Home to the most hoodoos in the world, Bryce Canyon National Park is unlike anything I have ever seen. Located in southern Utah, the park is about a two and a half hour drive north of Page, Arizona. We arrived on a very busy Sunday in late May.
The pictures that appear on Google when Antelope Canyon is searched are breathtaking. But, what the pictures fail to depict is the popularity and crowds that the world famous slot canyon attracts.
After a long drive from Mesa Verde to the Grand Canyon, with several stops along the way, we woke up on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at the North Rim Campground. For both of us, this was our first time at the Grand Canyon, and we have both agreed that it will not be our last.
Horseshoe bend: once a top secret local’s spot, turned Instagram famous. The small turnout off highway 89, south of Page, Arizona is now a mecca for tourists with a parking lot and an official trail being built for easy access to the famous bend in the Colorado River, less than a mile from the highway. After seeing countless pictures of Horseshoe bend, we knew it had to be apart of our trip.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park was our first real taste of the summer heat in the desert. Driving between Mesa Verde, Colorado and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, we took a detour to check out the iconic Monument Valley.
The second destination of our big road trip was Mesa Verde National Park. Located in the southwestern corner of Colorado, Mesa Verde is known for cliff dwellings built by Ancient Pueblo people.
As you will most likely find, 4 to 5 AM wake up calls became a trend for our trip. Before starting the road trip, I had prioritized one hike in Moab, Delicate Arch. But the catch was that I wanted to hike it before the crowds, for sunrise. I read several other blog posts about how insanely crowded the arch can get, as Arches National Park is a very heavily trafficked park, especially Delicate Arch. That being said I convinced Wilson to wake up early to go hike Delicate Arch.
25 miles away from the northern entrance of Canyonlands lays Arches National Park. It was difficult to grasp the immense change in geological features between the two, even though their close proximity. We quickly went from canyons as far as the eye could see, to arches around every corner.
Months of planning led us to this day. Day 1 of our month long road trip through deserts, canyons, mountains, hot springs, lakes, and much much more. To finally be waking up, in Moab, away from all the stress that was moving out and finals was awesome! Finally ready to go explore all these new places, mostly to me, we headed towards Canyonlands National Park. But not without a little detour first…
From the beginning of the Spring semester, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve had been on my bucket list! And more importantly, to ski the Great Sand Dunes. After weeks of scheduling, Wilson and I finally set aside the weekend of Earth Day to go ski the dunes!
