Sberg

Many thanks to all those on the forum who answered my many questions and gave some great advice for my third trip to Utah (we just love it)! We are a couple in our late 50's who love adventures and like to hike. Last trip out west we went to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce (with a side trip to Antelope canyon on the way). This time we wanted to focus on the other parks. Here is my report on this trip (I will probably do it in stages) as I hope it may help others who may be in the planning stages.

We arrived in SLC at 11:30 pm and stayed at a hotel near the airport. We picked up the rental car (small SUV with high clearance) at 7:30 and hit the road to Moab by 8:00. We stopped in Green River for lunch and were in Arches by 1:00. As it was the Saturday before Easter we thought it would be packed but we did not find it too busy at all. We found parking at every place we stopped. As we only had the afternoon we opted to stop at all the places that had short walks involved. We did Balanced Rock and The Windows (do a loop and do the primitive trail around the back. You get a great view of both windows). From the windows you can walk down to Double Arch, another easy walk. We then drove down to the end of the park to assess the area and stopped at all the outlooks. We did walk out to the viewpoints both lower and upper of Delicate Arch. It wasn’t a great day for pictures as it was pretty cloudy but the views were still awesome!!! The snow on the mountains in the background made it even more spectacular! What a great beginning for our trip.

After much discussion we decided to stay at Red Cliffs Lodge and we are very happy with our decision. The day we landed was our anniversary and I was looking for something special. We loved it! The drive to the lodge is beautiful and the grounds of the lodge are amazing. We loved our room and the food was excellent. We got to eat out on the deck overlooking the river two nights. The third night they were too busy and we ended up eating in the bar and the that was good too. It was nice to be able to walk to dinner and then right back to our room. We did a LOT of walking while in Utah. If you like quiet this is the place to stay. I don’t feel we missed much by not staying in Moab but that is just our style. More to come but I'm a bit too tired from the trip home at the moment. I will continue tomorrow.

Windows

Loved the snow on the mountains that seemed to surround us in Utah.

View from our patio at Red Cliffs

sludick

We are fans of Red Cliffs Lodge as well. Love that drive, and it is outside of the bustle of Moab itself. For DH's 70th birthday, that was his wish, to return to Red Cliffs with grown children for a birthday/family reunion, and it was also a perfect time. Looking forward to hearing some more details after you've rested up.

Sberg

The next day, being Easter Sunday, we opted to go over to Canyonlands and Deadhorse Point. We went to Canyonlands first. It was a picture-perfect day weather wise with beautiful white puffy clouds and temps in the 70’s. It had rained in the morning so we got a bit later start than we wanted. We ended up waiting in line about 10 minutes (as they only have one lane) but once we got into the park it was not that crowded at all. We first went to Mesa Arch. I was even able to get a picture without people in it! We stopped at many of the gorgeous viewpoints and then went out to the end. We walked the Grand View Point trail (two miles) to see the panoramic views at the end. It was beautiful. We had brought our lunch with us (highly recommend this) so decided to picnic at the nearby picnic area. Be sure to stop at the Buck Canyon Overlook if you missed it on the way out. We then went and hiked Upheaval Dome (easy hike) very interesting at the top. Another gorgeous park!

Mesa Arch


Left there and headed out to Deadhorse Point Park. It is definitely worth the price of admission. We stopped in at the visitor center and walked on some of the trial around there for a while. We then drove out to the point (as I was not up for another 5 mile hike). We tried to hike some of the rim trail out at the end but the cairns had been destroyed and it was a bit hard to follow. My husband is not a big fan of heights so we walked for a ways and then returned to our car for the drive back to Moab. We had already walked about 8 miles that day so we decided to go and have a bit of a rest and dinner. Had another dood dinner at Red Cliff and then headed over to Fisher Towers for sunset. And what a beautiful sunset it was! I wished we had the time or the energy to complete that hike but we only went part way, but we did see the towers all lit up. Gorgeous!!!

