UTAH’S MIGHTY 5 in 50 HOURS

Since COVID 19 put a halt to our traveling adventures in 2020 we were getting a bit restless being at home for so many months. We were a bit bummed because we had to cancel 4 different trips. We certainly know that COVID is no joke and take it very seriously. So we started thinking for various ways we could still travel with the least amount of interaction with others to keep ourselves and the others safe. Many of our National Parks have some of the lowest numbers of visitors ever. This would be the perfect time to go. With less people, we could see more and be safer with our distancing. So we decided to rent an RV! We devised a plan. We found a brand new RV, loaded up our gloves and masks, and hit the road. Don’t forget your America The Beautiful Pass! It saved us a ton of money!

Utah’s Mighty Five in 50 Hours!

Okay, start in Las Vegas and don’t stop until you are done…. Sure you need an RV, places to stop and fill up with gas, get in a hike or two but you want to cram it all in and know it can be done! If you want a little sip of all these wonderful stops, a taste, you can do it in 50 hours. We didn’t stop after the Mighty Five so stayed tuned for more….but here is our rundown of the 5 most famous stops in Utah. Buckle up!

ZION-(Requires a shuttle pass that you have to apply for online- so plan ahead) The first of Utah’s Mighty Five.

SEE LINK: Zion

9AM We left Vegas after getting the RV stocked with our groceries… we had a 12-1 PM shuttle access time reserved at the closest of the parks – Zion NP.  If you miss that time, you are out of luck.  They also check your reservation tickets to get a ride back on the shuttle too – in case you considered walking in and wanted a ride back out….So make sure you have a shuttle ticket and don’t be late. This is your only way in. To get a ticket you must go to.https://www.recreation.gov

Take the farthest shuttle stop, and hike the Narrows…. You get to hike on the paved road for a mile, then meet the friendly squirrels wanting to be fed before you approach the natural water & stone trail of the Narrows. 

The day we were there was of course the Hottest Day of the year so far. 104-degree temps that felt like 114!. The minute we put our feet in the water it was FREEZING COLD! It was quite refreshing considering how hot we were. That was our first challenge. Next, was trying to balance on the slippery rocks. You have to move very slow and work against the current to stay upright. We had poles (but saw others with walking sticks) and I recommend that more than anything else. That is the ticket to a successful hike. After a while, this slow fight to stay balanced and on top of the water start to make your arms and legs a little shaky. I haven’t even mentioned the Views here. The views are so breathtaking that you want to stop looking down at the rocks you are trying to balance on and enjoy the view. But if you enjoy the view and stop watching the rocks you are going to fall in. So stop, sit on a rock and enjoy the view here and there. There is nothing like it. As you proceed the water level changes. At first, it was around our ankles, then knees, at one point it got to my chest. Here the cold water takes your breath away. As you keep going the levels do fluctuate. This is important to be aware of the weather forecast. If the rain comes the water levels can change drastically and can become more dangerous.

We read a lot about special socks and boots for this hike. You can rent them at Zion if needed. But we decided to do it without them and just go in our hiking boots. We had no problems. It was so hot that they dried in no time after the hike. My only suggestion would be to change into dry socks afterward so you don’t get blisters. You can go as far as you like and turn around when you need to. But I will warn you, at every turn you want to keep going because each new turn offers you another amazing view. Either way, it’s a great experience and one I’m so glad we did.

After the Narrows we headed back to the shuttle to catch the Grotto stop where you can either go on the Upper Emerald Pool trail or the more strenuous rim trail that includes Walter Wiggles and provides you the view of Angel’s Landing (FYI – section up to Angel’s landing CLOSED DUE TO COVID 19 where you have to use chains)…. Given the group, we chose the moderate Upper emerald pool trail, that was quite demanding in its own right…. But, so worth it – see the vista we were provided….

The last shuttle out is 8:15 PM, we caught the 7:30 shuttle to stop by the Zion Lodge gift shop for souvenirs as the visitor center was closed already..  (Surprised by deer amongst the families picnicking in the field and playing catch with the baseball – nature at it’s finest). Get on the 2^nd to last shuttle back to the entrance… The fun was just beginning – the drive through the Carmel Tunnel https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/the-zion-mount-carmel-tunnel.htm– scary because it was both dark and no guide directing traffic at that hour, but we had to get to Patiuch, UT (our RV campground)!  What made it more “fun” was that the sides of the tunnel were at 10’2” and our vehicle height was 12” – so don’t edge over too far, especially when cars were coming from the other side – ugh!!!

Still, the fun wasn’t done – did we tell you that we’ve NEVER rented or driven an RV and getting to the RV campground at 10:30 PM, besides just pulling into our spot correctly, we had to plug in the power, hook up the water and make sure we did the commode/waste “dump” correctly.  Have you seen the movie, RV with Robin Williams? – you can only imagine the trouble we could get into!  We did it, ate hot dogs, drank a couple of beers, and passed out around 11:30 or midnight! The next morning was going to be an early one.

Bryce Canyon

5AM – disconnected everything and went on our way to Bryce Canyon the second of Utah’s Mighty Five… Not that many people up at that time of day – including our family – as Saj drove and woke us up as we arrived at Sunrise Point in Bryce an hour later…. Also, timed perfectly, 5-10 minutes before sunrise…. (see pictures and experience)

The colors from the Hoodoo’s change before your eyes as the morning light rises in the sky!  Whites, reds, orange amongst the bright yellow of the sun provide moments of darkness and magnificence as it’s not just the colors but the landscape that overpowers you!  We got to have breakfast in the RV – grits, oatmeal, a loaf of bread, sweet mangoes, and coffee – not a bad first breakfast on the RV!

