Utah and its Awesome Foursome

Seeming like an extension of Arizona and the Grand Canyon we drove Going Broke diagonally northeast across Utah, starting in the very livable city of St George (with fond memories of a brutal Ironman here back in 2009), followed by Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, finally finishing in Arches National Park close to the Colorado border. Things happened far too fast but with only two weeks before having to be in Vail for hip surgery there was no choice, at least not this time around!

Zion
After searching for campsite availability at least 3 weeks prior to our expected arrival we weren’t so sure we’d be able to stay inside the park itself. Nothing, not even a walk-in, and it was midweek in October! We decided to try our luck and head to the park on a Thursday morning, just as a family were leaving a couple days early – the available site at Watchman Campground was a walk-in, with parking a hundred yards away. We had to take it, especially as we only needed a couple of nights. Zion is definitely the busiest of Utah’s National Parks, and with the Narrows for canyoneering, Angels Landing, and Observation Point for hiking, it was no surprise why.

Even with the masses we managed to avoid overly busy trails, maybe by luck but probably due to us managing to get ourselves moving well before others. The Narrows, a slender gorge with walls a thousand feet high and the Virgin River running through sections as narrow as 20 to 30 feet, was by far the busiest place to be. The hike to do would be the sixteen miles downstream from Chamberlain’s Ranch, ending in the park at the Temple of Sinawava, something requiring waterproof footwear and waders due to the water temperature this time of year. We chose to wear shorts and sneakers and meander through the river maybe a mile or so in the same direction as everyone else in the park – our feet were froze!

At least the strenuous rated hike up to Observation Point gave us peace and solitude, arriving at a pretty cool viewpoint alongside 3 drugged up youths and a couple of older trail runners.

Bryce Canyon
With its spectacular hoodoos, formed by water and ice over thousands of years, this smallest of Utah’s national parks was well worth the visit. We only had a weekend to spend in the park before having to head north towards Colorado, but with everything so condensed it was more than enough time. Unlike Zion, we arrived to plenty of campsite availability, with only one North Campground loop remaining open on the day we departed. Funny how things are far more relaxing when there aren’t hordes of other visitors! Once again, like almost all other national parks, the lodge was still open, attracting high end travelers but ensuring we had cold beer at the end of the day.

The majority of our time was spent with vivid blue skies, just what I wasn’t hoping for. The hoodoos are very photogenic, but only in the right light. We were slightly lucky on our first afternoon with what looked like an incoming storm that never materialized, giving the chance to witness the below skies.

Arches
Being extremely close to Moab we didn’t find it necessary to stay inside the park, instead spending 5 nights at the Moab Valley RV Resort a couple miles from the park entrance. Arches only has a single campground, located 18 miles inside the park and available space for 50 sites with limited facilities. We never did see any availability due its popularity. Being so close allowed us to head in and out of the park at our convenience, making it especially accessible for sunrise and sunsets.

Renowned for the worlds largest concentration of natural sandstone arches, containing in excess of 2,000, along with a variety of other unique formations. We have no idea where the vast majority of the arches were located, only getting to see the most popular, including Delicate arch, Landscape arch, Double arch, and Turret arch. Most of these are a zoo at sunrise and sunset, with a huge gathering of photographers and super expensive lenses, all hoping for the perfect lighting and stormy skies.

Canyonlands
Less than 30 miles from Moab, and on limited time we did a quick day trip into the Island In The Sky district, one of three distinct areas within the parks boundaries, the other two being The Maze and Needles. With very similar landscape to the Grand Canyon neither of us were too disappointed at the limited time we had, and other than viewing sunrise and taking a short hike never really had anything else to stay for. I’m sure locals would be able to advise us on the limitless off-the-beaten track attractions that we missed out on – after seeing other riders, the one thing that would have been a blast would be to take the fatbikes onto the 4WD White Rim Road.

After speaking to people at Arches it seems that the masses gather at Mesa Arch within Canyonlands for sunrise, some as early as 4am to get the best tripod placement. We arrived around 45 minutes prior to sunrise and barely squeezed into a space to be able to take what are supposed to be pretty good early morning photos. Many more people arrived after us and had to take a backseat spot, not a big deal if you just want to witness the sun coming up in the distance.

This short and sweet Utah visit pretty much wraps up our North American road trip, having a couple weeks left in Vail for hip surgery, followed by a 1300 mile drive back to our departure in Paris, Kentucky. Even though our time was short in Utah it turned out to be an appetizer for a return trip, especially for the mountain biking opportunities in Moab. This town definitely lived up to all expectations, and being on the doorstep to so many outdoor locations ensured we will return.

October 14th – October 26th 2014