Sberg

Day three- Arches

Forgot to mention that we stopped at a Walmart in Springville on the way down to get a cooler, water, energy bars, things for breakfast etc. Great place to stop as it was right off the highway.

We got to Arches around 7:30 and started with the Delicate Arch hike. It wasn’t too crowded yet and we easily found a parking spot. The hike was great (all up hill going to the Arch) and not very difficult. When we got to the Arch there were many people up there but I still managed to get a few shots without people in them. What a beautiful place! We next headed to Devil’s Garden. It was getting busy but we managed to find a spot to park. We headed out for Landscape Arch. It is a very interesting and easy hike out to Landscape Arch. We thought of going past it and out to Double O Arch but halfway up the first fin I changed my mind. If you are not comfortable scrambling, and having drop offs I wouldn’t try to go any further. We doubled back and then went to the other two arches on the same trail (Pine Arch and Tunnel Arch). We loved them both especially Pine Arch as we were the only ones there! We had lunch at the picnic area at Devil’s Garden. We then headed to Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch. Sand Dune Arch is very easy to get to and not far from parking area. Broken Arch is easy to get to but is in full sun. Bring lots of water if it is hot out. It is a beautiful arch from both sides. Be sure to walk under it and see the opposite side. When we left there, we ended the day with Park Avenue. Loved looking at the floor of Park Avenue. It was like looking at the ocean floor! How amazing. By this time, we were fading as we had walked more than 10 miles we headed back to the car and back to Red Cliffs. It was a busy day but a wonderful one.

Delicate Arch

Pine Arch

Delicate Arch

emalloy

Sounds like a couple of wonderful days so far. This is one of my favorite areas to visit. Thanks for bringing back fond memories.

sludick

I love your pictures.

Sberg

We left Moab and headed to Monument Valley. We stopped to look at Newspaper Rock and decided to head in to the Needles District. The drive in was absolutely beautiful. We drove through Needles but I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you had the time to do some hiking. It just took up more of our time which we probably should have use somewhere else. We did not have time to do any hiking, so we did a few quick walks to check it out for next time and headed on south. We stopped for lunch in Monticello at the Peace Tree Juice Café. The food was excellent! Great place for a quick stop. We then headed to MV. I debated and debated about taking a tour but we decided against it as the timing just didn’t work. I wanted to watch sunset and sunrise from my balcony which is why I booked The View. We checked in and then did a self-drive around the loop. We did have a higher clearance vehicle and we had no issues. Again, it was a very dry day with no chance of rain. We left about 4:30 so we got some very interesting light during our drive. There were also clouds lending shadows to the vista. I took so many pictures during our drive, at sunset and sunrise. We had great light for all three. The drive was fun. Some horses wandered into our vicinity a few times. It was not very busy so all in all it was a good choice for us. I’m glad I wasn’t in one of those open- air tour trucks as we saw quite a few and boy was it dusty! We headed back to the hotel, bought some salads in the restaurant and had a wonderful dinner on our balcony complete with wine and cheese (shhh, don’t tell anybody).


It was a beautiful evening and a great way to end the day. The next morning, we set our alarm and got the best present of all in a gorgeous sunrise. I could plaster an entire room with the amount of pictures I took. So happy we got a wonderful sunset and sunrise

Melnq8

Great photos.

We're in Moab right now and Arches was a zoo today.

Sberg

Day 5 – Natural Bridges and Capitol Reef

We were up early for the sunrise so we left pretty early. We headed for the Moki Dugway which was the first adventure of the morning. My husband is not a huge fan of heights so we were a bit concerned but the drive was fine. From my perspective (in the passenger seat) it was a really cool drive with beautiful views. Luckily, we did not meet another car until the very top. We would do it again, and it did save us time so onward and upward. Next stop was Natural Bridges. We were driving right by so we decided to stop. It is a pretty place but after being at Arches and Canyonlands, and seeing those fantastic views, it was a bit of a letdown. If I were to do it again I would not have stopped and used that time at Capitol Reef. The drive to Capitol Reed was unexpectedly beautiful. I don’t know why I was surprised as every drive in Utah is beautiful but I was. The land changes so much in such a short amount of time. We drove to Hanksville and stopped to have lunch at Duke’s Slickrock Grill. The food was excellent, as was the service. We were very full when we left and needed a hike. Good thing we were not far from Capitol Reef.

