My #1 Hike for Kids Who Love to Climb

Whale Rock in Canyonlands National Park is a lesser talked about gem

Part of the perk of traveling is coming home to re-live your adventures through pictures.

Or at least that’s how I find a way to squeeze a little extra joy and excitement from my travels.

This week going through 2,000+ pictures (that’s no exaggeration between my husband and me) has me reminiscing on our week-long adventure seeing Utah’s Big 5 National Parks.

There really was a lot we were able to do and see with our 5 and 7-year-old.

Canyonlands National Park ended up being the first national park we visited during our trip. With several spots to admire in the park, Whale Rock was the most memorable for a few reasons.

The truth is the start of the hike didn’t look too promising.

Whale Rock was our last stop in the park before we were headed out to drive to our hotel and check in for the day.

Looking back on that day, the kids and I were in a mid-day slump.

My daughter had fallen asleep in the backseat. The morning had started at 6 a.m. Between the heat, constant stopping, and occasional hiking, everything had caught up to us.

Driving to our destination I took a picture from the car (pictured below). I figured if we didn’t have the energy to make it out of the car and explore we would at least have a photograph.

Pulling up to the site it was nice to see that only one other car was there. Previously that morning, Mesa Arch and Grand View Point had several people hiking around us. It wasn’t horribly crowded, but you were still searching for a parking spot.

Looking out the window, my son was super excited to try climbing a rock that looked like a whale. Meanwhile, my daughter was sleepily sliding out of the car requesting I carry her. Hoisting her on my back, we trudged forward. I figured we would make it a little way and venture as far as we could with two younger kids.

That was always my motto from the start. Hike what we could without too much pressure to go too far. Fortunately, there were several overlook spots to see amazing views.

From the parking lot before embarking on our hike, we spotted three guys all in their late 20’s climbing down from the top of the rock.

As we walked upward on the rock our paths crossed. I remember one guy looking at my son and saying, “I expect to see you at the top, buddy.”

I smiled thinking to myself, No way that’s going to happen with a child sleeping on my back at the moment.

He turned his expression towards me and said, “The view is worth it.”

At the moment, it didn’t seem possible that we would be able to accomplish what they had done. After all, we had two younger kids. How far could we go?

The hike pleasantly surprised me.

Maybe it was this guy’s words that subconsciously got everyone motivated. It’s hard to tell, but I took a few steps further and my daughter started waking up and wanting down to climb.

“Mommy, I wake up better if I can run around.”

Her words made me smile, and my back was relieved she wanted down.

As we decided which direction to climb, we made up our own path in certain spots. At one point we noticed we had trailed off a little needing to return to the original path. There was something about being free to venture where we wanted on this huge rocky landscape.

With every step, we inched closer and closer to the top of the rock.

We saw lizards and different plant life along the terrain. My son even stopped to spot purple fruit growing on the cactus. He proudly told us how it could be used as food in the wild. A fun fact he had learned from watching a survival show.

That’s one of the great things I enjoyed about hiking with the kids. There was no need to be in a rush. We could stop and talk about nature or whatever else was on their mind.

The best part about this special hike was the remote feeling. We were the only people climbing the rock. For the first time in the park, no one was around us. The moment had an intimate and special charm about it.

Standing at the top of Whale Rock felt surreal.

In the picture above this was me in pure celebration mode that all four of us had ventured to the top together.

Have you ever had moments in your life like this?

I remember thinking, Yes! I’m alive and this is some of the best parts of living.

Here we were all four of us overlooking some of the most amazing views. I couldn’t have asked for a more present and joyful moment on the trip that day.

And what made it special is that it was so unexpected and unplanned.

Even today thinking back on that moment I can’t believe we did this hike. Starting out, it didn’t seem possible for us to get to the top together.

My son was always determined. My daughter, although tired to start, found her second wind to run around and climb without complaint. My husband and I kept looking at one another with disbelief we were getting to do this.

It’s not often you have these moments hiking where everyone in the family is happy and motivated to take in the experience together.

If you are traveling to Canyonlands and want a hike that will satisfy both the kids and adults, I definitely recommend stopping at Whale Rock.

And yes, the view is absolutely worth it.

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