Lower Bell Canyon Reservoir Hike

Distance and Elevation Gain:

From the Granite trailhead to the reservoir is .7 miles, with a vertical rise of 560 feet.

 

From the Boulders trailhead to the reservoir is .5 miles with a vertical rise of 578 feet

 

Hiking time: 1- 1.5 hours

 

 

Driving Directions:

 

Granite trailhead- located just East of the intersection of Wasatch Boulevard and E. Little Cottonwood Rd. at about 9800 South and 3400 East. Toilets available.

 

Boulders trailhead- located at 10245 S. Wasatch Boulevard; it has parking but no toilets.

 

More info: Here and Here

 

 

We parked at the Granite Trailhead where toilets are available. That's always a good idea to have toilets withsmall kids. I like to have them try to "go" before the hike and after so we don't have problems on the hike.

 

 
This was a beautiful hike with beautiful views of the valley. We started hiking about 10:00 am. I would suggest starting earlier in the summer since it got pretty hot at the end.

 

Having a rewarding snack at the top of the trail before heading back down. We could see ducks in the reservoir too. If you have the energy you can walk further around the reservoir.

  

Abigail fell asleep. She looks a little squished.

What a great spot for lunch!

I spy some snow!

Why is she so cute with a little pack on!?

 

I love hiking with Eliza. It's a great work out for me since I'm carrying a 20 lb. baby on my back and frequently have to carry Eliza for a little bit on my front. It's great for Eliza because she gets outdoors and enjoys nature and builds up her stamina for more hiking. And it's beautiful and free!

Temple Quarry Trail

Temple Quarry Trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon

Total Distance: 0.3 round-trip (very short)
Walking time: 10-30 minutes (depending on how long you want to spend there)
Elevation Change: 85 feet

 

"This paved interpretive trail explores the site where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quarried stone to build the Salt Lake Temple in downtown SLC."

"Paved and wheelchair accessible, a great walk for toddlers and young children. Lined with interpretive signs outlining the site's role in building the temple, the trail offers a chance to learn a little piece of SLC's history in a beautiful mountain setting."

 

Driving Directions: From the south, take the 90th South I-15 exit, which turns into 94th South. Continue east to the mouth of Little Cottonwood. Just before the stop sign (where you turn right onto the road up the canyon), you'll see a paved turnoff to your right taking you to the Temple Quarry Trail parking area. 

From the north, take Wasatch Blvd. When you see the illuminated road condition sign at the mouth of Little Cottonwood, turn right then immediately left again into the Temple Quarry parking.

More info: Here

 

This trail is an easy 10 minute trail with interpretive signs talking about the granite stone the Pioneers cut to build the temple. It was overcast and rainy that day. Luckily the rain stalled long enough for us to complete our hike.

You can see the chisel marks on the edge of the granite slabs where the pioneers would hammer it in to split the huge rocks into smaller pieces.

The kids enjoyed climbing among all the rocks.

Very fun "trail." It's basically a short walk. My baby was in an umbrella stroller. Fun place to walk around and explore for little kids.

Lisa Falls up Little Cottonwood Canyon

Distance – 0.45 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 15-20 minutes
Elevation gain – 128 feet
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – Dirt and rock, some easy boulder hopping

Driving Directions: Drive 2.7 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon between mileposts 6 and 7. The trailhead is on the northern side of the road. This is a very short hike to a waterfall hidden in the trees. You’ll see a small parking area on the right side of the road, followed by a small parking area on the left side of the road. Park on the LEFT side of the road if possible, as the trail to Lisa Falls starts there.

 

 

This hike was so easy! We made it to the falls within 10-15 minutes. The trail was relatively easy as well.

One of our little hiking friends.

The waterfall was really fun to see. We could feel the spray coming off of it.

Our cute little Abby in her pack as usual.

My little rock climber.

More information: Here

Studio 5 House Crash Segment

 

 

You guys! I was recently featured on Utah's life and style TV show Studio 5! I was featured in a "House Crash" segment where Brooke Walker, the host of the show, comes to your home to "celebrate" your creativity while filming different projects, decor, interior design ideas, or other diy projects you have created.

 

You can watch the segment HERE on Studio 5's website.

 

Meeting Brooke Walker was so much fun! Such a lovely gal and so nice to my girls.





The date and time we set was moved around a couple times due to a shortage of staff they had one day, but it worked out great because the first time they were scheduled to come I had a horrible eye infection and strep throat.

 

I was out-of-control busy trying to get my home cleaned up to be shown on TV, which is no easy task. I was up late every night finishing projects, cleaning, organizing, etc. for a 4 minute TV segment!

 



Keeping it real- this is what my kitchen looked like when they came! We did NOT do any filming in here! Please do not think my home looks as tidy as it did in the segment. It is always a disaster!

 

 

They had to cut out A TON of footage and didn't include some of my biggest projects, including the statement wall I stenciled while 7 months pregnant in my baby's nursery, and the no-sew DIY tent canopy in my daughter's room.

For all the tutorials on these projects, visit my TUTORIALS page.

 

Obviously my 3 year old was pretty excited when the "TV people" came. Trying to keep her and my baby looking presentable for more than 5 minutes was quite the feat. And trying to keep my home clean the way I wanted it for the filming of the segment was near impossible. There were toys being scattered around every 5 seconds, I was constantly picking up and putting things away all day until the crew showed up.

 

Isn't she so cute posing for the camera? She loves showing off her height on this growth chart. We measure her nearly every day.

 

  

 

Updated nursery photos are HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Having Studio 5 come to our home was so much fun (and a lot of hard work). It was definitely fun for my girls to see themselves on TV!