Most people think of waterfall hikes as a summer activity but in my opinion Fall is the best! Hiking temps are practically perfect with the cooler weather and old familiar trails become new again with the changing season. Here are some of our favorite waterfalls to visit any time of year in Utah County- but especially in the fall because of the bright red and yellow leaves changing on the trees along the trails.
Hiking and Sun Protection
Summer is right around the corner and warmer temperatures are finally on the horizon! Backpacking season is here 🙂 With the warmer temps also comes more sunshine and I’m looking forward to a good sun kissed glow on my face from a hike in the mountains!! Our bodies and health benefit from the vitamin D the sunshine provides; however, too much sun is equally as harmful to your skin if you are overexposed.
Favorite Backpacking Meals
Whether you are planning a backpacking trip for the first time or are a seasoned hiker getting ready for another long thru-hike, the food you take plays a huge role in how successful your trip will be. Food will be your fuel and good nutrition can be the difference between an amazing adventure in the back country or a miserable experience. Spring is around the corner and so are a lot of our backpacking trips we have coming up 🙂 so we wanted to share a few of our favorite meals we eat on the trails!
Frozen Falls
Just because there is snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the outdoors. Temps may be colder, but as long as you’re prepared to go hiking in the winter you’re in for a treat to see some of your favorite trails become new again covered with fresh snow! Plus you’ll have less crowds and no bugs - which for me is always a win!
Baker Hot Springs
We love the Baker Hot Springs in the winter because it feels mystical and magical when you see the steam rising up from the hot water. It makes for the perfect backdrop and contrast to the cloudy sky and snow covered mountains. Plus when it's 30 degrees outside nothing feels better than a hot soak!
Abajo
Some of the best adventures we've had are the ones aren't planned and just happen on a whim. We woke up last week and decided we needed to get away, so we packed our bags that morning and headed down to the Abajo Mountains also known as the "Blue Mountain Range" near Monticello, Utah. These mountains peak at over 11,000' and this forest is thick and rugged. We found the bright blue skies and bold yellow and red colored leaves and it was just what we needed in a weekend adventure. Being in the mountains in September is truly the best time of year!
Buckhorn
Even though we were in familiar places where we've been before, it felt different being there this time with our kiddos. Our hiking pace was a little slower, we had more stops for snack breaks, we stopped at practically every river, lake, and puddle we found to throw some rocks, but it was so fun to be there with them making new memories! When we revisit our favorite places with kids it really is like seeing it for the first time again. We love giving our kids as many opportunities as we can to run wild and let their imaginations be free!
YUBA
Boating, camping, fishing, sandy beaches, and warm waters usually bring visitors to Yuba Lake every year. This year the drought in Utah has been so severe that most of the reservoirs, lakes, and rivers are extremely low and Yuba is no exception. We had heard that this reservoir was only about 10% water capacity so we decided to drive down last weekend to check it out for ourselves and turn it into an adventure.
San rafael
We have been to the San Rafael Swell more times than I can count. It's no secret this is one of our favorite places to go since we've done multiple blog posts about the Swell and it's where our site title came from. 😉 It's where my husband and I fell in love, where we escaped to relax and recharge when we needed a break from our 50 + hour work weeks... and now it's where we are taking our boys so they can grow up exploring and loving this place as much as us.