Cedar City Day 4

This was one of the best hikes we have ever done!

We had to be home for Church meetings and baseball practice by seven o'clock, so we only had one adventure in mind for our last day. After breakfast and packing up the van we headed south to Kanarraville. We've wanted to do the Kanarraville Falls hike with its slot canyons, ladders, and frigid water for a long time, but we wondered if the boys were big enough. Today was the day to try it.

The hike costs $9/person, but it really was worth it. The trail is right in the creek bottom, and at first we leaped over, hopped on rocks, or tightroped the shore. But after a little while, we tromped right down through the ankle deep water because it was easier and much more refreshing.

Farther along, we came to some deeper pools. The water came up almost to Dad's waist, but that was Seth's armpits, so he got the wettest. Dax, who is always freezing anyway, had the hardest time with the cold water. But everyone loved this hike. There were smiles and laughter for most of the trip.

We came to the first ladder and waterfall after about a mile. We scampered right up, even though it was a little intimidating. Coming down backwards was much worse. Dad stood alongside the ladder, and Seth was near tears on the way down. The slots were beautiful, though, and it was really fun getting wet. When we got to the second, rickety ladder, we decided that we'd pushed far enough. We took a few pictures and turned back. This made it a four mile hike, which was plenty.

We decided to take the risk and hike. It was worth it!

The boys were so excited to hike in the water. 

Dad is such a great helper with obstacles along the trail. 

We saw lots of lizards on this hike.

These three are the best hikers! Pretty cute, too!

We stayed pretty dry the first half of the hike. 

We also saw a few different butterflies. Mom prefers them over lizards.  

Dad decided to hike in his swim trunks, which was very smart. 

Dad and Seth braved the river a lot sooner than the rest of us. 

We finally took the plunge and hiked in the river.  

The slot canyon section of the hike was beautiful. 

Dad took some great pictures with the sunlight streaming in.  

We passed many waterfalls along this hike. This was the first one. 

It was fun to stand right at the top of the waterfall. 

This was one of the deepest obstacles we faced. 

Lots of people use this waterfall as a slide. Mom was just happy she could climb the rocks and not fall. 

Look at how gorgeous that slot canyon is. So amazing!

The water in the slot canyon got really deep and was freezing! 

Seth was drenched, and Dax tried to keep his shorts dry. It didn't last much longer than this. 

This is where we turned around because the ladder was very sketchy.  

We loved seeing Dax and Seth giggle as they hiked through this deep water. 

Dax found a rock that looked like a heart. 

This beautiful swallowtail flew past us in the river.  

We also saw a collared lizard which was so pretty. 

We had a little time for lunch on the way home, so we stopped in Beaver at the Timberline Restaurant. The food was really good. In fact, we ended with a homemade cinnamon roll. It was so good that we ordered a second one. It made up for the terrible experience in Parowan. Cedar City was a short vacation, but it was still a lot of fun.

Mom loved her sandwich. It was delicious!

Dad loved his cinnamon roll...and so did everyone else!