Posted on by hrchow12

Alaska Cruise & Roadtrip – 2 Week Itinerary

In 2019, my husband and I left our 1-year-old and our 3-year-old with my parents and ran away to Alaska for a much needed temporary escape. I actually spent 1st-5th grade in Alaska, so none of the locations we visited were new to me, but they were new to my husband. I absolutely love Alaska, so it was fun to see everything with adult eyes. Most of our trips are breakneck adventures, but this was much slower-paced because after the constant exhaustion of managing two under two (and one with a chronic, diagnosed health condition), we needed a vacation.

So, as usual, our itinerary and pictures are below with my overall thoughts at the end. On this trip I took much fewer pictures because I’d been to these places before and I was in maximum chill mode, but hopefully it’s helpful!

Day 1 (27 Jun): Arrive
– Fly into Vancouver at 7 p.m.
– Stay at Samesun Vancouver Hostel (Okay)
Notes: After nearly missing our cruise ship on our Italy trip in 2015, we now are sure to fly into a port a few days in advance. Yay for being older, wiser, and less stressed.

Day 2: Vancouver
– Bike around Stanley Park (Recommend)
– Visit Granville Island Public Market (I only vaguely remember this)
– Capilano Suspension Bridge (Recommend)
– Richmond Night Market
Notes: Biking around Stanley Park was lovely and we saw bald eagles, otters, and other fun wildlife. I think I liked the public market, but I can barely remember it. The Capilano Suspension Bridge was cool but also crowded so I recommend getting there early if you can. Also, I took my foodie Richmond Night Market which has all sorts of fun unusual foods, but his stomach was so sick at the time (not due to the food) he couldn’t enjoy it, and I couldn’t eat very much either, sooo you win some, you lose some.

Day 3: Vancouver
– Gastown
– Board Princess Cruise (Recommend)
Notes: So Gastown is a nice spot to walk around and see the steam clock, but we didn’t spend much time here. I took a picture of this old statue (Gassy Jack) but when I was trying to look up/remember who Gassy Jack was just now, I found out that this statue has been removed, which is kind of more interesting then the statue. Maybe they’ll replace it with something cool.

Day 4: At Sea
Notes: So what’s different about this cruise is that you stick pretty close to the Alaska/Canadian coast, so there’s usually a nice view on the port side. Other than that, my husband and I found The Princess Cruise to be nice and relaxing (just our speed this time around.)

Day 5: Ketchikan
– Fishing! (Recommend)
Notes: So this fishing excursion was awesome. We were on a small boat with our guide and one other guy. Caught some rockfish, went trawling for Salmon, and then pulled over onto this secluded spot on the shore where they cooked our fish and served us a meal. On the way back, our guide stopped to throw the fish parts out, and we got to watch bald eagles come down to swoop them up (and… kind of fight over them.) We stopped by Ketchikan’s historical Creek Street before we boarded again, and that night from the ship we also saw whales, porpoises, and sea otters in snow’s pass. I absolutely adore Alaska’s wildlife.

Day 6: Juneau
– Mt Roberts Trail (Recommend)
– Kayaking Mendenhall Glacier
Notes: I *think* we hiked up Mt Roberts Trail and then took the tram down or vice versa, and there’s definitely a lovely view at the top. I remember the kayaking to be slightly disappointing though. You see so many glaciers closer up on the cruise, the kayaking was a little underwhelming. Lots of eagles and ravens about though, and we stopped by an old saloon before getting back on the boat.

Day 7: Skagway
– Excursion: took the train to cross into Yukon territory (Recommend)
Notes: This place was GORGEOUS and I loved learning about the Alaskan gold rush history along the way.

Day 8: Glacier Bay
Notes: It’s really difficult to capture the scale and beauty of this place, and you don’t even have to get off the ship. And we got to see the glacier calve! Forget about any other glacier cruises, you’ll get your glacier fix here.

Day 9: College Fjord
Notes: I literally have no memory of this day. 😂 My husband wrote in his trip notes only “yuge glacier” so there you go, I guess.

Day 10: Drive to Denali
– Take bus to Anchorage
– Pick up rental car
– Stop by Anchorage’s Saturday Market
– Drive to Denali
– Eat dinner at Healy Thai Food (Recommend)
– Stay in Aurora Denali Lodge (solid)
Notes: I used to go to Anchorage’s Saturday market all the time as a kid, so it was a big nostalgia thing for me, and in 2019, Alaska was having a lot of issues with wildfire smoke, so I was so thrilled to be able to see Denali nearly the whole time on our drive up! Also, I’m pretty sure we ate at Healy Thai Food (it’s a food truck) every night and my foodie husband still remembers it being amazing.

Day 11: Denali
– The longest bus tour they offer
Notes: So, the bus tour is something my mom took me on multiple times as a kid so it also had that nostalgic gleam to it. But though we saw a ton of animals (moose, fox, eagle, caribou, bears… I’m sure there were more) I would definitely go with a shorter bus tour next time. It was fun to kind of pretend pan for gold in the back country of the park, but I’d still opt for a shorter bus tour.

Day 12: Denali
– Whitewater Rafting
– Hike Savage Loop Trail
– Husky Homestead (Recommend)
Notes: Whitewater rafting was fun, and savage loop trail was also a pleasant, relaxing walk. Husky Homestead was definitely the highlight though with lots of puppy snuggling and an interesting presentation from Iditarod champion, Jeff King.

Day 13: Denali
– Drive back to Anchorage
– Stayed in House of Jade B&B (Recommend)
Notes: I had “hike Mt Healy Overlook” on our initial itinerary but I can find no photograph evidence of us actually doing that, and I can’t remember doing it either. 😂

Day 14: Anchorage
– Hike Byron Glacier (Recommend)
– Visit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
– Fly home!
Notes: We had a late flight and it was further delayed due to the smoky conditions, so we went hiking with a local friend and her daughter on Byron Glacier. It’s an easy hike and there were tons of kids running around on the glacier. We visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on the way home to see the Alaska animals we missed and saw a big bull moose on the way! A great way to top off our trip.

Overall Thoughts
I remember this being a very relaxing, recharging trip with lots of natural beauty. My husband and I both enjoyed it, and while there’s a part of me that wishes we had done more stuff off the beaten track, I think it was perfect for what we needed at the time. I did think it was funny on the way home, my husband said, “we haven’t seen the sun set or rise in two weeks.” Which was totally true, and I almost hadn’t noticed—definitely a fun quirk of summer in Alaska that I loved as a kid and makes it easy to fit in lots in your long, sunny days!

The most memorable highlights for me were fishing in Ketchikan, taking the Skagway train, soaking in the sights from the cruise ship, and snuggling puppies at Husky Homestead.

Hopefully this is itinerary is helpful for anyone else planning an Alaska trip, and if you have any questions, just let me know. If you want to check out our other travel itineraries over the years, you can find them here. Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Backpacking New Zealand – 2 Week Itinerary

My husband and I took this trip back in 2017, I had to pump like four times a day because my son (who was staying with my parents) was still nursing, and it is still, to this day, the best vacation I have ever been on. I would go back to New Zealand in an instant. While it’s been a long time, I still have our itinerary (which I plan in excruciating detail), so I figured I’d share it in case it’s helpful for anyone else! You’ll find our day to day schedule below along with some notes (my husband didn’t do a trip journal for this trip, so it’ll just be from my memory after seven years) and then overall thoughts at the bottom.

Please keep in mind that we like to move really fast on our vacations and cover a lot of ground. In fact, the folder that my husband saved our pictures under is called “Breakneck Zealand.”

Day 1: (Mar 17) Auckland
– Arrive in Auckland at 0555
– Rent a car
– Go to PakNSav for breakfast supplies
– Check in hotel (Oaklands Lodge) and spend the day in Auckland
– Auckland activities: Cornwall Park and Domain Park (Recommend)
– Auckland eats: (I can’t actually remember where we ate, but these are the places I had written down that were close-ish to our hostel) Best Ugly Bagles, Burger Fuel, Wok n Noodle Bar, Eden Village Fish Shop, Zool Zool, Namaste Bar
Notes: Auckland was gorgeous. I absolutely loved the parks and walking around the city. However, I underestimated how tired we would be after the 14-hour flight, and I made my poor husband walk 13 miles around the city. Later on, we would discover the public buses were extremely easy to navigate, and we definitely should’ve used them! Our hostel (we stayed mostly in hostels with private rooms) was also cozy and in a good location. My husband also had to learn how to drive on the left side of the road, which is always an exciting adventure. 😂 But I think he got the hang of it much faster than he thought he would.

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Day 2: Waitomo & Drive to Tonga
– Leave at 0600 and drive 2.5 hours to Waitomo
– Waitomo Eats: Waitomo general store (takeout Indian not Far)
– Check in at 0830 for 5-hour Glowworm Black Abyss Tour (Recommend)
– Finish at 1400 and drive 2 hours to Tonga
– Tonga eats: Groceries
– Stay at Plateau Lodge
Notes: Okay, first of all, I cannot under-describe the beauty of the New Zealand countryside, and the Glowworm tour was a blast. I also had written in our agenda ” If time/energy, visit Huka Falls & Lake Taupo” But, with the jetlag and the 13 mi walk the previous day, I’m pretty sure we were so exhausted when we got to the hostel we turned in. Plateau Lodge was a another cozy hostel with a great location, a shuttle to Tongariro, and a good kitchen that fit what we needed.

