Your Best Spring Break Ever

Just a few hours south of Salt Lake City, the road from Brian Head to Zion offers a rare chance to experience two seasons in one trip. Within a single hour, you can trade fresh snow for sun-baked slickrock, all while keeping teenagers engaged, entertained and off their phones.

This journey is like a land-based cruise ship, providing easy access to a variety of recreation opportunities. From skiing and snowboarding on a snowy mountain to hiking and paddleboarding in a desert canyon, this is a road trip that promises an epic spring break adventure.

A Well-Deserved Adventure

As parents whose three teenagers have outgrown traditional playgrounds and would prefer screen time over face-to-face time, my husband Kevin and I wanted to plan a trip that felt like the good old days of watching the kids chase, laugh, climb and play boundlessly like they used to at the local park. We were also itching for some lighthearted fun after a 2.5 year journey of intense medical procedures for our oldest child to reconstruct her legs due to a condition that causes her bones to twist as they grow. She has spent the better part of her junior high days in a wheelchair or on crutches re-learning to walk again and it was high time we celebrated her health and abilities. We all needed some outdoor fun of epic proportions.

For the kids’ spring break this year, we loaded the truck with our entire quiver of toys: snow skis, paddle boards, mountain bikes, hiking packs and climbing harnesses. We set out for our destination, traveling just a few hours south from our home north of Salt Lake City. With high hopes of snagging some end-of-season ski turns, Brian Head Resort was the perfect place to start. Because of its high base elevation, we had great chances of late season snow. Not to mention, the resort’s delicious french fries and stunning red rock views also enticed us. Our kids have only ever skied in Northern Utah and they were intrigued by the idea of heading toward the traditionally warmer part of the state in search of spring snow.

It wasn’t hard to peel the teenagers out of bed the next morning as we were all delighted to see a fresh blanket of snow topping the red rocks of Cedar Breaks, which neighbors Brian Head. We spent the morning “woohooing” all over the mountain, daring each other to hit the terrain park features, and flipping powdered sugar snow back and forth with our ski tips. To hear the crackling voices of my teenage boys laughing as they chased their sister through the trees was the perfect soundtrack to the picturesque views. (Read: Utah's Kid Ski Culture)

Trading Snow for Sand

With tired legs we stashed our ski gear back into the truck, grabbed some dinner at Kabuto Sushi and Ramen in Cedar City and headed deeper into Southern Utah’s giant playground. In less than a 2-hour drive, we traded wide open ski runs for the wide open sky near Zion National Park to settle in for the night. The ancient stone giants of Kolob Canyon lay dormant under the stars nearby as we cozied up and fell fast asleep next to the wood burning stoves inside our canvas tents at Under Canvas Zion. Glamping as they call it, was a nice way to feel immersed in the park but also ensure the kids got their much needed sleep and a shower between activities, which kept us all in good spirits.

Whether it’s within the Zion National Park boundaries or exploring hidden gems like Lambs Knoll, there are so many nooks and desert hideouts to scramble around when hiking the area. Not knowing how well our daughter’s legs would hold up on a long hike, we opted for a short and uncrowded trail among the junipers and let the kids set the pace. Before long, we were playing a bit of hide and seek in the sandstone alcoves and letting our fingers trail along the wind shaped walls while we walked and talked about how awesome it was to be skiing and now warm weather hiking within the same 24-hour window.

Canyons and Cliffs

We fueled our bodies and the truck up for another quick drive to Yankee Doodle Canyon, because hiking was fun but the thrill of canyoneering is what the teenagers really craved. One of the last activities we did as a family, before starting a long line of hospital stays with our daughter, was rappelling and the kids fell in love with bravely walking over a blind edge and transitioning into a free rappel. We met up with a local guide company Red Desert Adventures who not only kept us safe and provided the gear needed, but also showed us magical surprises like petrified starfish in the rocks.

In the humdrum of daily life it’s not often you hear your teenagers cheering one another on and squealing in delight as they play together in an almost childlike manner. Spring break in Yankee Doodle Canyon brought out the best sides of our crew as we relished in our three teens getting along and playing in the desert. More “woohoo’s” were shouted as each of us took our turn dropping down the 75-foot rappel and sliding down the sandstone slots.

Biking and Beyond

After a full day of fun, we still had time to unwind by the campfire and decide on tomorrow’s adventure. At this point we had skied snow-topped mountains, hiked red rocks and slithered down into the canyons. It was now time to hit the slick rock trails along the mesa for a completely different view of Zion's towering cliffs. The Wire Mesa trail offered us a completely new view of Zion, one we had never experienced before, and riding our mountain bikes was just the break our legs needed by day three. This time it was Mom and Dad chasing the kids through the trees shouting “Weeeee!” as we snaked back and forth on the single track while drinking in the views of blue skies against the red ember cliffs on the horizon. (Read: Ridin' Greater Zion)

Our faces were as sore as our legs from smiling so much. We had one last stop in mind to slow our pace and really surprise the kids. We loaded up the bikes and took off for the last leg of our land cruise through the Southern Utah wonderland. It took just 45 minutes to arrive at Quail Creek Reservoir where the kids lazily paddled around and we all dipped our toes into the idea of summer being just around the corner.

Utah's nature provided the perfect setting for a spring break weekend filled with family unity, health and screen-free fun. The best part? We were able to find both snowy and desert recreation, with each stop just about an hour from the next. According to the texts my kids sent to their friends on the drive home, this was definitely “The Best Spring Break Ever.”