Utah & Arizona
 

So earlier this month I took a road trip down to Utah and Northern Arizona. I saw 5 national parks, 2 state parks, 2 Navajo tribal parks, and a whole bunch of rocks:

Mesa Arch at Canyonlands National Park:
https://i.imgur.com/KN6t6zT.jpg

Delicate Arch at Arches National Park:
https://i.imgur.com/U1y7ReG.jpg

Needles District at Canyonlands:
https://i.imgur.com/pgezilH.jpg

Monument Valley:
https://i.imgur.com/nDHgeKj.jpg

Antelope Canyon:
https://i.imgur.com/uvFge00.jpg

Horseshoe Bend:
https://i.imgur.com/MJVh5B7.jpg

The Wave:
https://i.imgur.com/50ziKvf.jpg

At the top of Angel's Landing, Zion National Park:
https://i.imgur.com/IbC0OmK.jpg

Bryce Canyon National Park:
https://i.imgur.com/Pfw9wIy.jpg

Capitol Reef National Park
https://i.imgur.com/BbagGs4.jpg

Hope you enjoyed my photos!

Amazing photos! Must have been awe inspiring.

Amazing pics! Loved em!!

hope you got to do the Narrows @ Zion
one of the more memorable hikes for sure

I'm going back to these parts in 6 months :fullofwin:

Alien landscapes

Unfortunately I only had time for one long day hike in Zion so I chose Angel's Landing. I'm a sucker for panoramic views and it didn't require me to rent a wetsuit/shoes either (it was Nov).

Oh well, another reason to go back! :fullofwin:

i had one day in November and did both
I'm told it's no fun in the summer because you're literally walking with a massive pack and everyone's hugging the wall
it was enjoyable in the shoulder season
angel's landing feels a bit sketchy when it gets busy :heckno:...it's a short one in the early morning...but lighting/shadow wasn't great around late morning for photos

Yeah, I was in Zion after 7 days of non-stop hiking so I was pretty beat after Angels Landing in the morning. My photos did suck though cause of the lighting so you speak the truth! Don't think I had the Narrows in me afterwards so spent the rest of the day doing the other short hikes around the park.


AL wasn't too crowded when I did it, but I can imagine it getting super annoying and borderline dangerous in the high season. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this hike, the very top of this pic is where your goal is:
https://i.imgur.com/hKTi5Xq.jpg

how long was the drive?

About 18-20 hours, but I flew into SLC and rented a Jeep instead. So 3 hours to the first stop (Canyonlands) for me :D

All-in-all I drove over 1400mi on this trip and I figure about 27 hours of total driving time over 2 weeks. Glad it wasn't on my car :p

Here it is roughed out on Google Maps:
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/40.77...f64139!1m0!3e0

Zion is a 2-hour drive from Vegas

at antelope canyon i would pony up and get the photography tour...it gets stupid-busy in there and we saw one guide just asking people to pass their phones up so he'll take the photo for you :lol

the upper one yields more interesting lighting but the lower one has more variety in formations

this was taken at the entrance of the lower

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...cf&oe=5A895147

What's your recommendations on short hikes with decent photo ops in Zion? I'll be there this weekend (flying into Vegas on Saturday morning and driving straight up to Zion and there until Sunday evening). Because of my limited schedule (and the short days), I think any super long hikes are out of the cards if I want to see more of the park.

the narrows is more exclusive to the park

yes you have to rent pants but i feel the hike's amazing in the shoulder and maybe off-season...be sure to check the current levels and you can go as far upstream as you like/have time for...you can get a good feel for it 30 minutes into the water but it gets more interesting at the wall street/orderville fork as the walls closes in much closer

if you're more impressed by heights...angel's landing..but if it's icy don't do it (refer back to photo #9)

the emerald pool i heard is a waste of time

best to ask visitor centre as they've probably done all of them in all conditions

Angels' Landing and The Narrows are the most famous hikes and afford the most iconic views and photo ops. The former can be done easily within 3 hours if you are relatively fit and not scared of heights. I believe the Narrows takes 8 hours minimum but you can get a taste of it doing the Riverside walk.

Other than that, there were a few short hikes but the one that stood out for me was this really easy trail (like paved and flat) called the Pa'rus trail that is near the Park entrance. The light bouncing off the river and mountains is magical at sunset.
https://i.imgur.com/3zs04GU.jpg

don't forget to look up at night

most of utah is at a high elevation = thinner atmosphere so where there's little light pollution supposedly means it offers some of the best dark skies on the continent (ie. joshua tree, grand canyon, etc.)

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...a5&oe=5AC3E77C