Tag: National Park

National Park Roundup and Outdoor Retailers

Some fun things have been happening here at Mountain Mom and Tots.

First, I wanted to direct you to the most extensive National Parks Link List I have ever seen. A blogger friend at wildtalesof.com connected me to the site Roadtrips for Families. Last month they began a comprehensive list of more than forty National Park destinations gathered from seasoned outdoor families all over the country.

Mountain Mom and Tots contributed links for Denali, Kenai Fjords, Zion, Great Basin, Arches, Bryce Canyon and Independence Hall National Parks, and you’d better believe I’ll be going there before planning other National Park trips. Check it out here.
Second, this week thousands of outdoors suppliers from all over the world will gather to demonstrate their gear and expertise. The largest trade show for the outdoor industry takes place this week in Salt Lake City and Mountain Mom and Tots will be there. Outdoor Retailers is the place to find cool new gear for every adventure and we’ll be checking out some of the hottest new items for all of you.
Watch my instagram and twitter feeds for live updates from the show!

National Parks Week, April 18-25, 2015

Hip Hip Hooray! Tomorrow is the day! April 18-25, 2015 is National Parks Week!
National Parks feature heavily in our outdoor adventure plans. For the last five years our family has purchased the America the Beautiful pass, which allows access to any federal land for the entire year. The cost is $80.00, which I think of as both a donation and a challenge. If we can visit enough National Parks in one year to cover the cost of the card, we’ve done pretty well.

Here are three ways to celebrate National Parks week – I hope you enjoy!

1. Free admission April 18-19, 2015. If you live near a National Park, or want a quick weekend getaway you can explore for free this weekend. All Admission fees are waived Saturday April 18th and Sunday April 19th 2015.

2. Plan a vacation. Summer will soon be here and you have to do something with your tots, right? Plan a trip to see some of the nation’s beautiful spaces. Here are some links to our favorites:

Denali National Park, Alaska
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
Redwoods National Park, California
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, California
Yosemite National Park, California

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Independence Hall, National Historical Park, Pennsylvania

Arches National Park, Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Dinosaur National Monument, Utah
Zion National Park, Utah

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

3. Be a Junior Ranger. Tots of all ages can enjoy learning about the world around them through the Junior Ranger program. Just complete the pamphlet for each park you visit and your child can receive a patch.

Dinosaur National Monument, north of Jensen, Utah, border of Utah and Colorado

Last week I experienced something truly amazing – Dinosaur National Monument on the border of Colorado and Utah. The crowning attraction of Dinosaur National Monument is the world famous Quarry Exhibit Hall, a rock wall with more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils still embedded in stone.

I do not exaggerate when I say this should be one of the wonders of the world. Almost everyone has seen dinosaur skeletons in museums, but to see so many fossils still embedded in stone, the dinosaur remains in their final resting place – it was amazing.

This unique treasure was discovered in 1909 by Earl Douglass, a paleontologist who found a dinosaur spine literally sticking out of the mountain. Good thing he knew where to look.This area has many layers of fossilized remains due to its unique position as an ancient river delta. Dinosaur remains of stegosaurus, camarasaurus and diplodocus washed down river and congregated in one location, which later fossilized preserving the amazing wall of bone we have today.

Amazingly, since the skeletons of these dinosaurs are fairly common, and since nothing quite like this fossil wall exists elsewhere in the world, this tableau of history has been preserved as is for people to explore. The Quarry Exhibit Hall blew my mind, and the photos just don’t do it justice.

If you ever have a chance to visit Dinosaur National Monument, DO IT!

INFO:

Difficulty: Easy. A five minute shuttle ride from the visitors center transports guests to the recently renovated Quarry Exhibit Hall.
Time: 1 – 3 hours
Open hours: Summer 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Although Dinosaur National Monument is open year round, reduced staffing affects the Quarry Exhibit Hall schedule. Click here for more details.
Tips: Although the Visitors Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall are air conditioned, I would still avoid visiting here in the heat of summer. It’s a desert after all.

 

 

 

 

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, Jolley Gulch

For Mountain Dad’s birthday, the whole family went on vacation at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. While we were there for a family reunion in August, Mountain Dad fell in love with the off roading Utility Vehicle we rented and thanks to that, decided to buy a UTV of our own (it arrives next week).
So when a blogging opportunity for Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort came up, we jumped at the chance to visit again. Mountain Dad was eager to get more off road time, and I was eager to enjoy the fall before it got too cold in the mountains.
The great part about off roading is the access to wilderness that would be difficult to reach otherwise. Mountain Dad and I took the tots to Jolley Gulch in Zion National Park, a thirty minute UTV ride from our cabin suite at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. To hike to this beautiful overlook with two small tots would’ve been very difficult, but in the UTV we could ride out together, walk a few hundred feet and take in the view without too much trouble.

 

 

Back at our cabin, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and looked forward to exploring Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in the following days.