Devil's Bridge

We decided to hike to Devil's Bridge today. It was supposed to be a fairly short easy hike, but somehow we lost the trail and ended up with a very steep climb before reaching the bridge.

Luckily, once we were at the top, some other people arrived and showed us the way to the actual path, which we again lost part way back down.

To top it off, when we got back to the Jeep, it made scary grinding noises. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious.

Montezuma's Castle

We drove to Camp Verde today to visit Montezuma's Castle so the girls could collect another junior ranger badge. 

Kanab Condo (July 28-Aug 2, 2014)

Instead of camping this year, we rented a 3 bedroom condo in Kanab, UT and used that as our base for day trips across northern Arizona and southern Utah. 

This map shows an overview of the different spurs we took while staying in Kanab.

The girls enjoyed collecting Junior Ranger badges last year, so we structured this trip to visit state and national parks where they could collect more badges. (Here are the badges they collected by the end of this trip)

Day 1: Drive to Kanab

Our first stop was Sunset Crater, outside of Flagstaff.

It gave us a chance to get out of the car and stretch our legs. 

We didn't take a lot of pictures here, since we've been here before, but the girls did get their junior ranger badges.

Our next stop was Horseshoe Bend outside of Page, AZ

After taking pictures, we were back on the road. We arrived in Kanab by late afternoon and checked into the condo. The girls went for a swim at the condo, then we went out for a relaxing dinner, and grocery shopping to stock up the kitchen.

Kanab Trip Days 2-3 - Zion, Grand Canyon, and Pipe Springs

Day 2: Zion National Park

The next morning, we drove to Zion National Park. We pulled off at the different scenic overlooks.

We also decided to exlore the Emerald Pools trail in more depth.

Day 3: Grand Canyon National Park (North Rim)

It was a bit warm today, so we decided to visit the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We packed a picnic and headed out for the day.

Our first stops were to all the scenic overlooks of the canyon.

From there, we decided to hike down a few of the forested trails along the rim.

We saw lots of chipmunks!

And quite a few jays.

On the way out, we stopped to watch the bison in the grassy areas.

On the way back to Kanab, we stopped at Pipe Springs National Monument.

There were exhibit that providing information about the history of the Kaibab Paiute and the Mormon settlers through the museum.

We wandered around the grounds to visit the historic fort, cabins, and garden.

Kanab Trip Day 4 - Bryce and Kodachrome Basin

We got an early start this morning and drove to Bryce Canyon.

We stopped at several scenic overlooks, then found a good trail to hike further into the canyon.

The girls found the geologic marker for their junior ranger badge.

From there, we drove to Kodachrome Basin State Park to check out the interesting spire formations

Then continued the drive to Grosvenor Arch

Kanab Trip Day 5 - Little Hollywood and Grand Staircase Escalante

After several really busy days visiting the nearby parks, we had a slow relaxing morning. We started with some time at the pool in the morning, so they girls could play and relax.

Around mid-morning, we decided to check out the Little Hollywood Museum in Kanab to learn more about the western movies that were filmed in the area.

We had fun exploring the different sets and playing with the various props.

After lunch, we ventured off the paved roads and drove the Jeep through Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument.

We splashed through a few puddles.

At one point, we got a little stuck in soft sand/dirt of the road and spun the tires for a while.

Towards the end of the day, a storm moved into the area, and there was a lot of lightning.

We drove quickly and made it back to the paved road right as the rain started.

Kanab Trip Day 6 - Toadstool Hoodoos, Glen Canyon, and home

This morning it was time to pack up and drive home.

Our first stop was at Toadstool Hoodoos, not too far from Kanab.

Our final stop of the  trip was at Glen Canyon Dam for a bathroom and stretch break.

And then it was time to finish our drive back home.