Utah 2020

Nothing like going on a ten-day road trip through southern Utah in a pandemic.

Sounds pretty crazy, but that is exactly what we did.  I booked the trip in December of 2019 months before any of us had even heard of Covid 19 and after months of being locked down we decided to go forward with our trip.  Since most of our trip was going to be outdoors, we were not too worried.  It was the airports and flights that worried us the most.  So, we took extra protections while in those areas.  No...  we did not walk around in hazmat suits, but we did have protective goggles with an attached face shield. 

Covid 19 did ruin a few of our plans including our rental car which was confirmed and pre-paid through Expedia.  It seems Expedia was not informed that our car rental company had been bought out and the new company had conveniently lost our extremely cheap and fully paid for reservation.  We were able to get a car but for a higher price of course.  Lesson learned.... Just because they tell you not to confirm your car rental reservation confirm it anyways!! 

 Luckily, we had booked through Expedia and were able to get a full refund for the prepayment immediately.  The other Covid disappointment was that Navajo Nation was under a strict lockdown and closed to visitors.  A big bummer for us since we had booked tours of Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon.  Both tour companies promptly refunded our money and responded to all inquiries quickly.  So those destinations are still on the bucket list!

Another point worth mentioning is that most of the Utah National Parks are very high in altitude.  Since we previously suffered Altitude Sickness terribly at Yellowstone, I purchased a used Inogen Oxygen Concentrator from Craigslist.  This was a game changer for us.  H used it while sleeping and I used it while driving.  Technically it is portable but still about 10 1bs so not really easy enough to take hiking.  It came with 2 batteries each lasting approximately 2 hours. but it plugs into the cigarette light in the car, so the batteries were not really needed.  I read and personally found that as long as we had a good amount of Oxygen within a 12-hour period, we were good. 

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Bryce Canyon National Park is the smallest of Utah’s national parks—and interestingly, it’s not actually a canyon. Technically, canyons are carved by rivers, while Bryce is a series of eroding cliffs along the eastern rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. These cliffs have formed vibrant rock amphitheaters filled with otherworldly ridges, fins, and hoodoos. It's also the highest elevation national park in Utah. Bryce was first designated a National Monument in 1923 by President Warren G. Harding and became a National Park in 1928 by act of Congress.

We only had one day at Bryce Canyon, and we decided to hike the Queen’s Garden Trail. It was a spectacular trail — stunning views, fascinating formations, and well worth the effort. The end, though, was a little more challenging than we expected.

H had quite the panic attack near the finish. She had chosen not to use the portable oxygen concentrator I brought on this trip, the night before and found herself short of breath on the way out of the canyon, which understandably freaked her out. Bryce sits at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level; as Bostonians, we live at about 100 feet. That difference really matters.

I had used the O2 concentrator in the car earlier, so I was doing fine, but it took H a good 30 minutes to finally climb out of the canyon. I forced her to stop at every corner of the trek upwards to rest and drink.  This not only kept her hydrated but calmed her down.  When she did reach the end of the trail, and we were safely on the shuttle bus, she broke into a huge smile and said, “That was awesome!” And she was absolutely right.

If you only have one day in Bryce, as we did, the Queen’s Garden Trail is a must. It’s not a loop, so plan ahead: choose your starting point and take the park shuttle back to your car.  Bring extra water!!

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Cedar Breaks National Monument is a stunning natural amphitheater stretching nearly three miles across and plunging more than 2,000 feet deep. Perched at over 10,000 feet above sea level, the rim offers breathtaking views of vividly colored rock formations shaped by wind, water, and time. It was designated a National Monument in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

We stopped at Cedar Breaks early morning on our way to Bryce Canyon.  We were only there for about an hour so no hikes or exploring just a lot of "Wow's" and "Unbelievables".   This is definitely on the revisit list!

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Arches National Park is home to over 2,400 natural stone arches—the highest concentration of natural arches in the world. These incredible formations, along with other unique landforms, originated from a massive underground salt bed deposited around 300 million years ago, when an ancient sea covered the region and later evaporated. Over time, layers of sediment from floods, wind, and ocean activity compressed into rock, sometimes up to a mile thick, which shifted and cracked, allowing erosion to sculpt the arches we see today.

But standing there as a visitor, it doesn’t just feel geological—it feels almost mythical. As a layperson, it looks like the work of gods or aliens, with massive sculptures that seem to tell stories or depict ancient lives.

President Herbert Hoover designated Arches as a National Monument in 1929, and in 1971, Congress elevated it to National Park status.

