We love road trip because they are fun, we get to see new things, and we are able to travel more this way. A plane ticket for six is way more expensive than filling up gas in our “white school bus.”
Tips for taking a road trip with kids:
1. Bring lots of snacks with you. Trader Joe’s sells healthy snacks. You can even get salads in a bag. Just bring a bowl so you can mix it.
2. Use rest area bathrooms every two hours. Encourage everyone to go even if they don’t feel like they need to because chances are they will ask to go in 10 minutes. If you use restrooms only at gas stations kids will ask you to buy them gum or candy. Rest areas don’t sell anything so you’ll be saving money. They also have picnic tables. Great way to make something healthy.
3. Bring audio books. You can rent these at the library for free. Makes time pass so fast and kids will be looking out the window looking at scenery.
4. Do 30 minutes of quite reading for everyone in the car except for the driver. Everyone reads their own book. This is helpful because there will be silence for at least 30 minutes. If anyone starts talking you can just start time over again. I use my phone and set a timer so this way no one is looking at the clock but are focusing on enjoying their book. Children who can’t read can look at picture books on their own. Great way for them to come up with their own story by looking at pictures.
5. Bring new activity books or stickers with you. Something new is exciting and kids will most likely spend time doing it.
6. We homeschool in the car. We stay productive so time flies by quicker. When we arrive at the hotel we relax or go swimming.
7. Drive out early. When our kids were really little we would leave when it was still dark or drive at night starting at 7pm. They would sleep the entire time because it felt like night time. The downside to this is that there are not many places open so bathrooms are hard to find. Sometimes when you want a peaceful road trip you got to do what works.
We usually drive for 8 or more hours the first and last day of our road trip. The rest of the days we drive only a few hours each day.
Seven Magic Mountains
If you drive a bit out of Las Vegas on Interstate 15 towards Los Angels you might spot something very colorful. There are several large stacks of boulders all of which are very colorful, neon bright colors that can be seen from a distance. Our navigation sent us on a dirt path. Since we have a 4×4 vehicle with high clearance it was fun but not recommended for anyone who doesn’t have this type of vehicle. We now know that there is a parking space right next to the boulders which is right off the road so if your navigation tries to tell you that you need to go on a dirt road, don’t listen.
There are about 5 boulders of the same colors : pink and yellow colors of different shades. Some colors can be found on only one singular boulder : blue and gray. The tallest magic mountain is as tall as 35 feet. This attraction truly stands out in the landscape that surrounds it.
It is a great place to stop at if your driving by.
Stewart’s Point in Lake Mead N.R.A
Stewart’s Point at Lake Mead National Recreational Area is a really nice place to visit. There is a fairly long dirt road which leads you here. When you get really close to the lake you can find dozens of little roads which bring you closer to the shore. The landscape here is very much shaped by the water. It’s clear that over time dirt has been collapsing resulting in the spots closer to the lake being lower than those further away. The ridged landscape looks really nice from close and far away.
Take off your shoes and walk barefoot down to this man made lake. We actually were able to put our feet in the water. Great place to escape from Nevada’s heat.
Lost City Museum
The Lost City Museum is a museum built to showcase the history and culture of the Ancestral Puebloans who lived here. At this location you can see artifacts and read the information on the walls or watch a informational film and all the other good stuff about museum of this nature. They have perhaps our favorite thing that can be found at a Native American cultural museum: replicas of housing. Here they have replicas of pueblos and this word which originates from the Latin word for people. Pueblos are community oriented living spaces. They are very much an example of what much modern housing looks like. Definitely ahead of it’s time in America at least.
Mouse’s Tank (Petroglyph Canyon) in Valley of Fire State Park
Petroglyph Canyon is a place where you can view the ancient art of the Native Americans that lived here. The best way to explore this canyon is via Mouse’s Tank Trail. It’s a 0.8 mile trail in Valley of Fire State Park. There were dozens of areas in which we found Petroglyphs. We found them often and well spread out.
Valley of Fire State Park has some amazing views. We saw many Bighorn sheep here. You’ll want to drive slowly at this park because they are everywhere. The earlier you come the greater your chance is to see them.
I wonder if the artists who carved the petroglyphs saw the exact same views of red rocks and Bighorn sheep and were inspired by the beauty of nature just like we are today.
The White Domes Trail
The White Dome Trail is a 1.1 mile hike which takes you through a part of Valley of Fire which is very colorful. Here you can see everything between tan and red. As well as plenty of variation in space. From small canyons to large valley’s. Much of the trail had sand on the ground. If it wasn’t sand it was often stone which was slippery because of the sand spread on top of it. The sandstone formations are stunning.
The Professionals (1965) was shot here.
We did this trail first thing in the morning. It gets really hot here even in October.
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