We are in the midst of our vacation and since this is the Utah section I will deal with said state…we have been on the road to Utah from Ft.Worth, Tx….traveling in our 4x4 Grand Cherokee we are loaded for camping to our eventual destination of our condo at Brian Head ski resort…we arrived in Page, AZ around 10 Friday night and went searching for Lone Rock Beach on the shores of Lake Powell…after finding the small sign pointing the direction, we encountered the credit card machined check in at the entrance … $16 to camp, Amx card entered and accepted but no ticket to show we paid…thankfully a ranger pulled up behind us and validated his personal business card showing we paid…a mile in is a clean bath house with toilets and cold outside showers…then you wind down one of several sandy trails to the beach itself…the beach is lined with full size RV’s and tents…anchored off shore in the shallows are seadoo’s and boats…with a full moon to help and a kind RV’er whom turned on his back lights, we set up our tent in 60 degree weather…a point to remember…a double high queen size air mattress is great for camping till it gets 43 degrees outside and the air in the mattress matches that temp as well….to avoid a cold butt, use another sleeping bag on the mattress as a buffer…we got one the next day at the Page Wal-Mart….the beach itself has vault bathrooms within walking distance…what a great place to camp, I don’t ever remember in my life the Big Dipper being so huge … we awoke to a cold morning so I could photograph the sunrise, it didn’t disappoint, the colors were beyond imagine…this is a great beach to camp on, I am sure it gets busy in prime time … it offers beach parking for you and your water craft, there are ATV trails and it is a bargain for $16 plus the $20 dollar NP park fee…

Let me implore you to get a season National Park pass if you have any inclination to visit multiple parks in a years time…for $80 you get a card … on the back is a place for 2 signatures to use the card…the park ranger explained any 2 people can sign the card to use it, be it your relative, wife or friend…as long as an ID can verify the signature, that person can get in the National Parks also …so in short you can share the card…

We did the dam visitor center, the best dam out look down the road and the goose neck view of the river below…the goose neck is a long mile trail…if you cant make it up the first steep incline from the parking lot, then you may reconsider the rest of the trail which entails deep sand and an incline on the back side to get back to the parking lot…but the sight of the goose neck is well worth any effort…

Down the road from Page we took the 45 mile long Cottonwood Road north thru the Grand Staircase Escalate National Monument that leads to Kodachrome State Park…a rough road that the ranger at the Escalate center said needs to be done by at least a high clearance vehicle…I agree yet whom blasts pasts us but 2 convertible cars speeding down the way….we didn’t see them broke down the road but we wondered how they passed some very tricky rough areas....must of been rentals….this area is beautifully rugged…around each corner a new sight…my biggest gripe is that power lines strung all along the ridge lines hamper any great picture taking…a word of caution, if you are about to round a blind corner, slow down and approach carefully, there are stupid drivers that speed about these corners with no mind to which side of the road they are on or whom may be on the other side…

More to come, Kodachrome State Park, Bryce, Zion and beyond…hope this isn’t boring..

Hey 2dogs!

Not boring at all! I also enjoyed Lone Rock beach . DS was working at Wahweap last year, and took us around in his 4x4.

DH wanted to do the Grand Staircase Escalante drive in the Volvo we got as a rental out of Vegas, but I (as the driver) refused. Now I can show him your trip and say I was right. He won this year, and we took a rented Chevy Impala around Monument Valley during/after a rain. We sprayed buckets of red mud off that car in a Vegas car wash before turning it in! Next time, we're springing for an SUV!

Hey 2 dogs,

I'm so glad you are checking in! Can't wait to hear the rest. Yes, an air mattress is great for summer camping, but not winter! Your bod just can't heat up that much air.

I use thick foam mats from Costco for tent camping now. Much better than air mattresses and they don't get leaks!

The unpaved Cottonwood Canyon Road is a relatively popular cross-country route through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, starting from US 89 near milepost 18, and eventually leading past Kodachrome Basin State Park to Cannonville on UT 12. Some sections of the road are rather steep and narrow, with overhanging rocks, but 2WD cars usually can make the 47 mile journey although for a few hours after heavy rains the route may be impassable even by 4WD vehicles. The surrounding land has much of interest to explore; slot canyons, arches, springs and endless colorful, eroded rocky scenery.

Part 2

After completing the Cottonwood road we detoured to the huge formation known as Grosvenor Arch, a rare double arch some 150 so feet in the air that spans over 90 feet wide...you just cant take a bad photo of this....a little ways down the road we camped at the Kodachrome State Park, Utah...a park with only 27 sites, I didn't figure to reserve a site this time of year but it filled up real quick...we were lucky the Ranger gave away a reserved site to us whose campers hadn't shown up and were a day late... whew .... now I know what the phrase " unhappy campers " means..should of seen the faces of those almost demanding a site after the ranger said no more....this is a great place to camp, small but spread out with a central bath house with hot showers, picnic table, fire ring with grill, bundle of firewood $5...lots of popup campers as well as RV's and a few tents...it got down to low 40's that night but with the new sleeping bag under us, we were warm....still I was amazed at the star fields above us .. all for $16…

Bryce NP is about an hour west of the Kodachrome Park…broke camp and arrived around noon…we drove to the end of the park and made our way back, stopping to stare at the wonders at each pull off…we finally arrived at the Sunrise point and took the Queens Garden trail down…what a beautiful hike among the silent formations…we then took the Navajo trail up, not the Wall Street path…this is a strenuous hike up…very steep switch backs…many venturing up or down had no proper foot ware or water…yes you can hike these trails in street shoes if you want, but I feel the slippery footing on some steep inclines should encourage people to wear hiking footwear…just my feelings…we stayed in the cabins at the Lodge…$183 a night total for this 14 by 14 foot room with gas fireplace, 2 queen beds, small desk and round table…a 5 by 14 dressing and bath area just off the main room…some how I am reminded of that Robin Williams movie where he buys a resort on some island..he climbs up on the walls and takes a picture to make the small room look larger than it is…sure didn’t look that small on the web site…still it is in the park and better than camping in 27 degree weather and freezing rain…we ate at the Lodge, expensive but again close by…the food was ok…my grips are these, the door leaks cold air in, you hear your neighbors every use of the bathroom from the adjoining cabin, the provided bath dispenser soap and shampoo smelled like the shampoo I wash my dog with…other than that, location location…just my opinions…

Yes mlgb your comment is correct except for an important point, checking with ranger station before attempting these roads…he specifically said no cars, the county has not graded or up kept the road in months and he said they don’t have plans to in the near future…he said that makes it more impassable to cars…I always ask a ranger before crossing primitive roads…

Yes you are right, always check the conditions. They are pretty good about posting road and weather conditions at various visitor centers and stations around Grand Staircase since you can't always actually find a ranger. There are also numbers to call if the stations are closed:

Off-road visitors should check road and weather conditions before proceeding. 435-826-5499 or 435-644-4600.