Bryce and Zions National Parks!

A couple weeks ago, we took a wonderful road trip to Vegas for one of  my best friend's wedding! We decided to make it an adventure and Brett planned an amazing trip (as usual!) I'm breaking up the posts a little bit so here are the first few days. We hit Bryce National Park and then Zion's and both were amazing!

We invited my mom to come along so she could see all these places she'd never seen, to help with the kids, and to attend Kendra's wedding with us. It was so nice having a third adult! We stopped to drive by the new Payson temple on our way south. 

We then stopped at Cove Fort and took a little tour. It was fun seeing the historic things and the kids had fun playing and climbing all over everything. 

 

  

 

We drove on and made it to Bryce National Park on Thursday night. We stayed in a hotel near the entrance but decided to head into the park to have dinner and watch the sunset. It was amazing! A storm had just ended and the sky was magnificent!

We all found it interesting how the trees could grow right out of the rocks. 

 

Kayla does not love hiking but Tyson loved it the first day or two - especially with his harness backpack. Best. Purchase. Ever!

I loved that the light was shining on those distant mountains!

We got up the next morning and headed back to Bryce to do some hiking. We headed down the Navajo loop. Brett carried one kid on his back and the other would walk - or so was the plan...

The rock formations were amazing! Above is Thor's hammer and below, the kids were obsessed that it looked like a monster! :)

I loved being down in the rocks. The color was amazing and it was incredible looking up through these amazing creations!

Tyson rode for the first half - the downhill part, and then wanted to walk so Kayla got to ride the way up. 

We had some fun playing hide and seek in the rocks and the kids were in heaven!

 

I got to carry Tyson up the steep part in my arms. He walked awhile but then would say, "Mommy, carra me!" Brett went up ahead with Kayla while mom and I lacked behind with Tyson. He now weighs the same as Kayla. I would have carried him on my shoulders but he was covered in red mud already. :)

The hike was tough, but beautiful! I'm glad we did it! We stopped at a few more lookouts and had another picnic lunch. These signs were everywhere, which is why Tyson had his backpack on at all times. :)

That view was breathtaking!

Some views deserve a selfie :)

 

 I sure love this little family of mine!

We then drove to Zion's National Park on Friday afternoon. We took a photo outside the tunnel because the kids loved it! Tyson just didn't like the photo idea :)

Zions has a bus that takes you through the park. 

We got off the last stop and walked to the edge of the narrows. After our hike that morning, we decided to limit our excursions to one that we could take the stroller on. Luckily there were a few!

 

We stopped and played by the river for awhile and Tyson threw in as many rocks as he could get his hands on - which was a lot! He loves rocks! We also saw quite a few squirrels and deer along the way. 

 

The view out of this canyon was amazing with the sunlight!

We stopped at the lodge and got some much needed ice cream and then headed off to see the Emerald Pools.

 It was a cool place with water falling off all the rocks. Kayla and Tyson both loved running under the water. 

On our way out, we saw a couple different groups of mountain goats! Some were right off the road. 

That night, we fulfilled Brett's dream of Glamping (glamorous camping) at Zions Ponderosa Ranch! It was amazing! They have tents with big comfy beds so you get good rest while enjoying the fun of camping! Grandma and the kids went to bed while we went and enjoyed the hot tub and even the pool with some great water slides! 

The kids were really this excited!

 

We woke up EARLY (long before dawn) thanks to Tyson and fed the kids some banana bread I'd made to bring along. It was freezing when we woke up so we grabbed jackets and happened to put Kayla's on Tyson. :)

The sunrise was amazing and the night sky before was perfect. Brett and I enjoyed some alone time just talking and looking up at the stars. It was a wonderful place to stay and we plan on going back!

The rest of the trip, including Grand Canyon, St George, and Vegas to be continued...:)