TRAVEL TIPS

An important tip for a fantastic trip to the wild, wild west is invest in good hiking boots. Don’t even think about wearing tennis shoes, even for sight-seeing. Hiking boots have the traction you need for slippery, rocky, sometimes snowy trails. I lost count of how many people I saw slipping and falling on hikes due to tennis shoes.

But even more important than hiking boots is to be flexible. Mother Nature is strong-willed and cares not about your itinerary. Our Bryce Canyon plan was busted but we pulled over outside the park and climbed up a muddy hoodoo and got the best drone footage of the trip.

One of my favorite hikes was a random sign we saw on the side of the road that said “Toadstool Hoodoos,” so we pulled over. We hiked less than a mile and all of a sudden the scenery changed and it felt like we were on a different planet.

That “easy” rainy day hike we did in Zion – we will never forget being pummeled by a Niagara Falls-ish waterfall. And my favorite place, Peekaboo Canyon, was never on our itinerary. We discovered it in a notebook our Airbnb hosts left for us.

Don’t worry about how many miles you put on your car or the distance between the parks; the scenery is so beautiful that some of my best memories are the drives, listening to music and enjoying the family camaraderie. Be adventurous, be flexible, but wear the boots!