Why You Should Take a Mother-Son Trip to Utah

It’s so fun that Zayne selected all your activities. How did you feel about his choices? 



Jamie: I was definitely happy with them, but I was terrified of canyoneering because I’m afraid of heights, and I thought fly fishing was going to be super boring and was prepared to read a book on the river bank, but it was really fun. I ended up being a horrible mountain biker, but Zayne was pretty good so I told him to go ahead of me and have fun, but then I got lost on my way back.

You went fly fishing, mountain biking, canyoneering, horseback riding, 4x4-ing, and more. What was your favorite?



Zayne: Fly fishing because I've never done it before. Mountain biking because I really like riding my bike and it was fun going down hills. Canyoneering because I laughed when Mom flipped over.

Jamie: I really liked canyoneering because I was excited to accomplish something new, but I panicked when I got close to every edge, and I lacked any depth perception rappelling off the side of the canyon. So yes, I flipped upside down into a stinky pool of water in a slot canyon! I also really enjoyed fly fishing and the peace and quiet on the river. I was able to cast pretty well so that was fun—until I got my hook stuck in a tree.

Let’s talk about the places you stayed—Montage Deer Valley and Under Canvas Zion. Tell us what you loved there.



Zayne: At Montage Deer Valley, the sushi restaurant was really good. I also liked the free arcade, the unlimited water, and the view from our room. At Under Canvas, there were lots of kids. The view was really nice when we woke up in the morning, and seeing lizards was fun. We didn’t have electricity or air conditioning, but that didn’t bother me.

Jamie: The service was excellent at Montage Deer Valley, and the views were really incredible. It’s located at the very top of the resort in Deer Valley, overlooking pretty much all of Park City. The hotel footprint was surprisingly smaller than I expected so everything was super accessible. And I loved all the small details: When we came back to our room at the end of the day, all of our chargers were wrapped with rubber port holders, and our sunglasses had little cleaning cloths next to them. 

The coolest part about Under Canvas was the location. Zion is a pretty busy area and Under Canvas is tucked away in a canyon so you really feel like you're out in the wilderness. There’s no light pollution—we could see the Milky Way. It would be really great for a couple families to go there together because of the sense of community that they build with live music, fire pits, s’mores, and different activities up at the main lodge. I did miss air conditioning, electricity, and being able to control the water temperature in the bathroom, but that was part of the experience!

How was the food?



Jamie: I gave Zayne a list of places, and said, “Where do you want to eat? You get to pick them all.” 

Zayne: My favorite was the shrimp tempura at Yama Sushi at Montage. Oh, and the steak at Fletcher's [in Park City] was really good.

Jamie: I agree with Zayne. I definitely recommend having dinner at Montage’s Yama Sushi one night, and Burgers & Bourbon there was good, too. But I also recommend going off property and into Park City for dinner at least one or two nights. It's a really cute town to walk around, and there's tons of dining options—I think Fletcher’s was my favorite meal, and we had really good ice cream down the street. The dinner at Under Canvas is your typical pub fair. You can also drive into Springdale, which is about 30 minutes away. Be sure to plan your meals ahead of time because it will involve some driving. And make reservations in Park City. It wasn’t too busy in the summer, but you definitely need them in the winter time.

Is there one thing that stands out as the most fun of the whole trip?



Zayne: Yes. Hanging out with my mom.

Jamie: Aww, that's hard to top! I would say the funniest moment was when I flipped over canyoneering and my head dunked into the disgusting water. But the best part of the whole trip was hanging out with Zayne.