West to East: Fall Road Trip with a Toddler
This blog post is sponsored by Kodiak Cakes
Road tripping to the Eastern United States to see fall colors was on our list for a very long time, but every year some other trip would come up and we kept moving it to another year down the road. With all the unexpected twists of events and plans cancelled that 2020 brought, we decided last minute to embark on our longest road trip yet. Our road trip ended up covering around 8000 miles and took us from our current home base near Salt Lake City, Utah all the way up to the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota and Michigan, and down through Ohio, West Virginia Virginia to start a stunning Blue Ridge Parkway drive from Shenandoah National Park all the way to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, then a quick stop at the coast in South Carolina before driving back to Utah, with few stops, across the southern States. Of course, this is just a rough outline as we had many more detours along the way which I will mention later.
This road trip took us just over six weeks with a commitment to our daughter to be home for Halloween. We were able to do a lot, and it was all new experiences for us since we’ve never been east of the Rocky Mountains.
How do we survive and maintain our sanity while traveling with a toddler on such a road trip?
Our golden rule that makes a big difference is “Start the day right!”
Of course, it’s something very true and applicable in everyday life for everyone, but for our family even more so when we are on the road. For us having some kind of a simple routine in the morning makes a big difference. My husband likes to enjoy his freshly ground coffee, I do my morning stretches and drink some kind of herbal tea, and most importantly we make sure to feed our toddler good nutritious breakfast before driving, hiking or doing anything really. There is nothing like dealing with a “hangry” toddler at an inconvenient time that can make even the most beautiful hike or drive not as enjoyable, and it significantly affects our(parent’s) mood and sanity too. It took us some time and persistence to turn breakfast into a routine and necessity for her, because for an active kid like Zoey, eating was rarely on her “agenda”. Now we have a few breakfast staples that she really enjoys and requests. When we start the day right our adventures and hikes go a lot smoother and everyone stays in a better cheerful mood throughout the day.
Here is our simple but nutritious breakfast staple:
Another important rule we do when on the road, especially when we want to do some popular hikes is starting early. I am not a morning person and I do enjoy sleeping in and lazy mornings in the van, but we go through an effort of waking up and getting ready early so that we can do hikes and popular sights without crowds. It was especially important to us because we wanted to avoid crowded places given the current 2020 pandemic situation. Plus, morning lighting is so much better for photography and enjoying the place in general. Many times on this road trip we woke up before or at sunrise in order to make it to the trailhead and start hiking early. For those mornings we have our favorite quick “on-the-go” breakfast options like Kodiak Cakes granola cups that Zoey can eat even while we are driving to the trailhead, or we just bring some Kodiak Cakes crunchy granola bars and bananas with us and find a spot with a view to have a breakfast on our hikes.
Here are our 10 most favorite hikes from this road trip:
Chapel Rock and Spray Falls - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
This is a beautiful fall hike and the reason we drove all the way north to the upper peninsula of Michigan. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by surface in the world. Lake’s beautiful blue water and golden trees make for spectacular views during fall season. It is a great family friendly hike as it is mostly flat. In fact, my 3-year old walked most of it there and back. She loved running around, admiring mushrooms, and of course playing with sand at the Chapel Beach. It is a 3 mile hike to get to the Chapel Rock and the beach. This is where most people stop so we saw only a couple of people on the remaining 1.7 miles to the falls. Spray falls are very impressive as the water cascades off the edge of a cliff into Lake Superior 70 feet below. This hike can be also done as a loop, and is a popular backpacking destination, but we also enjoyed it as a day hike as much. After your hike I recommend stopping in the town of Munsing to try some pasties which are specific to this region.
Brandywine Falls - Cuyahoga Valley National Park
As we were crossing through Ohio, stopping at Cuyahoga Valley National Park was a must. Brandywine Falls is a popular little hike/walk but we really enjoyed it with all the fall colors in the early morning. Our daughter loves whenever there are boardwalks as they make it easy for her to walk and run. I highly recommend it as an early fall stroll if you are in this area, as fall colors and fallen leaves on the boardwalk make it more magical.
