Continuation of our adventures in the west of the USA with the discovery of Utah & the Navajo country... A region full of beautiful national parks.... Honestly we could spend months and months there..
DAY 8 • Springdale via Las Vegas
[ 118 miles • 2h10 Las Vegas - 163 miles • 2h45 Springdale ]
Springdale gives off an atmosphere that we liked right away... We arrived at the gates of Zion National Park... Yes, there are lots of hotels, restaurants and tourists everywhere but the atmosphere is nice, relaxed & sporty... We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express... Nothing exceptional, but all the buildings of the small town seem to respect a certain height & color and blend completely in the red ochre canyon of Zion... For dinner, I recommend you to go to Bit & Spur, a saloon with a Mexican-inspired cuisine and a nice terrace in the back with a view on the canyon cliffs...
Before talking about the national park, let's talk about prices... If you are going to visit 3 or more national parks (be careful, the "Stats Park" are not included), you have to get at the entrance of the first park you visit "The Beautiful Pass" for a value of $80 valid for one year & transferable to 2 people... it's ideal & really profitable!
Zion National Park... Honestly a nice surprise... It is really a park which is often put aside in the "tours" which propose the agencies in Switzerland or on the catalogs of trips... We do not understand, because it is magnificent .... our bus driver... Because yes in the park it is forbidden to take its car (and so much better, otherwise that would be infernal), told us that Zion had passed to the 3rd rank of the most visited national parks in the USA! It's understandable, considering the number of hikes - walks - activities you can find in the park.
So you'll understand... to get the most out of it, you have to get up early to avoid the crowd, be the first at the bus stop and avoid the wait, be alone on the different hikes and especially to be able to do several in one day if your time is limited... Unfortunately like us!
We did 3 hikes in one day:
Emerald pool Trail followed directly by the Kayenta Trail... An easy hike that brings us to the 3 waterfalls: Lower, Middle & Upper Emerald Pool, and makes us discover a thick and climbing vegetation... and that's exactly what we really liked in Zion... These red cliffs and this vegetation which seems to want to cover it by climbing on it. The Kayenta Trail allows to follow the Virgin River in height and to admire views on the whole canyon. (bus stop n°5 pick up at n°6)
The Narrows... A walk... Followed by a walk at the bottom of the canyon... after about 20 minutes of walking... the path gives way to the river, let's go for the adventure... but to be able to do it, you have to rent waterproof shoes at the entrance of the park allowing you to walk in the rather cold water of the Virgin River... (last bus stop n° 9)
Angels Landing... Unfortunately we did not have the time to do this walk which is said to be magnificent because it allows to reach a promontory with a view over the whole canyon... The walk is quite difficult and lasts about 4 hours for 8.6km with more than 400m of difference in height (those who suffer from vertigo should not do it)... Next time I hope so!
As mentioned in our 1st article "Far West - california & the nevada road trip", in addition to adding a night in Las Vegas we would have very willingly added a night in Zion... And probably removed a night in Bryce (see next step) in order to be able to do the Angels Landing walk... because according to us, a big half-day would be enough in Bryce to discover the amphitheater properly, while in Zion the possibilities seem endless...
After a late picnic in Springdale... Departure to discover one of the most beautiful roads of our trip the Mount Carmel Road... A scenic road paved in red-ochre to match the cliffs of Zion National Park. This road from Springdale to Bryce winds its way through the canyon and offers some amazing views. Just after the one-way tunnel (direction Bryce), stop on the right at the small parking lot, to make a last walk: the Canyon Overlook Trail... do you think the view is worth it?
It is really late when we leave Zion with a point of regret... But the adventure continues direction Bryce...
DAYS 9 & 10 • Bryce Canyon
[ 82 miles • 1h45 ]
Our day yesterday made us knocked out... This time we didn't get up at dawn, because the weather was overcast and we were very tired... After a mediocre breakfast at the Best Western of Bryce Village (atmosphere much less nice than Springdale... more reason to make 2 nights in Springdale and 1 night in Bryce), departure to discover this amphitheater.
