Family Vacations Archives

Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

August 2, 2018

I had so much fun in Manitou Springs at Cave of the Winds Mountain Park doing all kinds of activities. A lot of people just come for the cave or only know about the cave, but there’s so much to do when visiting. There are various rides, a ropes course and rock wall, and the different cave tours where you learn a lot about the different aspects of the cave. Inside the cave tour building there’s also food and a gift shop.

The nice thing was that we bought the wristbands so we could do the rides and course as many times as we wanted. We spent so much time here doing all the activities, but it did get cut short when it began to rain like crazy along with insane winds. Luckily since it’s a cave tour, you don’t notice the rain!

Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park

July 20, 2018

Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park is an insanely fun experience for all ages! There are 10 different courses, all with unique zip lines, obstacles, and bridges. I had no idea that Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park even existed until my grandparents took my brother and I this summer. Turns out, it was AMAZING! This company has three different parks and we went to the one right in Tahoe City next to the Granlibakken Lodge (they also have on on Tahoe Vista and Squaw). This ropes course and zip line park was the coolest thing ever and we had an insane amount of fun doing all the different courses.

It was actually a lot harder than I thought, but after doing a few, we were just like professionals. You get 2 and 1/2 hours to explore the whole park and it was plenty of time to do the courses. Carter and I repeated some of the courses, but you can do all of the different courses with some extra time to spare.

Petrified Forest National Park in Less Than Two Days

June 4, 2018

We had just been at Grand Canyon National Park which was insanely crowded, so we were very happy to come to Petrified Forest National Park for some much smaller crowds. Petrified Forest is one of the smaller national parks in he United States. Most people overlook it, but it was actually way cooler than I thought it was going to be. This national park is a must see because of its uniqueness and factor of surprise. Because of its size, you can do the whole park in less than two days and still see everything the park has to offer. What’s really cool is that the park has two very different sides to it; the petrified side and painted desert side.

Snow at Grand Canyon National Park

April 9, 2018

One of the big things I wanted t happen in my life was to be in actual falling snow. I had seen it on TV and on other people’s social medias and I had wanted to experience it ever since. I FINALLY DID and it was in Grand Canyon National Park! Needless to say it was awesome and one of my favorite memories that trip.

During our hike that day which followed Hermit’s Road, we were in small flurries off and on. I had really hoped that the storm would pick up and dump some snow later that day.

The Hermit’s Rest and Rim Trails

April 6, 2018

The Hermit’s Rest Trail was probably one my favorite things to do in Grand Canyon National Park. Because we didn’t want to take the extremely crowded shuttle, we ended up walking a lot of it, which was awesome because we got to see some amazing views that shuttle-people wouldn’t see. The Hermit’s Rest Trail has a ton of lookouts plus the building at the end.

Desert View Drive in Grand Canyon National Park

April 3, 2018

One of the first thing we did in Grand Canyon National Park was the lookouts and activities along the Desert View Drive. This road has 6 official lookouts, a bunch of other pull outs for spectacular views, the Tusayan Ruins and museum, and at the end is the Desert View Watchtower. We explored everything the road has to offer in just over half a day.

The road is 100% accessible with your own vehicle which allowed us to have our ice chest and lunch at some pretty awesome lookouts. In addition to the pullouts and other sites, there are some picnic spots to stop at too.

Stairs to See in San Francisco

March 1, 2018

Looking for some stair climbing and amazing views? Some awesome ones to check out are the 16th Avenue Tile Steps, Lyon Street Steps, and Twin Peaks. These three are the best to do on a clear day so you can see, but I guess if you want a workout, then you can do it in the fog. We haven’t seen all the stairs yet, but we’re planning to soon!

16th Avenue Tile Steps

Explore Point Bonita Lighthouse

February 26, 2018

Point Bonita was the 3rd lighthouse on the West Coast and it’s still in use today! The lighthouse is small with only two tiny rooms, but it’s still worth checking out. The lighthouse itself, views, and hike out are awesome and can be a quick or lengthy depending on how long you want to stay.

From the lighthouse and before the bridge, you can see seals below and a small sea arch. Across the way, is the Golden Gate Bridge and from this advantage point, you can see the whole city behind it. The scenery and picturesque views are one of the best parts of this stop.

Things To Do In Crissy Field

February 23, 2018

For a nice walk on a not too windy day in San Francisco, visiting Crissy Field is perfect. We followed the Bay Trail and then continued a short ways to Fort Point. It was about 2 miles one way along the beach with a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate and the city.

The trail is flat and easy so anyone can do it which makes it very popular for runners, bikers, and pedestrians. There’s plenty of parking and from that lot, you can easily walk to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Wave Organ which are short walks. Along the trail, there are numerous openings to walk out on the sand and check out the beach.

Historic Fort Point in San Francisco

February 20, 2018

As one thing on our San Francisco weekend trip, we walked to Fort Point (you can drive too) at the end of the Bay Trail at Crissy Field. For the longest time, we had no idea what this building under the Golden Gate Bridge was. Was it a part of the bridge? Was it a old closed down building? We had no idea until we went a little further past Warming Point and discovered it’s an old war fort that’s FREE to explore.

In Fort Point, you can explore everything because nothing is blocked off. There are three floors of cannon storage, a little museum, and old rooms, plus you can go to the roof for some incredible views. Getting deep into the fort, it’s gets kind of dark and creepy, but it’s really cool to see the historic building.

16th Avenue Tile Steps

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