Epic 5-day Utah and Northern Arizona Road Trip

Even though we sometimes refer to it as the Epic Utah Road Trip, we actually spent a couple of days in Page, Arizona and experienced some truly incredible sights. So shout out to Arizona, I don’t mean to minimize your contributions!

Utah was not a sister trip, although I always wish she was with me. This is a Peggy trip with my travel-buddy Kelli. She and I have been all over Colorado and Kentucky and she is the perfect travel partner (#adventuresofkelandpeg). Same pace, same music, mandatory car snacks, pull over at every single scenic overlook, and never any judgement about morning mimosas or lack of hair washing.

Kelli is from Utah and I’ve always wanted to explore their National Parks so we decided to take a week off from work and make it happen.

Getting to Utah

Planning

We are both into the planning (my approach is in this post) so of course, every detail of the itinerary was optimized to hit the high points and limit down time. Because sunrise at Mesa Arch was mandatory we needed to get an early start so we left after work to stay the night in Grand Junction in order to be close enough to make the drive in the morning. We looked into staying in Moab but it was soooooo expensive!

Thankful for out-of state-plates and kind officers….we got out of there with a warning.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and we arrived in Grand Junction ready to grab a glass of wine and watch some horrible karaoke at the hotel bar before setting our alarms for a 2:45 am wake up!

As we were checking in, I gave the clerk my name and she turned to Kelli and asked, “same last name?”. Why? Is it the baseball t-shirt? I swear I wasn’t wearing flannel. This gave us the giggles…and to this day our friends still get a good laugh about it.

Canyonlands National Park

So o’dark thirty we set out for the 2 hour drive to Canyonlands National Park and the quintessential Mesa Arch sunrise. Well…about the time we exited I-70, the gas light came on. It’s 4:something in the morning and we have a decision to make. At the turnoff for Canyonlands, its nearing sunrise and it’s 27 miles to the Arch and 11 miles into Moab. We have about 35 miles to empty. What to do?? There was only one answer…SUNRISE!

We arrived at the parking lot and there were already quite a few cars there. This was a good sign in case we needed a ride into town, haha. It is a very short walk to Mesa Arch where we gathered with the 50 other people to wait for the sun.

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We ordinarily would have explored the rest of the park and stopped at Dead Horse Point on the way to Moab, but we really didn’t want to take any chances. We carefully and slowly coasted into Moab to get gas and breakfast before our next stop, Arches National Park.

Arches National Park

Arches is just outside of Moab; it was still fairly early when we got there but already getting warm. We generally followed the map to the major sites: Park Avenue and the Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock, The Windows, and Delicate Arch. It was truly stunning!

We skipped Fiery Furnace since it requires that you go with a Park Ranger and we skipped actually going up to Delicate Arch. We got part way up the hike and I tripped on the stairs (total clutzy move but I didn’t get hurt) and the line was soooo long to take pictures (you can see the line in my photo below).

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After leaving Arches, went into Moab Brewery to eat before we started the long, least-interesting drive of the week to Page, Arizona. It’s about 4 hours and there are some attractions if you want to detour, including Monument Valley and Four Corners, but we were anxious to get to Page.

Page, Arizona

We had no idea about what to expect from Page. It was bigger than I would have imagined, there are lots of chain hotels and plenty of restaurants. We had a little time that night to check out Glen Canyon Dam, get some views of Lake Powell and wander around Wahweep Bay at the Lake Powell Resort & Marina.

Lower Antelope Canyon

The next day we had booked a tour at Lower Antelope Canyon. The lighting is best in the slot canyons at mid-day so obvs, that’s when we went. There are plenty of tours available, we used Dixie Ellis Lower Antelope Canyon Tours, it is crowded but very organized!! Our tour guides were great and after a safety briefing, we were led below ground into the most incredible series of slot canyons you can imagine.

Without exaggeration, this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The tour guide was super helpful and told us how to set our cameras and phones, how to take the best pictures and even gave us a little demonstration on the science behind the creation of the slot canyons.

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Horseshoe Bend

After a relaxing lunch, cocktails and watching boats at Antelope Point Marina, we went back to town to tackle the much-photographed Horseshoe Bend. This is a quick but steep little up & down walk out to the spectacular view that is probably the most recognizable feature of Page.

The really cool thing about this spot is that although there were a hundred or so people there, everyone was just hanging out on rocks, climbing around some of the formations and absolutely just enjoying the evening. It was very unlike the tourist spots we are used to seeing where people rush to the view, wait in line to get a picture and rush out. Horseshoe Bend had a great vibe!

Lake Powell

On our second full day we had booked a Lake Powell boat tour to Rainbow Bridge. This was the only thing we really hadn’t planned in advance, but the lake was calling! Lake Powell has the most interesting geology and Rainbow Bridge is accessible only by boat (or, I suppose, a long-ass hike from somewhere, haha). We didn’t have to be at our next destination until evening so we had the day to spend.

