Top 10 Hikes Across the US

It’s no secret that a lot of our road trip adventures have led to some pretty epic hiking destinations! I am sharing my top 10 favorite trails that we have hiked so far. These trails are all suitable for my boys that are under the age of 12!

10. South Kaibab Trail to Ooh-Aah Point at Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

We visited the Grand Canyon in November over Thanksgiving Break. I really wanted to hike down into the canyon, so we decided we would take the rim walk from Mather Point to the Kaibab Trail and hike down to Ooh-Aah Point. If I am being honest, I would have really liked to hiked rim to rim. But that just wasn’t an option with our boys. I also looked into mule rides to the bottom, but you have to be 9 and older and Jake was only 7 at the time. So, we did the hike and trail that we thought the boys would be able to handle the best. We ended up hiking 8 total miles because we went past Ooh-Aah Point. The views were truly stunning the father down into the canyon we hiked. The switchbacks on the start of the trail were really cool, until the hike back up! Just remember that however far you hike down, you must hike back up. And while we didn’t go that many miles down, it was very hard for me to get back up and I am in pretty decent shape. I am thankful that the weather was cooler, I cannot imagine doing that hike in the summer temps. The photos will never do it justice!

Click here for our Grand Canyon Trip Itinerary!

9. Hidden Falls Trail in Grand Teton National Park, WY

We were able to spend a couple days hiking in the Grand Tetons this past June on our Yellowstone Road Trip. I really enjoyed every hike, but this one was so peaceful and beautiful! This hike starts at the Jenny Lake area, so we decided to head that way and grab lunch at the store right at the trailhead. From here, we followed the trail around Jenny Lake. If you don’t want to hike, you can purchase tickets for a boat ride across the lake that drops you off about a mile from Hidden Falls. We decided to take the hike since we had been riding in the car so much on this trip! The views are fantastic around the lake and we even saw a deer along the trail. Before getting all the way to Hidden Falls you will eventually see a bridge with a raging river running under it. This is a great place to stop for photos! We stopped in this area and had a picnic snack on the rocks and just watched the river roar by underneath us. From this spot, it’s about a mile or less to the Hidden Falls. This waterfall is majestic and another great location for photos!

  • Hidden Falls Trail Information:
  • Distance: 4.9 mile out & back
  • Time: 2.5 hours
  • Location: Grand Teton NP, Jenny Lake area, Jackson, WY
  • Rating: Easy/Moderate
  • Grand Teton National Park website

Click here for our Grand Teton National Park Itinerary!

8. Lake Haiyaha Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

The hike to Lake Haiyaha was one of the toughest I have ever done. But I am beyond thankful that we persevered and made it to the lake because it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! I visited Rocky Mountain National Park this past October for a long weekend of hiking. RMNP is one of my favorite places on earth, but this was the first time I have ever hiked to Lake Haiyaha. The majority of the hike is up a steep incline and there were several times I wanted to give up and turn around. When you finally even out on the incline, you are then faced with several yards of boulders that you must scramble over to get to the lake. Once you do, the sight is amazing! Especially right now since a rockslide over the summer turned the lake a unique shade of blue! This is one hike that you don’t want to miss! And this is one of two listed hikes that I didn’t take my boys on, but I know that they would have loved the rock scramble. Please keep in mind that you do need timed-entry reservations for Rocky Mountain National Park from early spring through the fall.

  • Lake Haiyaha Trail Information:
  • Distance: 4.0 miles out & back
  • Time: 2 hours+
  • Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Bear Lake area, Estes Park, CO
  • Rating: Hard
  • Rocky Mountain National Park website

Click here for my Fall in Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary!

7. Munds Wagon Trail to Merry Go Round Rock in Sedona, AZ

We traveled to Sedona over Mother’s Day weekend in May last year. Our first hike of the trip was on Munds Wagon Trail, which is about 8 miles out and back. AllTrails had the hike at 6.4 miles, but I clocked us at 8.1 miles with all of the extra exploring and climbing we did along the trail. I would rate this trail as moderate, especially if you’re hiking with kids. We needed to stop for food quite a bit. Luckily the majority of the hike is uphill on the way to Merry Go Round Rock, which makes the hike to the car mostly downhill. The views are stunning and the trail was very well marked. We really enjoyed all of the hikes we did in Sedona, but this one had those infamous Sedona red rock views the entire way and that’s why I picked this one as my favorite!