After Breakfast, we started our hike. Navajo Loop (Wall Street) It’s one of the most unique hikes we’ve ever been on. You make these steep descent down into the canyon. There are many steep switchbacks with cool breezes that blow through even on a hot July day. It’s best to do this trail in the early morning. It does heat up with the day and gets very hot. Don’t forget you do have to make your way back up. So take your time, stop, and rest. You will pass the slot canyons, the colors, views, and the unique hoodoos. You will be huffing and puffing on your way back up the canyon but it is worth it. I consider this to be a moderate hike. But if you take your time and enjoy the view along the way it’s so doable. We took the two bridges part of the hike back up because we heard that the views of the amphitheater were better on this route. If you want to, you can take Queens Garden back up to Sunrise Point but since we had already been to sunrise point for Sunrise we settled for two bridges. Either way, you will have amazing views.

Next stop, of Utah’s Mighty Five, is Capitol Reef but take my word of warning GET GAS BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT from Bryce.. Once you get on the road to Capital Reef, though only approx 2.5 hrs away, the roads are long, lonely, desolate. Do you know that song wide open spaces? It’s wide-open spaces with no places to stop along the way. We barely passed another car for hours. We were desperate for gas but none to be found. There was no cell service. After a lot of praying and running on fumes, we finally came to a Mercantile, Grass Valley, in Koosharem Utah. Never have we been SO Happy to find such an old-time gas station. Once we filled up with gas and were able to breathe again, the Mercantile was quiet a unique stop. They had baby CHICKS for sale. I’m sure they were not amused that I was so enamored that you could buy chicks in the store! How cool is that? They were very cute. I could have taken a few with me. While we were there we picked up some soft serve ice cream and bad for you nachos. But they were the best we ever had! It was such a unique and THANKFUL stop we also bought a T-shirt there to remember the day of the nail-biting drive with no gas!

Next stop: 2:27pm

CAPTIOL REEF

Once we arrived at Capitol Reef it was an amazing sight to behold. We did the scenic drive to take in its massive beauty. This was one of our lesser researched stops so we were shocked to learn from our 14-year-old, who did do his research that the Mormons settled there because of its Lush Vegetation and water supply along the Freemont River. There is an area called Fruita Historic district, where you will find fruit orchards of many varieties. There is an area where you can go to actually pick fruit. But, if you want to go straight to the good stuff, there is a restored schoolhouse called Gifford House that has freshly baked pies, pastries, and jams for sale. You don’t want to miss this!

On your way out, you can stop by to see the Petroglyphs, created by the Native Americans. They were a bit hard to see and we were a little underwhelmed with this stop. But for you History Buffs, you might want to add it to your list.

Next stop, 7:08 Arches National Park Balanced Rock

Storms were coming, as we slid into the Balanced Rock viewing area. The sandstone boulder on top of Balanced Rock weighs 3577 tons. I hope the balanced rock doesn’t become unbalanced! We hoped to get to Delicate Arch after this but since the storms were coming quickly and we decided to stop for the day and head to our RV park. Silver lining to getting to the RV park….there was a double rainbow there waiting for us. I guess we made the right decision to head back early. Also, we were able to rest up a bit since Saj had us heading out again before the sun.

CANYONLANDS

4:45am headed to Canyonlands for Sunrise. Arrived at 5:45. We found our perfect spot for the perfect shot. Mesa Arch-Yes, there were those who show up late and try to jump in the middle of your shot so put on your patience, team up with others who are nice and willing, take turns. Let others get their shot. If you are nice to them they will be nice to you. In the end, we took turns taking family pics for each other. We got some of our best shots at this stop! The early bird gets the worm….. Imagine seeing this in person! So breathtaking. Check it out. Once the sun comes up the crowd disperses and you will have some time to get some additional shots. Soon we headed out to Arches.

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

First Stop Delicate Arch. 3 miles round trip. This is that Famous shot that you probably think of when you hear Arches. We were hoping to get there and started before the heat got too bad but it was pretty hot by the time we go there and got going. Take LOTS of water. The bathrooms in this area also are not the bes and no water fillup available. Holes in the ground. That is all I’m going to say. So I was very Thankful we had an RV to head back to! This hike is labeled difficult. We saw people of all ages there. It’s not a terrible climb. But it’s not the most fun hike either! It’s the increasing elevation & heat that wears you out. When you think you’ve made it you haven’t. Keep following the crowd around the back and when you see it you will know you made it. It’s hard to get a shot without people in the way so go early or late. We had heard the best shot was of Sunset but we were not able to stick around that late. We were able to get some fun family shots here and then headed back down. It was a lot easier than going up that’s for sure!

Arches is the last of Utah’s Mighty Five. It is a very interesting place with over 2000 arches. You could stay there all day. We stopped to check out two more arches before heading out. We checked out Double Arch and Turret Arch. These were shorter easier hikes but with some cool views. We had debated trying to do the Corona arch to go with our Pandemic times but the drive was too far and who needs more Corona anyway!

This wraps up Utah’s Mighty Five. We didn’t stop there! Our Journey continues on to Joshua Tree National park, a famous Route 66 stop for fun, long drives through the Mojave Desert to the Colorado Desert. Then follow us on over to California where we check out Sequoia National Park and it’s HUGE trees and the Bucket List beauty of Yosemite National park. We stopped off in the Pasa Robles Wine country and took a trip down the Pacific Coast Highway. So stay tuned for more coming up in the coming days. It’s a 3,000 mile RV journey you don’t want to miss.

JOYS ON A JOURNEY