We decided to explore a bit closer to home this year so we headed off to explore southern Utah over the past 9 days. We’re still uploading photos, doing laundry, and I’m packing to leave for Seattle in the morning- but I thought I’d at least post our itinerary before I forget:
Day 1: Drove 4 hours from SLC to Moab. We stopped for lunch in Helper, UT (the halfway point) and made it to Arches NP with enough time to do the Delicate Arch hike (1 1/2 hours round trip) before checking into our B&B in Moab.
Day 2: Visited Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse State Park. This section of Canyonlands and Dead Horse are about 45 minutes from Moab. Did short hikes at Upheaval Dome (1 hour round trip to 2nd overlook), Grand View Point (1 hour), and Mesa Arch (30 min). Overnight in Moab.
Day 3: Hiked Devil’s Garden to Navajo and Partition Arches (2.5 hours) and the primitive trail in the Windows section (30 min). Drove 4 hours to Boulder, UT. Stopped at many of the scenic pullouts along UT 12. Overnight in Boulder.
Day 4: Drove the Burr Trail to the Notom-Bullfrog Road through Capitol Reef NP. A lot of dirt road but really cool geology. Hiked the Rim Overlook Trail. Overnight in Boulder.
Day 5: Hiked Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Canyons off of the dry fork of the Coyote Gulch and wandered around Devil’s Garden in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Another day with a lot of dirt road but amazing slot canyons. Overnight in Boulder.
Day 6: Drove from Boulder to Bryce Canyon NP (2 hours), stopping at many of the UT 12 overlooks. Drove to Bryce and Inspiration Point overlooks. Hiked the Fairyland Loop (5 hours). Overnight in Bryce.
Day 7: Woke up early and ate breakfast at Sunrise Point. Hiked the Queen’s Garden to Navajo Loop trails. Drove from Bryce to Zion NP. Hiked Canyon Overlook Trail (1 hour) and stopped at all the overlooks within Zion. Overnight in Springdale.
Day 8: Spent the full day in Zion Canyon. Hiked Riverside Walk (1 1/2 hours) and Emerald Pools Trail. Damon hiked Angel’s Landing (under 3 hours from the Grotto) and I did a walk with a ranger (2 hours up). Overnight in Springdale.
Day 9: Hiked Timber Creek Overlook Trail in the Kolob Canyon section of Zion NP before driving 4 hours back to SLC.
In retrospect perhaps spending nights in Torrey and Escalante would have avoided some backtracking that was created by staying in Boulder- but it was nice to stay in the same place for 3 nights.
