I’m currently 6 months pregnant and feeling great! Mike and I decided to book a couple of last minute trips before our baby boy arrives. A few last hoorah’s if you may. I have been trying to book a camping trip to Utah for a while and it just never has happened. A few friends suggested we all drive up together and we decided it’s now or never! Luckily we had an open schedule, other than a virtual midwife appointment, which we ended up doing during a hike at Bryce! We immediately started booking rooms and planning and we were on our way the following week.
Day One
We woke up much earlier than we usually do and I made breakfast sandwiches for the road. We packed our cooler and were on our way. ** Detailed post on healthy on the road snacks coming soon! Our first stop was Zion National Park. This is where I had been trying to book a camping spot for the past year or so. Space has been extremely limited, especially with COVID, and/or the only available days never lined up with our schedule.
This time we weren’t camping, but spent a few hours hiking and exploring. The park is pretty large and there are SO many amazing trails to hike. We didn’t have too much time to hike and also being six months pregnant decided to take it a little easier than usual. We ended up doing a beautiful hike, “The Emerald Pool Trails” which led us to some beautiful views and a waterfall. The trail itself is pretty easy as the begging is a paved path. If you continue the hike to the “pools” it gets a little more difficult with more of an incline and dirt paths vs. paved. Still, I was able to get up to the top pool and did not have a problem. Our total hike was about 3.5 miles. Not too shabby for being 6 months pregnant!
If we had more time, we definitely would have stayed at the park much longer and potentially done one of the longer hikes. Needless to say, we will back to hopefully try some camping and more hiking!
There are a few hotels you can stay at directly in the park as well as many restaurants and shops to visit. We did not stay in the park but had a delicious dinner at Bit & Spur Restaurant & Saloon. I ordered the shrimp tacos and Mike had the flautas. Both were very tasty and a great portion size the price!
After our tasty dinner we headed to our tiny cabin to check-in. Our cabin was about 30 minutes outside of Zion, in Orderville, Utah. The East Zion Resort has tiny cabins/homes, tree houses, yurts and glamping tents. It is such a unique resort and you’re relatively close to both Zion and Bryce! They also have a pool on site as well as hot tubs. They provide a ton of information on nearby hikes and things to do with plenty of kid-friendly activities. The resort also offers horseback riding, rock climbing and sunset UTV tours. We unfortunately only got to stay one night but we would love to visit again in the future.
Day 2
After a good nights rest, we checked out and headed to Bryce Canyon. We drove through a beautiful red rock canyon on our way and reached the park in about an hour. We headed to the visitors center to get some more information on the hiking trails. Today we wanted to do a shorter hike as we were driving to Salt Lake after. We ended up doing the Rim Trail and were able to see the beautiful Bryce Amphitheater. During our hike, we stopped and did our zoom prenatal appointment with our midwife. Thankfully, it wasn’t too crowded where we were and we got decent service! After the call, we continued to hike the trail, got some great photos and headed back to the car.
Unfortunately because it was off season a lot of things were closed including the shuttle service and The Lodge at Bryce Canyon where we were hoping to have lunch. Instead we headed about 10 minutes outside of the park to Bryce Canyon Pines Restaurant. A great local spot with delicious burgers and sandwiches, but best of all, homemade pie! We tried the boysenberry and it was very tasty.
We loved visiting both Zion and Bryce. If you are deciding which park to visit, I would say do both if you can! They are both so different and beautiful in their own ways. Each have plenty of great trails, beautiful views, museums and shops and camping!
After our lunch, we hit the road and made our way north to Salt Lake City. It was about a four to four and a half hour drive. We passed plenty of beautiful mountains, some capped with snow, green fields with cows and sheep grazing and got to see many small communities/neighborhoods. It’s always so interesting to see, as we are accustomed to what is in Southern California.
We arrived at our hotel, The Hyatt, right in downtown Salt Lake. The staff at the hotel were lovely and the room itself was great. After resting for a bit and freshening up we headed to the lobby to walk to dinner. We walked less than a block over and stumbled upon an incredible interactive art festival happening at their outdoor shopping center ( it reminded me a lot of The Grove if you’re from SoCal). There were really incredible art displays featuring lights, movements and sounds, as well as a live music with families hanging out by the fires and parents enjoying a drink and some bites from the bars and food trucks nearby.
Still amazed that we happened to find this fun event, we walked along the promenade, enjoying the music and art. We made our way over to Hall Pass, essentially a modern day food court. It was packed and all the food looked amazing. They have a large bar right in the middle and various food vendors on the perimeter with everything from spicy chicken sandwiches, to Asian bowls, to pizza to seafood. Mike and I decided on Colossal Lobster, and we were really impressed! We shared the shrimp ceviche while Mike had the Crispy Fish Sandwich ( I had a bite and it was SO good), and I had a cup of clam chowder and a lobster roll which were both amazing! While it was a little difficult to find a table, I highly recommend checking this place out, especially if you are with a group of friends/family. It’s the perfect place where everyone can find something they will enjoy.
