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Lyman Lake State Park, Arizona

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Warped campsite pad
Shower in the dark
Lyman Lake
Searching for petroglyphs
Kids hiking
Examining the petroglyphs
Lylah taking pictures of the petroglyphs
Discovering more rock art
Lyman Lake. If you look closely, you can see ice on the lake
Sunset hike
Hiking at Lyman Lake
Mom and Rylen
Colton and Lylah reading about the petroglyphs

We arrived at Lyman Lake State Park later than we anticipated. When we did finally get there, it was after hours and we immediately discovered that our camp site was warped, some sort of disfiguration from either a tree or the soil but it was a mess to stabilize our camper on. Since it was after hours, we were unable to reach a park ranger to switch sites, so we did the best we could on the unlevel pavement.

Lyman Lake State Park itself wasn’t terrible, however, there were not many campers there. Our first night we attempted to take a shower and there were no lights in the shower facilities. We ended up showering in the men’s facilities together via lamp light. There were two stalls with warm water, so we took turns. The next day the park rangers fixed the lights, so our first night was the only time we had to deal with a dark shower. The weather and temperatures weren’t great the week we were there, but it did cooperate enough for us to have the opportunity to hike the petroglyph trails. The hiking trails surrounding the lake are beautiful with a lovely view, especially at sunset, and we enjoyed finding the different petroglyphs hidden along the hike.

While we were staying at Lyman Lake State Park, we took a quick day trip to the Petrified Forest National Park and the Meteor Crater in Winslow, AZ. The kids and I like to do a little research on the different places we go to beforehand, and we learned that the petrified trees are more than 200 million years old. Beside the opportunity to take a glimpse into an ancient world, the scenic drive through the national park is incredible. We unfortunately did not explore the National Park as much as we would have liked to because we wanted to see the meteor crater before the museum closed.

The Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater, is the largest meteor crater impact site in the US and is also considered the best-preserved crater site in the world. On the edge of the crater are telescopes pointing at different objects in and around the crater to add perspective on how massive the impact site really is. My pictures definitely do not do this site justice.

Kids at the Petrified National Forest
Colton on a petrified log
Checking out the petrified forest
Doing acrobatics on a 200 million year old log
Hiking through the petrified forest
Kids on a petrified tree
Lylah posing on petrified wood
Scenic drive through the Petrified National Forest
Rylen posing on petrified wood
A raven posing in the Petrified Forest National park. We found our first Raven not long after arriving in Arizona. Thought it was a giant crow, Discovered later that they were Ravens.
Kids’ first look at the meteor crater
Lylah looking at the astronaut statue in the meteor crater
Colton checking out the meteor crater
Colton at meteor crater
The meteor crater. Can you see the 6 foot tall astronaut statue?
Family photo on the edge of the meteor crater. Rylen was too scared to join in on the picture
But Rylen eventually decided to join us
Another astronaut statue for scale as to how large the crater impact is

About Author

Hello, my name is Kayla, and I'm a registered nurse from the Midwest. My husband and I have celebrated 20 years of marriage and are parents to two children. Our eldest, who has special needs, faced challenges in a traditional school environment. After exhausting all our options to support him, we chose to take a year-long break from society. We sold our house and most belongings, purchased an RV, and set off on an adventure across the United States. This year of travel allowed us to grow both individually and as a family.

My son and I both grapple with ADHD. I was unaware of my condition until it was pointed out by my son's psychiatrist during our first meeting. The most significant challenge I face with ADHD is communication. In one-on-one interactions, I manage fairly well, but when I'm nervous, upset, or deeply engaged with the subject, my thoughts become muddled, and my speech turns into a jumbled mess. Adding to the complexity, I have an INFP personality type according to the Myers-Briggs chart, which means I often find myself nervous, upset, or deeply passionate. To deal with these communication hurdles, I tend to fall back on silence, keeping my thoughts to myself.

Blogging has reignited my passion for storytelling, with travel as my muse, and helped me find my voice. Despite the irony of being a storyteller who struggles with verbal communication, I've found my voice through travel blogging and newsletters. This has allowed me to express my true, authentic self—a goal that has long been elusive. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all my readers for giving me a platform to be unapologetically me.

I would love to have you follow along in our journey as we navigate RV life, homeschooling and discover amazing places across the country!

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