National Parks and a Road Trip with a Baby

When Amos was three months, we took him on a road trip in the West. There are so many options for airports and route options. It is dizzying! After some intense searching and planning, we decided upon this itinerary. 

Day 1: Phoenix-Sedona. We arrived in Phoenix, rented a car, went to the grocery store to stock up on food/snacks (we love tortilla and peanut butter rolls ups for this type of excursion), and then headed to Sedona. There are many great trails all around Sedona, and we took one that was close to our hotel. We got takeout from the Javelina Catina- don't miss their prickly pear margarita! We stayed at the Arabella Hotel and had a great experience. 

Day 2: We got a little bold- Sedona- Grand Cayon NP- Monument Valley- Cortez. (Due to the pandemic, we had to cancel our initial plans to stay at the View Inn in Monument Valley for the next night.  We booked the top floor so that we had complete open access to the stars and structures! We will hopefully be able to go back again when everything is open.) We bought an annual National Parks pass before going, and it paid for itself on this trip! 

We left Sedona just before 5 am and drove to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon.  There we hiked the out and back South Kaibab trail to the Ooh Ahh Point. From there, we changed our clothes and went to the various viewpoints of the canyon, snapped some pictures, and ate lunch. From there, we drove to Monument Valley so that we could stop and get the iconic Forest Gump shot.  It would have been a perfect day if we could have stayed near Monument Valley, but we decided to press on to Cortez and found a hotel there.  There are SO MANY cool structures along the way that are often missed because they aren't National Parks or monuments. There are some small towns between Monument Valley and Cortez, but Amos was asleep, so we pressed on. 

Day 3: Mesa Verde NP-Moab. We woke up to hike Mesa Verde and see all of the cool structures.  Some of the more in-depth views were closed, but we could spend the morning at the park.  From there it is 2 hours to Moab.  We stopped at Newspaper Rock and some of the other natural structures along the way.  We stayed at the Inca Inn- which was cheap and no-frills. There are a ton of hotels in Moab- and all are convenient to the parks. We ate at Moab Diner and would have had a milkshake at Milts if it hadn't been closed. 

* Note: You could skip Mesa Verde and drive the 2 hours from Monument Valley to Moab.

Day 4: Arches NP. Woke up early to hike Delicate Arch.  Get there early to avoid the heat and crowds.  The hike is more difficult than some assume, and the arch itself is in a giant bowl with drop-offs all around. From there, we hiked to some of the other arches and viewpoints.  We drove back that night to watch the stars from balancing rock. Many of the National Parks are called "Dark Sky Parks" for their low light pollution and ability to see the stars.  It's an experience like no other to see them so intensely! You can see the entire Milky Way if the skies are clear. 

Day 5: Canyonlands NP- Dead Horse Point State Park. Canyonlands is more rugged and vast compared to the rest of the National Parks.  There are easy trails to viewpoints, off-road play, and more extreme activities.  Basically, the entire southern half of Utah could be a National Park. Grand Escalante is not to be missed and has SO MANY treasures. Utah has its own system of parks that do not work with the National Park Pass.  You could buy an annual membership or multi-day/park types. 

Day 6: Goblin Valley State Park- SLC. We woke up early to drive 90 minutes to Goblin Valley. This is another off the main drag type of place and one of the coolest places to visit.  The valley is filled with "hoodoos" and is the location for movies like "City Slickers." We hiked to the Goblin's Lair and did an abbreviated version around the valley. We drove to SLC from Goblin Valley to see family, but it could be the point to loop back down south.  From Goblin Valley, you could go head to Capitol Reef NP, Escalante, Bryce, Zion, Vegas, etc. 

Traveling with a baby in July definitely required some pre-planning.  Here are some of our favorite baby/hiking gear.

PSA: PLEASE do not make a road trip in the south without an actual atlas.  The cell phone service is limited, the towns are few and far between, and the nights are dark and cold. This is what we used. 

