With Spring Break only weeks away, it’s time to look forward to a relaxing, fun time away from school. While many of you already have trips planned to California, home, and elsewhere, I have a suggestion for the more sporadic trip planners. Take on Utah.
We’ve got five National Parks in our state alone; not to mention we also provide the gateway to several others. These are the perfect road trip destinations.
Arches National Park: This is a must see in Utah. That famous arch you see on all the license plates –just a short hike away from the road. You can also explore the petroglyphs only a few meters from the road.
Bryce Canyon National Park: Bryce brags some of the most outstanding geological features around. Hundreds of “hoodoos”, thin spires of sedimentary rock reaching extraordinary heights, form this famous canyon. You can hike down to the bottom of these spires, or take a jaunt around the entire canyon.
Zion National Park: If you’re a first-timer to National Parks, Zion’s should be on the top of your list. A beautiful canyon with a river running through, you can visit the famous Narrows, or traverse the last knife-edge quarter mile climb to the top of Angel’s Landing. If you’re looking for a scenic drive, you can take the Zion-Mount Carmel road straight through the mountain. Zion’s and Bryce are less than two hours apart, so to get the most bang for your buck, I highly recommend visiting both in one trip. While you’re driving into Zion, you won’t want to miss a stop in Virgin, Utah. You’ll see the Virgin Outpost to your left as you drive, pull in, and be ready to enjoy the most fantastic homemade cactus coconut ice cream.
Canyonlands National Park: carved by both the Colorado and the Green rivers, this area of rugged land next to Moab consists of plateaus and canyons. The park offers some of the best 4×4 roads and whitewater rapids worldwide. There’s also great hiking and biking. Arches National Park is also a close neighbor, so take advantage of both.
Capitol Reef National Park: Majestic twisting canyons, sandstone monoliths and spires, and massive domes make up this intriguing land. Cliffs and canyons make for great hiking, biking, and climbing. Also a popular place to backpack and geocache, you can hike for one or multiple days to several different Native American ruins.
If you’ve already been there and done that, why not road trip to several nearby parks outside of Utah, which include:
Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, Great Basin National Park in Nevada, Yellowstone National Park in Idaho/Wyoming, and Grand Teton National park in Wyoming.
(photo 1: Arches, photo 2: Bryce; Cover photo: Bryce) Photos by: Alexis Jones