Day 3: Hike Tongariro Crossing (MUST-DO)
– Use hotel shuttle and hike Tongariro Crossing (leave at 0730, return at 1530)
– Drive 4.5 hours back to Auckland
– Stay at Oaklands Lodge in Auckland.
Notes: This is one of my favorite, most memorable hikes I’ve ever done. And not just because Mt Tongagiro is Mt Doom from the Lord of the Rings movies. Tongariro Crossing is a 12 mi point to point with wildly beautiful and varying landscape. And if you plan on summit-ing Mt Tongariro itself, you need to add about 2 hours for the extra 1.2 mi. We did not take that side hike because we weren’t sure if we would be able to make it to our shuttle in time. (There was a later shuttle but it was MUCH later and we still needed to drive back to Auckland.) In retrospect this was a good choice, because we were definitely tired at the end of the hike as it was and we would’ve had to BOOK it to make the early shuttle. Though I don’t remember it being crowded at all, as of 2023, apparently you need to book tickets for your Tongariro crossing in advance so you can be sure to get a shuttle.

Day 4: Travel to Milford Sound
– Fly to Queenstown
– Rent Car
– Drive 4 hours to Milford Sound
– Stop in Te Anau and pick up key lock and hiking tickets (see Routeburn Track Day below)
– Stay at Milford Lodge
Notes: This was mostly a travel day for us, but the drive from Queenstown to Milford is beautiful. I think I harbored fantasies that we might be able to do stuff on our way through Queenstown, but we definitely didn’t have time. It wasn’t a huge deal though because we had more time in Queenstown later on in the trip. Milford Lodge was the one place where we shared a room with another couple, but jet-lagged as we were, I think we fell asleep before they got there and left before they woke up. Not ideal, but lodging around Milford is sparse so we felt lucky to get a room.

Day 5: Milford Sound (MUST-SEE)
– Kayak tour and hike around
Notes: This is a place our photos will *never* do justice. It is beyond beautiful and just completely surreal. I don’t think the kayak tour was a must do, but in general, this place is a must visit.

Day 6: Routeburn Track Hike (MUST-DO)
– Hike 14 miles and stay at Routeburn Falls Hut
Notes: To this day, the best hike I’ve ever done. We did the Routeburn as a two day hike, staying at one of the bunk/dorm style huts along the way, and hired someone to drive our car from the start of the trail to the end. Even looking at the pictures makes me want to go back and hike some more. Honestly, if you’re a hiker, don’t miss this one. Pictures don’t do justice.

Day 7: Routeburn Track Hike & Queenstown
– Hike 7 miles
– Care ready at 1130
– Drive 1 hour back to Queenstown
– Ate at Fergburger for lunch and Erik’s Fish and chips for dinner (solid eats but the crowd at Fergburger is nuts)
– Drive the Luge in Queenstown (Recommend)
– Stay in Absoloot Value in Queenstown (solid)
Notes: Pardon the absolute glut of pictures (trust me, we have so many more), I don’t know how else to convey how amazing this hike is. I think I also entertained the fantasy of us hiking Ben Lomond in Queenstown, but we really just ran out of time/energy. We drove the Luge and walked around and that was just right for today.

Day 8: Mt Cook National Park
– Drive 3 hours to Mt Cook National Park
– Hike (I cannot remember which hikes we did, but I have written down: Hooker Valley Track, Red Tarns, Tasman Lake Walk, Sealy Tarns)
– Stayed at YHA Mt Cook (solid.)
Notes: In retrospect, if I had to cut one thing from our itinerary, it probably would’ve been this. I enjoyed the drive out to the park, but I remember being a little underwhelmed by the Mt Cook hikes after the wonders of Milford Sound and the Routeburn Track. In fairness, it was a cloudy day, but then magically, it cleared up that night, and I saw some of the brightest stars in my life. (And it’s always cool to look at the Southern Hemisphere Constellations)

Day 9: Hike and Drive to Queenstown
– Hike around Mt Cook National Park
– Drive back to Queenstown
– Stay at Bungi Backpackers (I remember not being crazy about this place.)
Notes: Full disclosure, we were starting to get fatigued and used this as a bit of a recharge day.

Day 10: Travel to Bay of Islands for Rock Adventure Cruise (MUST-DO)
– Fly to Auckland
– Drive 3.5 hours to Bay of Islands
– Stay the Floating Hostel (The 1-day Rock Adventure Cruise)
Notes: Okay, my husband and I almost called an audible and didn’t do this (it had been a long day and it was pouring when we got The Bay of Islands) but that would’ve been a HUGE MISTAKE, and I’m SO incredibly glad we did this. Like, I’m even smiling thinking about it right now. Heck, I’m even going to link it. If I ever go back to NZ, I’m totally doing this again. This was SO much fun. I have never kissed so many fish in my life (IYKYK) and my husband even caught an octopus (though he did not kiss it.) Looking at the stars as you float in bioluminescent algae, fantastic guides/hosts and just a super fun atmosphere on board. Cannot recommend enough.

Day 11: Rock Adventure Cruise & Drive to Rotarua
– Spend the morning on the Rock Hostel
– Leave at 3 p.m. and drive 6 hours to Rotarua
– Stay at Rock Solid Backpackers (Solid)
Notes: The Bay of Islands is GORGEOUS. Also have I mentioned the Rock Adventure Cruise was a complete blast? It was the perfect place to recharge while having fun near the end of our trip.