  • Munds Wagon Trail Information:
  • Distance: 6.4 miles out & back
  • Time: 3 hours+
  • Location: Coconino National Forest, Sedona, AZ
  • Rating: Moderate

Click here to for our Sedona Itinerary!

6. Delicate Arch Trail in Arches National Park, UT

We visited Moab over our Spring Break in March. On our first day in Moab we decided to spend the day hiking at Arches National Park. I had to see Delicate Arch, so that was our first hike for the day. I kept a close watch on the live webcam at the ticket area, and never saw long lines to get into the park. We arrived around 10 am. I am sure it’s much busier during the summer. This was our first visit to Utah, so I didn’t really know what to expect at the Park. But it ended up being super easy! Take the map that is offered to you at the ticket area. The park has signs along the way and we were able to find the Delicate Arch hike fairly easy and we enjoyed the sights along the drive. What I love about this Park is that even people that can’t hike can enjoy almost everything! There are places to pull over and view the famous landmarks or you can park and hike to them. We knew that the hike to Delicate Arch would be the longest and hardest of the trip so we started there first. I am not going to lie, it was pretty hard in one part that is a very steep incline. The rest is fairly easy and the walk back down was no trouble at all. The kids did great and we saw people of all ages and ability levels able to do this one. And I promise that the view at the end is amazing! I also loved that everyone waited turns to take photos under the arch and we all offered to take photos of each other. Please keep in mind that you need timed-entry reservations for Arches National Park starting in early spring through the fall.

  • Delicate Arch Trail Information:
  • Distance: 3.2 miles out & back
  • Time: 1.5 hrs
  • Location: Arches NP in Moab, UT
  • Rating: Moderate
  • Arches National Park website

Click here for our entire Moab, UT Itinerary!

5. Stout Memorial Grove Trail in Redwood National & State Parks, CA

There are several different parks that make up the Redwood National and State Parks, so I had a hard time deciding which area to visit. We settled on Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park and the Stout Memorial Grove Trail to hike. I am so happy with this decision, we had the most amazing day in the Redwoods and ended our hike with a beach walk that was absolutely stunning! We encountered maybe 4 people on this day, at both the Redwoods and the beach! So, I highly recommend a visit if you want to experience a National Park with no crowds. The road to this trail does turn into a packed dirt road, but our 2 wheel drive rental car had no issues making the trip! Our boys loved climbing all the fallen trees, especially after being in the car for so long the day before. The pictures don’t really do it any justice, I have NEVER seen trees so big and tall in my life.

  • Stout Memorial Grove Trail Information:
  • Distance: 0.7 mile loop
  • Time: 30 min+
  • Location: Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park in Crescent City, CA
  • Rating: Easy
  • Redwood National & State Parks website

Click here for our entire Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Itinerary!

4. Sunday Gulch Trail in Custer State Park, SD

My favorite day in South Dakota was hiking in Custer State Park! I can’t even begin to describe the trail we hiked. I came across images of the Sunday Gulch Trail and knew we had to do it. I am not going to lie, there were tears shed around the 2.5 mile mark from my oldest kiddo. (We didn’t know he was actually getting sick with a fever/cold at the time). This hike is 3.9 miles long, it’s labeled as a HARD trail with a lot of uphill and downhill hiking, trekking through water, over rapids and streams using rocks or tree logs to get across. It was so much fun, but so much work. I can’t even describe how beautiful the sights were and my pictures just don’t do it justice. We could’ve explored this park for 3-4 days! I didn’t get many shots of us on the crazier parts of the trail because I had to help pass our little one off to Jereme and didn’t want to drop my phone in the water. But trust me, it was so cool! We packed a picnic lunch and found a nice, shady area to eat and then took off. It cost us $20 to get into the park, but that includes a 5 day pass to return. There are bathrooms, a store/souvenir shop, canoe rentals, and probably more than I even saw. After the hike, the kiddos and Jereme jumped into the lake for a freezing cold swim!

