I thought it would be fun to plan a couple day trips to our little town, for out-of-towners who may be curious about what to do or where to go when visiting Prescott, Arizona. Although it's small town, there is a LOT to see and do, so I plan to do a few versions of these, as well as other towns in Northern Arizona. I'm so excited to share our favorite spots!

For this first go-round, I'm going to imagine that you're arriving in Prescott bright and early, around 9am. This will be an active day, with good food and good hiking. First up...breakfast!

1. Stop by Olde World Bagels and order a Lox Bagel (or really anything on the menu!). Their bagels are made right there in house, along with the most delicious homemade cream cheeses. The lox bagels are to die for- I get mine with an everything bagel just the way it comes, toasted and then topped with some of that amazing cream cheese, lox, onions, tomatoes and capers. Insanely good. They also have great drinks and fantastic selection of teas. Tell Gina I sent you! ;)


2. Hiking time! For this first hike I figured I would share a Prescott classic- Thumb Butte! It's a great trail that's accessible to anyone, kid-friendly, and if you haven't done much Prescott hiking, this is a great place to start. It's short, and more of a nature walk than a challenging hike, but with lots of up hill trekking you'll feel the burn, however short. To get there, simply head west on Gurley St. (turn into Thumb Butte Rd.), then take it 3.4 miles to the picnic area on the right. You can go up the main trail two ways- if you take the left pathway you'll go up the steep switch backs, take the other side you'll loop around and go down them. Either way I would estimate this hike taking about 1 hour total. Be sure to stop and take some photos at the top- it's BEAUTIFUL view! Trail usage is heavy, especially on the weekends, but it's still worth the hike and a truly "Prescott" thing to experience. Next time I'll share one of my favorite, less popular and more challenging hikes.


3. After the hike head back downtown and make a beeline for Bill's Pizza, right on the square. This is one of our two favorite pizzas in town (I'll share the second on the next post), but if you're going to go, I'm going to insist you order whatever pizza you get with Bill's sauce. This special sauce is half-tomato half-pesto sauce and it's out of this world! Although Bill's has a ton of amazing specialty pizzas their tried and true cheese (or add pepperoni) with Bill's sauce is my favorite. Add on one of their Cranberry/Almond/Feta salads and you've got yourself a perfect Prescott lunch. I also suggest getting it all to go, and going outside and enjoying it on the square or at least at one of the outdoor tables. Heavenly!


4. After eating lunch pop over to Peregrine Book Company. This independent bookstore is a gem, and worth a visit for sure. Peruse the books, check out local authors, and enjoy a bit of time taking it all in. Other shops to check out while downtown: Livy Lou's boutique, (on the opposite side of the square, but a short walk away), Nectar- a modern herbal apothecary full of delicious smells and sights, Hop Sing Trading for all of the cutest clothing (Free People!), Lefebvre's Boutique to pick up a cute gift for someone you love (owned by one of my former student's families), and then be sure to pop into any of the antique shops along your way.


5. Before heading home I recommend popping into Wild Iris for some hot tea. Their Coconut Tea is one of my very favorites- hot or iced! I also have a KILLER pie spot that would be a great end to this day...but I think I'll wait and save it for my next post. ;) But get that coconut tea, you'll love it!


I'll be back soon with a second "perfect day," and include more of our favorite spots. I'll also be covering Flagstaff and Sedona, so stay tuned throughout the next month for some fun fall day trip ideas! Enjoy!

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Horseshoe Bend. This is another one of those places we've passed so many times while headed to Lake Powell and I'm so glad I finally got to see it. It's beautiful, and as we walked the .75 miles up the hill to the top, I had no idea what to expect! It totally blew me away though, with the gorgeous water color, that green moss contrasting with the red rocks, and just sheer size. I love places that make me feel so small.

Have you ever been? It's a quick stop that is totally worth it, in my opinion. It's located just north of the Grand Canyon and outside Page, Arizona. Alana, Erinn and I had a bit of a hard time finding it, which seemed so weird and funny once we DID, because it's so obvious. It's an easy turn off, which ample parking, and you simply walk down a short path to get there. There's no railing of any kind, and I was very nervous to see so many little kids running around and people bending over backwards trying to get the entire landscape into their selfie. Scary.

After getting lost and then finding simplified directions, the best way to go is just to look for the well-marked turnout between mileposts 544 and 545 on 89. That's it! If you stumble upon a detailed list of directions DO NOT follow it! Trust me. It's much more simple than you're led to believe.

