Posted on

Magical Places

Utah is full of magical places. Yesterday we hiked to Donut Falls, which is located in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The entire canyon, the national forest it contains, and it’s majestic peaks make it a truly magical place. Since we got late starts to our weekend hikes, we made a concerted effort to start this hike earlier in the morning. This way, we would avoid the heat of midday. Fortunately, the canyon is at over 7,000 ft above sea level, and the temperature was in the mid-70s for the entire hike. The drive through the canyon was spectacular. It is an absolute dream!

The hike to Donut Falls is considered an easy hike, which is true. There are some difficult spots where you have to safely traverse up and down wet rocks, but that wasn’t too bad. At the end of the trail, is a beautiful waterfall. However, I was unable to see the donut. In order to see the legendary donut falls, you have to scale the rocky waterfall. Admittedly, I was not sure I was up to the task. It looked like a steep, wet, and scary climb. We made our way up the path to take a picture overlooking the falls. During this ascent, I decided I could handle the ascent up the waterfall to Donut Falls.

Thus the four of us began our ascent to Donut Falls. We traversed the creek via rocks and logs so that we could get to the climb. Unfortunately, we chose to ascend to the falls on the side, which was a much harder climb. Consequently, Melody and the Mayor decided to go back to shore. Goalielocks and I braved the slippery rocks and made our way up the waterfall. It was tough as the stones were smooth and slick in many places. However, the climb was worth the effort. The views of the canyon and the waterfall from Donut Falls were majestic and beautiful. It is definitely a hike that will satisfy your expectations. After our descent, we spent some time taking in all of the natural beauty of the falls before heading back to civilization.

After our hike, we headed to downtown Salt Lake City to explore and grab lunch. We shopped Trolley Square, the Gateway and 9&9. I wouldn’t go back to 9&9, but did like the antique store at Trolley Square and the Gateway has some fun activities for families. We also made our way to Temple Square. It was hard to get a good picture of the Temple as its undergoing construction to make the roof earthquake proof. Nevertheless, the Temple is gorgeous even when surrounded by construction equipment. The grounds were also a magical place that contained many buildings, such as the Tabernacle where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs. All in all, we liked Salt Lake as it was easy to navigate, but we enjoyed our hike and Big Cottonwood Canyon more.

We had a full day, so after our last shopping stop, we headed back to our Airbnb. For dinner, the boys and I had In-N-Out. The burgers lived up to the hype. Meanwhile, Jake and Mel enjoyed a date night back at his dorm. On Monday, we went to the dealership so that Jake could buy a car. He needs a car to drive to his job and get around his base, which is vast. Tonight we will go back to the dealership and finish up the paperwork for his car.

Monday, we had more of a low key day. The kids all slept in late, which was not surprising given how busy we were over the weekend. When they woke up, we visited the Pineview Reservoir, which afforded incredible views of the mountains and the Wasatch National Forest. The water was cold and refreshing, but we none of us remembered our bathing suits. We grabbed a quick lunch at Subway before heading into Ogden to explore the botanical gardens and historic 25th Street. We didn’t love the botanical gardens, so we weren’t there long. Unfortunately, when we went to the historic 25th street, all of the shops we wanted to visit were closed.

Places we visited Monday and Tuesday:

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read North & South by Elisabeth Gaskells.

*We are going to visit the Hill Aerospace Museum.

*We are off to hike more magical places.

*I’m going with Jake to finish the paperwork for his new car..

*There is no rain here, so no need for an umbrella.

*Today my hubby sent me the best picture of my sweet Anakin.

Affiliate advertising supports this blog. By clicking on the link and making a purchase, you are helping to support the blog with no added cost to you.