My Family Archives - The Workout Mama

Every Kid Outdoors Pass: Visiting Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park

September 22, 2022 by Tamara Leave a Comment

Our oldest son is in fourth grade and he qualifies for the Every Kid Outdoors pass this year. This means that he and the family get free access to hundreds of parks, lands, and waters for an entire year. It is an amazing program for all fourth grade students in the United States.

We have previously purchased the America the Beautiful pass which is the Interagency Pass that provides access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas across the United States. Our family didn’t purchase an America the Beautiful pass this year because we knew Caden would qualify for the Every Kid Outdoors pass. With this in mind we want to create really special memories for him and our family this year using his pass.

Our family packed up and headed to Utah last week to visit Zion and Bryce National Park. Along the way we stopped at the Hoover Dam and also took a drive through Las Vegas. We stayed in Saint George which ended up being a great starting point for our adventures to the National Parks.

Having never been to Utah before I purchased this book to help our family make the most of our two full days we had for Zion and Bryce. It was very helpful and I highly recommend this series by Moon Travel.

Bryce Canyon National Park

The weather was overcast and rainy the first day in the parks so we decided to go to Bryce to see the Canyon. We drove to Bryce on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway which took us into Zion Park and it was well worth the extra 40 minutes of travel time. At the entrance to Zion, Caden handed the park ranger his paper pass we had printed out. The ranger made a big deal about Caden being responsible for us in the parks and exchanged the paper pass for the Every Kid Outdoors card. It was super cute. Once Caden signed the back of his card we were on our way to Bryce Canyon.

Zion-Mount Carmel Highway

From the Zion Park entrance the drive took about 2 1/2 hours to get to Bryce Canyon. It was a beautiful drive and honestly didn’t seem that long. We had the kids leave their tablets at the house we stayed at to make sure they really got to see everything as we went.

We stopped at The Rock Stop in Orderville and the kids got to pick out souvenirs and also had some tasty donuts. They enjoyed the donuts so much we stopped on the way back from Bryce for more.

Bryce Canyon National Park

The weather was windy, cold, and wet when we arrived at Bryce Canyon. I am not sure how busy it typically is at noon during the week but we didn’t wait long at the entrance and were able to park at the lodge. This worked out perfectly because Sunrise and Sunset Points are easily within walking distance to these locations to overlook the canyon.

I am so proud of the kids for how well they did during this trip. We walked 2 miles around the rim before it started to rain more. Bryce Canyon is beautiful.

Zion National Park

The weather was gorgeous! Mid September weather didn’t disappoint. It was 58 degrees when we arrived at 9am and when we left at 2pm it was 72 degrees. Our kids are 10, 8, 5, and 5 years of age and we were able to hike 6 miles with them the day we went.

We used the shuttle bus to get around and parked our car at the visitor center. Being midweek we were still able to get a parking spot inside the park. By the time we left there was no parking available at the visitor center and many spots were filled close to the Zion Park entrance in Springdale.

Thanks to our guidebook I had a general idea which hikes I thought we could manage with the kids. Our day started at Stop 9 Temple of Sinawava for the Riverside Walk. It was a perfect paved trail that led down The Narrows.

Up next we took a bus to the Grotto and hiked a dirt trail to the lodge. This took 20 minutes. Once we reached the lodge we had our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks.

Our last hike of the day was Lower Emerald Pools. Again this was also paved but was uphill. The kids were troopers and were super excited to see the waterfall.

Before leaving the park we took the bus to The Court of the Patriarchs and saw Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

Saint George & Washington, Utah

Saint George and Washington were a great starting point for all our adventures this trip. It worked out fantastic especially for Zion National Park. Bryce Canyon was more of a drive but the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway was beautiful.

If you are traveling to this area with children here are some places and activities I would recommend.

Pinkbox Doughnuts

Donuts. The cutest donuts ever. They also have vegan donuts which I appreciate because of my egg allergy. I lost it and couldn’t contain my laughter when I order the poo donuts for the kids. Be warned the tops of those things are made of frosting.

Thunder Junction All Abilities Park

We loved this park and visited three times during our trip. There is a splash park, playground, and train. The entire park is dinosaur themed.

Pop Drinks

On our way to Swig to get sodas after our day of hiking we drove by Pop and decided to try something new. We are glad we did. The soda mixes were great and they gave the kids popcorn with their drinks.

Dino Cliffs Trail

This was our last hike of the trip. It was slightly difficult to find and had it not been for local hiker we would have given up looking. In case you use AllTrails like we do don’t let the app route you to the hike. It had has park in the wrong area. Thankfully we were redirected by a hiker to the correct location. Once we located the trailhead and hiked down the wash area our dinosaur loving kids were able to see the dinosaur footprints hardened in the sedimentary rock. There are 17 well preserved tracks which paleontologists suggest were from bipedal, meat-eating dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period. From the trailhead it is a short distance to the tracks. Round trip this took us about 30 minutes.

We had a fantastic time in Southern Utah and would love to go back. The kids have already asked if we can go again next year. In total we hiked 10 miles in three days. Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park are beautiful and I am so glad this trip was able to happen.