Let me know if you decide to check it out, and happy exploring! I'll be back soon sharing photos from Antelope Canyon.


Labels: , , , ,


A couple months ago Alana called me and said "Hey. Would you be able to take off for a few days and do Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Zion?" I asked her when she was thinking, and she said "Umm, next week." Thanks to my sister, I was able to excitedly say "HELL YES!" and a few days later, we were off.

Hank's family has a houseboat docked on the Arizona side of Lake Powell so we've been close to Antelope Canyon many, many times but never made the time to explore it. And wow- were we missing out!

We decided to visit both Upper and Lower Antelope, and both were very different experiences which I'll detail below. If you decide to make the trip, I recommend taking the time to do both tours.

We went into Upper Antelope first, and used Adventurous Antelope Photo Tours, and did their 12:30pm Prime Time tour. After doing some research we learned that mid-day was the best for capturing the light in the canyon, so we went with Tour #10. We arrived 30-minutes prior to our tour and ate a quick lunch from our backpacks before boarding one of the SUVs with our guide, Dale. There were 9 people total in our group, and then there were also three other SUVs full of hikers following us from the same company.

The whole tour is noted as taking one hour, but with the fifteen-minute drive to the entrance and back, and lingering inside and out, I would estimate the entire excursion took about two hours. It was a GREAT tour. Dale was an exceptional guide, helping us with camera settings, locations, photo ideas, and was full of geological and historical knowledge. It was a phenomenal experience. The only downside was the crowds- it was a weekday so it wasn't horribly crowded, but it was still pretty packed and if you saw an empty spot and wanted to take a photo, you better do it quickly before the next group came through. All in all though I would highly recommend not only this tour company, but also our tour guide Dale.

Next we drove over to Lower Antelope Canyon Tours (I couldn't find a website but it's to the left of Ken's Tours), and waited for our second tour to begin. We were joined by three other people, and we walked back behind the tour shacks to see a very nondescript slot in the ground. It's amazing to think what was inside of that slot- you wouldn't ever know by looking at it that such an insanely beautiful world is down below.

To enter the canyon, you head down a couple of very steep flights of stairs to descend to the canyon floor. Once below we realized we were basically the only ones inside which was such a sharp contrast to our experience in the Upper Canyon. It was amazing to walk through slowly, with no one around, and listen to the sounds of the wind, our breath, and our feet crunching on the rocks. About halfway through our guide started playing a wooden flute and the entire canyon filled up with the most beautiful music. It was truly a "made-it" moment for this trip, and something I think back to often.

It was an amazing time, and I can't recommend visiting Antelope Canyon enough. Be sure to book both Upper and Lower too- they're both incredibly different, and worth the trip. I'll be back next with with details from Horseshoe Bend, and then the following week with my post about the Zion portion of our trip. Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions- I'm happy to answer below.




Labels: , , , , , , ,


I started our Explore Arizona series last year and I look forward to continuing it, and sharing all of our favorite hikes and outdoor spots around our beautiful state of Arizona. Most of the time we take the boys with us, so almost all of the hikes I'll share will be kid-friendly too. We've been using our trusty Ergobaby Performance carrier, although with the mileage we've been clocking we definitely need to upgrade to a proper pack, both for Hank and Charlie's sake!

Today I wanted to share one of our favorite local hikes. In our family we call this the "Secret Waterfall Hike" but it's better known as the Aspen Creek Trail, or Trail #48. It's an easy one, although a little long for small children walking on their own, and unshaded in many parts so you'll want to be sure to wear hats and sunscreen.

The hike is beautiful though, and my most favorite part is at the very beginning. In fact, I love the whole drive up. But once you park and cross the street to access the trail, you walk along the creek for a bit, and wind up until you get to some beautiful rock formations. If water is flowing, inside you'll find what Henry calls the secret waterfall. It's an awesome place to explore, and if you don't feel like hiking, your kids will enjoy being right there, or playing along the creekside.

If you do decide to continue on your way, you'll follow the trail as it ascends through tall trees and rocks, with beautiful views of the Sierra Prietas, the Bradshaws, and the San Francisco peaks. We had to look it up after we hiked it the first time, but the mountain with all of the towers on it is Mt. Francis. You'll be surrounded by nature on all sides, and we've only seen other hikers one time while up there. There are plenty of mountain bikers though, and we usually see at least 3-4 each visit.

The trail is 11 miles total, with an elevation of 6,539 feet with an accumulated gain of about 3,000 feet.