Day 12: Rotarua
– Te Puia (Recommend)
– Whakarewarewa – The living Maori Village & Forest (Recommend)
– Hobbiton (MUST-DO)
– Drive 3.5 hours back to Auckland
Notes: Te Puia and Whakarewarewa were really interesting from a cultural perspective, and the geothermal activity there is really interesting there as well. We were actually supposed to go whitewater rafting today, but it was cancelled due to high water levels. So on a whim, we decided to go Hobbiton and it was the BEST AUDIBLE EVER. I like Lord of the Rings but I’m not a mega-fan or anything, so at first, it wasn’t even on our itinerary. But Hobbiton is hands down incredible. It is absolutely gorgeous and the level of detail is astounding. Somehow we managed to luck out on a random Tuesday when crowds were incredibly low, our guide was amazing, and we had a blast. It horrifies me that we almost missed out on it!

Day 13: Sydney, Australia
– Fly to Sydney
– See the Opera House (Recommend)
– Do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk (Recommend)
– Stay at Jackaroo Hostel Kings Cross (solid)
Notes: It just so happens that it was cheaper for us to go ATL->Auckland->Sydney->ATL then to do a roundtrip from ATL to Auckland. Go figure! I’d traveled around Australia before, but since my husband had never been, I wanted him to at least see Sydney. However, I would like to note that at this point, we were both getting pretty exhausted, so, as beautiful as Sydney is, we were starting to look forward to going home.

Day 14: Thursday, Mar 30 – Featherdale (Recommend)
Notes: If you want to go see the bizarre creatures of Australia and feed a wallaby, this is the place to go! This was my second trip to Featherdale, and while I enjoyed it, it was a little out of the way, and we were definitely worn out and ready to go home at this point.

Day 15: Friday, Mar 31 – Fly home!
Overall Notes: So yeah, like I said, this was definitely my favorite vacation I’ve ever been on and certainly the most memorable (even if we were exhausted by the end!) Whenever someone asks a recommendation of where to travel, or one place I’d travel back to it, it’d be New Zealand.

There were so many must-do and must-see things that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I *had* to trim a few things from the itinerary, I’d probably nix Mt. Cook and the hop to Sydney (though if it had been my first time in Sydney/Australia, I might’ve felt differently.) And what’s crazy is that even though we saw so much, I feel like there are so many things we didn’t get to do! So yeah, hoping to one day make it back to New Zealand. 💛

Anyways, hope this was helpful, and if you have any questions about the itinerary or anything, feel free to ask! If you’d like to check out our other itineraries for our other trips over the years you can find them here!

Posted on by hrchow12

Iceland 10 day Itinerary!

We interrupt this bookish content for our annual adventure report! For our getaway this year, my husband (AC) and I hit Iceland for 10 days! As always, thanks to my parents for watching the kids while we went exploring! 😘 Since I heavily depend on travel blogs for tips, ideas, and itineraries, I wanted to put out my recommendations in case it’s helpful for anyone. I’ll describe our itinerary and then give some general thoughts/suggestions.