Our first stop was Hickman Bridge. What a great, easy hike! Another beautiful day with more beautiful pictures. We then stopped at the visitor center and entered Capitol Reef. Some of the trees were in bloom as we entered the park and what a gorgeous entry. We headed for the Grand Wash trail. It was a pretty drive going there too. It was on a dirt road but the road was fine (but you cannot drive it on a rainy day as the road washes out). This is a very easy trail as you are walking in a river bed so there is no elevation but what a beauty of a hike! As you walk farther in the walls get higher and higher. You reach a point they call the narrows and it is fantastic! It’s amazing how small you can feel when you are looking up at that immense rock. When we left there, we drove down the road to the end of the park. Again, the road is dirt towards the end but we had no difficulty navigating it. It is well worth the drive. There is another hike at the end that we would have liked to do but…we were running out of time. We did stop at Goosenecks Overlook and the Sunset Point Trail. Goosenecks is very short and Sunset Point is not very long either. Sunset Point has a spectacular view and well worth the walk out there.

We headed for Torrey and ate at the Diablo Café. Very good food, interesting menu and fantastic service. We stayed at the Broken Spur in Torrey. As we didn’t check in until 9:00 and left at 9:00 it was a great place for us to overnight. The room was very clean and the bed was comfortable. Staff was friendly and they had great pancakes at breakfast.

Grand Wash hike. Look in the middle on bottom and you can see my husband. Gives you an idea of the scale.

Hickman Bridge

StantonHyde

Sounds/looks like you had a great time. Just two notes: The Needles District is AMAZINg for hiking and short walks. That's where I take my kids--we do the Cowboy Cave/ Spring loop and another loop at the end of the road. For longer hikes, I would say that the Chesler Park trail/area is one of the most scenic hikes I have ever done--and I am a big southern Utah junkie! As for Natural Bridges--if you are just looking at it from the top--not so impressive. You really have to hike down into it to get the full effect. We are hikers more than driver/viewers so that's our perspective.

Sberg

StantonHyde I totally agree with you about needing to hike in. I would love to go back to the Needles and hike but we just didn't have the time this trip. I have been to Utah 3 times and I will be back I will just focus more on one or two areas and not spread out so much. We now have previewed most of the state so we know where we want to go back to. Thanks for the tips on the hikes to return for!

StantonHyde

SBerg--this is a great trip report--goood for others to get an overview of your experience. As with many travelers, most people just get an overview when they come to Utah--there's just so much to do. As someone who lives here, I have time to take a weekend--or even a week backpacking-- to commit to just one area. We visit Moab in February--and its awesome because the trails are so uncrowded in Canyonlands. But that's not the usual time to visit!!! And the spring is my favorite time to visit the desert. Cactus in bloom is really an awesome sight. So glad you had another good visit!!

ElendilPickle

We accidentally ended up driving on the Moki Dugway a couple of years ago on our way from Natural Bridges to home. It was an experience!

Lee Ann

Sberg

Day 6 – Beautiful drive with some cool switchbacks

When we left Torrey we were torn between going down Notom/Bullfrog Rd and over the Burr Trail to Boulder or taking scenic highway 12. We decided to take highway 12. When leaving Torrey we camp across some cowboys herding cattle over the road for a ways to get to the other side. I guess this is a traffic jam Utah style. It was quite interesting to watch. The drive over to Boulder was beautiful as you are climbing up and over the mountains. The Aspens were just beginning to show their leaves. I’m sure in a few weeks it will be amazing. There was still quite a bit of snow up there. We stopped at a view point that had a rest area. While we were there a tour bus stopped and it was quite funny to see them running to the rest room through the snow! It was a pretty drive.