If you are in or near the Mesa, Arizona area the Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District has the Every Kid Outdoors cards available in case your fourth grader would like to trade in the paper pass for a card.

Filed Under: My Family, National Parks Tagged With: Bryce Canyon National Park, Dino Cliffs Trail, Every Kid Outdoors, Saint George, Southern Utah, Utah, Zion National Park

My 8 Year Old Son’s Favorite Book Series

January 25, 2021 by Tamara Leave a Comment

I am fortunate that my son Caden enjoys reading but it can be tricky sometimes finding the right books for your kid. Which is why I am always excited when I come across a book series that we both truly enjoy.

These book series are mom approved and don’t have much bathroom humor in them. I am looking at you Captain Underpants.

Without anymore chitchat, that will be at the end of the post, here is what my 8 year old says are his favorite book series.

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

Each book contains ten mysteries, and not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but the reader is given all the clues as well. Caden read a few of these to me and they were challenging. Not going to lie, there was a few that I couldn’t figure out right away. I think he is currently on book 5 in this series and still enjoying them.

The Secret of The Hidden Scrolls by M.J Thomas

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history. In the first adventure in the series, Peter and Mary find themselves witnesses to the creation of the world just as God is speaking it into existence. Can they unlock the mystery of the scrolls before they get trapped in history forever?

This series was started by a Dad who was looking for books that his nine year old son could read that would teach him about the bible in a fun way. He couldn’t find any so he decided to write his own series. The books are well done and Caden talks about what he has learned with our family. There are 9 books total in this series and I am so thankful to have discovered these books.

Mac B. Kid Spy by Mac Barnett (Illustrated by Mike Lowery)

The precious Crown Jewels have been stolen, and there’s only one person who can help the Queen of England: her newest secret agent, Mac B. Mac travels around the globe in search of the stolen treasure…but will he find it in time?

These books are like gold in our house. The other kids circle around Caden so he can read them aloud to them. They love the illustrations so much, which are done by Mike Lowery who illustrates and write the Gingerbread Man Loose Series that our family loves too.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncellos Library by Chris Grabenstein

When Kyle Keeley learns that the world’s world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, Kyle is determined to be there! But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library—it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must catch every clue and solve every puzzle to find the hidden escape route!

This book was a little longer for Caden but he did great with it and enjoyed it so much. It reminded me slightly of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. If your child likes puzzles and a good adventure check out this 5 book series.

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett

This book. We are currently reading this aloud during the day and it is so funny. I look forward to reading it just as much as the kids. It is by the same author as the Mac B. Kid Spy Series.

Miles Murphy is known for one thing and one thing only: pranking.
He’s the best prankster his school has ever seen. So when he’s forced to move to boring Yawnee Valley (also known for one thing and one thing only: cows), he assumes he’ll be the best prankster at his new school too. There’s one problem. The school already has a prankster—and he’s good. Really good.

We read it and I think I know what is going to happen and it always leaves me so surprised and laughing out loud with the kids. I would read this book even if I didn’t have kids.

I love hearing about new to me books that my kids might enjoy. If you have any please feel free to share in the comment section below.

Last week was a blur in our house. Between home schooling, a dentist appointment for me to get a crown put on, Josh’s work schedule, and watching the presidential inauguration it went by so fast.

I am feeling so hopeful for our country and Wednesday was just such a good day. We busted out our projector and watched the firework show on the wall in our bedroom. It was great.

Also all the Bernie Sanders meme’s are just making me smile so much. This one is my favorite currently.

I hope you are having a great day and thank you so much for stopping by the blog :).

Filed Under: Book Review, Homeschool, My Family, Parenting Tagged With: Book Review

Using Our America The Beautiful Pass In The Tonto National Forest

January 17, 2021 by Tamara Leave a Comment

Last week we ordered our America the Beautiful Pass from the Tonto National Forest. Right now because of COVID you can’t buy your pass in person but you can order over the phone. I spoke with Kyle who was super helpful from the Mesa Ranger District. I ordered our pass and he had it in the mail to us that day and it arrived the next morning.

If you are unfamiliar with the America The Beautiful Pass it is a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands pass that allows the public to access some fee areas without additional charge. This is a very cost effective way to see multiple sites across the United States.

We purchased our pass mainly for use in the Tonto National Forest when we go paddle boarding. In hindsight we should have bought a yearly pass over the summer because we spent $8 on a day pass each time we went to the river and lake. Had we bought one at that time it would have well over already paid for itself.

Tonto National Forest only allows you to use this pass at the picnicking areas. So if you are a hiker this might not be the best pass for you but for our family’s needs it works perfectly.

We made a trip to the lake last week to have a picnic after our pass arrived and spent two hours eating and playing. It was so relaxing and I can’t wait to explore more areas on land and paddle board this year with my family in the Tonto National Forest and hopefully around Arizona.

Filed Under: My Family Tagged With: America The Beautiful Pass, Arizona, Tonto National Forest