Picking Her Up

This is the first part to my best friend and my unforgettable 10 day road trip in 2018! I hope you come along for the crazy ride with us.

The adventure begun when I picked her up from the Denver Airport. We got some much needed Chick fil a and hit the dollar store picking up random snacks for our long trip ahead. I was excited to take her to see the beautiful Rifle Falls. This quick park and walk too waterfall is one that you cannot miss if you are traveling anywhere near I70 between Glenwood and Grand Junction.

With three cascading waterfalls and plenty of picturesque spots, its a great place to spend the day! Or even the weekend at the campgrounds. You can explore above the waterfalls as well. You’re likely to see deer and turkey here.

The Adventure Begins in Utah!

After getting much needed sleep, the next morning we got up and headed to Utah where we got to explore The Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  If you would like to read more on these National Parks, please check out the previous links out.  Definitely love both of these National Parks. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting both a few times and plan on going back in 2022.

It was roughly a 5 hour drive from the Canyonlands to Leeds UT where we stayed the night in a brilliant little Airstream camper! Unfortunately I don’t believe they have it available any longer. But there are some other Airbnb’s around the area that I would recommend.

We stayed for two nights here so we could visit Zion National park! The plans were to do the Narrows there in Zion, but the night before we got to hike there was a huge flash flooding which shut down almost all the hiking trails as well as the Narrows. We were extremely bummed but enjoyed what we could do in the park either way.

Zion National Park Utah

Zion National Park is one of my favorite parks to visit and I plan on spending more time here in the future to really enjoy its beauty. The visitors center had some amazing treats, definitely spent more money in there than planned but so worth it!

Hiking Trails

• Pa’rus Trail – 3.5 miles
• Archeology Trail – 0.4 miles
• Lower Emerald Pool – 1.2 miles
• Grotto – 1 mile
• Weeping Rock Trails – 0.4 miles
• Riverside Walk – 2.2

Moderate Hikes

• Watchman Trail – 3.3 miles
• Sandbench Trail – 7.6 miles
• Middle Emerald Pool Trail – 2.2 miles
• Kayenta Trail – 2 mile
• Upper Emerald Pool Trail – 1 mile
• Canyon Overlook Trail -1 mile

Strenuous Hikes

• Angels Landing – 5.4 miles
• Hidden Canyon Trail – 2.5 miles
• Observation point – 8 miles
• The Narrows – 9.4 miles

Please remember that is is a hot park to be in, so don’t forget your sunscreen, water and hat!

Also be sure to keep your eye opened for a cute fresh fruit stand called Hirschi Produce close to Zion. We got some amazing juicy peaches from here. They use the honor system so please leave some money if you take anything!
After hiking a bit, seeing some wild life and slipping on some mud, we headed back to our camper where we washed up and decided to go out to dinner in Saint George.

Saint George UT

We decided to go to the Historic District and eat at this cute little Italian restaurant called Cappelettis. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. The menu was well priced for the quality of food we received!

This town also had some very interesting sculptures like a giant spider but has since moved this art to a new location. But I encourage you to still go and explore the town and enjoy Art Around The Corner which I find very neat for this historic town! You can come support local and young artists by buying or leasing art! But also just please go and enjoy the beauty, time and talent these people have put into these sculptures!

If you want to read more on Utah please check out some of my other posts including Arches, Moab, Dinosaur and the Canyonlands!

Continue reading about my 10 day west coast trip with my best friend here! Next up The Valley of Fire!

Stay hydrated and happy!
Until next time
-Dass