To get to the trail, you'll want to follow Copper Basin up, about 6 miles west of Prescott. The last 2 miles are dirt road. You'll see the parking area (will accommodate about 6-7 cars) just as you cross Aspen Creek- it's pretty obvious but you can also look for signs for FR9401L. Park and walk across the dirt road to access the trail.

I hope you enjoy it, and be sure to let me know if you go! The photos below come from two recent visits, via my iPhone.

Happy trails to you! xoxo


Labels: , , , , , , , , ,



The other week we headed out for a camping adventure...in our own town. Silly, maybe, but since we hadn't ever camped with the camper before, we wanted to try it out close to home first. We chose to head up to road to Lynx Lake, which in Prescott National Forest. Lynx Lake is absurdly beautiful, surrounded by the greenest trees, millions of trails and walking paths, and it's a great place for kids and families. We spent our mornings walking around the lake, and the rest of our time hanging out around the campsite, playing games and wandering around the many trails. It was a really, really good time and we can't wait to venture out next time.

I wanted to include some tips for camping with kids, or at least what worked for us. Granted, this was roughing it whatsoever, as there was bathroom in walkable distance (heck, our HOME is in walkable distance if you want to get technical), but there are some tips I feel comfortable sharing, even from what some would call this "easy" experience. Although honestly, is being away from home with kids ever easy? There's always a learning curve, and just when you think you've got it down...it's time to go home!

Some things that worked for us:

Stay active. We framed our day with walks and activity, which wore the boys at and allowed them to stick to their regular naps (more on this in a minute). We brought our BOB jogger, which came in handy for walks on the trail. But by waking up and walking right away, then walking at night, we were always busy and avoided boredom at the site all day. We also wore Charlie in the Ergo a lot, which allowed us to actually hike off of the paved trail.

Naptime/Bedtime. If you're like us, you like to stick to naps and bedtime as much as possible. Our kids nap and go to bed at the same time everyday, so when we're vacationing we try to stick to that also. However, I'm sure you know that this can be impossible at times, especially when sharing a sleeping space. Here's how we do it. Charlie still naps 2x a day and Henry naps once. Charlie's morning nap is no big deal- we always bring our white noise machine wherever we go, so we just plugged it into the generator and he was out (we brought the Breeze with us, and he slept in there). For the second nap, where both boys' sleeping time falls at the same time, I would bring Henry in first and wait for him to fall asleep (he's the HEAVIEST sleeper). Then I would come in with Charlie and put him down. It sounds easier than it was- insert some tip-toeing around and knocking things over in the dark camper- but it worked. The key for us was bringing the white noise machine, and putting them down separately...after completely tiring them out during the day. Now, if you're in a tent it's a little different, but as far as camper-camping this was great.

Food. We planned for three days, and the key for me was just making a list and checking it off. Breakfast stuff (bagels, oatmeal, fruit), lunch stuff (PB&Js, lunch meat and cheese, hummus and veggies) and dinner (hot dogs, veggie burgers, etc.). We had the convenience of being able to keep things cold, and also having a store down the street. But I imagine if you were camping the wilderness it would be a whole different ballgame. Preparation though, was the most important. Everything was chopped and prepped and stored, and I knew what each meal would be. We also brought a high chair with us (a super light and small one). We had actually ordered a travel highchair but it hadn't arrived yet, so next trip I'll be sure to talk about it- it's super neat and folds up like an outdoor chair.

Entertaining kids. The big thing for us was staying busy with hikes and walks, and then in between having some fun activities for Henry. One night we carved a pumpkin but the firelight, another we roasted marshmallows. During the day we played games (I brought a few board/matching games), took nature walks, and did collecting. We also colored a lot and read books too. And if you do run out of things to do, I'm a firm believer in letting kids be BORED. That's when the best creativity and thinking happens anyway, right?

Be prepared. Bring more than you think in these areas: layers for warmth and snacks! I feel like there are never enough snacks, and never enough layers! Also, don't forget: sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses, first aid kid, an extra pack of wipes, socks, matches, hats, flashlights and headlamps, and some fun things for the kids to do! If you have a little one, consider bringing a pack-n-play for both sleeping, and for when you need a break from chasing your new walker around. It was nice to be able to have Charlie play for a bit in there during the day, right next to all of us, but safely contained.

So that's it for now! This was a very broad list but I do hope it sparked some interest in going camping or at least reminded you of some things to add to your list next time you go! Enjoy, and happy trails to you. xoxo

Labels: , , , , , ,