Utah - The Mighty 5

Locking in for a long post! National/State Parks are a major theme of this extended road trip, and Utah has a ton. I had only been to Arches before briefly as a kid, so the majority of Utah's parks were new to me - and did NOT disappoint! ​Much like Arizona, the incredibly vast diversity of topography in Utah is just astounding. You can drive an hour and the landscape completely changes! Utah in particular feels like another planet in so many areas, too.

Utah stops: 

• Zion National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
• Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Anasazi State Park Museum
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Goblin Valley State Park
• Moab - Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, Arches National Park

Zion was an excellent place to start - we "glamped" close to the park at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, which had super nice facilities. On our way into the park itself through the Eastern entrance, we stopped at the Checkerboard Mesa before tackling the somewhat complex shuttle/parking situation on the other side of the park/Springdale. I'd recommend getting to the park pretty early to catch the shuttle from the Visitor's Center into the Valley attractions (there are no passenger vehicles allowed on the main valley road - shuttles only). Or, if you get a late start like we did, just find parking at one of the many street/lot spots in the town of Springdale, and take the shuttle to the Visitor's Center from there (where you will then have to get on another shuttle...but it's pretty easy to navigate). Once we finally got into the main valley of the park, our first stop was the Temple of Sinawava (named for the Paiute's coyote god). We took the Riverside Walk along the Virgin River, which eventually leads to the entrance of the Narrows - the famous hike through the Virgin River. However....we just said hello to the Narrows, and opted to stay dry instead. After refueling at the Red Rock Grill at the Zion Lodge, we hiked to The Grotto and tackled a decent portion of the Kayenta Trail toward the Emerald Pools. While I didn't make it all the way to the pools (Alex caught one of them), the hike offered stunning views of the valley, and was well worth the effort. We said goodbye to the park and returned to enjoy the last night of our camp "resort" amenities, which included access to a pretty fabulous pool/hot tub situation. 

Zion is absolutely amazing, but geographically speaking it's probably the most "normie" looking park in Utah in terms of feeling like you are still on Planet Earth (which is really saying something). Our next stop, on the other hand (Bryce Canyon), leaned heavily into "other planet" territory. On the way out of Zion, the sign for the Thunderbird Restaurant was too eye-catching to pass by...and the pie was definitely worth a stop. Bryce is best known for its iconic hoodoos, congregated into an 'amphitheater' in the core of the park. We learned that parking can be really challenging, and opted to hike/use the shuttle to see the majority of the park. Starting at Inspiration Point, we hiked the Rim Trail to Sunset Point, the Bryce Lodge, and Sunrise Point, then took the shuttle around to Bryce Point, as well. If you're not doing a ton of hiking, Bryce is pretty easy to tackle within a day or less, and should definitely be in your itinerary if you're in the area. 

After Bryce, we spent the night in the town of Escalante in a cabin at Escalante Outfitters, which was adorable and had pretty fabulous pizza. If you're okay with not having 5-star accommodations all the time (but still want something decent), Utah has a lot of quaint little ranch/resort/yurt/cabin rental hubs that are pretty affordable. We also hiked a bit and caught the sunset nearby in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park - which sadly has been robbed of most of its petrified wood, but still has stunning views.

One of the most unexpectedly beautiful areas we've driven through so far is Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (which is HUGE). We enjoyed making several scenic stops in the Monument on our way to Boulder, UT. A bathroom break turned into a longer stop when we spotted the Anasazi State Park Museum and decided to explore a bit. This museum houses the Coombs Site, where you can view the infrastructure of an ancient pueblo that was likely occupied between 1050-1200 CE. I also could not resist a Navajo taco from the food truck outside; it's essentially an enormous frybread tostada - delicious enough to challenge my general aversion to food photography!

Capitol Reef National Park is another surprisingly awesome destination that totally blew me away. The geography here is breathtaking and otherworldly, and the hike we took along the Grand Wash Trail (showcasing the center of the park) is maybe one of the best hikes I've ever done. Additionally, there is still a historic Mormon homestead inside of the park that sells homemade pies and pastries (the Gifford Homestead)...so continuing along our pie tour, we had to sample some peach pie (some of the best I've ever had!).  We also couldn't resist another somewhat quirky (but perfectly nice) motel in Torrey, UT called The Flute Shop. Sadly, the shop was closed on the day I wanted to acquire one of their hand-carved flutes :( but the town was a fantastic destination that I'd happily revisit (for a very reasonable price). 

On the way to Moab, we stopped briefly at Goblin Valley State Park to see some unique sandstone - and a filming location for one of my all-time favorites, The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011). Despite this, I could not stop thinking about Troll 2 (my favorite terrible 'horror' movie that's about goblins, not trolls)...and just had a generally bad vibe about the park (although Alex found the goblins to have positive energy...go figure). 

​Moab, UT was a bit hostile when we first arrived (to a light dust storm), but overnight the weather mellowed out beautifully. Our friend Elizabeth drove all the way from Long Beach, CA to meet up and spend a few days exploring Moab and Denver with us! Our cabin just outside of Moab was very cute (a reliable theme for our visit to Utah), and we especially enjoyed the relaxation time outdoors watching sunsets from the patio. On Memorial Day, we woke up at 4am to see the sunrise in Canyonlands National Park at Mesa Arch (a favorite for many visitors and photographers). It was such an exhilarating experience and totally worth the early effort! We drove through the majority of Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park, as well - the latter offering spectacular views of a prominent filming location for perennial mega-favorite, Thelma and Louise, which was epic! Given our very early call time, we napped for a couple of hours in the late morning before heading out to tackle Arches National Park in the afternoon. Arches is without a doubt one of the most captivating and unique parks you'll ever see - it's a star for a reason. Be aware that timed reservations are required during the busier months between 7am - 4pm. We capped off a fantastic day with out-of-this world Italian food at Pasta Jay's (the red sauce and cannelloni was to die for).

​Utah was an utter wonderland of delights - I can't wait to return!