Today I wanted to switch it up a little and share all about our recent family adventure! Over Easter weekend our family headed to Moab, Utah for family vacation along with my oldest of three brothers and his family. They are from Seattle and have never visited Moab before! Since it has been on their bucket list for a while we decided to meet there. I have actually traveled to Moab 6 times now, but since it isn’t too far we decided to join them on their bucket list trip! For those who love to travel or who have wanted to visit the Moab area, I hope you enjoy this vacation recap.
Moab, Utah Family Vacation
My brother and his family flew to Vegas and rented a car to drive to Moab. Obviously they couldn’t bring much camping stuff, which meant we brought extra stuff and loaded down our car to the max! I still don’t know how we managed to fit everything in the car, but we did!
Thankfully, once we arrived in Moab we were able to easily find two campsites together, which was super nice since we planned on doing meals together! That saved us a lot of walking to each other’s campsites multiple times a day!
Tips for Traveling with Young Kids
Now some of you may have noticed that we have a young toddler with us, an 18-month old (at the time) and a 4 year old. If you are wondering how in the world we managed to tent camp with an 18 month old, the answer is a Pack-n-Play! It’s an absolute must anytime you travel! My son would never fall asleep if he was not contained. This isn’t my only secret though! The other amazing item I couldn’t live without is a Slumber Pod! The Slumber Pod is a complete black out tent that goes over the Pack-n-Play (and is very breathable).
This is a GAME CHANGER when traveling! Whether in a hotel or camping, once he is in there he can’t see us or see lights that may be on still, and he is able to fall asleep. There is a nifty pocket where you can put a monitor or sound machine too! We use it for his noise machine and he is out in a couple minutes. Thankfully, our daughter has always been pretty easy to get to bed. She slept in her own sleeping bag and had no problem staying put when told to. Traveling with young children can be trial and error, but once you find what works for you, it makes it so much more easy and enjoyable!
Arches National Park
Our entire Moab vacation was blessed with beautiful weather. During the days we had clear blue skies with pleasant, warm weather. The nights, however, did get pretty chilly. The only weather problem we encountered was the WIND. It was intense and never let up until Sunday. The constant wind felt like a steady 20 mph that didn’t stop, and it got old fast, but we made the most of it!
On Friday, we headed into Arches National Park. We wanted to hike to Delicate Arch first, as it was only going to get hotter later in the day. Remington, my daughter, hiked almost the entire 3-mile, round trip hike. I was so proud and surprised, as the trail isn’t very flat and it got hot quickly. After our hike we found a place to eat lunch and explored more of the park.
Canyonlands National Park
The following day we headed to Canyonlands National Park. The wind was in full force again, and it was very annoying. It took some time and skill to find a place to eat where we could put our food down without it blowing away. Eventually, we found a picnic area that had a little drop ledge where we took cover behind so we could build and eat our sandwiches without everything flying away.
If you ever visit Canyonlands National Park, a wonderful little hike there is Grand View Point Overlook. It’s just under 2 miles out and back and is pretty easy. Due to the wind, we had to be extra careful near the end by the edge of the canyon. The gusts of wind were pretty strong and could easily move me. It was a little nerve racking but I am so glad we did it!
Weather Trouble
Back at our tent Saturday night, we started getting dinner together. It was later than usual, so I was feeding Jaiden, my son, in the trunk area of our SUV. I am so glad I did, because all of a sudden the wind picked up to about 50 mph and things started flying everywhere! We had just finished strapping down my brother’s tent because it was getting beat up bad. His tent suffered a broken tent pole from the wind pounding it all day.
The forecast said that the wind was going to get worse before it got better, so the guys used ratchet straps to secure the tent down. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best idea. When the gusts of wind came through, the tent didn’t hold up very well, and another pole broke.
Our food that had just started to cook was instantly filled with sand making it no longer edible! It was at this point that we decided to go out to eat. It was getting really late, and I knew my kids wouldn’t survive going out again, so we finished feeding them and put them to bed. John, my husband, stayed with them and made sure our tents stayed safe.
While my husband held the tent down (ha!) the rest of us headed to a Thai restaurant in town. Thai food never tasted so good. If you are ever in Moab and you like Thai food, check out Singha Thai Cuisine. It was amazing! By the time we finished and grabbed our to-go dish for John, the wind had completely died down. Thankfully, it stayed that way!
The End of Our Moab, Utah Family Vacation
Sunday was the best weather day, with calm and gentle breezes, warm sunshine, and blue skies. Finally, we could walk around without our hair blowing in every direction. We went back to Arches to do some more hiking.
The next day, Monday, was our final day in Moab. It was time to pack up and head home. We said goodbye to my brother and his family before they drove back to Vegas to catch their flight and we drove back to Colorado. On our way back we stopped at the Colorado National Monument, as the kids needed a break from the car. As an added bonus they were able to get another stamp and sticker for their National Parks book! These books are great for documenting your travels. It is like a passport for national parks!
Overall our Moab, Utah Family Vacation was a fun and memorable trip! The kids did amazing and even surprised me at times. I’m thrilled everything worked out and we were able to take this trip with my brother’s family! I always love meeting up with my brothers when I get a chance. Making memories and seeing new sights is just an added bonus!
There is nothing better than spending time with family and making new memories! I hope everyone reading this today carves out time to make memories with their family, and don’t forget to snap a few pictures along the way! Those pictures are timeless keepsakes that you will always treasure!
If you are interested in learning more about my photography, please Contact me today to start a conversation! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Find resources and view more beautiful families + Moments over on the blog!
Northern Colorado Top 10 Locations for Family Photo Sessions
Apple Orchard Mini Sessions at Ya Ya Orchard in Longmont, CO
+ COMMENTS
add a comment