Blackwater Falls State Park
Blackwater Falls state park was a nice stop in West Virginia. We enjoyed morning views over Blackwater Canyon with all the colorful trees from Lindy Point. To get to the overlook it’s only a 0.4 miles to reach it. Easy walk to do with little kids but it was mudy in parts. There is also a viewing platform with benches so you will not be exposed. Make sure to arrive early as it’s the most popular hike in the park and the parking lot is small. Of course, another main sight in the park is Blackwater Falls which are also beautiful with all the fall colors. It’s just a short walk to see them.
Seneca Rocks - Monongahela National Forest
Seneca Rocks is another worthy stop and hike in West Virginia. It is West Virginia”s most well known and popular landmark, and it sits 900 feet above the North Fork River, offering unobstructed 360 degree views of the valley. Over the 1.3 miles and 900 ft of elevation gain to get to the top we enjoyed a well maintained trail thru a stunning forest with large trees and periodic views across the quiet farming valley . Once at the end the maintained trail, there is a safe and secure viewing deck to taking in the scenery above the Seneca Rock cliffs or if you are more comfortable with highest, continue up the unmaintained trail another 100 ft to the very top of the exposed rocky spin for the unobstructed 360 degree views.
Stony Man Trail - Shenandoah National Park
This is a short and easy hike with some of the best views in the Shenandoah National Park that are especially beautiful in the fall. The hike is 1.6 miles out and back with about 400 feet of elevation gain, and is a great family-friendly hike. As always, exercise caution on the rock outcrop once you reach it when hiking with little kids.
We started what can be considered “America’s Most Favorite Drive” which is the Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah National Park all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and I highly recommend it. It is a must-do at least once in your lifetime, and I do recommend doing it in the fall.
Grayson Highlands State Park
This was probably Zoey’s most favorite stop on our entire trip. This park offers access to the Appalachian trail, has beautiful pastures and meadows and most importantly has wild ponies which are a main attraction. Who doesn’t like to see cute little ponies? My daughter was overwhelmed with excitement. She kept saying “Let’s go find ponies!” This was the easiest hike we’ve done with her as we didn’t even have to motivate her. It was a wonderful experience seeing ponies up close as some were very curious and friendly.
Virginia Creeper Trail
A must-do activity if visiting Virginia in the fall. Such a beautiful fall bike ride as it follows the creek and crosses it on multiple bridges. The entire trail is 34 miles but we did half of it due to limited time. We got a shuttle at the town of Damascus for $20 per person that took us to the Whitetop Station. From there it’s a gradual downhill over 17 miles back to Damascus with elevation change about 1900 feet.
Rough Ridge Hike
One of the most popular short hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway located near Boone, NC. This hike is popular for a reason because it offers spectacular views from a scenic boardwalk overlooking Grandfather Mountain, and with all the fall colors it is not a view to miss. This hike is 1.5 miles round trip with about 340 feet of elevation gain. It is a great and easy family friendly hike, and my daughter did it all by herself without a problem. There were just a couple of slick rocks and mud on the trail to pay attention to with her.
Linville Falls
Linville falls are the most popular and photographed falls along the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is even a small visitors center right at the trailhead. There are different overlooks to see the falls, and two different trails to choose from. We took a short Plunge Basin overlook trail which is about a 1 mile round trip. It was a perfect early morning walk to stretch our legs and enjoy the falls by ourselves.
Alum Cave Trail to Mount Le Conte - Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited park in the United States, and this hke was recommended as one of the best hikes in the park. In order to do this hike without crowds, and make sure we get a good parking spot we woke up very early and started hiking just past 6am. This was the hardest hike of our trip with 11 miles there and back and about 2700 feet of elevation gain. The lower section has several fun bridges to cross and even a rock arch to go through. After 2.2 miles you will reach the Alum Cave which is actually not a cave but an alcove. After that the hike keeps climbing to the top of Mount Le Conte, which is the third highest peak in the Smokies. I can’t say this hike is suitable for little kids because of consistent incline, rocky terrain and narrow sections. While my daughter walked some portions of it, she was also carried most of it. That being said, you can still do it will little kids like we did. We all enjoyed this hike and highly recommend it if visiting the park.
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About Me
Hi, My name is Natasha Moon. I am a blogger, photographer, traveler and an adventure mom. I consider nature and experiences in the outdoors to be a much needed therapy for me and my family. I hope you can find inspiration and motivation on my blog.