Put your hands on the wheel
Let the golden age begin
Let the window down
Feel the moonlight on your skin
Let the desert wind
Cool your aching head
Let the weight of the world
Drift away instead
Without a doubt the greatest adventure from my time living on this side of the world happened a year ago this month – as I drove, hiked and ate my way across the deserts of Utah and Arizona. It’s even up there with the greatest experiences of my life. I’ve done a lot of solo travel – with mixed experiences. Generally I find city travel works much better with some good company whilst the outdoors and nature can be enjoyed with or without people equally. I’m the type who would rather be with a good friend than on my own, but I’d rather be on my own than with some random person just for the sake of it.
But this particular desert trip was strengthened by the fact I was on my own. I was a vagabond, a drifter, rolling from town to town at a pace I liked – taking detours if something caught my eye and moving on if it didn’t. I wouldn’t have covered even half as much ground both driving and hiking if I’d had company. On top of this, I came away from it feeling like myself again after a brutal project. I was in my element – exploring some spectacular scenery in the blazing sun, taking photos, and stuffing my face with BBQ food and pies. Every leg of the trip was uniquely beautiful.
I would love to return one day to share the experience with someone, but in the meantime it’s inspired me to do more travel like this when I return home to Australia.
I flew in and out of Las Vegas, spending as little time as possible in that toilet bowl city. In between I covered a lot of ground hitting these key spots:
- Springdale / Zion National Park
- Bryce / Bryce Canyon National Park
- Torrey / Capitol Reef National Park
- Goblin Valley State Park
- Moab / Arches National Park
- Dead Horse Point State Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Monument Valley
- Page / Lake Powell
I’ll split this post into 4 sections. Today I’ll cover Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.
Springdale / Zion National Park
The trip started early with a two hour flight from Vancouver, followed by a four hour drive from Las Vegas airport to Springdale. I was an hour away when I encountered roadwork which slowed everything to a near-halt for half an hour. As I was sitting in traffic I heard reports on the radio of an electrical storm with hailstones heading toward Springdale, so naturally I was shitting myself that my rental car was about to get pummeled. Thankfully I made it to the hotel with half an hour to spare and was able to appreciate the thunderstorm from the safety of my balcony.
Springdale itself was a pleasant place to stay. It had everything I needed and nothing more. The food was incredible and coffee was better than even what I’m used to in Vancouver.
Zion National Park was spectacular. The Narrows trail was closed due to flooding from the aforementioned storm the day prior – so the focus became the Angel’s Landing trail. This hike features a steep 460 metre climb and the second half of the trail makes its way along a thin ledge of rock holding onto chains to get past some sections.
I enjoyed one of the most satisfying beers of my life upon completing this and lay under a tree for an hour with a grin from ear to ear.
After two days I moved the road show on to Bryce Canyon National Park. The drive between these parks was incredible.
Bryce Canyon National Park
I had been told Bryce wasn’t as large as the other parks and so I only allowed one day. While the claim was true – it’s not as large – it disregarded how spectacular and unique this place was. I wish I’d had longer. An entire canyon is full of “hoodoos”, bizarre tall thin spines of rock of different shapes and sizes created by centuries of – you guessed it – erosion. Gazing from the lookout above they appear as enormous ant hills with tiny people wandering the paths between.
I wasn’t at the canyon more than ten minutes before it dawned on me that there was too much to see in the available time. Some more sensible individuals might scale back their plans in such a situation. Instead, I decided to add plans and just do them faster.
I found three trails I wanted to do and planned them out so that I ended up at Sunset Point at, well, sunset. The final trail prior to sunset was named the Fairyland Loop, which the guide suggested would take 3-4 hours. Perhaps a touch too arrogantly, I always shave about 30% from those estimates and convert them to how long it would take me. In this case my confidence was not justified. I found myself on a long trail in the blazing sun watching as the clock moved faster than my progress.
I had to get back before it got dark.
What’s more, I didn’t see a single other person after the first twenty minutes of the trail. All of these factors could have led to a very different ending – but somehow they enhanced the experience. I had a challenge, a goal, and it was a perfect example of mind over matter. My brain pushed my body to run when it was exhausted. I even sprinted some sections to make up for photo stops. Thankfully, I made it back just as the sun set over the canyon. Three to four hours? Please. I managed in two and a half – then destroyed half a chicken and a huge plate of mashed potato and slept like a rock.
I got up early the next day to catch the sunrise over the canyon before I moved onto the next destination – Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park.
Searching for a lunch stop, I found the Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm. I chose it purely based off the name alone, but I had no idea what I was in for. In the middle of nowhere I found one of the best meals I’ve had in North America – topped off with this incredible apple pie. With a full and happy belly I made my way to Torrey…