Then even if we are not there at the sunrise, we begin by the Sunrise point... Whouaaaa... The first sight on the amphitheater and its multitudes of Hoodoos is impressive... Moreover the cold of duck is also impressive... For me it will be a down jacket, mini gloves and ear muffs... Yes yes, it's curling! The coolest thing with this super changeable weather sun - rain - cloud - sun - cloud - rain... At each passage of clouds, the sun re-illuminates the amphitheater or only a part of it... so we wait for this show with impatience to discover the magnificent colors.
We decide then to leave to the assault of hoodoos and to go down in the heart of the amphitheater by the Queen's Garden Trail followed by the Navajo Loop Trail in order to join the Sunset point... the descent is easy and pleasant, we observe every hoodoos, we wait for the clearings... a real spectacle... the ascent was however a little bit more strong... with its way in laces... but magnificent nevertheless!
In one full day, it is possible to see all the other viewpoints: Inspiration point & Bryce Point... we wouldn't know which one is the most beautiful... each time the view is breathtaking!
If we had to stay again in Bryce, we would choose without hesitation The Lodge At Bryce Canyon, located in the national park a few meters from the amphitheater & surrounded by vegetation. If the budget doesn't allow it... at least go to their restaurant for a mountain atmosphere followed by a little walk along the amphitheater... We were lucky enough to take the walk accompanied by a herd of bambis... They were really not afraid of us... it was magic!
Days 11 & 12 • Moab
[ 265 miles • 5h00 via Hway 12 & 24 ]
It's a long stage, because we decided to drive on Highway 12, which makes the road a bit longer... But we were not disappointed... this road of Utah winds through so many different landscapes... Canyons, ridges, petrified dunes... so if your western tour takes you from Bryce to Moab or vice versa... Without any hesitation, take this route via Escalante, Boulder, Torrey & Capitol Reef National (Highway 24). We unfortunately did not visit the latter because it was raining (the only drops of the whole trip) but just crossing it via Hwy 24...It was very beautiful!
Arrived at the end of the day in Moab...The temperature has clearly risen since our departure from Bryce... Here we are in the desert and that feels! We discover finally our "glamping" with our tent all equipped...Under Canvas : a "luxury" camping with all the conveniences but which pays attention to its impact on nature and its water consumption... I find the charm of the safari tents of our road trip in Namibia in the middle of the USA... I love it! (only drawback of this camp, the proximity of the 191 road... according to the wind we hear it too much, really a pity)... Under Canvas has other camps in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Zion... Without any doubt, we would stay there during a future road trip in the USA!
After a very cold night... Our day starts at dawn, because we only have one whole day in Moab... & honestly it's NOT enough, because there is so much to do and see here!
But to start us off right, this morning we planned a helicopter flight (early birthday present for Marc)... A way to have a nice first view of this landscape. So we met at 6:30 am at the Canyonlands airport for a flight with Pinnacle Helicopters... Ben, our pilot, installs us in his R44 (Marc is in the paradise...) and it is left for a flight of 45 minutes with a sun which starts to illuminate all the landscape: Dead Horse Point, the Colorado river, Potash Ponds & Island in Sky of the Canyon Lands National Park... In short we take a lot of eyes & we are happy to have got up at dawn... We let you discover the landscapes without adding other comments!
This flight gave us even more desire to discover all these parks and these breathtaking landscapes... So we went first to the Dead Horse Point State Park be careful, here the "Beautiful Pass" does not work)... But you absolutely have to go there to see the view of the river below that we just flew over... Colorado Gooseneck & the Potash Ponds!
Our journey continues towards Canyonlands National Park... This park is composed of 3 parts : Island in The Sky, The Neddles & The Maze... we explored the Island in The Sky, until the Grand View Overlook... Small picnic with an impressive view... We feel really tiny in front of this immensity... Can you find me on the picture 😅?
The heat becoming overwhelming... we decide to make a small nap in our glamping before taking again the road at the end of the afternoon to finally discover the Arches National Park... But even at 5 pm, the heat remains hardly bearable... We decide to make first a small walk towards Landscape Arch, then on the road of the return a stop at Skyline Arch... impressive and magnificent with this luminosity of the end of day. But considering the temperatures, we shall not make the walk towards Delicate Arch... we shall see it from far from Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint... It is a pity, we are a little disappointed, but we do not take the risk! We finish our day by a photo session... It is really what we love in our trips, "to waste time" to make photos, to wait for the good light, to scrutinize the hidden animal or to wait simply that the other tourists leave to take advantage of the site only for us... So we went to the Window Section where we found many arches not far from each other: Double Arch, North & South Arches...