Itinerary

  • Day 1, Sat, 27 Aug: Flew through Chicago to Keflavík on United.
  • Day 2, Sun 28 Aug:
    • Arrived at 9am (4am central time)
      • OMG It was windy and cold. But mostly windy. Did I mention it was WINDY??! Something like 35mph winds on the 28th and 50+mph on the 29th.
    • Picked up 4×4 from Ice Rental – recommend.
      • Quick & no issues. So glad we got the 4×4 because the roads in Iceland can definitely be dicey.
    • Got groceries at the Kronán
      • Good location next to the airport & you *will* need the groceries. We basically lived on protein bars (that we packed), apples, nutella, & bread.
    • Drove 20 min to Blue Lagoon for noon reservation – highly recommend
      • Loved this. Such a clutch move to go right after you get in and are jetlagged out of your mind.
    • Drove 50 min to Reykjavik: walked to Hallsgrimkirja Church, Harpa concert hall, Laugavegur Street, and the Sun Voyager Sculpture
      • This was nice especially since we were too jetlagged to do anything else.
    • Ate at Reykjavik street food.
      • Simple but fast & filling. CA had Fish Stew (read: mashed potatoes with fish) and I had Meat Soup (read: chicken noodle plus mystery meat and minus noodles)
    • Stayed at Blue House B&B
      • Good location. Essentially we were in a two bedroom house, sharing a bathroom with the other guests. But since we went to bed at like 5pm and left at 5am we actually never even saw them.
  • Day 3, Mon, 29 Aug:
    • Drove 1 hr to Thingvellir & snorkeled Silfra with Troll Expeditions
      • Very interesting to snorkel in dry suit. Allegedly you’re snorkeling through the tectonic plates, but actually “between the plates” is broadly used here. You’re basically looking into crystal clear water in a crevasse. It was interesting but probably not a must do.
    • Hiked Öxarárfoss (2.6 mi)
      • Nice easy hike to be very overshadowed by future hikes.
      • Drove 1 hr to Glymur Waterfall hike (4.3 mi) – recommend
        • Great hike! Loved the views, though be warned there is a wide river crossing to be prepared for and well… I may have gotten us a little lost on the way down because there are false cairns everywhere and the actual trail isn’t well marked. 😅 Just remember to stick close to the falls, and you’ll avoid some serious bushwhacking.
      • Drove 1.5 hrs to stay at Galleri Laugarvatin – recommend
        • Really liked this place! A solid base camp for Golden Circle adventures with a private bathroom
  • Day 4, Tue, 30 Aug:
    • Drove 20 min to hike Bruarfoss (3.9 mi) – recommend
      • Lovely easy hike. The water was very blue.
    • Drove 15 min to hike around Geysir
      • Pretty crowded here, but can be a quick stop just to watch the geysir and walk around the springs
    • Drove 30 min to the Secret Lagoon hot spring
      • A very relaxed hot spring turned pool. Supposedly the oldest hot spring pool in Iceland. Not as schmancy as the Blue lagoon, but it was still nice to get our pool noodles and just relax for a bit
    • Drove 35 min to Kerid Crater
      • Interesting spot to stop at because the crater is rather impressive.
    • Drove 25 min to return to galleri laugarvatn
    • Ate at the Barnloft – highly recommend
      • Excellent burgers & ice cream with a relaxing atmosphere. However… the cow-viewing seats seem kind of weird when you’re eating a burger. Vegetarians beware.
  • Day 5, Wed, Aug 31
    • Drove 2.5 hrs to Landmannlauger
      • Felt like we were driving to the moon, and we really realized the need for the 4×4. The roads are *rough* and this place was remote. Fingers were definitely crossed we didn’t get a flat tire.
    • Blue Peak hike (3.8 mi) – recommend
      • We were originally supposed to do Brennisteinsalda as well… but the weather was way rough. The CAT 1 winds at the top were so crazy it knocked me on my butt a few times, which was a little dicey on the narrow ridges (that triggered AC’s acrophobia). So after blue peak we called it. Still, despite the elements, it was a beautiful hike!
    • Sigoldugljufur canyon of waterfalls viewpoint – recommend
      • You kind of have to park and walk to get here, because it’s unmarked (but it’s on google maps), but the beautiful view is totally worth it.
    • Haifoss – recommend
      • Another beautiful waterfall viewpoint
    • Ate at the Barnloft again.
  • Day 6, Thu, Sep 1
    • Drove 40 min to Gulfoss – recommend
      • Definitely cool if you get here early. This is a big waterfall, but later on the crowds are crazy
    • Drove 2 hrs to Kerlingarfjoll and hiked Hveradalir geothermal area – recommend
      • So it was freezing and sleeting on us, but we still spent several hours here and it was really cool. Some of the hiking areas are quite steep though, and can get super slick and muddy (like shoe stealing muddy) on narrow ridges. Definitely triggered AC’s acrophobia
    • Drove 3 hrs to stay at Loa’s Nest – highly recommend
      • Our favorite place we stayed! Private bathroom and cozy room in the horse pastures of Iceland. Also the owners are super personable and had some great recommendations on what to do in the area.
    • Eat at Hekla street food – highly recommend
      • Delicious fish and chips. Hot, fresh, filling & perfect after a long day.
  • Day 7, Fri, Sep 2
    • Waterfall Way (first 4.2 mi of Fimmvorduhals) – highly recommend
      • We were originally planning on doing the whole 15.5 mi point-to-point hike and taking the trex bus back, but AC had injured his leg, so we just did waterfall way. But probably my favorite hike from the whole trip.
    • Ate at Hekla street food again
  • Day 8, Sat, Sep 3
    • Big driving day with lots of stops! Hit:
      • Nauthasagil – highly recommend
        • Really liked this hike! Just wish we had some Wellies to go a little further down the river to the waterfall instead of only rock-hopping part way.
      • Baby Yoda Cave
        • Right off the main road and worth visiting for the lol factor. It totally looks like baby yoda.
      • Dyrholaey arch – highly recommend
        • Beautiful views
      • Reynisfjara black sand beach – highly recommend
        • Very scenic
      • Ate at Black Crust Pizzeria in Vik – highly recommend
        • Yum! Great pizza, free wifi and chill atmosphere. Definitely recommend, and we hit this place twice.
      • Fjadrargljufur Canyon
        • Like a shorter, more condensed version of waterfall way, but still beautiful
      • Svartifoss – recommend
        • After a short hike, a nice waterfall with cool black hexagonal rock formations around it.
      • Fjallsarlon glacier lagoon
        • A little underwhelming, but right of the main road.
      • Diamond Beach – recommend
        • Very cool! Apparently if you go out early in the morning you have a good chance seeing seals or whales
      • Jokulsarlon Glacier lagoon – recommend
        • A bigger, better version of Fjallsarlon
      • Ate at Hali Country Hotel
        • Can’t recommend this place. We had essentially the same thing we had at Reykjavik Street Food on day 1, but it was like twice the price, and I swear I’d rather have had campbell’s soup out of a can.
      • Stayed at Skyrhusid Guest House
        • Simple hostel-like accommodation.
  • Day 9, Sun, Sep 4
    • Drive 1 hr to Vatnajokull Glacier Tour with Arctic Adventure – recommend
      • They outfit you with gear and take you up the glacier. We did the 4 hour tour, and it was a cool experience.
    • Ate pizza in Vik again
    • Drove 2.5 hrs to Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui – recommend
      • This is right off the main road, so it’s kind of crowded, but you can walk behind Seljanlandsfoss & Gljufrabui is in a cool cave, so even though we’d seen ~1 million waterfalls at this point, they were still unique.
    • Drive 2 hr back to Blue House B&B
  • Day 10, Mon, Sep 5
    • 50 min drive back to airport. Return car & fly out. Return home late on 5 Sep.