After a delicious meal we hopped in the car and decided we wanted dessert. I found a local cookie spot that looked amazing but unfortunately when we arrived they were closed. Even though it said they were open on yelp/online and had their “open” sign on their business. Weird, right? Anyway, we ended up finding a local ice cream shop called Spilled Milk Ice Cream and Cereal Bar. I have honestly never seen a place quite like this. It is similar to Coldstone but they mix in the cereal with the ice cream (all vanilla), with what looks like a milkshake machine and then place it in a cone ( which they have different flavors like matcha green tea). They also have ice cream sandwiches, which is what I got. It was pretty good! Both Mike and I avoid food coloring so our options were limited but we were still able to get some delicious desserts. Side note: They definitely are pretty large servings that would be great to share.
Day 3
We grabbed a quick bite for breakfast at the hotel, hopped in the car and headed down the street to the farmers market. They still are able to have it outside and later move indoors when it gets too cold and snowy. After finding a parking spot we walked a block over to Pioneer Park ( in downtown Salt Lake). It was a beautiful sunny morning and there were tons of people with their dogs and many families as well. The apple vendor had such a long line, apparently they won a local award recently for best apples! Mike and I talked to plenty of vendors from meat vendors, to produce, to honey and so many more. Everyone was incredibly friendly and happy to talk to us about their life in Utah and their amazing products. I ended up getting some oatmeal goats milk soap, paleo granola, as well as a pig ear for my dog Johnny, who lives with my parents. We sampled some delicious roasted nuts, tonics, dried cherries, and honey. Overall we had a great time and always love to visit farmers markets when we travel. It’s always nice to meet the locals and try their amazing products.
After our time at the farmers market, we made our way over to The Capitol. What a beautiful and incredible building! We saw a bride and groom taking their photos inside. She looked so beautiful and I am sure the photos are going to be amazing. We walked the building and learned more about the history of Utah. The building itself had beautiful muraled lined walls, gold finished lighting and hardware and marble floors. Definitely had a lot of charm! It would also be nice to come back and get a guided tour, which they offer on weekdays. There are a few beautiful parks surrounding the capitol where locals were out walking their dogs.
We now made our way up to Kaysville, Utah, about 25-30 minutes north of Salt Lake City. Mike and I wanted to check out some nearby neighborhoods as we are exploring the option of moving from SoCal. I had read this town was a great place to raise a family and there were a few homes for sale so we drove through a few neighborhoods. While passing through, many families were decorating for the holidays and EVERY person we saw stopped and waved. Now, growing up in southern California, Los Angeles area, this almost never happens. What a pleasant surprise it was for us. We really would love to be in a place where neighbors are more friendly, warm and welcoming. We had only been there maybe 5 minutes and already got that impression.
Once we finished touring the neighborhoods we headed to a local sandwich spot for lunch. We were able to talk to a local who gave us some great insight on the area, and like all others we had met in Utah, was so kind! After our delicious sandwiches we headed back to Salt Lake for a break the hotel. Once I changed into some warmer clothes we drove and decided to check out another shopping center/mall in downtown. It was a beautiful mall that made you feel like you were outside, although it was all enclosed. We stopped at West Elm and picked out some cute Christmas Ornaments. We walked the mall and then walked around downtown as well ( have to get my daily steps in!).
After our nice walk outside we headed to The Copper Onion for dinner. A really cute restaurant, that reminded be a bit of Seattle actually, with delicious food and great service. I started with some olives and a virgin Mojito, and mike had the pork belly. I then had the Cast Iron Chicken, so delicious, and Mike had the lamb. Overall, we were really happy with the food and had a great time. After dinner we skipped dessert and headed back to our hotel for bed.
Day 4 – Goodbye Utah!
We packed our bags and were ready to hit the road. I wanted to make one last stop and found a local coffee shop called Kings Peak Coffee Roasters. They had specialty, ethically and consciously sourced coffee as well as local jams and pastries. I got a simple decaf latte with oat milk and it was great! Staff was also super friendly and the shop itself had a cool industrial vibe. I would definitely check it out if you’re in the area. After we grabbed our coffee it was time to head home. Instead of doing the full 12 hour drive we decided to stop about halfway and Vegas and stay at Vdara for a night.
Overall, we really enjoyed the food, the people and the nature in Utah. We will be coming back soon as there are SO many national parks and beautiful nature to see. There is also Park City where we would love to visit and try some snowboarding or skiing, when I’m not pregnant of course. Next stop, Lake Tahoe!