In Boulder we detoured onto the Burr Trail. We did stop at Singing Canyon around the 11th mile on the left side. I knew where to look from some helpful hints on the forum. While we were there two other cars stopped because they saw our car. Both of them had been looking for it but did not know where it was. The canyon is small but quite gorgeous. The acoustics are amazing! We loved the Burr Trail. Again, there was beauty everywhere and the way that the geography changes is amazing. We drove all the way down and did the switchbacks (a little nerve wracking but not too bad). We then had to decide to make a complete loop and drive back up to Torrey or to turn around. We decided to turn around and go back up the switchbacks ( I let my husband decide as he was driving and he chose to go back up so that tells you they weren’t too bad). Again, we were lucky as we did not meet a car on the way down or the way back up. It was actually pretty interesting to see it from both directions. Even the dirt parts of the trail were fine but the day was completely dry. If I were to do it again I would have taken the Notom/Bullfrog road to the Burr Trail and up to Boulder. Although that part of highway 12 from Torrey to Boulder is beautiful I would have preferred more views of the fold and the more interesting landscapes of the Burr Trail. It is definitely worth driving down the Burr Trail. At least go as far as the pavement ends if you do not want to do the switchbacks. We stopped at the store at the Burr Trail Grill and picked up some awesome sandwiches and snacks to picnic with further down the road.

Singing Canyon


Highway 12 from Boulder to Escalante is AMAZING! What a great drive. We had heard about the parts with big drop offs on both sides but the road was excellent and was not an issue. After driving the Moki and the switchbacks on the Burr this was a breeze! We stopped at many of the outlooks and had lunch with an amazing view. We headed into Escalante to find our yurt. We stayed at the Yurts of Escalante and I can’t recommend them enough. They are beautiful! Large space with a couch, bed, table to eat at and private bathroom. It really is glamping but it is not at all like camping. They deliver breakfast during the day so you can make an early start the next morning. I would certainly go back there.

Switchbacks on the Burr Trail


The weather was a bit variable that day as you could see showers coming from different directions. We stopped at the visitor center and the man there said it would be fine to go to Spooky for a hike but…I wasn’t feeling too confident in his opinion looking at the sky and it was getting late in the afternoon by that point. Key point, always trust your own judgement. We did drive down to Devil’s Garden and walked around it for about an hour. Very interesting place. Fun to walk around all the rock. On the way back, you could see pouring rain on three sides of us. We made it back to the end of the Hole in the Rock Road just as it started raining. I was glad to be off the dirt. We did see a lot of those black cows on the Hole in the Rock Road. Many of them were in the road so watch out. We had dinner at Escalante Outfitters. Great pizza and salad and then we retired to our yurt to plan for our adventure the next day. And what an adventure it was. One of the best days of our trip was just around the corner!!!

Devil's Garden

Dayle

Sberg

Day 7 – Canyoneering adventure

I decided we would do something adventurous this trip so I bought my husband a day of canyoneering for us for his birthday. Neither of us had done it before, and it was a little out of our comfort zone, but “If not now when?”

I did a lot of research and decided to book with Escalante Adventures. Rick Green is the owner and has been doing this for well over 20 years. He got great reviews and they were well deserved. From my initial booking to the completion of our day, they were all about customer service and safety.