general thoughts and tips

  • Weather & what to bring:
    • Come prepared. It drizzled *a lot.* In fact, I’m not sure we had one day when it didn’t rain. We had temperatures from like 29-58 F which wasn’t so bad, but the wind was BRUTAL. I mean you *need* waterproof overpants, a waterproof jacket, a thermal base layer (read: long underwear), waterproof gloves (we brought non-waterproof and regretted it) and I also highly recommend waterproof socks.
  • Weird tip
    • If you’re doing an outdoor heavy itinerary like this, don’t bother acclimating to the time change. Because the sun is up most of the time, and almost none of these places had an opening time. So for almost the whole trip we were waking up at like 4-5 am, and we had these places nearly all to ourself for the early hours.
  • Food
    • Omg. Bring as many protein bars as you can because the restaurant choices are extremely limited. Even if you see restaurants on google maps, there’s no guarantee they will be open. You see a lot of tourists eating groceries out of their trunks, and there is a reason for that. The lack of eating options was tough on my foodie husband, and I vowed that our next vacation will definitely have a bigger food element because this was definitely not one of Iceland’s strong points. (Also, food is quite expensive here so there’s that too.
  • Language Barrier (or lack there of)
    • Everyone we spoke to knew English, but man, there are a lot of long place name words to remember!
  • Travel
    • Speaking of expensive, gas is SO expensive in Iceland. You have to have a debit card with a pin to buy at the pump, and gas stations aren’t exactly everywhere, so to avoid the nightmare of being stranded in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country, definitely fuel up early and often!
    • Also, be sure to download google maps on your phone for offline use and navigating should be fairly simple.
  • Things we would do next time.
    • There was an active volcano while we were there, and I wish we had been able to hike to it… but it was an 8 mile hike that was kind of out of our way… so we weren’t too choked up about missing it this time.
    • I also wish we’d been able to do the whole Fimmvorduhals hike, but if I were to do it next time, I would do that *first* so we’re not hiked out by the time we get there.
    • It would’ve been cool to make more of an effort to see the northern lights. But the darkness window in September is super narrow, and it was cloudy almost every day, so there wasn’t really a chance this trip.
    • Also, bring waterproof gloves.
  • Things I’m glad we didn’t do
    • Ring road. Our trip already had a ton of driving in it, and while Iceland is beautiful, we were more happy to get out into it, rather than spend the hours in the car. Especially when I didn’t see a whole lot of more diverse experiences on the north coast. But that was just us!
  • Should you go to Iceland?
    • If you are a fan of natural beauty and hiking, come prepared for the weather, and don’t mind surviving on proteins bars and Nutella for a few days, I think you will *LOVE* Iceland.
  • How much time do you need in Iceland?
    • So with 2 travel days, we had 8 days of Iceland fun. But honestly, I think you could have a fantastic trip in half that. You could easily cut out the glaciers to the far east and do half the hikes/waterfalls. But you definitely don’t need more than 8 days unless you are an *avid* hiker or running away from your problems on a remote volcanic island. But just my 2 cents.

Parting thoughts on Iceland

Iceland is the land of foss’s (waterfalls), glaciers, horses, and really long words. It is a unique, beautiful place and was quite the memorable adventure. I’m absolutely glad we went… but, real talk here, I don’t think it’s on our list to revisit. 😅 Oh boy, was that too honest?

Anyways, hopefully this was helpful! If you’d like to see more of our pictures, I posted a reel on tiktok and instagram @hayleyreesechow. Now, it’s time to plan next year’s adventure! If you have any questions about the itinerary, definitely let me know! 😊

Posted on by hrchow12

Wandering the American Southwest

So this is a break from our regularly scheduled bookish programming, but since I creep on a lot of travel blogs while I meticulously plan our vacations, I figured I’d post this in case it’s helpful to someone.