This marathon day, we can say it, will have been so rich... I keep a magnificent memory of it and I can only advise to plan 2 to 3 days more in Moab in order to be able to take advantage of all these parks and all the proposed activities (4x4, rafting, mountain bike,...).
DAYS 13 & 14 • Monument Valley [navajo lands]
[ 146 miles • 2h30 ]
After a good night under tent in our pretty glamping in Moab... we left for a day road trip... 2 options are offered to us before taking the direction of Monument Valley: to return to Arches National Park and to make the walk towards Delicate Arch that we had not had courage to make the evening before because of the heat or to go to try to see Potash Ponds more closely... we choose the 2nd option a little more out of the beaten tracks... thus on the road on Potash Road n°279...
During all the 1st part, we go along the Colorado river of a brown-green color, then we arrive at the factory... In fact it is a mine of KCl... The water of the ponds is artificially tinted in blue to accelerate the evaporation and thus the formation of crystals of KCl. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of making a visit of the site, it is a pity... We decide then to continue the road which becomes more and more sportive... (if you don't have a 4x4 don't drive!!!) to finally arrive at the edge of ponds...
After a lunch break in the small town of Moab and put back of my road emotions... yes, the road until the ponds is really bumpy especially the last part... Direction Monument Valley! The road is quite long and monotonous, we cross almost deserted cities... So to motivate ourselves, we put on the music in our Dodge which is a little bit soft, we must say! On the way we see the Mexican Hat, a rock in the shape of sombrero, then we make a stop at the Forest Gump Point... but the sun being in front of us and not yet low enough, we decide to come back the morning of our departure to benefit from the light in our back illuminating the whole road.
We arrive in the late afternoon in the country of the Navarjos, located in Utah & mainly in Arizona but be careful, here we keep the time of Utah! Honestly, we were a little bit apprehensive, because we had planned 2 nights and I had had some negative feedbacks... "too many tourists", "it's only 3 blocks of rocks", "we're bored"... anyway for us, it was a wonderful stage...
it is true that as soon as we arrived... we see the big building of the View Hotel et son parking, and there we tear up a little... but good, we park the car to go to the reception and there directly under our eyes we discover the 3 hills... we understand better the site of the hotel and of course its name... no other word than "magnificent" with this light of end of day!
To avoid being in a concrete block, I had reserved the cabin belonging to the hotel... at the time of the reservation, I was a little skeptical, but what a joy to discover these fully equipped cabins, away from the main building and parking... But with the same view !
For our 2 mornings spent in Monument Valley... we woke up at dawn to find the good spot... but not need to go very far, we take possession of a big rock, not far from our cabin and very close to the beginning of the Valley Loop Drive... We spent hours there to take photos, to contemplate the spectacle & to make stagings of cowboy... it was great, we were alone with 2 or 3 other photographers... No noise just us and the nature... (except during the 2nd morning... an invasion of Japanese at 6 am which lasted hardly 3 minutes... that surprised us & also made us laugh!)
After a breakfast... Let's go for the Valley Loop Drive... (Be careful, you must have a 4x4 or at least an elevated car... If you don't have one, you'll have to sign up for a tour organized and directed by the Navajos on board their big open jeeps... But be careful, you will swallow a lot of dust).
We are in full western... the track is nevertheless rather well maintained, we take our time to make all the loop and to benefit from every point of view... The main attraction is the John Ford's Point, favorite place of the director of the same name. At this place you can wait patiently that the Navajo takes his horse and puts himself in pose on the promontory... and with some $ you will be able to go up yourself on the horse... hihhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa!!!
In the afternoon we wanted to go for a horseback ride to immortalize even more the feeling of being a real cowboy in the Wild West... But unfortunately the wind came up and an impressive sandstorm formed, forcing us to take refuge in our pretty cabin...
Before our departure for Arizona... We returned in the beginning of morning to the Forest Gump Point, in 13 miles of Monument Valley on the hway 163 in direction of Bluff... Where Forest decided to stop running... The view is beautiful with this straight road and the buttes in the background... But BEWARE of the cars passing at full speed threatening the tourists who put themselves in the middle of the road to have the best shot...
See the continuation of our road trip in the Arizona
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