Sunday Gulch Trail Information:

Click here for our Texas to South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary!

3. Secret Cove Beach Trail in South Lake Tahoe, CA

Secret Cove Beach was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited. The hike is not very long, roughly a mile from the parking lot. There are not a lot of signs marking the trail, but we still had no trouble finding the secret cove. It is a clothing optional beach, I would never go nude, but didn’t mind if others did. However, we didn’t see anyone else without swimsuits on. We were there pretty early and it felt like we had the entire cove to ourselves. We explored the trails above the cove and just took in the sights, then hiked down to the beach and relaxed on the shore and took a few swims.

  • Secret Cove Beach Trail Information:
  • Distance: 0.9  mile loop
  • Time: 30 minutes+
  • Location: Carson City, NV
  • Rating: Easy

Click here for our South Lake Tahoe Itinerary!

2. Emerald Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

We visited Rocky Mountain National Park in July a couple of summers ago. On our first day here, we were so excited and decide to head to the Park right before 4:00 pm, and didn’t wait in line for more than 5 minutes to enter. We drove right to the Bear Lake parking lot, used the restrooms at the trailhead, and began the hike to Emerald Lake. It was AMAZING!!!! The signs along the trail were easy to follow and take you around two other lakes, Nymph Lake and Dream Lake, before getting to Emerald Lake. Our boys, ages 10 and 7 at the time, did great on this one. I absolutely love this hike and this National Park! Please keep in mind that you need timed-entry reservations to Rocky Mountain National Park from early spring through the fall.

  • Emerald Lake Trail Information:
  • Distance: 3.2 mile out & back
  • Time: 2 hrs
  • Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Bear Lake area, Estes Park, CO
  • Rating: Easy/Moderate
  • Rocky Mountain National Park website

Click here for our entire Rocky Mountain National Park & Beyond Itinerary!

1. Lower Caves Trail in Maquoketa Caves State Park, IA

If you are craving a unique travel adventure, then look no further! What makes this State Park so incredible is that it has 6 miles of hiking trails and 13 caves to explore, completely on your own. My family loves visiting caves, but usually that comes with a guided tour and a time limit on your caving experience. Not this place! You park your car and your adventure begins! There are no guides, no time limits, just a nicely marked trail system to venture at your own pace. My boys loved this adventure just as much as I did! We started with the lower caves, so that involved walking down wooden stairs to get inside the caves. There were different places for the boys to climb and explore, and if you have kids, you know that they love to climb and explore! I could not get over all of the geological features and was just in awe the whole time! We will definitely venture back to Iowa just to hike these caves again!

  • Maquoketa Caves Trail Information:
  • Distance: 1.7 mile loop
  • Time: 1 hour+
  • Location: Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, IA
  • Rating: Easy
  • Maquoketa Caves State Park website

Click here for more information and photos of Maquoketa Caves State Park!

Helpful Hiking Tips: Bring plenty of food and water for the day, wear sunscreen and reapply often, use bug repellent, bring a first aid kit, take a swimsuit or change of clothes/shoes, expect to get wet, and have a blast!

Budget Friendly Hiking Gear Recommendations

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase any items using the links provided at no extra charge to you.

I would love to hear what your favorite trails are! If you have a favorite trail or a recommendation, leave me a comment. And as always, thanks for following along on our adventures!

Utah Girls Trip

I am so glad I told my best friend that I wanted to tag along on her solo trip to Utah a few weeks ago! Amy and I have been besties since we were cheerleaders together in middle school. We go way back and have traveled together for decades. Of course, kids, careers, etc. have slowed that down a lot over the past few years, but we have no problem picking back up right where we left off!

So, I posted a photo taken last fall on FaceBook, just reminiscing about traveling. Amy commented on it, and a little exchange took place where she told me she had just booked a solo trip to Utah. I had just had to cancel my family’s trip to Boston because we all had Covid and had missed too many days of work and games. My boys are loving fall baseball and football! I was half serious, half joking, when I commented back, “Take me with you!” And the rest is history. I didn’t even really know where she was going or what she was planning to do, but Utah is one of my favorite states to visit!! And I knew we’d have a great time together anywhere.

