So if you plan a visit in this area, I’d definitely book an Airbnb or something similar!
Our first night in town we needed something to get the kids energy out. Off we went to the Ninja Kidz Park. The kids absolutely loved it there. They love to watch the Ninja Kids YouTube channel. Just knowing that they were in the same town was so cool to them! Highly recommend putting this on your itinerary if you have busy kids.
Sunday morning started out with church and then a quick lunch. Then off we went to Cowabunga Bay Waterpark! It was actually so fun. It is big enough that the kids had an absolute blast. However, it was also small enough that you could still keep an eye on your kids, even when they decide to run in different directions! I would note that you can only choose either the morning slot or the afternoon slot to visit. We chose the 2:30pm - 6:00pm slot, and it worked out perfectly for us!
Cowabunga Bay Water Park | Pick A Park | Draper, UT & Las Vegas, NV
Our girls were able to go with my friend to the local aquarium! They really loved it! It was such a fun spot. I highly recommend this area. There are so many places to check out and explore!
Everyone always wants to know what food places we recommend in the areas we visit. While in this area, we had dinner at Cliff Dining Pub one evening, and it was delicious!
Cubby's is definitely one of our favorite places for quick “fast food” meal.
For a fun dining atmosphere, definitely check out Billy Blanco's Restaurant - Park City. We went for lunch one day, and we were pleasantly surprised. Cars and motorcycles are all over the restaurant suspended by hoists! Their tavern and roadhouse Mexican food was really good too.
Unfortunately we didn’t plan all of our meals very well so we did a lot of quick easy chain restaurants for the rest. We definitely plan to check out different food options on our next visit!
One morning we went hiking at Bridal Veil Falls. Hands down it is the best hike for kids! It is paved the whole way and was so easy. The scenery was also gorgeous so absolutely a must do with kids!
On Wednesday morning we took a detour and went to the Peek-A-Boo loop at Bryce Canyon on our way to St. George. Since this was not planned, the kids were wearing their crocs. Opps! However, it was one of the coolest places ever! I will warn you that this hike is hard. It has some scary parts with crazy drop offs, so you for sure want to keep your kids close. I’ll admit that I was a nervous wreck. Unfortunately because we weren’t prepared with the proper shoes for the kids, we were not able to finish the hike. I’m so glad we could stop and check it out, even if we only made it a little way! We definitely want to go back and do the entire hike next time.
We finally arrived at St. George late on Wednesday afternoon. The Desert Color Resort was absolute perfection! It was only about 50 minutes from Mt. Zion park! There is a huge lagoon that you can rent paddle boards and kayaks. The kids absolutely loved that! Such a Vibe! The sunsets are stunning. One thing I noticed was that everyone was very chill there. There were tons of kids running around and having a great time! It was scorching hot while we were there so being in the water was all we wanted to do! Honestly, we wish we had more time there, and will absolutely be going back again.
I highly recommend grabbing big floats from the store to use while you are there! You can even grab beach toys because they have three or four different beach areas! The pickle ball courts were a fun thing if you are into that. Beautiful walking paths were all around that I used every day! Sadly they do not have a fitness center. However, I’m sure you could find one close by in town if you needed it. We decided to use Instacart for a few groceries while we were there because it just seemed easier that way. That worked out great and made it so nice! Overall the place we rented was very affordable and anyone could make it happen! We booked through Redrockrentals.com.
https://www.instagram.com/redrockvacationrentals?igsh=Y3QzN3MxMzljcGI3
In the St. George area, the Smoked Taco or Pizzeria Limone are our food recommendations. Both were very delicious!
On July 4th we spent the day at the resort just enjoying the lagoon and all the fun amenities! So by Friday we were ready to hit the trails again. We went to the Narrows to hike! When the weather is super hot, the Narrows is the perfect place to be. It is all in water plus lots of shade!
A few things to note — Parking is limited. (If you go early you shouldn’t have a problem but it gets packed fast!l) There are blue parking stations in Springdale that have bus stops by them. The bus will come get you and take you to the Narrows. This seemed to be the best way to do it! For those who need the information, it is $35 for a 7-day Mt Zion parking pass or $20+ parking for the day.
Also water shoes for this hike are a must. The poles that you can rent from the outfitters were helpful as well! There are a few short sections that the water is up to 4.5 feet. If you have kids with you, you will want to hold onto them if they cannot swim. Bring lots of water to drink on the hike because nothing is worse than running out of water on a very hot day! We didn’t go the entire length of the hike, but we made it about half way. It was still really cool, and our kids loved it!
We ate lunch at the Jack’s Bar and Grille while in Springfield. We had a delicious meal and would definitely recommend it!
All in all, we had an amazing vacation, and we can’t wait to go visit again. God’s creation is seen all around in every place we stopped. Stunning and majestic mountain tops, steep cliffs, breathtaking overlooks, and so much more is what makes Utah one of the most beautiful places to visit!