My husband and I left our kids with my parents (thanks parents! 😘), and road-tripped through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon for a week in September 2021. I’ll post our itinerary with short notes and then some overall trip thoughts at the end.

Saturday:
– Flew Delta into Las Vegas. Arrived Late.
– Rented car from Enterprise.
– Stayed at Marriott’s Grand Chateau
-> Nice, reasonably priced hotel right off the main strip. Recommend.

Sunday:
– Woke up late. Ate breakfast at The Egg and I.
->Huge portions, great muffins, yum. Recommend.
– Drove 3 hours to Zion National Park.
– Got National Park Pass and Gear (waterproof shoes and stick) for the Narrows from Zion Adventure Company.
->Friendly staff and they give you a short little overview of what to expect in the canyon and some safety tips. Recommend.
– Ate dinner at the Whiptail Grill.
-> Quick service and delicious food. Highly Recommend.
– Stayed at Bumbleberry Inn
-> An old-fashioned inn in walking distance of the park entrance. We got lucky with a nice view of the peaks behind our balcony, and they give free breakfast vouchers for Oscar’s Café across the street. Recommend.

Monday:
– Complementary breakfast at Oscar’s Café
-> Fast service, great food. Recommend.
– Take the park shuttle and hike the Narrows (10 mi)
-> So there’s a town shuttle that runs along Springdale to the park, but we found it was quicker to just walk the mile-ish to the entrance. The shuttles were busy when we got on them around 0800, but they move fast. If you want to avoid the crowds, definitely go as early as possible. The Narrows was an AMAZING hike. One of our favorites of the trip. It’s flat, but you’ll be walking through water nearly the entire way (up to about waist deep) so the waterproof shoes and stick were invaluable. It stays pretty cool in the narrow canyon, and the water was also quite cool in September, so we started off with sweaters and shorts, and eventually went down to our t-shirts. (Pretty much our M.O for the whole time with temps in the 40s in the morning and in the 80s in the afternoon.) There’s a fork in the trail to go left or right, and I definitely recommend going down both if you have the time and energy. We carried about 6 liters of water with us, but due to the cool weather, I only ended up drinking 1 liter. (Adam might have drank 2.) The Narrows is also cool, because it’s an out and back, so you can go until you feel tired and ready to turn around. They told us it would take us the same amount of time going up as it would returning, but we were definitely faster returning. (Mostly because we were used to tromping around in the water, but also because we were going with the current.) There were definitely a lot of people in there, but not unpleasantly so, and I did see some adventurous small kids braving the cold water as well. Highly Recommend.
– Returned shoes and stick and ate dinner at the Whiptail Grill (because we just couldn’t resist)

The Narrows Hike!

Tuesday:
– Complementary breakfast at Oscar’s Cafe
– Hiked Angel’s Landing (5 mi)
-> Another beautiful hike! My husband’s a bit acrophobic, so he waited for me at the bathrooms near the top (along with a bunch of other people) while I hiked out on the ridge. It’s probably the scariest hike I’ve ever done because the path is narrow and those drops are SHEER, but you adjust pretty quickly. The only big problem is that it was SO crowded (and we went on a random Tuesday in September!) SO SO SO crowded, and there’s lots of spots on the ridge, where there’s not room for two people abreast which really adds to the disconcerting feeling like you’re about to be pushed off. But they’re are hand rails to hold on to in most places. It took me about 2 hours to get out and back due to the crowds. Still worth it, and I definitely recommend… however GO AS EARLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. I did hear they’re making this into a permit-only hike in January, and I honestly think that’ll make for a better experience. And I do want to emphasize, the view is nice at the end, but there are lots of nice views of Zion. This hike is really all about the journey and the challenge (not the destination.) If that sounds good to you though and you get the chance, definitely take it! Highly Recommend
– Hiked the Emerald Pools (2.5 mi)
->We had some time so we went off to the nearby Emerald Pools which… were a little underwhelming, but it was a pleasant hike nonetheless, especially if you’re not up for the more intense Angel’s Landing right next door. We hiked from the Grotto, to the three pools, and then to Zion Lodge.
– Ate dinner at Pizza & Noodle
-> Service took a while and the food was just okay. Should’ve eaten at Whiptail again!

Angels Landing Hike!


Wednesday:
– Complementary breakfast at Oscar’s Cafe
– Drive 1 hour and 45 minutes to Bryce Canyon
– Hike Fairyland (8 miles) – top right pic below
-> Loved this hike down into the canyon! Lots of ups and downs, great views and changes of scenery. Highly Recommend. Took 5 L of water between the two of us and that was plenty. Highly Recommend.
– Hike the Queen’s Garden, Navajo Loop, Peekaboo Trail Figure 8 combination trail (6.4 miles)
-> It took some convincing to get my Husband to do the whole Figure 8 after Fairyland, but it was a great hike. While I loved doing both this one and Fairyland, if you’re short on time (and energy), I’d go for this one. (Although it is significantly more crowded.) Highly Recommend.
– Stay at Bryce Canyon Log Cabins
-> Pleasant cabins just outside of Bryce Canyon with a view of the plateaus. Recommend.
– Ate dinner at Pizza Place (this is the actual name)
->There aren’t many places to eat around Bryce so this place was WAY crowded. We got carry out. It took awhile, but it was decent enough pizza.

