Day 1 - Oakland to Salt Lake City

A long drive with Jeff and me alternating turns at the wheel every two hours. Listening to “Collapse” audio book seemed to make the time pass quickly.

Day 2 – Salt Lake City to Moab

We enjoy our first glimpses of red rock as we head into the heart slick rock country.

Day 3 – Canyonlands National Park

This park and the adjacent Dead Horse Point State Park and Island in the Sky can be enjoyed from an automobile. There are spectacular vistas a few steps from the parking lots.

The road from Moab winds up onto a long mesa which overlooks the Colorado River and La Sal Mountains  to the east and the Green River to the west.

On the western edge of the mesa is Dead Horse Point State Park which overlooks the town of Potash with its white evaporation ponds. At dusk this is a magical vista.  

There are plenty of other vistas here, too many to enumerate. Plan on spending all day in this park and enjoy the sunset.  

Day 4 – Arches National Park

There is so much to see here, you may want to spend two days here, although we settled on one long day. This is the home of the Utah state arch, “Delicate Arch”, which adorns their license plates.

Scenery here varies wildly and hiking is a must to see the best sites. We found that a short hike of about ¼ mile would pay big dividends. And one long hike to Double-O arch was somewhat diffuclt but well worth the effort because it covered a variety of rock forms and offered good vistas.

Park Avenue

At some points the trail follows the edge of rock “fins” or slabs standing on edge. There are rock gardens and “cathedrals” off in the distance.

Delicate Arch

Long Arch

Day 5 – Bluff

It was hard to find accommodations here since it’s the beginning of the off-season; I had to sleep on the floor in the only room available we could find. There is a small park nearby called Sand Island where ancient petroglyphs can be seen from the park road.

Valley of the Gods

From there we headed west to Valley of the Gods, which is a somewhat less-visited area than Monument Valley, but with similar scenery. The road makes a north and westward loop onto Hwy 261 north, or Trail of the Ancients, which climbs dramatically to Muley Point. After driving several miles southwest on a dirt road, this overlook offers views of Monument Valley and the goosenecks of the San Juan River – a not to be missed location.

Proceeding north we spend the afternoon touring Natural Bridges National Monument, then on to Capitol Reef for the night.

Petroglyphs

Natural Bridges

Day 6 – Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef

Named for its domed rock formations, this park has a lot to offer those willing to take short hikes away from the highway.

Hickman Bridge trail is a short hike but well worth it.

Grand Wash offers a chance to glimpse a big horn sheep in the wild.

Hickman Bridge

Bighorn Sheep

Day 7 – Highway 12 and Escalante

Aspen on Highway 12

Highway 12 south from Capitol Reef travels through fabulous stands of aspen as it descends through Escalante Staircase. We end up in the town of Tropic, which is a perfect place from which to access Bryce National Park.

Escalante Staircase

Bryce at Dusk

Day 8 – Bryce

Sunrise Trail - Bryce

There is a walk-in entrance to the park just outside the town of Tropic and you can literally walk to the rim of the park. It’s an easy hike through the forest of hoodoos and there is no better way to experience Bryce. Bring lots of water and something to eat, since there are no amenities in the central part of the park.

Another nearby gem of a park is Kodachrome Basin State Park which is often overlooked by tourists.

Loop Trail - Kodachrome Basin State Park

Loop Trail - Kodachrome Basin State Park

Day 9 – Zion

Zion Overlook

A park mostly unexplored. Take the visitors’ shuttle as far north on the Virgin River as possible, then hike up the slot canyon. Bring your own wet shoes or borrow a pair from the pile left by other hikers; a walking stick is very helpful for keeping your balance. The water is cold but the canyon is beautiful as light filters down from above.

Virgin River

Day 10 – Home

We originally planned to stay in Las Vega, but by the time we got there we realized that we could easily make it home the same day – it took about 12 hours with stops.