On friday May 14th I left Arizona and headed north to Utah. The plan for the weekend was to meet my dad and stepmom in Springdale, UT and visit Zion & Bryce National Parks. We spent a day and a half discovering the beauty of Zion Canyon. I have to credit my parents for hiking up hills, through rocks, and adjusting nicely to the higher elevation.
The highlight hike for me at this park was Angel's Landing. At times I have a fear of heights so the steep final 1/2 mile of this hike was particularly challenging. My focus was sharp as I avoided looking down at the 1,500 ft. drop to the canyon floor as much as possible. Pictured below are the final ascent to the top of Angel's Landing and the riveting look down to the canyon floor.
We made a day trip sunday to Bryce National Park. I'd seen pictures of Bryce Canyon but was amazed to walk up and see the hoodoos in person. A hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin. Bryce Canyon is filled with these. After viewing the canyon from the rim we hiked down about to the Queen's Garden area giving us an up close and personal view of the unique rock formations.
It was great to have my dad and step mom join me for a few days. Hopefully my insistence they hike a little more and a little further won't deter them from a similar adventure in the future. We parted ways and I drove 5 1/2 hours east to Moab, UT. Moab is home to two more national parks and is well known as a top mountain biking destination. I camped for 4 nights at the quiet tent only Up The Creek campground just a few blocks from the main strip in Moab. The first day I dodged some rare afternoon thunderstorms to do some hiking in Arches National Park. To say this park is filled with amazing rock formations is an understatement. The highlight the first day was hiking up to Delicate Arch at sunset. There were 50 or 60 people up there taking photos and enjoying the setting sun sparkle on Delicate Arch.
The second day I hiked the Devil's Garden trail which took me past 8 different arches as well as several other interesting formations.
The last arch of the day was maybe the signature arch of the park, Landscape Arch. Landscape is the longest natural bridge or arch in the world and often seen on the weather channel.
I set aside thursday to rent a mountain bike and try riding the Slickrock Trail. This is one of two famous trails in Moab not suited for amateurs. I decided to try it anyway. The ride was completely different than anything I'd ever ridden before. The hard surface of the petrified sand dunes made for a strong grip but the uphills climbs were extremely difficult. The views of the snow capped mountains, Arches National Park, and Colorado River added great scenery to the ride. I was able to finish the loop but not without walking my bike up about 15 steep hills.
On the way out of town friday morning I stopped at Canyonlands National Park for a few hours. I would like to have devoted more time to this park but Arches and Slick Rock took precedence. I was able to squeeze in a few short hikes around the Island in the Sky section of the park which offered great views of the Colorado and Green rivers. All in all, Utah and the 4 national parks I visited were beautiful and awe-inspiring.
