Dates we visited: October 12th – October 18th 2020 Where we stayed:Green River KOA
Our fifth and final stop in the Utah Mighty 5 was Canyonlands National Park. Like Arches, this park is near Moab, however it is far less well-known, and much less visited. As it turned out, this was also our favorite of the five Utah National Parks. As its name implies, there are many canyons to be explored here. While it may not be as grand in depth and length as the Grand Canyon, we found this area to be very interesting. As you can see in some of Kristy’s photos, there are canyons within canyon’s which are joined by other canyons. It’s basically canyons all the way down.
Mesa Arch
Surprisingly, one of our favorite features of Canyonlands was the Mesa Arch. This arch was a striking example of this unique rock formation, and it was a bit more accessible than some of it’s brethren over in Arches National Park. We took a short hike to this Arch at sunrise, and even though there were a few other folks in the area, everyone was friendly and took turns capturing photos from the prime locations.
Grand View
The main road at Canyonlands enters the park on the north side, and offers a scenic drive up Grand View Point Road to it’s ending at Grand View Point.
The 1.8 mile out and back trail at Grand View Point is spectacular. The trail winds along the rim of the canyon, offering different vantage points of the multiple canyons. It was a little nerve-racking with Owen since there are no guardrails on the trail, but he did a great job sticking close to us and holding hands at the narrow sections.
If you haven’t heard of Canyonlands National Park, consider yourself informed. There are a number of hiking trails around the park, along with what appeared to be a pretty intense 4-wheel trail down into the canyons. Next time you are in the Moab area of Utah, make sure to take a day or two to explore this park.
Gallery
Canyonlands National Park is like the movie Inception, but with canyons. There are canyons inside of canyons and the deeper you go, the more canyons there are. The hikes were breathtaking due to both their beauty and the terror of having a three year old with us that loves to make sudden moves. Nonetheless, we loved this lesser known park that is just southwest of Moab.
Dates we visited: October 12th – October 18th 2020 Where we stayed:Green River KOA
The fourth of Utah’s “Mighty 5” , we visited Arches National Park after Capitol Reef. Arches is a popular destination and one of the more well-known National Parks. It’s also the closest park to Moab, which is famed for its mountain biking and outdoors activities. We stayed in the city of Green River, which is a few miles to the northeast, but is much less busy, and offers more affordable accommodations if you are willing to drive a bit further to get to the attractions in the area.
Highlights
We made a few trips into Arches so that we could check out the various features along the main road that runs the length of the park.
As you might expect, we stopped to check out several of the arches around the park. Two of our favorite locations were Delicate Arch and Double Arches. Delicate Arch is one of the most photographed arches in the world, and when you think of an arch rock formation, most likely this is the one that your brain conjures up.
Double Arches is also a popular location, this one is a bit more kid friendly to approach. The two massive arches are situated in a way that allows you to hike up underneath them, and Owen really enjoyed checking them out from below.
Obviously Arches is known for its, well, arches, but there is more to it than that. We also enjoyed the short hike around Balanced Rock. The massive and precariously sitting boulder will eventually topple off of it’s perch due to erosion. Most likely, that won’t happen for hundreds of years, but we’re still glad we got to see it before then!
Potash Dinosaur Tracks
The Potash dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs are not inside Arches national park, but proved to be an exciting destination for us nonetheless. A few miles south of Moab, there is a short but challenging trail that leads to fossilized dinosaur tracks. It’s possible to hike right up to the rock face and actually touch the tracks if you choose. This little trek was especially enjoyable for us because the destination is a little off the beaten path, and we were the only ones on the trail. If you are in the area, and into fossils and petroglyphs, it’s worth taking a few hours to pop over to this location.
Arches is a popular destination for a reason, the arch rock formations found here defy logic when you see them up close. Due to its proximity to Moab, the park is often busy, and we experienced more lines and crowds than we are used to. Our take is that you should definitely check out Arches at least once in your life, but if you are looking for a more peaceful experience, perhaps check out some of the other less visited Utah parks.
Gallery
Arches National Park contains an unbelievable assortment of natural stone arches, but that’s not all we found there. We visited this park a few times over several days and found several hikes and features that the whole family enjoyed.
After visiting Bryce Canyon, the next destination on our agenda for Utah’s “Mighty 5” National Parks was Capitol Reef. It’s a relatively large National Park at 378 square miles and is the most remote of the five Utah parks. Rather than tow the RV through some of the remote and mountainous terrain between Bryce and Capitol Reef, we opted to take a longer, but more well established, route by going up north to I-70 and then east. As it turned out, the drive along I-70 east of Salina, UT was absolutely stunning. There were dramatic rock formations that, if you’ll permit me to geek out a bit, looked like Star Wars Imperial cruiser spaceships crashed on earth (albeit made of red rocks).
Capitol Reef was given its name by combining two of it’s geologic features. First, the “Capitol Dome” was named due to its resemblance to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington DC. Secondly, the combined geologic features of the “waterpocket fold” and the Colorado plateau uplift formed a giant, very long cliff called an escarpment. Early explorers felt the escarpment resembled a reef, like one might find in the ocean. And so you put those together and you have Capitol Reef!
Petroglyphs
The drive into the park is super scenic, winding its way through the red rock canyons. After passing the namesake Capitol Dome formation, and shortly before reaching the visitor center, is a pull off to view some ancient petroglyphs. We stopped here to check them out and learn a bit about the history of the area. Seeing these thousand year old drawings carved into the sandstone is a reminder of those who came before us, and it refreshed our commitment to be good stewards of the land.
Grand Wash
After a quick stop and short hike to check out the Goosenecks Overlook, we made our way up the scenic drive to the Grand Wash Trail. We did this trail backwards from how Alltrails.com recommends. We turned off of Scenic Drive road on to the dirt Grand Wash road, and then parked at the Cassidy Arch Trailhead.
This is a great, albeit somewhat long, trail for younger kids. The trail is mostly flat, and while there is some elevation change, it is relatively gradual. as the name implies the trail follows a “wash” which is where flood waters flow when it rains, making it imperative that you check the weather before embarking on this hike.
The highlight of the hike is “The Narrows” which is a particularly narrow section of often referred to as a slot canyon. Owen had fun running his hands along the walls and describing the different textures of rocks we found along the way.
On our trip out we came across a pair of fellow hikers, one of which had rolled her ankle and was in quite a lot of pain. While they repeatedly turned down our offers of assistance, we were still quite concerned for them, as it was a hot day, and they were still 3/4 of a mile to the trail head. We decided to let the rangers know about her situation on our way out, and while there is little they can do unless someone specifically requests assistance, hopefully they were able to at least confirm she made it out safely. It was a good reminder for us to where the right gear, bring plenty of water, and keep some basic first aid supplies with us at all times.
An additional attraction at Capitol Reef is the Gifford Homestead, and the nearby orchards. This was a bit unexpected based on the terrain here, but supposedly the fruit, jams and jellies here are quite good. We didn’t have the opportunity to experience these treats on this go around, so that goes on the list for next time.
Even though we only made one trip into Capitol Reef, we took great pleasure in the diverse landscape and the awe inspiring canyons and escarpments. We tried to put ourselves in the shoes of early explorers on horseback who would have happened upon this giant, miles long cliff while looking for passages further to the west. I imagine the first time that happened it would have been a bad day, with them saying to each other, “well, I guess we just have to go around”.
Capitol Reef Gallery
Capitol Reef was the third of Utah’s “Mighty Five” on our agenda. We were struck by the coloration of the rock walls and unusual geology this park had to offer. We even managed to squeeze in a great hike through a slot canyon!
The feeling of walking through a forest and then suddenly emerging at the edge of a cliff overlooking a multicolored and dynamic canyon is hard to put into words. Bryce Canyon National Park, our second of five Utah parks, offered us family friendly trails and stunning vistas. We were lucky to be able to experience this park both in the evening as well as the early morning, each giving the park it’s own unique personality.
Dixie National Forest Boondocking
After our failed boondocking attempt near Zion we were a little nervous to try again, however this time it went much better. I was able to locate what appeared to be a suitable area of U.S. Forest Service Land using the Dyrt and Google Maps, but I wasn’t able to actually scout it out in person. Luckily, when we arrived, we found an available and relatively easily accessible campground within about twenty minutes.
If you are looking for a good, free, boondocking experience while visiting Bryce Canyon, definitely check out the FR117 dispersed camping area off of highway 12.
We had great stargazing conditions here, and enjoyed sitting out together to experience the evening. The one downside to this spot was that it was dusty. Perhaps it was the spot we picked, or maybe it’s just a fact of camping in this area, but we had planned to stay here for two nights, and ended up moving on after one due to the dust.
Fairyland
Our first stop in Bryce Canyon was Fairyland Point. This overlook is at a turn off right after the park sign, but before the formal entry gate. While there is a trailhead here, the trails are rather challenging with relatively steep drop-off exposure, so we just took in the sights from the overlook.
Some of the defining features of Bryce Canyon are the rock formations called hoodoos. While this is obviously a fun word to say, these unique spire-like rocks are even more fun to see. Imagine tall, roughly cylindrical shaped, red rocks scattered across the landscape. Some of them larger on their tops than their bottoms.
Sunrise to Sunset
Just inside the park is an area called Bryce Canyon City. The visitor center is nearby, along with campgrounds and a multitude of trails. There are two popular observation points called Sunrise Point and Sunset Point that are about a half mile away from each other. There is a popular and easily accessible trail that runs between the two point along the rim of the “canyon” (turns out it’s not technically a canyon, because it wasn’t carved by a river). In theory the views are best from each point at the time of day for which they are named. However, we found that each offered stunning views of the expansive hoodoo filled canyon at any time of day.
TIP: Try visiting Sunrise Point at sunset. Most of the crowds understandably flock to Sunset Point at sunset, but Sunrise Point offers a wonderful perspective with fewer people.
TIP: Try visiting Sunrise Point at sunset. Most of the crowds understandably flock to Sunset Point at sunset, but Sunrise Point offers a wonderful perspective with fewer people.
Scenic Drive
The scenic drive in the park is Highway 63. The road runs from the park entrance all along the rim with a number of overlooks, trailheads and interesting features along the way. We made a brief stop to check out the Bryce Natural Bridge, which is a stunning rock arch formation, before continuing on up to the end of the road at Rainbow Point.
After gawking at the vast expanse of unique geology at Rainbow Point, we completed the short Bristlecone Loop Trail. This trail was great for Owen, as well as Kristy and I. It meandered through the woods, with options to shorten or lengthen the hike, and had spurs to overlooks in all directions.
Bryce Canyon stunned us with the surprisingly quick transition from forest to eroded cliffs. We found it hard to wrap our heads around the natural forces capable of creating such a dramatic landscape. Next time we visit here we would love to tackle one of the more challenging hikes down into the canyon area. The view from above was spectacular, but I would imagine the view from ground level to be a totally different and unique experience.
Bryce Canyon Gallery
From hoodoos and fins to natural bridges, Bryce Canyon National Park was a dramatic landscape. We walked along the rim of a canyon that’s not technically a canyon and tried to wrap our minds around the natural forces that could have created such wild terrain.
Zion National Park was the first of Utah’s “Mighty 5” National parks that we visited. It’s also one of the most popular National Parks in the country. Carved by the Virgin river through multi-colored sandstone rock, Zion is definitely an experience. We were met with a few surprises here, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying this National Park!
Failed Boondocking
Our initial plan for Zion was to boondock on some BLM land near the park. However, when I went out to scout some spots in the Hurricane Cliffs region west of Zion, I found the roads to be essentially impassable with our rig, and the spots we would have been able to get to were full. So we quickly changed our plans and managed to snag a spot at the Zion River Resort, which turned out to be super nice. Like, they had a super clean hot tub and pool kinda nice.
The pool was an especially nice perk because it was hot! The high elevation and cool weather at Great Basin National Park had convinced us that it was Fall time, but a few thousand feet lower, and in the direct southern Utah sun it still felt like summer.
Surprise!
For our first trek into Zion I had researched a few hiking trails, and planned to drive us up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to do the Zion Narrows Riverside Walk. Well, we stopped into the visitor center to get a map and a Junior Ranger activity book and found two things:
Zion was BUSY! The bookstore at the visitor center was open, and quite full, and there were a ton of people in line at the ranger tent. The second surprise may have partially responsible for the business at the visitor center…
Turns out that during the summer months, Zion Canyon Scenic drive is closed to public traffic. The only way up the canyon is via a shuttle, and the shuttle tickets sell out very quickly. The shuttles were operating, but even if tickets had been available, we probably would not have taken one. I’m sure they were operating with practical safety precautions, but riding on a shuttle bus with a bunch of strangers just didn’t sound like a great idea for us right now. So we scratched the Zion Canyon drive off our list for this visit.
Zion was BUSY! The bookstore at the visitor center was open, and quite full, and there were a ton of people in line at the ranger tent. The second surprise may have partially responsible for the business at the visitor center…
Turns out that during the summer months, Zion Canyon Scenic drive is closed to public traffic. The only way up the canyon is via a shuttle, and the shuttle tickets sell out very quickly. The shuttles were operating, but even if tickets had been available, we probably would not have taken one. I’m sure they were operating with practical safety precautions, but riding on a shuttle bus with a bunch of strangers just didn’t sound like a great idea for us right now. So we scratched the Zion Canyon drive off our list for this visit.
Those surprises aside, we did score a Junior Ranger vest for Owen here, which he absolutely loves. He insists on wearing it anytime we are hiking in a National Park. If you have a budding Junior Ranger that might be interested in this stylish accessory, you can get them at most of the park stores, or shipped to you from the National Parks Online Store.
TIP: If you plan to see and hike some of the more famous Zion attractions, like Angels Landing, be sure to buy your shuttle tickets as early as possible, or visit the park during a time when normal traffic is allowed up the canyon (off-season).
TIP: If you plan to see and hike some of the more famous Zion attractions, like Angels Landing, be sure to buy your shuttle tickets as early as possible, or visit the park during a time when normal traffic is allowed up the canyon (off-season).
Zion – Mt. Carmel Highway
We were able to drive the Zion – Mt. Carmel Highway, which is a different part of the park than the Zion Canyon, through the mile long tunnel, and all the way up to the Checkerboard Mesa. If you take this drive, be aware that the tunnel has size restrictions and you may have to pay for passage if you are in anything bigger than a pickup truck or camper-van. This beautiful drive showcases the unique geology and scenery of the area and offers many trailheads and scenic overlooks. The steep cliffs have multiple rock layers ranging from deep reds to bright whites, most of which is composed of the navajo sandstone for which the region is famous.
Pa’rus Trail
Even though our initial planed hiked was thwarted, we were still able to spend some time on the Pa’rus trail which leaves from the visitor center, heads past the campground and up towards the valley. This is a popular paved trail along the Virgin river with great views of the valley walls. It’s a common path for mountain bikers starting a day trek from the visitor center, so there was a fair amount of traffic, but it was still enjoyable. The highlight was taking a quick detour off the trail to the amphitheater at the nature center. Our Junior Ranger gave us a full on lecture about the area, until he was interrupted by a mule deer that popped out of some bushes right behind the stage. This was a great trail for kids, with plenty of spectacular scenery for the adults.
Kolob Canyons
Based on a tip from some friends, we also took a day to explore the northern side of the park known as Kolob Canyons. What a great tip that turned out to be! There is a separate entrance to this this area, and no roads through the park connect the main Zion entrance to Kolob Canyons (though there are some lengthy hiking trails). Kolob is far less trafficked and we only encountered a few other hikers along the Timber Creek Overlook Trail. It offers similarly epic red-walled canyon views, without having to battle traffic or shuttles. The hiking app Alltrails rates the Timber Creek hike as “moderate” due to some rocky areas and the elevation change, but we had no trouble hiking this 1.1 mile out and back with Owen.
Tip: A morning hike in the Kolob Canyons area will keep you cooler in the warm months, but afternoon sunshine offers more light to enjoy the natural beauty of this area.
Tip: A morning hike in the Kolob Canyons area will keep you cooler in the warm months, but afternoon sunshine offers more light to enjoy the natural beauty of this area.
Even though we got a few surprises at this National Park, we still greatly enjoyed our time here. As with many others, this goes on the list of destinations that we would like to return to in the future to experience further. We’ll probably be surprised by something different next time, but that’s kind of all part of the travel and adventure experience!
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One of the more well known and popular National Parks, Zion is known for its red-walled canyons combined with lush green plant life. We got a few surprises at this park, and we also found some hidden gems.
