Now that summer is here, we are trying to get the kids out hiking. A lot. Usually this involves lots of whining and complaints about being tired. A few months ago, however, we stumbled upon the perfect combination: beautiful scenery + in the evening.
The first time we hiked in the evening it was by chance. We had a busy day as Sam worked a good 8-9 hours and the kids and I worked on a Jr. Ranger Book. Since we were in Zion National Park, I knew Sam would want to get out and go explore after he was done working, so we made an early dinner and set out on the shuttle for the Zion Narrows located at the end of the park. What we found surprised us: there were VERY few people there. Like maybe 5. On the whole trail. After a busy day fighting crowds of people we were kind of in shock. The weather was cooler, the light was pretty, and the kids had quite a bit of energy to burn.
Putting our discovery to the test, we decided to try our formula again at Bryce Canyon National Park a few weeks later. We drove to the Bristlecone Pine Loop and had ourselves a nice, relaxing, evening hike. Everyone enjoyed it! The kids were in a good mood, I was in heaven with the beautiful light and my adorable subjects, and we ended the night on a complete high.
A week later we were in Cedar Breaks National Park and all kind of cranky. It had been a rough driving day with lots of frustrations, but after we set up and had a quick dinner we set out on a short walk to the visitor center. Totally cured our crankiness. By the time we got back to the Airstream to get ready for bed, everyone was in a much better mood and excited about exploring the next morning.
Now I’m not saying that EVERY time we head out in the evenings its perfect bliss, but we have a pretty good track record so far. Even most recently when the kids were complaining that they were too tired, swimming had worn them out, and even I was doubtful – Sam dragged us all out on the trail and it turned completely magical.
As a total bonus, when we get back the kids are usually pretty tired and head to bed with little to no complaining. Total win all around! The ideal time of day likely depends heavily on the seasons, and will migrate earlier in the day as temperature drops. But for now, evening hikes will be a frequent habit.
3. Use a stroller. Disneyland and California Adventure are BIG. That’s a lot of walking – not to mention schlepping stuff around the parks all day. Since we don’t have a stroller with us (no room, plus we don’t really need one) we rented from the park for $15/day. Worth. Every. Penny. Yes, we could’ve gone out and bought a cheap one at Target for that much money but then we would’ve had to get rid of it again. They have good strollers. Even with all our stuff piled on, the stroller didn’t tip over and it was easy to recognize among the masses. Most areas of the park have designated stroller parking, and the Cast Members (that’s what Disney calls employees) will move yours while you’re gone if its not in the right spot. Just be warned. I never worried about leaving items with the stroller when we went on rides. They are strollers EVERYWHERE and its DISNEYLAND. You’d have to be special sort of black-hearted person to steal while you are there.
6. Visit the Frontierland Jamboree Ranch. So cool. I don’t think it was there last time we were there, but it was fun! We missed the show as the times were not listed in our schedule and you had to actually go there to figure out when it was. BUT we did listen to a piano man, have our own personal magic show, and see some of the lesser known characters. Its just an out of the way, non-crowded place to hang out for an hour. There’s also a petting zoo with goats, and a horse, but my kids weren’t super interested in that.
8. Bring your own lunch and snacks, but eat out for dinner. Disneyland has some GREAT food. They really do. But its expensive. We basically budgeted $45 per day for 5 of us for dinner everyday. Eating out is also FUN. We ate Flo’s V8 Cafe, had Mexican Food, and the CORN DOGS. Oh the Corn Dogs. They are delicious. By bringing our own snacks for most of the day, we could then mentally justify splurging on a Dolewhip for the Tikki room, Ice Cream on Main Street, or Beignets in New Orleans. We also used snacks to keep kids happy in line. For drinks, we refill our water bottles at water fountains or at the few water stations around the parks.
11. Get in a photo yourself every once in awhile. The BEST part about going with friends (at least according to the photographer in me) is that there is more than one camera. There are actually photos of ME in Disneyland. After we get home and go through them, we’ll create a Dropbox folder and share them. If you don’t have a friend, the staff photographers will take a photo with YOUR camera. Not just your camera phone either, they’ll use your fancy one, and they are actually pretty decent too.
6. Don’t forget the extra batteries!
8. Be flexible and just let moments happen. 