Fairyland (upper right) and the Peekaboo Trail (part of the Queen’s Garden figure 8)

Thursday:
– Ate breakfast at Bryce Canyon Coffee
-> Solid coffee and pastry place with a cozy atmosphere. Recommend.
– Drive 3 hours to Antelope Canyon and take lower canyon tour with Ken’s tours
-> Loved loved loved this tour! The Navajo nation requires masks during the pandemic, but since they were running at limited capacity, the lighter crowds were really nice. Our guide was lovely, and we got tons of great pictures. Highly Recommend.
– Ate lunch at the Bird House.
-> Counter service with delicious fried chicken and sides (my husband said possibly the best fried chicken he’s ever had). A surprising find. Recommend.
– Drive to see the big bend (*we totally forgot to do this* 😂)
-> Oops! Got a little distracted by Antelope Canyon. Oh well! Guess we’ll have to go next time. We did go peek down at the Glen Canyon Dam which was pretty impressive.
– Drive 2 hours to Grand Canyon
– Ate dinner at Maswik food court
-> Super meh. Which was kind of a theme for the food in the Grand Canyon Park. Next time, I would drive the 15 minutes out of the park to go find real food.
– Stayed at Thunderbird Lodge
-> Can NOT beat for convenience, but the lodge itself was pretty average. It was great to get an early start on the hikes. But it totally wouldn’t be a huge loss to stay outside of the park for cheaper.

Antelope Canyon

Friday:
– Hiked Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point (12.2 miles)
-> Bright Angel Trail was a fun hike. But I will say it is mostly the same view the whole way. If you’re going to do it, I would definitely recommend going beyond Indian Garden to Plateau Point. Indian Garden is a little underwhelming, but at least at the point you can see the river. There’s three stops for water and bathrooms along the way, which was nice. It took us a little under 6 hours, and while it was tiring, the uphill wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I will say, just be SURE you bring enough water and are dressed comfortably for the weather. We saw many people not carrying any water and hiking in restricting clothing. A helicopter actually had to fly in and land almost on the trail for one guy (and this was in September when the weather was nearly pleasant!) So, you know, be prepared and know your own ability. Recommend.
– Took shuttle bus to Grand Canyon viewpoints
-> On the first look, the Grand Canyon is enormous and awe-inspiring. But due to the great size… all the viewpoints looked very similar to us, so I wouldn’t say its really necessary to see them all.
– Ate dinner at Fred Harvey Burger
-> Pretty much the only decent place to eat that was open in the actual park. A half hour wait to get a table (though they do text you so you can go wander around) for average burger and pub fare.

Plateau Point! In the bottom left, you can actually see where the trail goes from the rim.

Saturday
– Ate breakfast at Maswik food court
-> Still meh, but pretty much the only option
– Hiked South Kaibab Trail to Oo-ah point (1.7 mi)
-> We were originally planning to hike down to Skeleton Point, but my husband’s acrophobia was getting the better of him, and if we’re being honest, we were kind of being hiked out. Oo-ah point was a very short, steep trail to a nice view of the canyon. But it was super similar to Bright Angel (once again, due to the size of the canyon, the viewpoints look pretty similar), so I didn’t really feel the need to go all the way down.
– Drove 4.5 hours to Las Vegas (we actually passed over the Hoover Dam on the way, but didn’t really feel the need to go investigate)
– Ate Dinner at Ramen-Ya
-> Delicious ramen at a little hole in the wall on the Las Vegas Strip. Recommend.
– Stayed at Marriott’s Grand Chateau

Sunday
– Returned car and flew home!

TL;DR

We definitely enjoyed our week-long road-trip through the national parks. With 3 nights at Zion, 1 night at Bryce, and 2 nights at the Grand Canyon, I thought we had plenty of time in each spot. If it weren’t for COVID, maybe we would’ve caught a show in Vegas on the last night, but that’s not really our scene in general anyway.

Zion was our favorite spot, then Bryce, and GC coming in #3.

The only thing I would’ve done differently is maybe stop over at the Big Bend on our drive from Bryce to GC. Also, I would’ve loved to stay at Phantom Ranch and do the Rim to Rim, but it was totally booked for October when I was planning this trip in April. So book early!

Overall, this was one of our slower-paced vacations. Although we were always up early to hit the trails, we were never in a rush, and we had plenty of time in the evenings to unwind. Hopefully, if you’re interested in planning vacay here, this has been helpful, but if you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask! And maybe when I get some more time on my hands, I’ll post some of our older vacation itineraries as well. 😊

And now this hermit gets to rest up until the next great adventure. 😊