Category: Hike

Caves week: Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park

This post went live originally on August 28, 2012. I thought it’d be a good one to re-post for my Cave Exploration Week.

Our Mountain Family went to the middle of nowhere Nevada for a little camp out. Great Basin National Park is very remote but has some impressive parts to it. My favorite was a tour of Lehman caves, an underground adventure with stalactites, stalagmites and even cave bacon. Big E was a little reluctant in the cave and little g was a little vocal. Maybe she liked to hear her echo but she loved to baby talk, especially when the tour guide was talking.
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Cascade Springs

Yesterday our adventure was a hike around the natural springs nearby. Cascade Springs is located in the Uinta National Forest off the Alpine Loop road. The Alpine Loop is a beautiful drive on its own, connecting Provo and American Fork canyons and sporting grand vistas of the Wasatch mountain range. Off the loop road is a Scenic Byway that takes would be adventurers to Cascade Springs, another amazing drive with views that my young children didn’t appreciate. The springs has a series of interconnected paths and boardwalks that meander past natural springs. The path is paved but there are stairs in parts so strollers are not recommended.

On this adventure my sister brought her four boys along too. With our children ranging from age 10 to 9 months we raced, walked, jumped and climbed our way through the maple, box elder and oaks. Thanks to the signs along the trail we learned about yellow warblers, forest fire, and stinging nettle (yes it really stings). The hike isn’t too strenuous, there are water fountains along the way and it’s beautiful. All in all it was a great adventure.

Bridal Veil Falls Summer Edition

When I asked Big E where he wanted to go yesterday he said Bridal Veil Falls without a second thought. I tried to encourage a choice that didn’t involve packing, loading, buckling, driving, unbuckling, and unloading but in the end it was worth it.

The paved trail makes for easy stroller access which is more comfortable for me than the hiking pack anyway. Like all of our adventures it seems, this one involved water and throwing things into it. The great thing about Bridal Veil is that the water was low enough that I wasn’t worried about letting Big E splash around by himself while little g and I watched from the side. It’s beautiful, has easy access and was quite fun. However it was cold water, for sure.

Stewart Falls River Valley Hike

Mountain Mom and little g with Stewart Falls in the background.
Big E on the trail.
Big E by the river with his trusty digger.
I was so proud of Big E on this hike.  As a 3 1/2 year old with short legs I did not expect him to hike so well for so long.  We took off toward Stewart Falls first thing in the morning and enjoyed wildflowers, warm weather and a bubbling brook for our trouble.  Little g was in the hiking pack for the first time and only complained when I stopped moving.
I’ve noticed that hiking with Big E is most successful with a destination involving water.  Most of the posts on this blog involve Big E throwing something into water.  What can I say?  There’s something magical in watching and listening to water.  Even though we didn’t make it all the way to Stewart Falls the water flowing down the mountain from the falls was enough of a distraction for this little guy.  The beautiful mountains, green meadow dotted with wildflowers and warm sun on my face was enough for me.  What a beautiful world.