Hiking Shakespeare Arch & Sentinel Traill | Kodachrome Basin State Park | 12 Utah Staycations

Man, I’d seen a few photos of Kodachrome Basin State Park and KNEW we needed to visit! Kodachrome State Park was named after Kodak Film in the 1940s which had just come out with color film. Kodachrome is known for their chimney like spires that jut out all over the ground. 

We hadn’t packed lunch, so we knew we probably had limited time before everyone got hangry. I asked the ranger which hike he would do if he could only do one and do it with a bunch of kids. He suggested Shakespeare Arch and Sentinal Hike. It was only 1.5 miles roundtrip, but I knew this would be too long.

So we modified the hike and only went as far as the Arch and the Sentinel. The ranger thought it was around .5 miles to the Arch, so we thought this would be doable. It totally was. Now, I’ve done a lot of hikes through the red rocks and dirt in Utah, but honestly, this was breathtaking. 

We were surrounded by miles of plains lined with beautiful cliffs.

We were basically hiking around this random rock formation in the middle of the fields, going up and down little beautiful red hills and suddenly we were there right at the Shakespeare Arch. 

The rocks are a deeper red and seem a bit more drastic out in the middle of nowhere. We were lucky that there was some cloud covered. The Shakespeare Arch while small, it still just as amazing.

We decided to have a little impromptu Easter egg scavenger hunt in the rocks and it was just what the kids needed!

They loved exploring through the little hills to find chocolate treats. 

After finishing our Easter hunt we went on to find the Sentinal formation. He
was just around the corner tucked in. Just take a few moments and check out the view and the path you hiked along. 

I love looking back and seeing the rock cliffs and the trails along the edges. It’s always fun seeing where you’ve come from. After finding the  Sentinel we decided to head back to the car. 

We played a lot of “I SPY” on the way back. The kids started getting hungry and just a little grumpy.

There’s so much more I wanted to hike and see, but while we had snacks I knew we needed something substantial and a nap before we could really do anything more.

So, we decided to say goodbye to Kodachrome and do one more driving trip down to Grosvenor Arch.

We've partnered up with Garfield County to giveaway an epic Staycation to Bryce Canyon Country! Be sure to read all about it and enter here!