March 24-26, 2025

By Tim Briese

My wife Teresa and I have developed a love for the canyon country of southern Utah and northern Arizona over the years and we thought it would be nice to introduce our seven year old granddaughter Eliyanah to this magnificent land and possibly nurture a love for it in her too. We arranged for a short trip to Moab, Utah with Ellie and our daughter Nicole during Ellie’s spring break in March. We drove to Moab the first day and that afternoon did a short hike on the scenic Mill Creek Trail right outside of town.

nicole and ellie on the mill creek trail

teresa, ellie, and nicole at the waterfall pool at the end of the trail

The next morning we drove down to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and hiked on one of our favorite trails in the canyon country, from the Elephant Hill Trailhead south toward Chesler Park. This hike goes through a scenic playground that appeals to all ages, and Ellie loved the hike with all the scrambling around on the slickrock.

The next morning Ellie asked if we could go hike the Mill Creek Trail again so we did.  That afternoon we went on a jet boat ride on the Colorado River and the following morning headed for home. I think we accomplished our mission on this trip because Ellie wants to go back to Utah again!