Adventures of NaDave: 1-year Anniv Utah

We woke up to a chill and a frosty windshield! We also woke up a little more sore and decided to get breakfast at the Bryce Canyon Pines Restaurant. The omelets and hot chocolates warmed us up as we headed all the way into the park, and reached almost 10,000 feet elevation!

We spent the morning driving along the scenic route, and stopping for photos. Our favorite spot was Inspiration point where the view of the Hoodoos was amazing. From there we headed to Navajo Trail and hiked down into the park. We passed right along the hoodoo structures and felt tiny among the giant rock formulations. We got to end of the trail in the valley and raindrops started to fail. We headed back up, knowing also that we had a long afternoon of driving.

We left Bryce dodging downpours and headed into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This park is HUGE, so we stopped at a visitor center and grabbed a map. We only had planned for a view hours, so we first headed to Grosvenors Arch. It took some dirt roads and a small river crossing to finally make it. It was a short walk to the Arch, and grabbed a nice photo. To stay on schedule, we headed back to the main road and again hit a downpour. After 1 hour of driving we came upon Hell's Backbone, and the view was stunning. The land was barren for as far as the eye could see. But the drive was spectacular, one the best roads I've ever driven. Scenery in every direction. Twisting and turning, up and down valleys and canyons.

Our final stop that evening was Capitol Reef National Park. We arrived after the Visitor Center was closed, but followed the main scenic drive. The road hugged close to the massive red cliffs, and the sun made the red rock look like fire. We drove through Fruita, an old Mormon settlement where several fruit trees were planted. We also drove down Gorge Road, a road created as a pass through where you were surrounded by high rising walls. The final sight in Capitol Reef was Hickman's Bridge hike. We barely squeezed in the 1 hour roundtrip hike as dusk settled in, and on the way home we treated to a spectacular view of the full moon.

As dusk turned to darkness, we hopped in the car and headed for Green River, Utah where we had a hotel for the night. The full moon light the way for us, as we cruised and talked about another fantastic day! We arrived to the hotel, happily took showers (the 1st since Friday!), and passed out on the comfy bed.

Bryce National Park - Inspiration Point