Let me preface this with saying I am so excited to go back to Utah!
Making this list was actually pretty hard. Utah is the first state I’m planning to visit (spoiler alert: hopefully in February). The American Southwest is ripe with National Parks and Monuments so trying to parse out those so I have a full list but not so much that I’m listing every trail was hard to do. To complicate matters, I’ve already been to Utah multiple times including Arches National Park/Moab and Salt Lake City. I’ve essentially driven through almost the entire state. That’s cool because I get to dive deeper into Utah. It also makes it harder because I’ve already hiked Delicate Arch and have seen the Spiral Jetty!
So first up, let’s talk about non-National Parks. I’m planning on sticking to the lower half of the state. While there are several things that I’d love to do in the Salt Lake City area, they aren’t quite feasible with my travel plans. Luckily for me, though, there are some natural hot springs that I’ll be in close proximity to. I love, love, LOVE hot springs so I’m excited to take a mid-February dip. I’m not limiting myself to a specific hot spring, so we’ll see where I end up!
Water Features
I should remember as I move onto other water activities that it will be February. Maybe these won’t all be feasible, but I’ll play it by ear. Living in Colorado, I’m right next door, so that affords me more than a singular opportunity to visit Utah. Calf Creek Falls is absolutely gorgeous and I’m sure its on so many people’s list of places to hike. I’m a sucker for waterfalls so if its anything warmer than “hypothermia” I will put at least a foot in the water. Mountain run-off. Pacific Ocean in January. Say I won’t!
Kannara Falls is also a really gorgeous looking hike that involves a ladder to get up an area of the falls themselves. Assuming its not frozen over like it would be in Colorado, I’ll trek that too.
Kitschy Stuff
Now, lets talk kitschy. I love kitschy. I’ve driven by this roadside attraction not once but twice and both times we didn’t stop! This time, its absolutely happening. Hole N The Rock is a, well, hole in a rock. I don’t know much about it other than there’s an enormous lettering on the face of the cliff about a hole and there’s a gift shop, but what more do you need? I love me a good tourist trap.
Amongst it all, and before we move onto the National Parks, I also plan to enjoy some style of glamping. Sleeping in an AirBnB that’s a cave? Sign me up! I don’t know exactly where or when, but I love doing things simply for the experience. Depending on my choice, it might give me a nice break from the van, too.
Parks and Monuments
Onto the National Parks then. First, I’ll be taking a quick trip through Arches National Park. I won’t know exactly which trails I want to hit up for certain until closer to my departure date, but I know the exact place I want to park my van if I’m able to. It’s the off season so I’m hoping it will be easier to find a spot. Arches National Park is my favorite park to visit (so far). I don’t know if it was the company or the area but the last time I was there I felt right at home.
This time, Sand Dune Arch, Tower Arch, and Landscape Arch are all on my list of arches to see. Camping in Arches isn’t the easiest option as there is no reliable wireless internet (and I have to be able to work) so as for how many trails and how long I spend here is yet to be determined.
Just across the street from Arches is Canyonlands National Park. We had planned to go there when we went to Arches, but it didn’t make sense at the time, so I’m excited for the opportunity to go back. Island in the Sky is a popular spot at this park, and based on amenities and distances travelled, this will probably be where I end up, too.
Capitol Reef National Park is home to Cassidy Arch, which is one of what appears to be just a few arches you can climb on top of (as opposed to under). This is definitely on the list of things to do. Capitol Reef, as is Utah, is also home to ringtails. Even though they are also native to Colorado, I’ve never seen one of these very elusive creatures. I’m hoping my time spent here will change that!
In Bryce Canyon National Park, there are many geological formations called “hoodoos” which are tall rock spires jutting into the sky. There’s apparently a scavenger hunt that if you hike so many certain trails and find certain geological survey markers, you get a reward. Its called the “I Hiked the Hoodoos” scavenger hunt and I think it sounds like a lot of fun.
The park I’m looking forward to most, however, is definitely Zion National Park. I’ve wanted to go there for so long and I’ve just never really had the opportunity to. It’s the furthest away from me, meaning it’s the hardest to spend time at. I don’t want to hold myself to hiking Angel’s Landing because its so crowded, but I do want to hold myself to hiking in an area that uses chains. I think Delicate Arch might have chains, now that I think about it, but nonetheless…chains! There are at least a couple of these hikes in Zion, so I’m going to make sure to get at least one of them done.
ATVs, caverns, whitewater rafting. There’s no shortage of things to do and fun to be had in Utah. This list doesn’t even cover everything! Most of the haunted, alien, artsy things tended to be in the Salt Lake City area so I’ll be missing out on those during this leg, but plenty of fresh air and sunshine are on the schedule!
Any hikes you’ve done that I absolutely must do? Any places you absolutely think I should visit? Comment below and let me know!
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