Adventure #238

Above: Monument Valley, Image by Phil Clark - Mad about Travel
Previous page: Bryce Canyon, image by Sean Lee
After a day of exploring the numerous
trails of Bryce Canyon National Park
it was still snowing and we decided to
move on to Zion National Park. The
prairie and farmland were studded with
canyons and the odd red rock mountain
and archway. Suddenly we arrived at
Zion and the landscape opened before
our eyes. It started with red rock, orange
hoodoo spires and white checker-board
mesa’s as we weaved our way into
the park. The highlight was exiting the
two-kilometer Zion - Mt Carmel Tunnel,
which took our breath away as we as
we gazed at the 2185m Sentinel and the
2350m East temple soaring above us.
The rest of the day was spent exploring
the visitors centre and the scenic drive
up to the Temple of Sinawava, taking
in the mountains with names like, The
Court of the Patriarchs, West Temple,
The Altar of Sacrifice, Mountain of
Mystery and the Great White Throne
climbing a thousand meters out of the
valley floor.
Completely buzzing from our experience
at Zion we headed to nearby Kanab to
fuel up at “Escobars” the local Mexican
restaurant to hunt out a chimichanga
and a Corona.
Day 4 of our trip started with another 10
cm of snow sitting on our car. Today we
were due to explore the pink and red
Peak A Boo Slot Canyon followed by a
drive out to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes
State Park where you can ride the
sand dunes on boogie boards. Neither
disappointed!
From Kanab we headed south to the
bottom of the Grand Staircase National
Monument. Crossing into Arizona we
stopped at the Wahweap Overlook and
took in the Grand Staircase to the north
and the 300km long Lake Powell to the
south, before driving across 220m high,
Glen Canyon dam. When they build stuff
in the USA they build it BIG!
From Arizona we crossed back into Utah
and headed for Monument Valley. This
area is the classic wild west landscape
of flat top mesa’s, dust devils, First
Nations people and red spires. As we
departed on our way to Moab, we drove
up the iconic Forrest Gump Highway
made famous by the classic movie
scene.
Halchita, Mexican Hat, Bluff, White
Mesa and Spanish Valley led us through
more epic scenery back up the staircase
to Moab as it started snowing again.
Moab is known as the mountain bike
capital of Utah and with bike racks
appearing on every other car we felt
right at home in this funky town.
Moab is amazing, bike shops outnumber
supermarkets and the trail heads are
well signposted with excellent map
stations and great facilities.
Trail heads like, Navajo Rocks, Dead
Horse Point, Horsethief, Klondike
Bluff and Klonzo all bring up images
of smooth pink, orange rock drops,
epic single track and long downhills.
Camping in sub-zero temperatures is
normal at Moab. Bike hire and shuttles
to the top of long downhills can be
easily arranged at one of the many well
equipped bike shops. Whether you like
Santa Cruz, Scott or Cannondale you
will find a shop which caters to your
taste in steed in Moab. Pre ride coffee at
Moab Coffee roasters was the best we
found in the USA and post ride you will
find margaritas and burritos at “Fiesta”
Mexican restaurant.
If you haven’t had your fill of canyons
and mountains yet, Arches National
Park is yet another beautiful park with
more hoodoo’s, spire and arches. Get
there early as there was a queue to
drive in even on a weekday.
Finally, it was time to head back to Salt
Lake City to drop the car and move
to the next part of our trip. Another
stunning drive led through the Price
Canyon along the Grand Army of the
Republic highway where wild deer could
be seen right on the side of the highway.
Utah truly has the most incredible mix of
scenery, activities, and culture to keep
anyone busy. We only discovered a
small part of this incredible state! But we
will be back!
82//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#238