Utah boasts five magnificent National Parks, and we visited all of them except for Zion, because we had been there on a previous (non-RV) trip.
We drove from Durango to Moab where we visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. A park ranger told us that Canyonlands is the beginning of the Grand Canyon. It was very impressive, but I liked Arches better. We hiked up a trail to Pine Tree arch, my favorite, because we could get up close and personal. The arch that you see in all of the posters is Delicate Arch, but to get to it required quite a hike – something that we didn’t want to do in 100+ degree temperatures. As it was, the hike to Pine Tree arch tested my abilities. We heeded the Park’s warnings and kept hydrated by filling our water bottles before setting out on the short hike.
Canyonlands National Park
In Moab we had dinner at a restaurant called Sunset Grill that was originally the home of Carl Steen known as the “Uranium King”. We were treated to a magnificent sunset that slowly slipped behind the red rock formations.
From Moab we drove to Cannonville, located near Capitol Reef National Park. It surrounds a long wrinkle in the earth known as the Waterpocket Fold (the “reef”), with layers of golden sandstone, canyons and beautiful rock formations. Among the park’s sights are the Chimney Rock and white sandstone domes that look like the dome of the capitol building.
We drove past an apricot orchard that allowed us to pick our own fruit for a dollar a pound, so we took advantage of this!
Our favorite Utah national park was Bryce with its hoodoos and spires intermingled with evergreen trees.
