Month: June 2013

Storm Mountain Amphitheater, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, Utah

One of the benefits of living in Utah is the incredible access to the outdoors. Anywhere on the Wasatch Front is within a thirty minute drive of the mountains. On this adventure with the tots, I joined some friends from the Rocky Mountain Mommas meetup group for a campfire at Storm Mountain Amphitheater picnic area in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City.

My nephew, the tots and I loved exploring everything Storm Mountain had to offer. The boys loved climbing on the big rocks and foraging through the forest near our group campsite (number 1). We cooked hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire, and discovered some awesome s’mores techniques. (Try topping your roasting marshmallow with a rolo. When you pull it off the candy will sink inside the mallow!)

Big E spent most of his time running around with the older boys but little g was much more interested in following the wildlife. In addition to a visiting crow, attacking moth, hungry deer and some bugs, little g was a big fan of  a duck named Donna that waddled up for a visit several times during our adventure. Big E liked the duck for other reasons.


Storm Mountain Amphitheater Picnic area is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. A river meanders through the  picnic area, it’s melodic gurgling combining with other sounds of wildlife to make a forest symphony.The tots loved throwing rocks in the water, which seems to be their favorite outdoor pastime anywhere we go. 

In my opinion, the best feature of the area was the playground located at the base of the Storm Mountain. Here Big E, little g and cousin Adam ran, climbed and slid amidst the wafting smell of campfire smoke and crisp fresh air. Storm Mountain Amphitheater is a rock climbers playground as well, with several routes headed up the jagged crags around the trails.

The picnic area gets its name from the amphitheater that was built by workers during the great depression. It’s a picturesque location for a group activity, set beside the backdrop of rocky crags and verdant forest. The fee for a single family picnic site is eight dollars, sixteen for a double site. With all the fun my kids had I think that was money well spent.

The Living Planet Aquarium, Sandy, Utah

Happy World Oceans Day! 

The official World Oceans Day was Saturday, June 8, 2013, so the tots and I (and their cousin) celebrated with a trip to The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, Utah.

The Living Planet Aquarium is an awesome excursion for kids. They have lots of great animals including penguins, otters, sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, jelly fish, sea horses, an electric eel, giant octopus and an eight foot long anaconda. One of the prettiest fish we saw was this Lion Fish, fully arrayed with all his feathery fins.

A big attraction at The Living Planet Aquarium is their touch pool.  One of the dreams of my life was fulfilled at the aquarium when I was able to pet a sting ray.  It was sooooo cool.

In addition to petting a sting ray, the tots and I got to touch a star fish, sea urchin and small reef shark, although Big E was reluctant and mostly just watched.

After the touch pool, our favorite exhibit was Animal Superheroes! where each animal got to show off their super powers, comic book style.  We saw transparent fish, glow in the dark scorpions,  a heat sensing snake and cameoflauge flat fish. The information on all the animals was designed with excitement and I was very impressed with the whole display.

Now, if you’re planning a trip to The Living Planet Aquarium, be aware that they are moving this fall to a new location. The current location in Sandy, Utah closes in September 2013 and the new location at 12033 S Lone Peak Parkway in Draper, Utah is set to open in December 2013. 
If you have a chance to get to the aquarium before then I highly suggest it. The tots were thoroughly entertained the entire time and I really enjoyed it as well.  

Ding and Dang Canyon, San Rafael Swell, Utah

Just an hour past Little Wild Horse Canyon trail head is the trail head to a less popular but very fun hike – Ding and Dang Canyons.  These canyons are similar to Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons; they have interesting rock formations, close canyon walls and beautiful red and white sandstone. The difference in these is that more technical climbing is required since more obstacles block the canyon floor.

Now, Where Are We?

The tots and I started off with approximately half a mile of walking in a rocky wash. From there we took an offshoot of the trail into what we thought was Ding Canyon.

Now, I won’t say we got lost, because technically we knew where we had come from, but we weren’t exactly sure where we were or where we were going. We just knew the canyon was cool, the weather was fine and the tots were enjoying themselves, so we continued on.

The trail wound through shale like rock walls, every few feet made more exciting by the need to scramble over and around boulders and bushes. Lizards darted around our feet with almost every step and the air was perfect in the shade of the jagged canyon walls.

The Final Climb

The highlight of our hike was the final steep climb to the crest of the canyon. The surface of the rock we hiked was pocked and white, reminding me of a foreign planet. Big E led the way on this section, even when the angle of the path was intense. When we finally reached the summit I was awed by his determination to make it to the top, even though I doubted he could do it. He exceeded my expectations.

From the top we could see the entire valley, rivets of far off canyons denting the landscape. It was a beautiful view, well worth the trip and whether we were officially in Ding Canyon or not it was a great hike.

Trail Info

Rating: 3 stars
Difficulty: Very Difficult, but worth it
Length: 1.5 miles, Loop is approximately 5.5 miles
Tips: Don’t fall. Jagged rocks do not make comfortable landing sites.