“But do we have to go on a trip, I just want to stay home and play NBA2K23 with my friends" my son, Michael Colistra, before any family trip.

Utah's Grand Circle & Adventures along the way:

For our Colista family vacation 2023 we hit the road destination- Utah's Grand Circle. We improvised along the way, because that is how we roll. I will give you some tips for a wild and adventuress family vacay. From one working mom to another-you got this.

We are a family of four and on this trip our wild boys were 9 and 11. My boys our wild too- they run and jump on everything. They push each other, struggle to listen so seriously the struggle is real. They also laugh and have fun together. Craig and I are overworked professionals who do not pack until the night before we leave for a vacation because we are working up until we board the plane. So, if we can do it, so can you.

We left on a Friday and returned on a Monday, 10 nights and 11 days. We travelled across two weekends, so we didn't blaze though all of our PTO in one trip (important). My husband and I are also known to check our work emails and hop on a conference call periodically if necessary. Travel on....

Places you must stop and adventures you must book.

1. First stop, Las Vegas BABY

We flew in and out of Vegas because the flights were the cheapest and there was a plethora of them. We use Expedia because that is the easiest way for this super busy working mom to track if flights decrease in cost, if they do my Expedia account credits me for that reduction in cost and I get to apply that credit to my next trip. Right now, I have $70 waiting to spend on my next trip which I did absolutely nothing to earn except those flights decreased in cost. I do not have to keep tracking it just does it. So, sign up for an Expedia account, and it will not be like the airlines where you cannot seem to figure out how to get your mileage (or is that just me).

Back to Vegas, we stayed at the Mirage.

I find that this hotel is the best for kids. It has a Acai, Froyo, Smoothie Cafe which we love, it has a huge pool and for the most part it is appropriate for families, and we were seeing the Beatles LOVE Show by Cirque Solei, and it was so good. We did all of this on night one. Flight landed at 12, rented a car (with Expedia), drove to Mirage (self-parking was a breeze and cheapest), checked into room, swam at pool, ate dinner at True Food Cafe (next door in the Shops at Ceasar), and then the boys wanted to look at sports shops. Then, bed because in the morning we departed for the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.

2. Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon

Overnight Stay: Yavapai Lodge (book this months in advance)

Experiences at the Grand Canyon

We were up and out of Vegas around 8am. On our way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at the Hoover Dam and Route 66 for lunch. It is not far, only about an hour. Parking is right there, strap on your tennis shoes or Chacos and quickly go see this massive Dam. It will only take about an hour. It's a quick walk. My 9-year-old and myself are a little unsure about heights. So, we opted not to walk out over the dam, but my husband and oldest son did. We were back in the car and on the road in no time. Next stop was lunch, we figured it was best to eat before we arrived in the Grand Canyon, because we knew we would want to go see that Natural Wonder of the World quickly. We stopped at Route 66 (Get your kicks at Route 66). There was a cute little burger joint that you order at the window and enjoy the scenery. My hubs is a vegetarian, so plenty for everyone to eat. I was a little hesitant, but there was no reason to be. It was a fun lunch spot, definitely stop, not to mention the phone booth that is there.

We got to the Grand Canyon before 12.

We checked into Yavapai Lodge inside the Grand Canyon on the ridge (booked on Expedia) and we were off to do the Bright Angel Trail. We had some hydration packets for this trip, because I was so paranoid about someone getting dehydrated- it was summer. The trail is super easy to find, but once again these cliffs were too much for me and Leo, so we just went down a little bit and then decided we would wait for Michael and Craig at the top and enjoy the views, restaurants, and canyon air.

While in the Grand Canyon we took the shuttle to see the sunset at Hopi Point, had dinner at the Arizona Steakhouse which we had reservations ahead of time. We sat at a table by the windows looking right at the canyon. We also did the park ranger tour (free and meetings around 9am) which talks about dinosaurs and fossils.

3. Zion National Park, Peekaboo Canyon, and Kanab Utah

After the Grand Canyon we were off to Kanab, Utah. Kanab, Utah is a hidden gem on the route. Timber and Tin Air BB is a must stay. In route you pass Lake Powell, but we did not have time for this stop. You also pass a Super Walmart and since we were staying at an Air BB next, we decided to do some grocery shopping. Once in Kanab, UT we were in between Bryce National Park and Zion. Day 1 at this stop we booked the Peekaboo Experience which was phenomenal.

We booked a side-by-side and we drove in through the canyon until we arrived at Peekaboo Canyon. It was a half day experience. We went back and swam, then went down to the reservoir to rented electric bikes checked out the electric surfboard and the kids did some rock climbing.