Amy had booked an amazing hotel in Snowbird, Utah called The Cliff Lodge. Check it out, this place is stunning. She also rented a red mustang convertible for the long weekend, so all I had to do was book my flights to and from Salt Lake City. And as luck would have it, both flights had the seat next to hers available! Which we totally took as a sign that I was meant to be there with her. We are both teachers, so we left on a Friday evening after school and took full advantage of our Monday holiday and flew back home that evening. It was the perfect amount of time to spend in the mountains!

What we didn’t plan for was the weather! Well, we did, but it all changed right before we left. I always look ahead at long range forecasts and for a week or so, it was looking like the perfect fall weekend. Temps were supposed to be in the 60s and sunny the whole time. A day before we left, the forecast had a major change which included rain, snow, and cold/cloudy conditions. Our packing took a 180 and sweaters, coats, and gloves now filled our suitcases. We were kind of bummed about the rain, but we decided we’d spend the rainy day at the hotel spa! We booked a yoga class and massages. Well, it ended up not raining at all. Instead, we got the first snow of the season. It snowed all day and all night, which we loved!

The view from the room!

We woke up Sat morning to a dusting of snow, which amplified the gorgeous fall colors. We ordered room service for breakfast and then left for yoga. We watched the snow pick up while we exercised and then headed up to the roof top hot tub at the spa. Then we had massages and enjoyed the eucalyptus steam room. The snow began slowing down, so we decided to go enjoy a hike in the mountains! Oh my gosh, the trail was beautiful and we loved every minute of it. We searched for nearby trails near us using the AllTrails app. We picked Gloria Falls because it was only a few minutes from our hotel and the trail is rated easy and only about 2.2 miles out and back. The fall colors were everything these Texas girls were hoping to find here!

It seemed like the snow was over for the day, but little did we know, it ended up snowing overnight. On Sunday, we woke up to a winter wonderland! We wanted to do a sunrise hike to the top of a mountain, so we were up and ready to head out by 6:30 am. We chose the hike to Cecret Lake because it was marked as easy on the AllTrails App. However, due to the snow we got overnight, the road leading up to the trail was closed, so we had to start the hike in the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. This added about 1.5 miles to our hike and what was supposed to be easy, ended up being quite strenuous. I mean, we basically walked up the side of a mountain in a foot of snow! But the views were totally worth every once of pain! I kept saying, “It feels like I’m in a snow globe!”

After we finished this hike, we decided to go back to the hotel to rest and warm up. We ordered room service for lunch and binged a couple of true crime shows on tv. Then we decided to drive the mustang through the mountains with the top down! We had a blast singing to songs on the radio and talking about life. We also enjoyed the short loop around Silver Lake.

We found a nice Mexican food restaurant in Sandy, UT on the way back to the hotel called, La Fountain Mexican Restaurant. It was really delicious! Then we ventured back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the evening. We binged some more true crime shows in face masks and had a relaxing evening in.

On Monday, we had a 6:00 pm flight back to Dallas, so we decided to spend the day in Salt Lake City before our journey home. We had some Italian food at Brio Italian Grille and then ventured out to a nearby souvenir shop. The weather was getting chilly, windy, and rainy so we decided to head to the airport a little earlier than needed. We wanted to visit Temple Square and see the Tabernacle, but the conditions outside just weren’t favorable for that. Maybe next time!

Overall, we had the best time in Utah! Snowbird is one of my new favorite places to visit! I honestly believe that this destination is perfect for a girls trip, family trip, or even a romantic get away!

Let me know if you need any help making plans and be sure to follow me on Instagram at road_trip_queen.

Texas to Moab Road Trip

Wow! What an amazing road trip we had from Texas to Moab, Utah! We just returned from a spring break getaway that went by way to fast. I am already looking forward to the next time we get to visit this state. It is hard to adequately describe the landscape and the pictures definitely don’t do it justice!

My family at Delicate Arch

Did you know that 4th graders get a National Park Pass that gets the entire family into ALL National Parks for free? It has also been extended to 5th graders this year, so be sure to check out this link if you have a 4th or 5th grade student!

Jett with his National Park Pass!

I posted most of our itinerary on social media and several people have reached out to me asking for exact details on our route and how we planned out our days. I hope this post helps you plan your own trip – it’s a fantastic itinerary if you have kids under 10.

