My driving tour of Utah's Big Five National Parks

[DandyDon]

I asked about this idea before going in this thread: Anyone driven Utah's Big 5 National Parks...?? Someone asked for a report, so here it be...

Over 1100 miles driven in six days, mostly between parks, but almost all of it was scenic. It was like southern Utah is really one big nature park at times, but then there were dozens more than the ones I visited along my route. This was my trip...

Sunday was tough! I overnighted in Lubbock after a family reunion there, then woke up at 3:30am worried about whether I had successfully set my alarm for 4, so I started then and got to the airport early for my 6:15am flight. I awoke again as my first flight arrived in Denver early so my 4+ hour layover evolved to 5, a very long time to spend in any airport. My United Club passes helped, but not tremendously. Finally I got to nap again on my flight to St. George, arriving on time at 1:14pm with 102 degree weather to greet me. Had to start getting used to such for the week.

I signed for my car rental and found it not too far from the space I'd been told it was parked, then hit I-15 north thru town, stopping briefly for two gallon jugs of water to carry for emergencies and a pack of sodas for stops during the week, knowing that stores would be miles apart at times. Found Cedar Break NM okay up high on the first of many desert mountains, pulled in to show my Parks pass, fill my thermoses at the Visitors Center, and headed to the edge for my first view of the huge canyon. I think there were four different places to park & view as I drove around the park, and the views were all breathtaking. It was a little chilly above 10,000 feet after leaving the oven known as St. George about an hour earlier, but nice.

Caution: Check weather and road conditions before heading up there in fall or spring, and think twice before trying it in winter! I think I passed one ski resort along the way.​

From there I headed north up I-15, then west along I-70 as far as Salina for my scheduled overnight stop. Nothing rewarding there, but a good place to top of the gas tank, eat supper, grab some Subways for lunches to follow, and crash for the night. I think the warning sign on the freeway said "No services for 105 miles." I put a couple of sodas, my two liter thermoses of water, and the two – six inch subs in the room fridge for the night, then in the morning stuck the thermoses in my backpack and the sodas & subs on ice in a little Igloo cooler I'd brought along for the purpose. I filled my pint thermos and commuter cup with coffee at breakfast, then hit the road as early as possible.

Monday morning's scenic drive to the east side of the state was entertaining enough, at 80mph most of the way, then I turned south towards Moab, arriving at Canyonlands NP in about three hours. This huge park is actually divided into three different sections, with Island in the Sky section closest and most appealing to an old coot with a bad knee in a rental car, so that's the one I toured. I'm sure the other two sections are very rewarding to those younger & fitter with vehicles up to off pavement adventures, but I enjoyed this one just fine.

I went to the end of the road to try a listed “easy” hike to view a crater, and I guess it was only a mile round-trip, but steep! Sitting water breaks were certainly taken both ways. The destination was enjoyable altho I am not one to get too close to a cliff edge with no guardrails, and I still got a decent view and some shots. Back at the car, I broke for a sub & soda, then started driving the rest of the two roads, hitting the pullouts for various high views & shots of the badlands below where the Colorado river meets the Green river. I may well overuse the word “breathtaking” throughout this report.

I gassed up and spent the night at a Moab hotel, packing my remaining sub with sodas and refilled thermoses in the room fridge, setting my alarm for 5am for an early start the next day, but that failed. I woke with a stomach bug, reset the alarm for 6:30, then headed for Arches NP. I'd failed to pack Pepto-B just in case, but tried to forge ahead the best I could, not waiting on stores to open. No hikes at all, but I did enjoy the lovely drive up into the park, stopping at most pullouts for views & shots. I noticed that many cars were bypassing me tho, seemingly in a hurry to get to road's end? Devils Garden at that end is the star of the park, with a short hike to view great arches, and I just missed that by the time I got that far. Next time...!!

Having seen as much as I felt up to trying, I hit the road returning the way I'd came as far as Green River where I acquired Pepto-B that made the rest of the day easier, then continued on to Goblin Valley SP, a must see. I’ve seen Hoodoos before, but there were hundreds at the end of the road, some grouped, some individuals, and some fallen. For the avid camper & hiker, there are actually three valleys to see there, but I enjoyed my brief stop and short hike. Finally felt good enough for lunch, and out came the sub & soda. Subs can get boring after a few days I know from other trips, but are so handy when try to cover many miles & sites everyday.