We spent one day at Arches, and it definitely wasn’t enough. There’s so much to see and countless hikes to choose from. I hiked to Landscape Arch via the Devil’s Garden Trail—many of my photos are from that hike, while the rest are from scenic pullouts due to time constraints.

This park is extremely popular and gets very crowded in summer, so it’s important to arrive early. And as you can probably tell from the photos, there’s very little shade—so bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen, and don’t forget a hat!

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 On our way to Canyonlands, we considered driving through Arches a second time—but ultimately decided not to (regretfully!).

Canyonlands National Park is Utah’s largest and least-visited national park. It was designated a National Park in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and remains one of the last relatively undisturbed areas of the Colorado Plateau. With few paved roads and vast stretches of remote wilderness, Canyonlands is truly wild and untamed.

The park is divided into four distinct districts, each with its own character: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves. We visited the Island in the Sky District, the most accessible of the four. It’s important to note that no roads or bridges connect the districts, so visiting more than one requires careful planning and multiple days in this rugged landscape.

Water is scarce here—there’s very little piped-in water anywhere in the park—so if you're exploring, bring plenty of it. This is high desert country. I did a short hike on the White Rim Trail in the early morning, and many of the photos I’ve included are from that peaceful, scenic trek.

We spent just one day at Canyonlands National Park. It was a bit unnerving to be in such a remote place, completely alone. I decided to do a short hike on the White Rim Trail — just a 1-mile loop — but H said no. After her arthritis flare-up and the panic attack at Bryce, she didn’t want to take the risk. I couldn’t blame her.

I warned her not to go wandering off on her own; even on marked trails, it’s surprisingly easy to get turned around out there. With no one else around to ask for help, it just wasn’t worth the chance. I always carry both a Zoleo Satellite Communicator and a satellite phone for emergencies, but even with those precautions, I prefer to play it safe.

The White Rim Trail itself was easy and absolutely worth it. Most of my photos from that day are from the overlooks, which offer breathtaking views. H definitely missed out on that one.

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Capitol Reef National Park was established as a National Monument in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and redesignated as a National Park by Congress in 1971. The park was created to preserve the dramatic desert landscape surrounding the Waterpocket Fold—a nearly 100-mile-long wrinkle in the Earth’s crust.

Capitol Reef is truly a hidden gem—a hiker’s park rather than a series of shuttle stops. You don’t have to walk far along any trail to uncover a stunning array of arches, natural bridges, domes, canyons, and cliffs, all sculpted by the relentless forces of wind, water, time, and the extremes of the desert climate.

The park also honors the human history of the region. In the 1880s, Mormon pioneers settled the fertile Fremont River valley and founded the community of Fruita, known for its orchards that still flourish today.

Since the park isn’t very crowded, we took full advantage of the peace and space—traveling the scenic drive three separate times and stopping often to explore. I also did an early morning hike on the Hickman Bridge Trail, which you can see in the photos.

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Zion National Park is Utah's most heavily visited National Park.  It's glowing sandstone cliffs, towering cathedrals, and lush fern-clad sanctuaries offer visitors a stunningly beautiful setting.  With dozens of wet dry slot canyons, more big wall climbing routes than Yosemite and hundreds of miles of hiking trails.  The centerpiece of the park is Zion Canyon, a 15 mile long and up to half mile deep slice through Navajo Sandstone cut by the North Fork of Virgin River.  From the canyon floor to the summit of Horse Ranch Mountain, there is more than 5000 feet of elevation.  Zion is Utah's oldest national park.  It was established in 1909 as Mukuntuweap National Monument by President William Howard Taft President Woodrow Wilson changed the name to Zion National Monument and Congress in 191 Changed it to Zion National Park the 12th national park.  The name was changed because the National Park Service observed that the name was too hard to pronounce and remember.

We only spent about half a day at Zion National Park. We took the shuttle and got off at every stop that was open, walking around, exploring a bit, and snapping lots of photos. It was the last full day of our trip, and with a two-hour drive back to Vegas ahead of us — plus temperatures climbing toward 105°F — we decided to keep it easy.

We caught the first shuttle at 7 a.m. and were on our way out by noon.

I had really wanted to hike to Angels Landing, but it was closed due to COVID restrictions at the time. Honestly, with the heat and H not hiking, I probably wouldn’t have tackled it anyway.

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Three majestic natural bridges Declared a National Monument in 1908,  Utah's first National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. the bridges are named "Kachina," "Owachomo" and "Sipapu" in honor of the ancestral Puebloans who once made this place their home.  This amazing place is out of the way but worth the trip.

We had planned to hike to a couple of the bridges, but we ended up following GPS the wrong way for about 45 minutes, so we lost a lot of time.  Another one of those lessons learned!!

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