Kid friendly day hikes

[Chuck the Mauler]

Hey guys. Some good friends of mine are still in the planning precess of spending a month or so in Utah. In particular, they are headed to Arches, Canyonlands, Escalante, Capital Reef, Bryce, lake Powell, and Mesa (hopefully). They are hoping to find/do a few remote hikes with kids 7-11. Want to avoid crowds if possible....I know. 8 miles max. I've suggested Buckskin Gulch. Any others that stand out?

Whadoya got?

Thanks,
CTM

 

[ridings82]

At Capitol Reef, I like Hickman Bridge with my kids. It's popular but the parking lot isn't very big so it's more likely that you don't find a parking spot vs. the trail being completely overrun. If you're looking to escape the people completely, there are several hikes off of Norton-Bullfrog and the Burr Switchbacks on the east and far south side of the park. There's never anyone over there. The road turns to dirt but is in decent shape, so be aware.

At Arches, I'd take them up to Delicate Arch even though it's the most popular. It's too iconic and the climb up the slickrock is really fun for kids that age. If you want to lose the crowds completely, do Tower Arch. There are two approaches to Tower Arch, one from the east and one from the west. The approach to the west of the arch requires a Jeep or true off-road vehicle. The east side can be accessed via a dirt road with just about anything.

In the Moab area, Corona Arch is great for kids, but also popular.

Canyonlands is a tough one for hikes (imo). Mesa Arch is popular but too good to miss, it's also ridiculously short, so you have to stop and see it. I use to always take my kids to False Kiva but it's since been closed by the rangers because people couldn't respect the area which is so sad. I would suggest going into the Needles entrance as well as Island in the Sky. The biggest challenge with Canyonlands is that it can be a lot of driving and not as much moving around.

Good luck with the planning. There will be no wrong answers in this thread.

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll forward this along as well as any other info that comes my way. I'm pretty sure they plan to spend a couple of days just hiking. So maybe something a bit longer mileage wise?

 

[ridings82]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll forward this along as well as any other info that comes my way. I'm pretty sure they plan to spend a couple of days just hiking. So maybe something a bit longer mileage wise?

Devil's Garden in Arches is in the ~7ish range. I took my oldest daughter on that one when she was 9 and she loved it. Several arches and pretty flat. After Landscape Arch you lose the crowds. Make sure you stop at Private Arch if you do that one. It's just barely off the trail. I don't think Arches has much else in longer mileage.

My issue with the longer hikes at Canyonlands is that they're just kind of boring, at least in Island of the Sky. If you do Needles, most of the good hikes require some dirt roads and potentially high clearance to get there. Druid Arch was my favorite but the mileage is up there.

The only other thought would be to summit Mount Ellen. It's near Capitol Reef. It's probably ~5 miles round trip but obviously involves a little climbing. It's the county high point and the view is pretty good from up there. It's only about 1000 vertical of climbing so it's certainly doable for kids if they're into hiking.

Usually when I wanted mileage, I stuck to the Uintas. Enjoy the time in Utah. The kids will love it.

 

[RyanP]

Do they have a 4WD high clearance vehicle? That will expand their options quite a bit. Pretty much anything with spectacular scenery that is easily accessibly by passenger car and not too hard of a hike is going to be crowded. Similarly, are they comfortable navigating off-trail (or at least where there are no official signs)?

Canyonlands is my favorite national park, but my favorite parts of it (the Needles and Maze) aren't the best for this kind of trip. Island in the Sky is worth seeing, though.

The primitive loop in Arches is one of my favorites. The first 40% (up to Double O arch) is super crowded but worth it anyway because it's awesome. Arches in general is nice for this kind of trip, especially if they can get one of the car camping sites there in the park (camping there is my favorite part of that park!)

A few days in the Robbers Roost area could be really fun. Horseshoe canyon (the best rock art panel in the country?), the non-technical part of Bluejohn canyon, Colonnade Arch, etc. I haven't been there myself but if they have an appropriate vehicle and sense of adventure, that area could be great.

The Swell also has some classic areas as well such as Goblin Valley, Little Wildhorse Canyon, etc.

I haven't been to Bryce yet but I think it would be nice for this kind of trip.

I don't think Buckskin Gulch would be as good for this. I haven't done it yet (arggh!), but I think I'd save that for when they can get deeper in to it, as my impression is that the best parts are further than 4 miles in. Even though the Zion narrows is way too crowded, it might actually be better for a short in-and-out.

Check out some of the hikes around Cedar Mesa such as the Citadel as well

 

[RyanP]

Devil's Garden in Arches is in the ~7ish range. I took my oldest daughter on that one when she was 9 and she loved it. Several arches and pretty flat. After Landscape Arch you lose the crowds. Make sure you stop at Private Arch if you do that one. It's just barely off the trail. I don't think Arches has much else in longer mileage.

My issue with the longer hikes at Canyonlands is that they're just kind of boring, at least in Island of the Sky. If you do Needles, most of the good hikes require some dirt roads and potentially high clearance to get there. Druid Arch was my favorite but the mileage is up there.

The only other thought would be to summit Mount Ellen. It's near Capitol Reef. It's probably ~5 miles round trip but obviously involves a little climbing. It's the county high point and the view is pretty good from up there. It's only about 1000 vertical of climbing so it's certainly doable for kids if they're into hiking.

Usually when I wanted mileage, I stuck to the Uintas. Enjoy the time in Utah. The kids will love it.

I've never needed high clearance to get to the popular trailheads in the Needles District (in Spring/Fall---maybe in Winter things are different). But the good stuff there is more suited to backpacking in my opinion. Speaking of which, would your friends be willing to go backpacking? If so, that could expand their options a lot!