Aspiration Trail

Kevin and Anne Hanson created the Aspiration Trail to help parents find fun things to do with their children in St. George, Utah. The trail is lined with painted rocks, and half the fun is reading and looking at the rocks. 

The first time I hiked the Aspiration Trail was in May 2020. Painting the rocks beforehand was part of the fun. Some of my children and grandchildren came. I went back to the trail last week with some friends and found out the trail had been revamped. Many people helped to redo the trail, but in doing so, there are not as many rocks along the trail as I saw before. 

Hiking this trail is fun and refreshing as you look at the funny, interesting, and spiritual rocks. The American flag monument at the top with numerous painted rocks at the base makes you want to linger longer to read them all. The hike is not that hard or long, but there is no shade, so plan on going early in the morning if you go on a hot day. 

A new addition was what I will call the “rocks of books”. People have painted their favorite books and there is a place for that. So, it got me thinking, what book would I paint?

Papillon and A Gentleman In Moscow – These are definitely some of my favorites!

I have so many favorite books that it is hard to pick one! I could divide my favorites into genres, such as classics, children’s, historical fiction, and so on. 

Boys In The Boat, The Great Gatsby, Daughter of the Forest

Today, I will list my Top 10 classics in no particular order. These are not children’s classics or even YA classics for me. I have 10 favorite YA novels, like The Outsiders, Anne of Green Gables, and others, but these are my Top 10 classics:

  • Gone With The Wind
  • The Great Gatsby
  • To Kill A Mockingbird
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Jane Eyre
  • A Tale of Two Cities
  • Les Miserables
  • My Antonia
  • The Count of Monte Cristo
  • Howard’s End and/or The Remains of the Day

I loved all these books, and have read most of them more than once. I wrote in the margins of all of these books, admired the writing, and analyzing the characters, the plot, and the themes. I will definitely be painting one of my favorite books and taking it to Aspiration trail soon! To be continued…

The Great Gatsby has already been done, so which one should I do?

What is your favorite classic book?

2 responses to “Aspiration Trail”

  1. My vote is To Kill A Mockingbird 🐦‍⬛ as it’s my favorite from your list! Also, revamped? What have they done to the trail?

    1. They had to move the trail more to the left. You can still access in the same place. Many people helped move rocks and also the rock flag tower. More painted rocks are needed though!

Leave a Reply

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading