Just after crossing the border into Utah, we stopped to get gas and were greeted by a local truck driver carrying a thermos and an empty 12 pack of beer. Upon seeing our Massachusetts license plate, the gentleman asked if we wanted to hear a joke, and of course we did. “Why is it that all the toxic waste plants are in New Jersey, and all the lawyers are in California?....because New Jersey got to choose first!!!” And with that, our adventure in Utah had begun...
We were able to reserve a beautiful campsite right in the Arches National Park, which was surrounded by huge red rock formations. These rocks provided us with a great spot from which to view a true western sunset. We started off the next day with a “short” hike out to the Delicate arch aka Cowboy chaps. This arch has become a popular symbol in Utah, as seen on many of their license plates. It was a little crowded, but we were able to get the requisite photo under the arch.
hanging out at the campground
views from our tent
a different view from our tent
Delicate Arch
Part of the trail was blown out of the side of the rocks.
After stretching our legs, we headed out on the Devil’s Garden Trail. This more difficult hike had us climbing up and over huge rocks, but we were rewarded with views of some really impressive arches.
landscape arch
double o
double o
navajo and partition arches
helping guide the trail
parts of our hike!
views from above as we are hiking
The next morning, we took a less frequented trail right near our campsite in order to see a few other arches. These back country trails have very little signage, so you have to keep your eyes peeled for the human-made rock pyramids which mark the trail.
broken arche
On our way out of the park, we stopped at another popular loop trail where we saw what are known as the Window arches. In this section, we also saw two other notable rock formations: the Balanced Rock and Walk of the Elephants
After leaving Arches, we stopped by it’s far less visited neighbor, Canyonlands National Park. This sight ended up being an unexpected surprise. We took the drive down through the park to the Grand View Point, stopping at other vista points along the way. When we reached the rim we were shocked with the drastic drop off of the unguarded canyon edge. You could look your way right off the edge if you weren’t careful. Our eyes were filled with a vast and expansive scenery of curving canyon walls.
We are really happy we ended up making a quick stop through this beautiful place.
Our next stop was a night of camping at Capital Reef National Park. We ended up staying right outside of the park at the Wonderland Campground. The next morning we took a scenic drive, making our way through the painted canyon walls. At one point we took the Passat on a little off-road drive that lead us to where the really nice views were. We stopped for a picnic lunch in a group of fruit orchards that are maintained by the park services. This area got its named from an early population of former sea-farers, who thought the canyon walls looked like reefs, and the white domes on top of the canyons looked like the tops of capital buildings. As we were hitting the road to Bryce Canyon, we were fortunate enough to find a great coffee shop. They had a vast selection of coffee drinks, pastries and even an In house chocolatier. We just had to get the tangerine hinted chocolate for the road.
some cute deer
the orchards, where we ate lunch
Continuing west, we arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park where we were staying at the rustically luxurious Bryce Lodge. However, its best feature is its proximity to the rim of the canyon which overlooks a vast sea of hundreds of red, orange, and white colored rock spires. These are known as hoodoos, and are especially stunning when light is angling off them. We made sure to take in the view at sunset, and then again in the morning at sunrise. Since we were already up, we took advantage of the good light and drove the 13 mile drive out to see more of the parks natural formations.
sunrise
sunrise
and sunset...
and sunset...
these were stops along the scenic drive
The Natural Bridge
Later in the morning we got adventurous and took a hike down into the depths of the canyon. We proceeded cautiously down the Navajo Trail, going down a series of steep switch backs. After we got down the wall we were able to walk through the canyon and get close to the spires. We got a great view looking up at these massive hoodoos, and it really put the size of them (and the canyon) into perspective. We hiked to the other side of the canyon by to the Queens Garden trail, which brought us back up to the top of the canyon rim.
the switch backs
going down...
more switch backs
squeeze through
guiding us through
Zion Ponderosa Ranch
Three days of camping and exploring Utah’s most famous National Park. As we drove into the canyon you definitely notice the Checkerboard Mesa. It looked like there was a fisherman's net spread over it. To enter the canyon, you pass through a 1 mile tunnel carved into the mountain way back in 1930. Suddenly, you emerge to the other side and enter a tropical world. This canyon has an interesting way of keeping water flowing through the Virgin River year round. Snow and rain are absorbed into the rock and concentrated towards certain release points resulting in waterfalls coming from the rock walls.We hiked up to a fall called Weeping Rock. We followed the Virgin River up to the a section of the canyon called the Narrows. On the second day we hiked the Emerald Pools trail, where water from the rock walls collect and create small emerald-hued pools. Recharged with some PB&J at the upper most pool before heading off to hike the Watchman trail. This trail was off the beaten path, but gave us an amazing view of the whole canyon.
entrance to the 1 mile tunnel
the checkerboard mesa
The first day we were there, we took a drive through the park
Had some delicious steak cooked over the camp fire.
the hanging gardens
preying mantis
the weeping rock
spectacular view atop the Watchman Trail