When we got there in the morning we met two other couples, who were our age, who were joining us on the trip. We really lucked out with our companions as they were quite fun. Andrew, helped us fit all the gear we would need, packed up backpacks (that they provided) with all the gear plus a fabulous lunch and made sure we were ready to go. Rick then gave us a safety talk and a bit of a pep talk and we were off. We drove down Hole in the Rock Road quite a way and then turned off. The day looked beautiful but there was a slight chance of rain. Rick took that into account and chose a canyon with a small water shed and that would be easier to get out of in case we needed to. We were then off. Our first rappel was about 100 feet. I volunteered to go first and for some reason I was not even nervous. It was invigorating and I loved it! We all made it down very easily and progressed to the canyon. We learned some new terms (e.g., bridging, smearing etc.) We all helped each other through the ups and downs, ins and outs of the canyon. I will admit it is very tough on your clothes and any exposed skin. I put a light weight fleece on after the first ½ hour to protect my arms. Wear old clothes!!! At lunch time Rick and Andrew went up to check the weather. Some clouds had rolled in and Rick, being cautious, decided we should pull out of the canyon we were in and hike over to another one. This meant we got to do a total of 4 rappels during the day! So fun! I did find muscles that I didn’t know I had or had not used in a very long time. I was sore the next day but it was well worth it. We went through slots that you didn’t think you would fit through. At one point we had to cross a huge puddle but Rick and Andrew made sure that they were the only ones who got their feet wet. Very nice of them and there were some interesting maneuvers to accomplish it. At the end of the day we had hiked about 7 hours. It never did end up raining but I am glad Rick erred on the side of caution. When we got back to the office they gave us some well-deserved ice cream. It was a day well spent and one we will never forget. We decided to eat on the way back to the yurt, which turned out to be a very good idea. Once I had taken a shower I was toast and there was no way I would have gone back out. We had one last relaxing night in the yurt and prepared for our last day in Utah.

Very narrow slot. This was not even the smallest one.

Another rappel.

First rappel.

emalloy

Wow!! That was very adventurous. Your pictures are great. Thanks for posting.

Clousie

What a wonderful report, complete with great photos. May I ask what camera you were using?

Your report is especially interesting to us as you describe the various hikes, some of which we have done. We don't get too many hiking reports here, so love reading yours. As you mentioned, not being from Utah, we are always amazed at the great beauty of the state even on the so called regular roads.

Thank you for taking the time to put this together for us.

Sberg

Clousie, thanks for the compliment on my pictures but I am a totally amateur photographer. I take many pictures with just my iphone but I do have a PanasonicDMC-ZS40 which has a pretty good zoom and some other neat functions. I like to travel light so I do not like to carry a bunch of lenses around.

Sberg

Day 8 – Last day

Our last day in Utah had arrived but as our flight didn’t leave until 11:00 PM we still had a full day ahead of us.

We continued on Route 12 and headed towards Bryce. We had been there before and had done some hiking but I wanted to return just so that I could see it again. We were so close how could we not? We stopped at Kodachrome State Park on the way. It is only $8.00 to enter the park. What a nice place to camp if you are going that route! We decided to do short hike and did the Angel’s Palace Trail. It was a good call as it was an easy trail and we got to see a lot of park with a good distant view of Bryce.

When we left there and headed to Bryce the clouds were rolling in. We hoped that they would blow by as the last time we were at Bryce we didn’t have very good weather and I really wanted some sunshine shots. We ran through a quick shower on the way over but luckily it cleared before we got there. We drove right in (about a 3 minute wait) when we got there around noon. We decided to head toward the top and then work our way down. Our plan was to have a picnic when we got to the end. Not a chance. When we got to Rainbow Point the picnic tables were all covered with snow! Not quite picnic weather. The trails up there were also still closed. It was busy up there but very easy to find parking. We had no difficulty finding parking anywhere we went in Bryce. I was pleasantly surprised at it was a Saturday and a gorgeous day. We stopped at all the overlooks on the way down. We also had our picnic at a picnic area on the way down which was free of snow. Did some walking on the rim trails and took some great pictures. I just love Bryce!

All good things must come to an end and we had to head towards the airport. We meandered up through some more beautiful, scenic parts of Utah and didn’t rejoin the highway until Scipio. Except for the fact that our flight was delayed an hour and we didn’t leave until midnight we had a wonderful trip. I would encourage anyone to drive through Utah, as the driving is very easy, the parks are all gorgeous and there are adventures around every corner. Can’t wait to go back!

Bryce

Beautiful with the snow!

Amphitheater