The nice thing is once you start collecting quality gear, you don't have to rebuy it, and it can be used in all sorts of circumstances.  When we recently went out of the country, we didn't have to get a single new piece of "gear." 

Our favorite day pack and weekend bags are from Cotopaxi. The Allpa is the best travel bag I've owned- and I've cycled my way through many. 

Shoes: We usually wear Chacos or Keens because they can get wet and find them really comfortable. For Chacos- get the cloud sole- you won't regret it! If we did more that involved rock climbing- we would have worn hiking shoes. 

Hiking backpack: We use Camelbaks because they are super easy and well thought out.  I like the version below because it will hold what we need and plenty of water for a hike. We also have a bladder to convert our Cotopaxi or other day packs into hydration packs. 

We take this tripod everywhere- hikes, hotel rooms, and even when I delivered Amos! I have had the same one for over twenty countries and countless other excursions.  You never know when you'll want a picture, and nobody is around, or you don't want another selfie. You have lots of options for shots with the flexible lets. This is also great for watching shows just about anywhere. 

Power: Don't be caught in the middle of nowhere or at a picturesque point without juice! Your phone will drain faster due to service, increased photos, maps, and heat. 

Things for baby:

Snack cooler- to hold water, milk, etc. We've gotten so much use out of this between travel, weekends around town, and daycare. I pumped in the car and then used bottles for the trail and on long stretches of road. We'd still be in Phoenix if we used breast strictly. 

Frogg Togg- we used this as a changing pad and to keep Amos cool in the heat. 

Hydration: Our doctor recommended taking Pedialyte packs on hikes because babies can quickly dehydrate between the outside heat and strapped to a chest or backpack. We always made sure he ate right before we went on a trail and then would give him this if we noticed he was hot. For adults, we LOVE Liquid IV.  You can freeze or add ice to your hydration bladder before a hike for cold water for the baby's bottle or keep a portion in the cooler bag. 

You will go through more water than you anticipate in the desert heat.  The dry heart and breeze trick you into thinking you aren't as dehydrated as you are.  Always have extra water back in the car. Dehydration can ruin a trip quick!

For diaper changes, we carried around dog poop bags. We also used a smaller travel bag to hold just what we needed for a hike that could be easily pulled out.  In it, I could keep 2-3 diapers, a small pack/bag of wipes, a dog poop bag, extra outfit. 

 While on the road, we kept a small noise machine and used a breastfeeding cover-up in the car to block out light and stimuli.  

Sun protection:

Babies under 6 months should not use sunscreen and have to use clothes as protection.  In the desert, that can pose a slight problem.  Swimwear can actually dehydrate a baby, so you need to find clothes that have SPF.  We have really loved coolibar and Patagonia.  We bought a pair of Coolibar pants for hikes and would rinse them out at night. Their products are incredible, and all have SPF built-in.  We also bought their blanket for in the car, and it is now our around the town blanket.  We had 2-3 wicking tops from Patagonia that had SPF built-in. We also used a bucket hat and sunglasses. The sun is no joke in these parks! 

For carrying around baby, we like these two carrier options:

For a car seat under 1, we cannot speak highly enough about the doona! We have used it both home and abroad.  It is a car seat and stroller and one- and we're obsessed!

Now that he's older, we'll use these items that are compact and travel friendly!

Sleeping: Take a sound machine (like the one mentioned above). We have used both of these and love them for different reasons. Long term, the guava baby will get more use.  We like that we could take both of these as carry-ons and use them in the airport if needed. 

Breastfeeding: I took a Spectra S1 because it is battery operated.  I pumped in the car so that we didn't have to stop on the road or tail. We liked using the Kiinde bags because we could throw them away and not worry about sanitizing everything. We stored milk on the trail in the snack bag and in the car in a cooler. 

Entertainment for baby in the car:

Amos LOVES "Baby Signing Time" which you can download or watch on Youtube. We also took these two items to give him something to look at and play with

There's nothing like moving at a different pace with your baby and getting outside! Reach out to me if you have any questions!!!