We drove further up the road and met up with Jones. I’ve always found Jones to be an interesting man, what I would call a policy shaker of sorts, and his job, is to protect the antiquities that no longer have a voice of their own. He was raised by a National Park Ranger in places like Dinosaur National Monument, California’s Sequoia National Park, and Mount Rainier. He spent over 20 years strumming his mandolin in a bluegrass band called the Lab Dogs.

Start here if you want your kids to experience the scale of Big Bend. The canyon walls rise dramatically above the Rio Grande, and the short trail into the canyon offers an unforgettable introduction to the park.

Arches National Park isn’t just a place to look at rocks, it’s a giant outdoor science classroom. Every arch, canyon, and balanced rock tells a story about erosion, weather, time, and the incredible forces that have shaped the Colorado Plateau. If you’re exploring Arches with kids, these are ten places and experiences I would put on your family adventure list.

Great Salt Lake Ariel Photo of Saltair Update: Great Saltair It’s remarkable, much like the lake itself, the story of Great Saltair seems to be shaped by forces bigger than any of us. Over the past ten years, since this article was originally written in 2013 for Summer of Salt: An Exploration of Great Salt Lake , the Great Saltair hasn’t been a quiet relic; it’s lived, breathed, rattled its walls with basslines, and even whispered secrets to the curious. Once you knew Saltair

Some days, depending on wind and temperature, the water reappears in shimmering puddles that reflect the sky like spilled mercury. Other days, the Jetty looks like a fossil left high and dry, its basalt boulders dusted in white, surrounded by a landscape that feels both fragile and fierce at once.

By late afternoon, when the desert light turns a molten color of honey across the sky, the town glows golden amber, shadows stretch long, and for a brief, perfect moment, Pioneertown feels suspended between two centuries.

Part of the Thousand Springs area, this little-known gem is a burst of color in the desert-like surroundings. From above, the spring looks like a perfect sapphire heart, shimmering against the earthy tones of the canyon walls.

Rocks leave their ghostly trails across the dry, cracked earth is like seeing the desert’s secret dance unfold. How do they move?

For those who wander slowly, the magic of Joshua Tree comes in the details: a lizard sunning itself on warm stone, the wind whispering through the branches, or the sun melting behind distant peaks at the end of a quiet trail.

Just outside the park, beyond the Dairy Queen and the Elf Refuge, rests the iconic Jackson Hole, home to the Cowboy Bar. The first glimpse of the Grand Tetons is unforgettable, a jagged skyline rising sharply from the valley floor, mirrored in serene lakes and framed by the endless sky. There’s a kind of magic here that feels both wild anWid intimate, where every bend in the road or trail reveals a new perspective on these iconic mountains.

Sometimes the best stories happen when the wind is in your face and the river carries you home.

The Redwoods remind us that we are small, and that’s a gift. They invite us to pause, breathe, and rediscover wonder.

Minnetonka Cave has a history as fascinating as the formations inside.

And hidden just off the highway, tucked into the base of the Floating Island Mountains, lies one of Utah’s most remarkable archeological sites, Danger Cave and its neighbor, Jukebox Cave.