We awoke with a mouth full of dust, ready to take on another day of fun at Capitol Reef. Although the sand is so fine that it sweeps through the tent covering everything in a fine pink layer, you can’t beat the view of this free BLM campsite. Because of Capitol Reef’s orchard history, they …
Kate found a great, free spot on BLM land and we got our tent set up on the doorstep of Capital Reef, our twelfth National park of the trip. Now, you might be thinking: “Another Ryan post, I bet he’s going to geek out about sedimentary rocks again.” Well, yes, yes I am. I understand …
On our last full day with Stefan, we headed to Kolob Canyons, the northwestern corner of Zion National Park. This part of Zion is much less trafficked than the famous hikes of Angel’s Landing or the Narrows, but has just as much to offer in terms of natural beauty. The upside to its lack of …
It takes a little over an hour to get to Bryce Canyon National Park from Kanab. We were reassured that we had made the right choice in not staying closer as we traveled north, gained elevation, and everything was covered in snow. It was a really beautiful ride and we spotted our first Utah prairie …
Kanab is a quirky little city that sits at the feet of the Grand Staircase. We chose to stay here for 5 nights as our headquarters while Stefan was in town so we could hit the nearby parks and natural wonders. We picked it for location, without realizing just how beautiful Kanab is. Lucky us. …
Zion is the fourth most popular national park in the country. It’s a smaller park, but they do a good job of managing the crowds by having a shuttle bus. It is easy to see why it’s so popular. Zion is a truly beautiful place with huge, colorful rock walls towering thousands of feet above …
We arrived in Zion with just enough time for an evening hike, but not before snapping a pic with their (very original) park sign. The Watchman Trail was a nice 3 mile out-and-back that got us acquainted with the landscape of Zion. Everywhere you look you are surrounded by magnificent sandstone castle-like structures. We learned …
Horseshoe Bend was an interesting stop on our trip because it’s a relatively new destination. Well, the natural feature is millions of years in the making, but now this odd and beautiful place has gone viral. Once this place was just a small sign on the side of an empty road that one might stumble …
We decided to take on part of the Bright Angel Trail because you can’t really appreciate the grandness of the canyon from just the top. We were welcomed with this warning. Neither of us ended up on our hands and knees violently barfing, so I’d say it was a success. The Lower Tunnel was 590 …
Going to the Grand Canyon was pretty surreal. Well, this whole trip has been pretty surreal, but the Grand Canyon was surreal in some new and different ways. It began at the entrance gate. Most parks have one booth on the road going in where you pay the fee (or flash your pass if you’re …
Beyond the Fold 