Stolbi (Pillars) National Park in Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk is a beautiful city that is right next to the Taiga on the East side.  The River cuts through the valley and very close by is a group of rock outcroppings called Stolbi (or pillars).  This is an area that has been made into a national park, and which is an international destination for rock climbers.

On our way up to the Stolbi.  This portion is a nature trail with interesting information about the forest.

It is one of our favorite places to go, and when we were there this year, we made a trip.  Normally we have gone with friends from the city, but this time, we went on our own with the girls.  Babushka hurt her knee early in the summer, so she also didn't come with us.

The last long portion before the base of the Stolbi and the long staircase up to the pillars.

At the base there is a park that is geared toward climbers.  Our kids "resting" at the park.

More "resting."

We caught a bus right outside of the apartment and it is a bout a twenty-five minute ride to the entrance of the park.  The air had a lot of smoke and pollution in it over the city, but the higher we hiked up the road, the better the air got.  You need to walk up a road for about three miles to get to the base of where the Stolbi start.  Then there is a long staircase up to the first set of pillars and then paths around to the different rock formations.  We got to the base by about 11:00 am, had a quick lunch and then spent the next few hours hiking to, climbing on, and enjoying the views.

Hiking past the first of the rock outcroppings.

Adventure!

Climbing on the stolbi themselves.

Adventurers!

The Taiga, looking toward the city.  The air was bad.

The Feathers, our last pillar of the day.

We had a great time spending the day together with the girls.  We had quite a workout[1] but the girls didn't complain at all. We love hiking together and this is one of the favorite places for all of us to enjoy that activity together.

Hiking back down after a long day of climbing.

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[1] My fitbit clocked about 13 miles for the day and over 225 flights of stairs, or more than 2,000 vertical feet of elevation climbed.

Summer Vacation in Utah - Hike to Grotto Falls (Payson Canyon)

Sometime in July we went on this awesome little hike to Grotto Falls which happened to be located on the Nebo Scenic Loop, which is just a 10-minute drive from Payson where we were staying. I first found out about the Grotto Falls from an article that listed the six most adventurous family friendly trails in Utah. This particular trail is short (about one mile round trip) and easy enough even for a 3 year old child but adventurous enough to be exciting even for the experienced adults. The entire hike you have to cross the tree trunk bridges over a rushing small river until you finally arrive at the beautiful waterfall. We loved it!

Hiking to Grotto Falls

Crossing the river over the tree trunk bridge.

And another crossing (I love this worried look on Nika's face, she is our worrier)

And some more river crossing.

And some more crossing!

And here we are - the Grotto Falls!

Here is Spencer giving instructions to Nika on how to take a good picture of the two of us.

This hike has two different areas to view the waterfall. You can see it from the bottom and also from the top. You will have to scramble a bit to get to the top but it is a great adventure of its own, and we gladly took it. 

Lexa climbing to the top of the fall. It was a pretty steep climb!

At the top!

A view of a waterfall from the top.

I love these beautiful pine trees all around!

Climbing down was a bit more difficult but exciting.

Lexa and Sophie - our little adventure buddies.

Skipping over the rocks

 I am really happy we discovered this short trail and I highly recommend it to any nature lovers out there. It has a lot to offer and it will only take an hour or two out of your busy schedules. Bring your kids, bring your pets and just have fun!