Enjoy exploring national parks in Utah

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.”  Edward Abbey

Every traveler I met in Utah was there for the same reason -- to explore nature in Utah’s national parks, of which there are five. I had been to four of them 11 years prior and decided to return last summer. I had my Interagency Annual Pass ($80 annual fee), a full tank of gas, and childlike spirit along for the ride.  

After stopping at the visitor center outside the Dinosaur National Monument to get some advice and maps, I drove north to see the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area’s southern portion off Hwy 44. I drove through the beautiful Ashley National Forest and saw the Green River and gorge from behind the Red Canyon Visitor Center. That night I camped at Browne Lake National Forest Campground and paid $15. There was no running water, but I had enough in my gallon jugs and was only there for a night, so it was fine. I biked around soaking up the beauty, staring at the cows and lake, and breathed a sigh of relief that the storm I could see from a distance stayed away. 

After a fitful night of sleep, I took off around 6:30 a.m., laughing at the cows, who were running freely down the hills onto the road competing with me for space. I then drove through the Sheep Creek National Geological Loop in complete awe of the ethereal rock formations hearing zero sounds of traffic at that early hour.  

Upon arrival in Salt Lake City, I had an appointment at a tire shop and purchased two new tires. I wanted four, but they only had two of the brand I wanted. After relaxing at the motel for a few hours, I ventured to the outside of the Mormon temple and other famous buildings due to COVID, met some nice LDS missionaries, and walked to the state capitol building.  Back at the hotel, the owner of the Ramada, who had moved from both NYC and Los Angeles after retiring from film making to Salt Lake, gushed about how friendly everyone from the cops to the locals and his neighbors were to him, a black man. He felt optimism and pride about humans again and never looked back from living on the coasts.

The next morning I drove north to Antelope Island State Park, which was advertised as being the best sight to see the Great Salt Lake and multitudes of bison. After driving over a seven-mile causeway and setting up my tent, I toured the Fielding Garr ranch and later set off on the dirt road on my bike in order to see the bison.

A few miles in found me with two flat tires due to the poor road condition. I headed back to my car walking my bike but was picked up by one of the park rangers, who drove that rough road each afternoon to check for stranded hikers and bikers. We ended up seeing a bunch more bison, walked on the salt flats at Unicorn Point, and chatted a few more hours. I later took a dip in the lake and ended the evening with an enormous smile on my face.

The following day, I headed to Big Cottonwood Canyon outside of Salt Lake City and over Deer Pass leading to Park City. If you have the time, park along the road and hike either in Little or Big Cottonwood Canyon on any of the trails and have a picnic. Continuing on the highway that passed through both the Wasatch and Uinta National Forests, my car got a flat tire right outside Mt. Pleasant. Ugh!! Thankfully it happened right outside a friendly man named Leon’s home. I stayed at a hotel near my detour for two nights and met an awesome couple from Southern Louisiana who were ATVing in the area. The guy, Hammer, helped me fix my bike tires.

When the local tire shop opened a few days later, I got the tire patched up for $16, and a few hours later, drove through the thunder and rainstorm and into Bryce Canyon National Park (NP). I got there early enough in the day so secured a camping spot-$60 for three nights. At Bryce, I looked at the hoodoos, took pictures of people on horses, and drove through the park road to the end. I got up at sunrise and also saw the sunset, hiked down into the canyon and some of the forest, biked through and outside the park, and was even able to walk through the river and near a waterfall at a location outside the main part of the park.

The next national park I went to was Zion, my current favorite one. I prefer the eastern and less popular side. I’ve heard Kolob Canyons would also compete, but I didn’t have time to see this part of the Park. I wasn’t able to secure reservations to get the park shuttle, but I had my bike. Bike rentals are available and were a well-used option as are tours. 

I was able to do some of the more popular hikes like The Narrows, Angel’s Landing, and Lower Emerald Pool. On the eastern side, I did the Canyon Overlook Trail. I had another adventure involving two flat tires on my bike thanks to the goat head cactus. Uffda! I also ran into the same people I had met in the parking lot of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and Bryce Canyon while hiking The Narrows, which was a definite bonus.

Lake Powell is a beautiful man-made lake outside Kanab.  I spent a few hours swimming and relaxing there and was thankful for the LA guy who lent me his large umbrella to lie under so I didn’t burn like a lobster. After that refreshing cool down, I hiked the Toadstools trail right off the highway located within the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument. For most of the hikes in the Staircase, one needs a 4-wheel-drive vehicle but not for this one. This hike reminded me of something I would have seen in a Star Wars movie and was easy to do.

Also in this area is The Wave.  Look up details of how to get the limited Bureau of Land Management online or walk-up permit and to see the gorgeous pictures of this place.

I was hoping to visit Capitol Reef NP, but I was running out of time so went through Monument Valley instead, which is a place where many Hollywood movies have been filmed. Driving through there, I was a bit confused as to why there was a large group of people in the road. Then it hit me: This is where Forrest Gump stopped his running and decided to return home to Alabama. I got my picture taken, drove through more enchantment with scarcely a vehicle around, and stopped in Blanding as evening fell.

The next day I toured the southern section of Canyonlands NP near Moab. I took too many pictures, hiked, and made my way to the Lazy Lizard Hostel, where some patrons almost talked me into taking my first skydive early the next morning. Instead, I went to Arches NP. During the two days I was there, I did many hikes such as the Devil’s Garden/Primitive Trail, Sand Dune Arch, and Delicate Arch, which is on the Utah license plate. Leaving the Park, I shopped in town and found an evening farmer’s market occurring.

One of the men at a booth lived and worked at a Seventh Day Adventist farm and school with his family and invited me to a service and a potluck at their church the following day in a small town called Castle Valley. For suggestions on things to do in the area, he told me to take a right at Lion’s Park, which was right before Arches.

There I could walk, camp, swim, or bike along the river with canyon backdrops. Then I’d take a right at the Castle Valley sign, continue through it and into the La Sal Mountains, and loop back to Moab. It was a little risky doing this solo at night due to calves and cattle roaming freely onto the road with hardly a car in sight, but seeing the views and all the stars made it a high point of my day. It took about two hours to do.

Just a little bit outside Moab, I hiked the Corona Arch, saw the Potash petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks, observed rock climbers, and felt like dipping my feet in the Colorado River. I also went to the northern section of Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point State Park. To get in a quick swim before heading to Colorado, a local free favorite in Moab I explored is Mill Creek. This gets crowded so get there early. Just south of Moab is Hole N” The Rock, a unique place with a 12-minute tour of Albert and Gladys Christensen’s former home built right into a gigantic rock.

A person can't screw up going to Utah. With its national parks and forests and state parks, it’ll continue to draw folks back year after year. Enjoy the scenery and bring a family or friend along, or meet some new ones while you are there.

Editor’s Note: As travel again becomes an option, Karen Hendrickson offers a guide to visiting Colorado. Hendrickson is a Kasson-Mantorville High School graduate who now teacher ESL in Rochester.