My husband and I love being outdoors. Growing up, both our families went camping and spent time doing things outside. When we were dating, we would go hiking at least once a week during the summer; and even though we got engaged in the fall, we still found time to do some hiking before Utah winter hit- basically, we love nature and we love doing stuff with it! Hiking, fishing, camping- we love it all.

Since this is the first summer we’ve been married that I won’t be pregnant or have a baby under 6 months, we plan on making up for lost time! It’s easy to do here in Utah- there are so many mountain trails and cool things to see! Here are some of the places we’ve been:

Red Ledges (Diamond Fork Canyon)- This is just a fun place to go if you want to climb on stuff- it’s like a giant playground for adults! There were tons of cool rock formations and crevices. You can even find a few holes in the rock that are big enough to sit in! Lots of fun!

Goblin Valley State Park- It gets its name from all the small round rock formations- it looks like a valley of goblins! I was 5 ½ months pregnant at the time (side note- not smart, but definitely made for an adventure!), but everyone else was able to squeeze into small caves and jump from rock to rock. We also went on a several hour hike that included climbing between cave walls, some low-key rock climbing, and a lot of sore feet. It was such a cool opportunity to appreciate the world we live in, and all the unique things in it!

Summit of Mt. Timpanogos- definitely not for the faint of heart! It took us way too long to do this hike, but it was absolutely stunning to get a view of the valley from so high up- and what a feeling of accomplishment. I don’t know if there’s much that can make you feel better about yourself than thinking “Hey, I just climbed a mountain!”

Zion’s National Park- Another place to check out to see some absolutely stunning rock formations. We even found a little place that had tons of small, round lava rocks (my husband’s family calls it “Marble Mountain”), and we had a blast rolling them around and climbing on the “mountain”. This national park is a definite must-see if you’re ever in Southern Utah!

When we were in Washington a few weeks ago, we hiked to Solduch Falls. All I can say is, wow. Absolutely breathtaking. I love the mountains in Utah, and there are definitely some cool hikes to do; but I loved how green the forest was as we hiked- and the falls themselves were absolutely breathtaking. My sister was with us, and she said she felt like she was in a movie- and it seriously did feel like we were in the middle of an Elven forest (I half-expected Legolas to show up)! I guess that’s because we grew up in a desert.

Wherever you live, I know there are some cool things to see. Make it a goal this summer to spend time as a family enjoying the beautiful and amazing world around us. My husband and I are always looking for ideas for trips and outings; if you know of any cool hikes or landmarks in your area that are worth checking out, I would love to hear all about it!