Unreal Utah

We park hopped our way through Utah and this is what we saw...

Sunset views at Arches National Park

Taking a road trip through Utah had always been high on our US Bucket List! We knew we'd need a good chunk of time to make our way through the state to see & do it all. We finally made plans and carved out 2.5 weeks of time in early to mid-June 2024. One thing we quickly learned is that June is NOT a great time to visit, if you want to escape the heat. It hadn't even crossed our minds when planning the trip! Like, duh, it IS desert country haha! Our Montana brains just assumed it would be much like Montana in June - 70's & 80's, NOT 90 to 100+! After talking with locals, the best time to visit is spring and early fall. Duly noted for our next trip!

The National parks were what we wanted to visit the most. However, a huge mechanical issue with our truck cost us our time at one of the parks - Zion. That was a MAJOR bummer, as Zion was probably the park we were most looking forward to. We were still able to visit three parks, and they were each uniquely incredible.

We also decided to book a slot canyon tour with Kanab Tour Company in Kanab, Utah. Ask for Captain Kirk - he was the best!

As we made our way back to Montana, we took a little detour to visit another cool site - Homestead Crater in Midway, Utah. If you have some extra time to kill, we definitely recommend checking it out!

And with that, here are the photos from each location we toured!

Arches National Park

The hikes we did:

Sand Dune Arch Trail

This extremely easy trail leads you through deep, silky smooth sand to a hidden arch between sandstone walls.

Park Avenue Trail

Another easy trail, this 2-mile roundtrip hike takes you down into a canyon, surrounded by towering rock formations. We chose not to do the full roundtrip hike, but went quite a ways into the canyon to take in the sights, jump around on the rocks and hear our echoing voices (we literally had the entire place to ourselves!)

Delicate Arch Trail

The most popular trail in Arches National Park, this 3-mile roundtrip hike has 480 ft of elevation gain and is somewhat strenuous. It took our family a good hour or more just to get to the arch and then another hour to get back to our vehicle, so be sure to schedule plenty of time! We highly recommend doing this hike around sunset. The lighting on the arch was absolutely breathtaking.

Canyonlands National Park

The hikes we did:

Mesa Arch Trail

This easy and short hike leads you to a natural arch that frames sweeping views of the canyon far below. While we did not do this one at sunset, I would imagine that would be the ideal time to do it!

Shafer Trail Road

Not a hike but a crazy, windy road that takes you down 1,500 ft into the canyon. We drove the entire 19-mile road for a bumpy backcountry experience. This road is ONLY for high-clearance 4x4 vehicles.

Bryce Canyon National Park

The hike we did:

The Queen's/Navajo Combination Loop

This 3-mile roundtrip hike is considered to be somewhat difficult. It takes around an hour or two to complete. You'll want to carve out more time than that, because the sights along the way are otherworldly. We felt as though we had walked onto the set of a Star Trek episode!

Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon

As stated previously, we booked a tour with Kanab Tour Company. Captain Kirk led us through the canyon for a super cool experience!

Homestead Crater

And last but not least, swimming in a crater! Another unique experience - one we do not have in Montana. Not only can you swim here, but you can snorkel and scuba dive, as well! With a depth of 65ft and a temperature of 95 degrees, this makes for a great spot to soak the day away, BUT you do need reservations! Hop on their website and make plans to relax in the warm mineral waters of Homestead Crater.

And there you have it! Our unreal time in Utah. It's quite hard to find the words to describe the sights we saw and the adventures we had. You just need to experience it for yourself! If you have any questions or would like help in planning a road trip through Utah, reach out and let's chat! Email us today at thebackpackingblotskes@gmail.com