Day 2 at this location was spent at the magical Zion National Park where we were ready to hike the day away. Lots to do for all hiking levels. I recommend getting there at 6 am so you can get parking inside the park (this lot fills up fast) and spend the morning hiking and getting on and off the Zion Par bus. We hiked until it was too hot for us, and the trails were too crowded. In total we hiked about 10 miles. Gorgeous, majestic, magical. We planned to hike the Narrows, but it was closed due to high water levels, but we were able to hike until the trail closed.

4. Moab, Utah

We departed Kanab at 7:30 am headed to Moab and got there by 1:30. We left super early and pulled up in town by lunch. We hit up food truck park (our favorite eating place in Moab) right in downtown Moab while we were waiting for our accommodations to be ready for check-in. After we filled our bellies, we headed to Arches National Park. This was the kid's favorite location.

The rocks are as big as New York City Buildings, gigantic. So many beautiful hikes, very little cliffs, and lots of adventures for the boys. This park was beautiful, mind blowing, and you could seriously understand how dinosaurs perhaps once roamed here. Moab is wicked cool. The next day we went White Water Rafting with Mild to Wild and the boys loved it. I wish we would have booked the overnight rafting trip because that sounded like so much fun.

My youngest was turning 9 while here and he booked the experience for his birthday which was called Hell's Revenge (BOOK THIS!!!!!). Oh boy. This is driving a side-by-side on big, gigantic rocks with up to 40-foot drops. It was insane but totally safe and worth it. The boys absolutely loved this, I spent most of the ride deep breathing AND having so much fun. There is a guide, but you are driving your own car. It was insanely fun we all high fived when we were done. Those car commercials make so much sense now when they show a car driving on big rocks. I wish we would have had time for canyoneering my only regret.

Arches National Park, Food Truck Park, White Water Rafting, Hells Revenge., Canyoneering

5. Canyonlands, Utah

Canyonlands is only about 1 hour from Moab but we decided to glamp in canyonlands at Glamping Canyonlands. We got the Safari Family Tent, and it was so gorgeous. The night sky was out of this world, the sunsets, and sunrises, whoa.

The sauna with outdoor showers, the chickens roaming around the morning breakfast delivered to your tent. It was divine. It was very primitive here. Canyonlands was primitive, but we managed to get in a beautiful hike in the park and we just really enjoyed the glamping. We went back to Moab for the Hell's Revenge trip. While in Canyonlands we also took a day trip to Mesa Verde Colorado.

6. Mesa Verde, Colorado.

We had a relaxing morning at our Glamping tent, journaled, slept in a bit, and then we decided to drive to Mesa Verde. It was about a 2-hour drive. We stopped along the way in Cortez, Arizona for lunch and to poke around the town. We arrived in Mesa Verde and decided we would do some of the lookouts and just take in the scenes. No major hikes this day. On the way home the boys wanted to look for some swimming holes which we did near the Canyonlands. We drove up to the top of the mountains and found what they called lakes (really looked like a man-made swimming hole) and the kiddos took a polar plunge (snow was melting off the mountains still).

7. Back to Vegas to depart (Luxor, America's Got Talent, Sugar Factory)

The drive back to Vegas from Canyonlands was long. We left at 4am and it took about 7 hours. We stayed at the Luxor this time because the boys really wanted to stay in the pyramid. We booked dinner at the Sugar factory which we walked to (it was about 1.5 miles) and then we went and saw America's Got Talent Superstars inside the Luxor. This show was SO MUCH fun. We managed to get down to the pool, our kids had their eyeballs out of their heads and asking why those men are almost naked and swinging around the pole at the pool, so next time we will skip the pool at the Luxor. The family pool and adult pool share the same location. American's Got Talent totally worth it. There is a ton to do in this hotel so skip the pool and do another activity because you have so many choices.

Flight out in the morning was smooth and we ended this trip with a big high five. Our kids fell in love with hiking, big, gigantic rocks, cliff dwelling, canyons, dry heat, and entertainment like no other. Do our kids always behave, no. Do we always have a plan, NOPE. Do we have lots of fun and learn how to adapt along the way, heck yeah. We do appreciate booking a tour- we are wild travelers who like to be entertained. Bring a deck of cards, crazy eights is fun for all.

Utah's Grand circle was certainly grand. We loved every minute of this trip. We drove about 20 hours, we hiked about 20 miles, we played a ton of games of crazy eights, we laughed so hard, and we even managed to get some peloton workouts in as a family. We recommend this trip with your family.

"Mom and Dad do we have to go home? -well maybe to get Ruby Girl"... Michael and Leo after we have settled into traveling.