Day 1: We started our drive from North Texas and headed to Farmington, New Mexico for the night. It took about 13 hours total, the time change gaining an hour helped out immensely! We stayed at a nice hotel, TownePlace Suites by Marriott and it was in a great location next to a gas station and several restaurants. We were able to walk to The Outback Steakhouse for a quick dinner before getting ready for bed.

Texas to Farmington, NM

Helpful Tip – If I know we will be stopping overnight to stay at hotels during our drive, I pack a smaller suitcase for those nights so we don’t have to haul all of our luggage in and out. I also use packing cubes to keep our clothes situated!

Day 2: We checked out of the hotel and decided to visit the Aztec Ruins National Monument near Farmington. This was a quick stop but it was really neat. My boys loved the prairie dogs that were outside of the park. Inside the park you are able to take a self-guided tour around the ruins. A park ranger on site told us that these ruins aren’t actually from the Aztecs, but from the Pueblos that lived there. They were named Aztecs Ruins long ago and the name just stuck. The ruins were really cool and this was a great way for the kids to burn up some energy before getting back in the car.

The Aztec Ruins behind the kids

From here I put in “Forrest Gump Point” into my GPS. It’s about 2 hours 15 minutes to this location. It is the iconic place in the movie where Forrest Gump stops running, right near Monument Valley. If you notice, this route takes you through Arizona, so that was an exciting bonus! Monument Valley is currently closed, as is Four Corners.

The Route from Farmington, NM to Forrest Gump Point

But these are places that you can definitely check out when they open back up! We were able to see Shiprock Peak, a gorgeous peak that has been the backdrop of several movies. I read online that this is sacred ground and you can’t actually get to it, but we stopped as close as we could for a photo op. You can put Shiprock Monument into your GPS if you want to try to get closer to the peak.

Shiprock Peak

After a quick photo at Shiprock, we continued our drive to Forrest Gump Point. The scenery is amazing and the pictures below don’t do it justice. I was so excited to see Monument Valley and love the family photo we were able to get!

Forrest Gump Point

There are not a lot of places to eat or even gas stations along this route, so be warned! We were starving and had to wait about 30-45 minutes to find a restaurant in Bluff, Utah to stop at. Luckily we pulled in right before The Twin Rocks Trading Post Cafe was closing at 3:00. We didn’t see a kids menu, but ours had no problem having street tacos and quesadillas! It was a very nice place to eat with both indoor/outdoor dining.

Finally after leaving the restaurant, we were headed to Moab for the week. Again, the sights were beautiful which made the long drive worthwhile.

Forrest Gump Point to Moab, UT

We stayed at the Hyatt Place Moab and found the hotel very accommodating. Rooms were cozy, the breakfast grab and go bags were great, and the kids loved the outdoor heated pool and hot tub. I would definitely stay at this place again, the location was great and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The breakfast provided was an egg and sausage breakfast bowl and it also included a boiled egg, yogurt, muffins, and juice/milk/coffee. We even packed the boiled eggs in our backpacks and had them for a snack during our days of hiking! For dinner in Moab, we ate at The Broken Oar and I had a steak and mashed potatoes that were delicious!

Day 3: So day three was our first day in Moab and we decided to spend the day hiking at Arches National Park. I had to see the Delicate Arch, so that was our first hike for the day. I kept a close watch on the live webcam at the ticket area, and never saw long lines to get into the park. We arrived around 10 am. I am sure it’s much busier during the summer. This was our first visit to Utah, so I didn’t really know what to expect at the park. But it ended up being super easy! Take the map that is offered to you at the ticket area. The park has signs along the way and we were able to find the Delicate Arch hike fairly easy and we enjoyed the sights along the way. What I love about this park is that even people that can’t hike can enjoy almost everything! There are places to pull over and view the famous landmarks or you can park and hike to them. We knew that the hike to Delicate Arch would be the longest and hardest of the trip so we started there first. I am not going to lie, it was pretty hard in one part that is a very steep incline. The rest is fairly easy and the walk back down was no trouble at all. The kids did great and we saw people of all ages and ability levels able to do this one. And I promise that the view at the end is amazing! I also loved that everyone waited turns to take photos under the arch and we all offered to take photos of each other. I am so happy to have these memories of my family.

