This day was a much longer drive than expected for some reason, bu it started out great! We had a leisurely morning at the Grand Canyon, visiting the coffee shop and looking around the lodge before hiking around the visitor’s center area in search of views of the side canyons.
Morning view of the CanyonHappy to be able to visit the Grand Canyon together
From there, we sat in the car for probably 8 hours. Much of the driving from Arizona to Moab is on U.S. Highways, which, while scenic, are anything but fast to drive on. We finally reached I-70 for the last run into Moab, but in order to get there we had to cross the longest stretch of any Interstate with no motorist services – 119 miles from Salina to Green River, UT through the San Rafael Swell, a weird landscape of angular rock pushed up millions of years ago. It is so foreign looking that apparently they shot scenes from the Planet Vulcan here for the most recent Star Trek movie.
Wikipedia photo of I-70 through the Swell
Moab is a super cool town. I had visited once previously, doing some hiking and canyoneering in the area. Since we had some time to kill in the evening, we headed over to Arches to see the rock formations in the dying light (third National Park sunset in 3 days!)
The La Sal mountains from Arches NP
Day 9: Moab Rafting
I actually have no pictures from today, but it’s for good reason, as we headed out on the Westwater Canyon section of the Colorado River for some whitewater rafting. The most memorable rapid is a nasty one called Skull which runs at Class IV, although it wasn’t nearly as tricky as the guides built it up to be earlier in the day. I had a blast, and the sights in the canyon were really unique.
Westwater Canyon
Evidently some of the oldest rock in the world is exposed in Westwater – a formation called the “Vishnu Schist”. Clearly everyone spend the rest of the day making schist jokes.
Day 10: Moab to Dillon, CO
This was a short day by design, so we took some time in the morning to revisit Arches and see some more of the… well, arches.
Near Delicate ArchThe Firey FurnaceLandscape Arch
The rest of the day consisted of driving out of Utah along I-70 to Frisco, located right in the heart of Colorado ski country. We could start to feel the altitude a bit again here!
The rest of the trip took a more relaxed pace than the more structured tour of the national parks in the Southwest, and we all appreciated the chance to spend a little more time outside the car for once.
We knew that Day 5 was going to be a long drive, but also that it would pass some of the most spectacular vistas on the trip (as well as 2 new states for much of the family). We left the park fairly early and fought construction from the South exit of the park until the Grand Teton visitor center. We didn’t spend much time in the park, but did enjoy the great views of the range from the road.
The Grand Teton from the northPanorama of the rangeGrand Teton from the south
The hazy conditions due to forest fires in the area reduced visibility somewhat but not enough to conceal America’s most distinctive mountain range. Passing through Jackson, along the Snake River into Idaho, and then into Utah, we got our first taste of how enormous the West is, and how desolate the parts of the Southwest can be. We rolled into Salt Lake City in the early evening, and I showed the family around Temple Square. I talked them into eating at my favorite restaurant in town, Squatter’s Pub, which was a real treat after road food.
Day 6: Salt Lake City, UT to Springdale, UT
I wanted to do an easy hike in the Wasatch to expose my brother and dad to the beauty of the area without making the trip too difficult or hazardous. We ended up hiking Sunset Peak (for my fourth time) from the Alta side. Needless to say, they both really enjoyed it. I’ve posted lots of pictures of the area on the blog before, but here are some of the nicer ones from that morning:
Devils Castle in the morning lightTwin Lakes from the summit ridge of Sunset Peak
The rest of the day consisted of a fairly lengthy drive on the interstate to Springdale, which is right outside Zion National Park. We took a bus tour of Zion Canyon in the evening as the sun set, and the colors were pretty unreal. It’s a very different view of the Canyon than when I had previously seen it in the morning light.
Zion CanyonEvening colors as the sun sets – near the entrance to the park
Day 7: Zion National Park to Grand Canyon North Rim
The primary goal of the day was for my brother and I to hike Angel’s Landing. I had hiked it in the spring and really enjoyed it, but he was concerned about the exposure. I told him he had nothing to worry about, and he handled it pretty well.
Waking up early
We got on the first bus into the park, which put us on the trail earlier than anybody (always good for the crowded Angel’s Landing trail).
First view of the valley from higher up on Angel’s Landing
Don’t slip here
We handled the chain section with no problem. My brother who isn’t a very experienced hiker said it wasn’t as bad as he was expecting.
The infamous “knife edge” (not actually that narrow)Topping out
The second trip up Angel’s Landing presented the same view, but it’ll be
Crazy lower trail carved into the canyon wall
This was my second trip to the top of Angel’s Landing, but I imagine it will always be worth the trip due to the unparallelled view of the rest of the valley and the “exciting” trail!
Back in the Canyon Floor
We hiked out and rode the bus back to our hotel in Springdale, where we linked up with the rest of the family and headed to the Grand Canyon via Kanab. This route goes through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, which was carved out of the sandstone by WPA crews in the 1930’s. It is sort of sketchy with regard to lack of guardrails and narrow parts of the tunnel, but worth it for the views (and for getting to the Grand Canyon of course).
Navajo sandstone domes on the drive to Kanab
From there it was several hours of driving to get to the North Rim. Along the way, we stopped in the little town of Kanab for a quick bite to eat before heading through the Kaibab National Forest to the North Rim visitor’s center. Be advised that there are very few services along this road. It definitely feels like a remote corner of the country, despite the number of visitors.
When we finally arrived (in Arizona time, one hour behind) it was pretty rainy and chilly, although it cleared up enough for us to see a canyon. We were gawking at the view until we realized it was only a side canyon. The main canyon is beyond imagination in scale. It’s easily the largest natural feature I’ve ever seen, wider even I believe than the Yellowstone caldera.
Grand Canyon
Due to the long drive and easily accessible views, we didn’t plan to hike much in the park, but we did walk to a small point by the N. Rim Lodge where we were able to get a pretty good view of the main canyon. We stayed around after dinner until the sun set, and that’s when the scenery really came to life. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, it was just awe inspiring.
Luckily we were done driving for the day, as we had a reservation at one of the cabins. I recommend staying in the park if at all possible, because the drive back to Kanab really would have put a damper on the day and would have made it impossible to watch the sun go down over the canyon.
Elevated 