Over the summer of 2021, after my college graduation, but before I started my first full time job, I had the opportunity to visit national parks in Utah and Arizona. My sister, Christina, and I embarked on an approximately 11 day trip to visit the 5 national parks in Utah as well as Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. This trip was such an amazing experience, and it was such a huge breath of fresh air (literally, Capitol Reef has some of the cleanest air in the world) after a rough year-and-a-half or so.
Arches
First stop was Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. Being our first park of the trip, we did not know what to expect and didn't really understand our limits. So naturally, we hiked about 14 miles in a day. Arches is amazing, and it was a huge shock coming from the lucious green I am used to on the east coast. We were very fortunate that the day was a bit overcast, shielding us from the summertime desert heat. The following picture was taken at the Delicate Arch, which is the most famous landmark in the park. It's a rather short hike to the Delicate Arch, so plenty of people were on the trail along with us.
Canyonlands
Next stop was Canyonlands National Park, also near Moab. Canyonlands is Utah's largest national park, and it is divided into three major districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. Christina and I visited Island in the Sky. Canyonlands was a lot less crowded than Arches was, and Christina and I were grateful for that. Despite being less popular with tourists and travelers, Canyonlands had some spectacular hikes, views, and experiences. If I am ever able to return, I would love to drive down into the canyon more, as well as visit the other districts. My favorite part of our Canyonlands visit was a short hike to the White Rim Overlook. Despite being an awesome view and short hike, there happened to be nobody else on the trail. Christina and I stopped at the end at the overlook and just took a few moments to enjoy the tranquility. The only sound we could hear was the wind. This was probably the most peaceful I have ever felt. Christina and I both enjoyed a few moments of silence and took in the awe of the canyons.
Capitol Reef
Our third stop was Capitol Reef National Park. This park is a hidden treasure in south-central Utah. Because it is a little more remote than some of the other parks, this park can see a lot less traffic than parks like Zion. But this lesser traffic does not at all reflect on the beauty of the park! Capitol Reef offered some awesome hiking, and the Fruita area is a small village area with orchards. The hike to Cassidy Arch was a bit strenous, but the end is amazing, as you can literally walk on top of a huge arch, and there are amazing views from atop a large cliff. I would definitely recommend Capitol Reef if you can make it! The following picture is one of my favorites because carved into the rock wall behind the arch is natural semblance of a heart!
Bryce Canyon
Next up: Bryce Canyon! Bryce Canyon was a shock to me as well. The pillar rock structures, known as hoodoos, were simply awe-inspiring. Christina and I got to "Hike the Hoodoos" by doing some fun hikes that descended into the canyon and went around the various hoodoos. Bryce Canyon also offers a nice walkway along the rim of the canyon, providing fantastic views of the beautiful hoodoos.
Zion
Our next stop was Zion National Park. All I can say is WOW! Zion is a beautiful oasis in the desert and had some of the most fun hiking of the trip! We were able to complete the two most iconic hikes in Zion, Angels Landing and The Narrows, among some other trails. The Narrows is an insanely fun hike through the Virgin River between narrow canyons. Angels Landing was a little more strenous with a decent elevation gain, but it offered some fantastic views at the end. Another fun part of Angels Landing was "the chains." This section of the hike uses chains along the trail to provide hikers with stability to hold onto as the trail can get narrow and close to cliff edges at certain points. While not exactly strenous, the chain section was exhilarating and fun. The hardest part of this hike was the traffic control needed at the chains to manage hikers going up and down. One reason why I appreciated Angels Landing was because I had a college professor who decided to give us a presentation one day talking about life in general, and he referenced Zion a few times. This presentation was a little random in the middle of the semester, but it gave me some key takeways from evaluating my life. A big part of his presentation included the chains and how they served as a metaphor for my professor. In his life, he had his own "chains" that helped guide him along the right path and keep him safe. For me, my chains are the people in my life who are always their to support me no matter what I go through. The following picture was taken at the top of Angel's Landing.
Grand Canyon
All done with Utah! Next up is Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Grand Canyon is an incredibly popular park, but despite the many tourists and visitors, there is a lot to offer here. Christina and I did two hikes into the canyon. We did not go all the way down, as that is a multi-day journey. We just went a few miles down and back up on the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails. The Grand Canyon is truly immense and is quite a breathtaking sight. However, my story would not be complete if I did not mention the visitor who I overheard asking if a meteor formed the Grand Canyon! Hopefully some park rangers were able to educate this visitor! I enjoyed the following picture because you can see a glimpse of the Colorado River in it.