We booked through Lake Powell Resort, the tour was quite a large group but again, well organized. The upper deck of the boat filled up quickly. To our disappointment we had to sit inside. This ended up being lucky as the early morning was still very chilly on the lake and those poor people on deck were cold! Our only inconvenience was the lady in front of us that was taking pictures incessantly with her iPad and another woman changing outfits and hair styles approximately 4 times on the way out. Don’t ask, we never figured that one out.

The tour travels approximately 50 miles of shoreline and was educational in that we learned about the unique geology of the area. Dramatic sandstone cliffs, mesas, buttes, arches and plateaus. Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir that started construction in 1956, completing in 1963 although it took 16 years (until 1980) to fill.

Rainbow Bridge

We docked at Rainbow Bridge and had about a 3/4 mile walk. In just a short walk there was plenty to see. Aside from the geological layers and plant life, the remains of decades-old chain & anchor points from previous dock systems were crazy. I couldn’t even visualize the amount of water level variation that had occurred. At its full level, the lake is 3,700 ft but has been decreasing since 1999. It is currently about 100 ft below maximum but that equates to being 48% full. Phew…that got science-y!! Regardless, that level changes the dock placement by about 1/2 mile!

Our short walk was rewarded by Rainbow Bridge! The highest natural bridge in the United States. It stands 290′ high 275′ across. Rainbow Bridge is a culturally important site for many of the Native Americans in the area. For this reason, you are not permitted to walk under the arch.

We were quick little walkers getting back to the boat and secured the coveted upper deck seats. I’ve said it before, I don’t think there is a more peaceful, relaxing, happier place for me than on the water so our trip back was wonderful.

Upon returning, we had to get a move-on for a 2-hour drive to our next destination, Zion Glamping Adventures in Hildale, UT.

Back into Utah

Hildale, UT

We arrived in Hildale, UT in the late afternoon and after a little trouble found our site…Zion Glamping Adventures. A fairly new campground, it looked completely empty and the hosts were not quite available to show us to our tent. So we wandered down the road a ways to the Water Canyon Trailhead.

It seemed a bit odd at the time, but there were a couple of pick-ups with the beds filled with kids dressed in dresses and button-up shirts leaving the trail. Then we encountered a couple of teenage boys dressed similarly on the trail. They actually startled us a little and we couldn’t shake an overwhelming odd feeling. Anyway…we hiked a couple of miles into the canyon and were completely blown away with the views.

Glamping

We headed back to the Glampground and met up with the owner. All of our earlier uncertainties were gone. The owner was so welcoming and went out of his way to get us set-up, brought some firewood and built our fire. He stayed and chatted for a while and we found out that he also gives off-roading tours which looked amazing but we just didn’t have time in our schedule. We sat outside with our box wine and car snacks and watched the endless stars and enjoyed the campfire. One of the best nights by far!

We hated to leave, but we wanted to get to Zion National Park as early as possible. The drive to Springdale wasn’t bad, about an hour, but as we left Hildale, it totally clicked with Kelli…Hildale is the Utah side of Colorado City, AZ…it is where the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FDLS) is based!!

You know, polygamy, Warren Jeffs, and all that. That naturally kicked off a research project for the drive and a months-long obsession with the tv series, Escaping Polygamy! That explains the kids we saw on the hiking trail! Now that I closed that loop, back to the drive.

Zion National Park

We arrived in Springdale early and decided to have breakfast, which was fantastic but we were a little disappointed that they don’t serve mimosas – no alcohol before like 11:00 am or some nonsense. Totally forgot we were in Utah!

Unless you are driving through or staying at the lodge (or you can find very limited parking), cars are not permitted in Zion so we parked outside the entrance and took the shuttle. Zion is HUGE but super well marked.

We only had the day but there is so much we would like to have done – like the most popular Narrows or the well-known challenging Angel’s Landing – but we chose a few smaller hikes and saw more of the park. We did the Lower & Upper Emerald Pools, The Grotto, Weeping Rock Trail. The Narrows next time, for sure!!

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Bryce Canyon

After being totally astonished by the beauty of Zion, we headed back to the car and drove to Bryce Canyon. There aren’t a ton of lodging choices so we had booked the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn. Our hotel was comically western-cheesy but obviously a popular choice, crowded and had everything you might need. We ended up with plenty of time to go into the park before dark. To say Bryce Canyon was breathtaking would be an understatement.

Much of the park was damaged by earlier wildfires but it was astonishing! And being that it was the end of the day we didn’t have many crowds to deal with. Except for an ominously huge raven and an odd dude conducting business while laying across a bench at the view point, it could not have been better.

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After all that natural beauty, we were a half day ahead of schedule so we decided to head home early in the morning – it was a 10 hour drive.

The only one of the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks we missed was Capitol Reef, but here is a fantastic post by Steven from The Thorough Tripper. Check out his blog for all things Utah!

This was without question, one of the best, most memorable road trips ever! Just going through pictures has me wanting to go back! I don’t have any particularly clever stories from the drive home. Just one unfortunate boomerang video of Kelli eating a Maverik gas station Bahama Mama hot dog. We clearly didn’t think that one through but for those that have seen it, it is unforgettable.