The start of hike to Delicate Arch

We left the Delicate Arch and stopped in a shady area to have a quick lunch. We packed sandwiches we got from the hotel store and our extra leftovers from breakfast. The temps were in the 60s so it was very comfortable. It was extremely windy the closer we got to the arch though. The kids got a chance to eat and play a little, then we made our way back down. Be sure to check out the petroglyphs before you leave the area!

Our lunch stop

The petroglyphs

From here, we drove over to the double arch and this was a very easy and short hike. My boys loved exploring the arches and the rocks at the bottom. Restrooms are located at most of the parking areas before hiking so that was helpful, too. We had such a good time hiking and climbing and playing in this area. It was so much easier to explore than the Delicate Arch hike. In all, we hiked 6 miles/64 flights on this day! We decided to leave around 5:00 pm and headed straight to dinner. We ended up going to The Moab Brewery and it was also delicious! But be warned, a lot of their food is very, very spicy if it has their green chili on it! The kids loved that their kids meals came with a Frisbee plate! We ended the night in the hot tub, soaking all of our sore muscles.

Day 4: Today we booked a guided UTV excursion with Moab Tour Company. We decided to go with their most popular tour which was a level 2, 3 hour UTV trip on Hells Revenge and Fins & Things trails. It was EPIC! We loved our guide, Tyler. He was super funny but also made us really comfortable. He took us to see several gorgeous places in the Sand Flats and took photos of our family. We also got to check out some dinosaur tracks. The trails were pretty intense in places, but so much fun! I can’t recommend this tour enough. Our kids loved it, but my husband probably had the best time getting to drive the UTV! For lunch, we stopped at Zax, which was downtown. We passed it on our ride and it looked like it had a lot of options. I had a delicious steak pasta, my husband had pizza, and the kids had burgers and mac and cheese from the kids menu.

The trails were epic!

Look at that view!

After our UTV ride, we decided to go check out Dead Horse Point State Park. This is another place that is stunning and the pictures don’t do it justice. We checked out all of the overlooks, which meant that we didn’t have to do a lot of hiking. Just hang on to your kids, some of the overlooks were crazy! The kids had a really good time just exploring and climbing on rocks and into small crevices. We ended the night with fast food and time at the pool!

Dead Horse Point State Park

Day 5: This was our last full day in Moab before our journey home. We decided to spend the day in Canyonlands National Park, which is very close to Dead Horse Point State Park. We enjoyed some of the smaller hikes, like the one we did at Mesa Arch. If you have kids, make sure they don’t run up to the arch, there’s a steep drop-off right past it!

Right at the edge of Mesa Arch

The hike to Mesa Arch was a very easy and short loop with lots of nice views! This park is a little bigger than we thought and was a little more confusing for us to maneuver.

We started at Canyonlands near Dead Horse Point and then wanted to see The Needles area. Little did we know that these two parts weren’t close to each other and it took us about 2.5 hours to get from one area to the next via car. The views were totally worth it, but it felt like we spent a lot of time driving. We did get to see Newspaper Rock on our drive to The Needles area and we found some fun hikes. We realized that the hike down to the Needles was 10.4 miles and knew our kids couldn’t do it. So we stayed in one area and let the kids play and climb. Then it started to snow which made for a beautiful scenic drive back to the hotel. We stopped for Mexican food at Fiesta Mexicana and it was probably my favorite dining experience of the trip! The enchiladas and margaritas were great and we all left stuffed!

Newspaper Rock

The Needles in the distance

Day 6: Our original plan was to drive back to New Mexico for the night and find some fun things to do before heading home. However, the weather had other plans for us and Colorado was expected to get record breaking snow and New Mexico had chances of snow too. I also looked at the weather in Texas and the panhandle had chances of tornadoes (which did happen), so we ended up just driving about 9 hours to Amarillo for the night and then and then left the following day for a 6 hour drive home. All in all, it was a fantastic family trip and we cannot wait to explore another National Park! I hope you get the chance to visit Moab, you won’t be disappointed!