Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in one day

We did not originally set out to see Utah's Mighty 5 - but after we decided to pop into Capital Reef and I figured out how close Arches and Canyonlands were - we made the decision to try.....and we DID!  Canyonlands was not on our itinerary, but I am so glad we went.

We started our day at Arches National Park.....Balanced Rock was our first stop.

We then chose to do the Delicate Arch Hike - which ended up being our favorite experience of the day.  The hike itself was wonderful, but the Delicate Arch is definitely worth seeing from the top.

After the hike, we drove and stopped at the highlights of Arches, as fitting two national parks (and one state park) into one day is a lot and we knew we couldn't see everything.  

We saw Skyline Arch and Sand Dune Arch....

We experienced the Double Arch as well as viewing from the drive the North and South Windows.

We ate our picnic lunch at the Arches Visitor Center parking lot, popped back into Moab for a coffee, then headed to Canyonlands.....

Once at Canyonlands, we stopped into the visitor's center for a map and our first view....

then explored the Shafer Canyon Viewpoint (heights and the drop off were a bit unnerving for me!)

We hiked to the Mesa Arch.....

Stopped at the Green River Overlook and the Grand View Point....

We then exited Canyonlands and drove to Dead Horse State Park as we had heard that the sunset from Dead Horse Point was spectacular.....and it did not disappoint.

Lessons Learned Today:

1.  There are ravens EVERYWHERE.....they seem to follow you....

2.  Arches and Canyonlands are doable in one day if you plan it right

3.  Screenshot on-line itinerary because you will have little to no service in the parks

4.  Visiting these national parks in December can be very enjoyable....we have had great weather and NO CROWDS - which is probably why we were able to get as much in as we did.

5.  Teens and young adults may get "rock-weary", but it's not a permanent condition

6.  The conversations that occur with young adults on long hikes are priceless.

We have very much enjoyed our time in Utah and are very happy with the experiences we have had......tomorrow we will head to Colorado.

 

Morning in Kanab, Route 12, and Capital Reef National Park

This morning, we made the decision to split up....Ann-Marie and I explored the cute town of Kanab

We went into a locally owned coffee shop and I had a cute interaction with little girl who drew me pictures on the receipts

Darrell, Evan, and Alec went on the Dinosaur Tracks Trail outside of Kanab.....finding and navigating the trail was a little tricky, but they were advised well by a man who owned the coffee shop outside the trailhead.

Dinosaur tracks in stone and possible mountain lion tracks in the mud were exciting finds.

We decided to drive Scenic Byway 12, after hearing the recommendation from the (above) coffee shop owner.....and it did not disappoint!

The views were magnificent!

Because of the scenic drive, we arrived at the Capital Reef National Park later than we expected to.  We stopped into the visitor's center, drove part of the scenic drive, and explored the Gooseneck Overlook briefly.  The sun was setting and it was getting very cold, so we weren't there for long.

After a very long day in the vehicle, we were thankful to have a hot tub at our Moab Air BnB!

 Lessons Learned Today:

*Daily communication is super important when traveling with teens and young adults....everyone needs a voice.

*Small business owners in Kanab are very kind and are eager to point you in the right direction.

*"Always trust the recommendations of the hippie guy running the coffee shop."  -Darrell (see lesson above)

*My Old Navy puffer vest is excellent padding for the hard middle seat.

*Parts of Route 12 made Darrell's palms sweat and freaked me out a bit.

*We were on scenic overload once we got into the Capital Reef National Park after driving Route 12, so that might have been a little too much to take in for one day.

One Day in Bryce Canyon National Park

We set out at 7:30 a.m. to drive the 1 1/2 hours from Kanab to Bryce.  We were concerned about the weather as when we left, it was still in the single digits.....however, we underestimated the power of clear skies, no wind, and strong sun.

We decided to hike the longest hike I had planned for the day, which ended up being an excellent idea because it was our favorite hike and, after all the hiking we did yesterday, we didn't have a lot left after this hike.  We hiked the Navajo Loop Trail down and picked up the Queen's Garden Trail to hike back up.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours and we enjoyed all of the sights on this hike.....plus the snow made it magical.

We ate lunch in the Sunset parking lot, then drove the entire park to get to the end point - Rainbow Point.  This was the highest elevation we have experienced on this trip and we felt it....but the views were magnificent.

We then decided on an "easy" hike - the 1 mile Bristlecone Loop Trail.  However, the trail was covered by several feet of snow - which added to the adventure but made it into a harder hike.

After that hike, we started to drive back to the entrance of the park and stopped at some viewpoints.....Natural Bridge....

Bryce Point

and Inspiration Point.

We decided to leave the park and drive back to our Air BnB....but made one side trip.....

to the Belly of the Dragon Trail Head near Mt. Carmel......we only did the tunnel but it was a fun diversion.

We leave this Air BnB tomorrow to head to Moab, but we have a few stops along the way that should be fun.

Lessons learned today:

1. Bryce Canyon is colder and higher in altitude than Zion....we are glad we did Zion first.

2.  Do the big hikes first before you wear everyone out.

3.  Sunglasses are a must for Pittsburgh people who don't see this intensity of sun most of the year.

4.  "Short-term discomfort often has the biggest pay-offs."  -Darrell - who will be getting a knee replacement in April and is keeping up quite well.  Another nod to a tough person....Ann-Marie who is still dealing with her knee issues during this trip.

5.  Alec prefers his trail running shoes to hiking boots and is surprisingly nimble in the snow with them.

6.  When you bring a biologist with you (Evan) you learn all sorts of cool things about any animal that you encounter.....although our closest encounters have been with some very brave Ravens.

 

One Day in Zion National Park

We woke up early to try to chase the sunrise, but the clouds and timing weren't quite right..

However, the Canyon Overlook hike was one of our favorites

We drove the Zion Canyon Scenic drive and stopped to admire the Court of the Patriarchs.

We hiked the Lower and Middle Emerald Pool and encountered a lot of ice.

We walked the Pa'rus trail to the Museum of Human History (closed) - but this offered a wonderful view.

Last hike of the day, which was my choice and almost didn't happen.....Riverside Walk to the opening of the Narrows.  Doing this later in the afternoon wasn't in the plan, but God amazed us with gorgeous lighting!

We drove out of the park right at sunset and were not disappointed with the views.

 Lessons learned today:

*Layers are important as we experienced a 30 degree temperature difference!

*Ice is not your friend when hiking, but it makes the hikes more interesting and beautiful.  Wear proper hiking shoes/boots (hello to our friend we passed wearing Van sneakers!)

*Never underestimate the power of a well-timed break and coffee!

*Be flexible and patient!  The road to the Narrows was temporarily closed due to high traffic, but after we took a break and checked back later, it was open and we were able to see the BEST views with amazing lighting.

Our "experience" Christmas 2022

We are doing something completely different for Christmas this year and will be traveling for these two weeks. This has been in the planning since last Christmas. With our adult kids' lives and this season of life changing rapidly, we felt like this was right for our family.  

My plan for this blog is to keep our memories and allow friends and family to follow along. I'm hoping to post once a day with a synopsis of what we did.

Today we flew from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines - direct flight. We picked up our rental 

vehicle (which was smaller than expected, much to Darrell's dismay).  

We drove from Las Vegas to Kanab, Utah, with a stop at a Walmart for food in Hurricane, Utah (we mastered packing a Dodge Journey with 5 adults, luggage for two weeks, and a week's worth if groceries for the Air BnB - with only a jar of Tiki Masala sacrificed).

We had a great travel day and are looking forward to exploring Zion tomorrow.