Silvas Travel Tribe

Determine your destination to start off your planning then guide your teens through these trip planning questions: Thinking about where you want to stay can help you create a realistic idea of how much time you need to get to each event. Credit Cards – Keep the number of your credit cards in a safe place (don’t need a copy of the actual card) or with a trusted tribe member at home. Even if they just take a piece of this guide and contribute their thinking around one point of the planning process, you’ve empowered them to take care of themselves and their own travel in the future.

Whether you want to engage your kiddos in a family bonding outdoor experience, empower your children to be safe and knowledgeable about hiking, or you want them to help plan for your next national park adventure, this is your guide to teaching your kids about hiking preparation and safety. As a family you can create guidelines for beginners (e.g., 2 – 3 miles round trip distance and up to 300 ft. elevation gain) and/or moderately skilled day hikers (e.g., 4 – 8 miles round trip distance and up to 900 ft. elevation gain) depending on your family For example, we hiked a rather strenuous trail at Pinnacles National Park that listed 3 hours expected, but we took 4 to complete it (I’d like to say it was because we stopped to take a lot of pictures, but let’s face it we stopped because we were sucking wind. Besides simple rules like don’t play music and step aside to let others pass when you are stopped, there are a few codes of conduct that help teens know how to negotiate situations that may happen on crowded trails.

If you are planning to be one of the lucky millions that visit the park this year read on to learn how to get the best out of Zion in one perfect day. For more information on great hikes to take on a very active one day trip to Zion, be sure to read through our hiking guide. The first shuttle will leave the Visitor Center at 8 AM and the last shuttle run is dependent upon the season so check the website. If you are up for another walk you can catch the next shuttle to The Grotto Stop #6 and walk the 1 mile to the Zion Lodge or you can just stay on the shuttle and conserve your energy until Stop #5 Zion Lodge.

Be sure to check the Zion National Park website for up to date notices on closures. Each advance ticket purchaser can buy up to 8 shuttle tickets per day and each member of your tribe must have his or her own ticket. The best way is to buy an advance ticket online (on the 16th and the last day of the month) two weeks in advance of your arrival through recreation.gov. You can find the most up to date information about routes and the purchase of advance tickets through the national park website.