November | 2017 | littlemountaineers

Last summer we took a road trip from Davis County, UT all the way to the Oregon Coast. It was just over a week and we were able to see and do so much!

Today I’m going to talk about our hike through the Oneonta Gorge. This place is truly magical. If you are prepared and careful, it is a must see when you are in the area.

This hike is basically up a river, so you are going to get your feet wet, good water shoes/sandals are definitely a must. This hike isn’t very long, but there are two tricky areas to navigate.

1st area is at the beginning, it is a huge log jam. The only way up the hike is climbing and navigating these logs which are often wet, slippery and unstable. The key here is definitely taking it slow. Make sure you have good balance and footing (especially if you have a little one in a carrier. If you have old children you will want to stay right by them and slowly help them navigate. There are areas you could fall a long way down between the logs and areas you could get stuck. My husband was carrying my 2 year old in our Onya Baby Pure carrier and my 6 year old was on his own doing great.

Whew you made it past that part, have fun gazing up at the stunning narrow canyon walls covered in green. Now for the 2nd tricky part.

While most of the time the water will be below your knees, depending on the time of year you go there are a few areas where the water will be much higher. One area in particular near the end got up to chest deep for me…I’m 5 ft 6 in. Children will need to swim or be carried on your shoulders. My husband was awesome and carried both our kids on his shoulders. I tried walking across the deepest part, but I ended up swimming to the other side. We were all in swim suits with light shorts and tanks. We went the last week of July during a heat wave and the water was still freezing cold. So be prepared to be cold. When you get to the end and see the stunning waterfall and pool you will be glad you made the short trek.

Little Mountaineers Rating: Moderate. About 1 mile round trip and minimal elevation change, but it can be tricky and require extra care and skills to navigate the slippery log jam and deep water with children.

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Here is the deep area right before the waterfall at the end. See how deep it is!

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The great thing about living in Utah is that I feel we never run out of new adventures. We are always discovering new favorite places and it is so fun!

Our most recent trip to Moab included exploring Hunter Canyon and it did not disappoint. We were in desert heaven and we had the place practically to ourselves. That’s saying a lot because we went over Fall break and Arches National Park was a zoo. Finding solitude in nature is so refreshing but it’s not always easy in a popular place like Moab.

I feel like I don’t even need to describe this place. The pictures speak for themselves. We didn’t do the whole hike because it got dark, but we could have easily spent all day here. Next time you’re in Moab check it out!

You do have to take a dirt road to get to the trail head, but it’s doable with most cars. I just had my Honda Civic and we did fine.

Little Mountaineers Rating: Easy-Moderate. 3 miles round trip and very little elevation gain. Lots of sand to play in, rocks to climb and tunnels to explore.