I motored on down the road towards Capitol Reef NP, just amazed at the sights to see along the way, visited the old Mormon settlement and the Visitors center, then called it a night. No room fridge, but I worked around that okay as I was temporarily out of subs. The next morning I iced down sodas, doubled back to tour the scenic park drive with majestic cliffs, formations, valleys, 1,000 year old petroglyphs, and a failed uranium mine, then doubled back again to town to pick up subs before heading towards Bryce Canyon NP. Google maps suggests a faster route heading northwest first, but I chose a little slower route heading south into Grand Staircase NM.

Caution! The 28 mile road from Boulder UT to Escalante is not for the faint of heart. It goes over mountains instead of around, and curving along the top of a skinny ridge with severe drops on both sides. The 25 mph limit was generous! I think my high point for the day was 9,600 feet. I did it less than an hour. It used to take 3 days by mule train to deliver the mail. Think twice before trying it in colder weather!​

(continued)

 

[DandyDon]

(I don't think I am over 10,000 characters, but it keeps telling me that I can't)

I got to Bryce early enough for a late lunch break, then to tour the nearer view points. Bryce Canyon NP has many times more hoodoos than Goblin Valley, but quite different. The Goblins were originally called mushrooms. Bryce’s are mostly taller, slender, but without the big capstones. I overnighted in the tiny town of Bryce outside the front gate, then went back in the next morning for the further view points. More breathtaking sights to see. Lots of international folks in every park. It scares me how many will put a kid on a guardrail over a cliff for a photo, or climb over right at the edge of the cliff.

I'd turned on the TV the night before long enough to catch the weather and local news, then hearing that Zion NP had been hit with flash floods and rocks falls on roads! I was going to take the road to the east entrance and tunnel that afternoon, but it was “closed indefinitely”! Google maps offered several alternative routes, a couple going north of Zion towards I-15, but I took the southern detour into Arizona. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park sounded interesting enough for a look-see; it wasn't, but explorers have to explore. Then I wandered a little further south to visit Pipe Spring National Monument, finding that more interesting historically. I passed thru the infamous Hildale-Colorado City kingdom headed back north to my hotel at the end of the day. It didn't look so different, but I did not stop to ask questions.

I had booked my last two nights at the same hotel, a Clarion in Hurricane – quite a luxury after the previous four nights in different properties in different towns. For my last full day in Utah, I did breakfast as early as offered then headed towards Zion's south entrance to see what might be available. Luckily, most of the scenic drive was open, the buses were running, and I was early enough to get in and park at the Visitors center. The bus line was building at 7:30am, but not bad, and soon I was visiting various stops for views & shots. A few of the trails had been opened, and I did a couple of the easier ones.

I couldn't take my cooler into the park since I wouldn't have my car handy, so I had not restocked on subs. I did consider lunch at the lodge, but the lines were too long for my interest, so I keep jumping buses and visiting stops. “The trail to Weeping Rock is short but steep” is right! Neat point to visit tho, with dripping springs all over the face of the cliff and subsequent plant growths. The cliffs all along the scenic drive to end of the road were breathtaking, again.

Eight hours was about enough for me as my week was catching up to me. I gave out and left Zion NP at 3-something, pigged out at Arby’s, and headed to the hotel to pack and rest for the next day's return. I still had the two gallons of bottled water, seals unbroken, I’d carried all week in case of emergency. I approached a father and daughter from Germany in the parking lot the next morning who were heading into the desert. They thought I was odd maybe, but accepted the water jugs in a friendly manner.

I had a few hours to kill between hotel and airport, and found a jewel not far from the freeway after gassing up one last time. Red Hills Desert Garden really was an enjoyable stop before turning in the car and checking bags. I slept most of the flight to Denver as I usually do on planes, then got off for my second – four hour layover. I had a second club pass, but got tired of that and headed outside for a bit. On my reentering, I learned that was I was not Pre-checked as I had been on the way out?! I wonder what happened?

Finally, I got on my last plane, slept my way to Lubbock, drove home, and watered my flower beds at midnight in case I didn't feel like getting up the next day. Now to download and edit the photos to see what all I shot.