Help planning a kid-friendly trip in the Southwest

Q&A
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We are planning a family vacation with a 10 year old and a 12 year old to the Southwest and want to give them a great experience. The have never seen this part of the country and I can’t wait to blow their minds! Please take a look at the itinerary that AI helped me build and let me know what adjustments you would make for real-world travel. I’m thinking I may want more time in Moab. The dates for our trip: Fly to Phoenix on April 4, fly to Atlanta from Salt Lake City on April 12.

Day 1: Friday, April 4 - Arrival in Phoenix

Arrival in Phoenix: Land in Phoenix and get settled into your hotel.

Explore Phoenix: Depending on your arrival time, you could visit the Arizona Science Center or the Phoenix Zoo to let the kids unwind after the flight.

Day 2: Saturday, April 5 - Phoenix to Grand Canyon, AZ

Drive to the Grand Canyon: It’s about a 3.5-hour drive. Check into your accommodation near the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Visitor Center: If time permits, start exploring the park in the afternoon.

Day 3: Sunday, April 6 - Grand Canyon National Park

Bright Angel Trail: Take a morning hike down this trail. Remember to carry water and snacks.

Junior Ranger Program: Let the kids participate in the program to learn about the park.

Sunset: Catch the sunset from a scenic point like Hopi Point.

Day 4: Monday, April 7 - Grand Canyon to Page, AZ

Drive to Page: This takes about 2.5 hours.

Visit Horseshoe Bend: Stop here for midday views.

Tour Antelope Canyon: Arrange a guided tour for the late afternoon.

Day 5: Tuesday, April 8 - Page, AZ to Monument Valley, UT

Morning at Lake Powell: You could do a short boat tour in the morning.

Drive to Monument Valley: Reach Monument Valley and take an afternoon jeep tour.

Day 6: Wednesday, April 9 - Monument Valley to Moab, UT

Drive to Moab: Arrive in Moab and get settled.

Explore Arches National Park: Visit some accessible arches in the afternoon.

Day 7: Thursday, April 10 - Moab

Canyonlands National Park: Spend the day exploring the Island in the Sky district for easy hikes and great views.

Dead Horse Point State Park: Visit in the late afternoon for sunset views.

Day 8: Friday, April 11 - Moab to Salt Lake City

Drive to Salt Lake City: This is about a 4-hour drive.

Salt Lake City: Visit The Leonardo Museum in the afternoon and explore downtown.

Day 9: Saturday, April 12 - Departure

Morning in Salt Lake City: Depending on your flight time, you might squeeze in a quick visit to the Natural History Museum of Utah.

Flight to Atlanta: Head to the airport to catch your flight back home.

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@Jeffrey_Nichols Thank you so much for the opportunity to help plan your adventure, I’m going to keep adding to this thread but wanted to share some high level adventures along the way that we love!

I would recommend adding an extra day (or two) in Moab as it’s a truly central place for many different types of adventures (hiking, canyoneering, biking, 2 national parks, dinosaur prints, petroglyphs and more). I won’t tell you what to skip however to make up that time :slight_smile:

In Page, AZ:

  • You can paddle Antelope Canyon to then go hike from bottom up (I’ll need to research this further because low water levels could make this inaccessible). It’s a great way to beat the crowds and get a multi-adventure experience in.

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  • Buckskin Gultch: one of the largest slot canyons in the US. It’s an easy hike featuring massive canyon walls. You can hike in as far as time allows and do an out an back.

Moab:

  • Hiking Arches NP (reservations are required for Arches).
    Our favorite permit based hike: Fiery Furnace hike
  • rafting, kayaking or paddleboarding the river: The Fischer’s towers half day is a great half day adventure.
  • MTB Deadhorse state park: You can rent MTBs at the trailhead without any transportation needed. Really epic views of Canyonlands from here and Deadhorse State Park is a great place to catch the sunset.
  • Rock art near Amasa back - easy drive to area where you can see Rock Art at the side of a dirt road.
  • Dinosaur footprints hike at Klondike: About a 2 mile hike that leads you to a massive rock area full of thousands of Dino prints.
  • Canyoneering or rockaneering: This is an incredible experience for kids and adults. There is no experience required as the guides can lower the kids down or even join them. But, I think they’ll be fine on their own and love this adventure. We’ve gone Canyoneering in several different parts of Utah and its a truly unique experience that you can do in UT and parts of the Southwest that is hard to find other places.

General ideas:

  • If you don’t have them already, the kids would love getting the National Park passports and getting them stamped at the different parks you visit.
  • LNT: A note about Cryptobiotic soil in the southwest, it’s extremely fragile and takes forever to grow back. Find more information here. The kids would love finding this and learning about it,
  • Bring lots of water. Start early

I’ll keep adding to the list, let me know what other questions pop up as you review this!

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