Category: Bike

Pa’rus Trail, Zion National Park, Utah

Although I’m not as crazy as my father, who is planning a cross country road bike adventure next summer, I enjoy a good bike ride now and again. And what better place to ride than in beautiful Zion National Park?

Mountain Dad and I started out on the Pa’rus Trail at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and enjoyed the scenic views of the Virgin River from the paved path along its bank. No motorized traffic is allowed on Pa’rus trail, so apart from some passing dog walkers, we had the place to ourselves. The trail is three and a half miles long, which makes for a quick bike ride, so when we got to the end we decided to continue on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, the main road of the park.

Surrounded by towering rock formations while feeling the wheels turn beneath me was a refreshing experience. It was great biking at this time of year as well, thanks to the shuttle service. You must pull over to let shuttle vehicles pass, but since the shuttle is one of the only vehicles on the road I felt very safe riding here.   

Here, at the Court of the Patriarchs, I enjoyed the view and the weather. It was a great trip and I’d definitely do it again.
Pa’rus Trail Biking
Distance: 3.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Tips: For the easiest ride, put your bike on the shuttle bus and get off at the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop. That way you can ride your bike down hill the whole way on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.

Bridal Veil Falls Bike Ride

One of the best parts of spring is relishing the warm weather. The tots and I do this best at the park, and thankfully Provo Canyon has plenty of parks to appreciate. On this recent biking adventure with the tots, we started out at the playground at Vivian Park. This park boasts a paved bike/hike trail, two playgrounds, two pavilions, restrooms, a fishing areal and a river to throw rocks at, not to mention the Heber Creeper railroad comes to visit every once and a while.

While the tots played on the playground I got my bike and trailer set up. The Provo River Trail, which ends at Vivian Park is great for tots of all ages. It’s a paved trail that runs from Utah Lake to Vivian Park and is popular with bikers, hikers and anyone interested in being outdoors. The section we biked, from Vivian Park to Bridal Veil Falls, was only about twenty minutes, and that was with towing an extra seventy five pounds of tots and bike trailer.
Little g was ready to go as long as we had ‘Monkey Pack’ on her back. She and Big E rode in the trailer along a flat section of the Provo River Trail – Vivian Park to Bridal Veil Falls. The trail meanders along the Provo river, with majestic mountains along one side. Bright greens, wet from a recent rain, grew along the trail and the earthy scent of the outdoors was a refreshing reminder of the season.

At Bridal Veil Falls, Big E was giddy with joy feeding the fish. For a quarter you can purchase a handful of fish pellets and bask in the joy of your youngster’s laughter as he watches the fish fight for each mouthful. Little g loved it too, but mostly because she got out of the bike trailer.
The bike back to Vivian Park was calm and pleasant and overall it was a great outing on a great spring day.

Five Reasons to Take Your Kids to Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

My tots and I loved our recent trip to Snow Canyon State Park, Utah.  Here are the top five reasons I would recommend it for your family:

1. Campground – The campground is well maintained, has sites for tents or campers and had the cleanest bathrooms I’ve ever seen when camping. Pull chain showers are also available to registered campers. The ranger station also includes a small book store and there’s a play area for kids. If possible, get your friends together and stay at the group site, it was self enclosed, had easy access to trails and bathrooms.

2. Short Hikes – Hiking with kids is never easy, but the great thing about Snow Canyon State Park is the multitude of short, but interesting hikes.  There’s lots to see and do, less than a mile from the main road.

3. Biking – Snow Canyon State Park is known as a great place for biking, in fact the ranger told me St. George holds their Ironman triathlon biking portion within the park.  The canyon is one long, paved downhill if you start at the top. If you’re averse to biking next to twenty five mile per hour traffic, there are two great bike trails as well.  The first, Whiptail, is paved and starts at the Upper Galoot Parking area.  It follows along the main road six miles down to the park entrance.  The second trail, West Canyon Road, is eight miles on a gravel access road that parallels the amazing rock formations in the park.

4. St. George, Utah – If you’re camping with kids, it’s always good to have access to a store in case of emergencies.  Whether you forgot a favorite toy, need a snack or just want a break, it’s nice to have access to the benefits of a city. We especially appreciated the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center and visiting a local park in St. George, as different activities from the daily hiking and biking.

5. Scenery – Snow Canyon State Park has a variety of rock formations from red sandstone to dark lava rock. Add to that the fact that the entire park is located within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a habitat conservation area whose purpose is to protect the endangered Mojave Desert Tortoise, and you can appreciate the wildlife, as well as the beauty.

My Best Laid Plans

In an attempt to enjoy the outdoors and exercise I thought I would take my kids on a bike ride. Our last bike adventure was a great success – Big E and little g got along even in the confines of a tight bike trailer. We enjoyed a relatively flat trail with a waterfall, trees and a river to look at. The bike ride went to a park where we had a picnic. Overall last time was a perfect experience that I was looking to repeat.

However…
Biking with kids takes much more preparation than other activities. I first had to switch the car seats from our car into the truck. Then I packed a picnic, got all of us dressed in warmer clothes and loaded everyone in. Finally I went to load the bike and trailer. It was only then that I saw my flat tire. After searching out the pump and wrestling with the attachment I got my bike pumped up. By now it was 40 minutes later than I had wanted to be, my kids were sick of the car, we hadn’t even left the driveway yet and I was frustrated. We finally got on the road headed toward Bridal Veil Falls.

In the parking lot I unloaded our bike and trailer and realized how cold it is in the shadow of the mountain. Provo canyon, while beautiful, is a canyon after all and the temperature was around 50 degrees. No problem, I thought, I had planned a picnic blanket after all, that could keep the kids warm. Hooking up the bike and trailer of course took some time. Little g did not want to sit in her carseat anymore and Big E wanted a snack. While trying to keep kids happy I noticed that I had neglected to check the air in the trailer tires, both of which were of course flat. So while Big E and little g ate and cried I tried pumping up the trailer tires and one just wouldn’t work.

It’ll be fine, I thought and loaded the kids. Pushing the bike up the steep beginning section (with 50 extra pounds of children and trailer) was enough to convince me that it would not be fine. The tire was flat, little g was cold and crying, I was also cold and also close to crying. The time had come to recognize my defeat. We returned to the car, now dangerously close to lunchtime and the crankiness that precedes it. I suggested a quick walk on the trail instead of a bike ride but Big E just said, “I want to stay in the car.”. Little g said, “WAAAAaaaaa!”

That was it. My great waste of a morning. I tried my best, and isn’t that really what motherhood’s all about?

PS- The photo of my kids happy in their carseats was taken after sitting in the warm car eating our picnic lunch for 20 minutes. Not my idea of a great outdoors moment.