This weekend, to celebrate our 5 year anniversary, my boyfriend and I took a weekend trip to two national parks we had never visited—Bryce Canyon and Zion. Now that we have returned, different than we were before, I find myself reflecting on how fortunate we are to be able to adventure.
When we didn’t live in Colorado, this trip wouldn’t have been possible. Certainly not with just a long weekend. Much more planning would have been required, more time and effort. The drive from Kansas would have been 16 hours. From Michigan? We definitely would have needed to fly, and then rent a car, which would make everything more expensive. But now that we’re in Colorado, we are so much closer to a lot of really incredible national parks—even this trip, which required a 9-hour drive, was very doable for us midwesterners.
All in all, the trip was perfect. We stayed in Cedar City, Utah, which was about an equal distance between the two national parks. Yes, it was a long drive there (we were amidst all the weekend ski traffic, which slowed us down) but at least it was beautiful. The 70 headed west goes right through the mountains, and we found ourselves amazed at the incredible beauty we were seeing, when we hadn’t even reached what we had left home to find yet.
The journey across Colorado was stunning, but I found myself even more impressed with Utah. They have snow-covered caps too, but they’re like “this isn’t even what you’re here to see. Just wait.” Utah has five national parks, but sometimes we were in awe that what we were driving through wasn’t all protected land. No offense to Kansas, or the Midwest, but Utah is definitely the most enjoyable state to journey through.
And then, of course, came time for the parks. We went to Zion National Park first, simply because it was closer. Part of our reason for going to these parks in the middle of February is because it’s the offseason. Usually in Zion, you have to leave your car outside the park and take the shuttle bus into the park. But because we went in winter, the shuttles weren’t running yet. We could take our own vehicle into the park and travel around at our own pace. Of course, even though it’s the off-season, that doesn’t mean Zion is empty—we definitely had to be wary of parking and space. So we got there super early (read—9 am) and went straight to the most popular easy hike in the park: the Zion Overlook Trail. We trekked up the short but strenuous trail to see what I can only describe as a view into the last millennia. I could seriously imagine a dinosaur walking through the canyon, a pterodactyl flying down from above. It felt perfectly preserved, a peak back into an age we weren’t around to see. It was surreal.
After we stared at the view for long enough (the more we looked, the harder it was to turn away) we headed back down into the canyon, and drove along the scenic route. We did a couple more hikes—half of the Sandy Beach loop, just until we had a view of the Patriarchs, and the Riverside Walk, where we watched a few brave souls begin the long trek through the Narrows. The longest hike we did at Zion was the Kayenta Trail to the Middle Emerald Pool, which wasn’t as emerald-toned as I would have expected. But it was all worth it to see more of this crazy place. We spent about 5 hours there in total, and while we felt like we saw all that we came to see, we’re also already thinking about what we would do next time.
The next day we went to Bryce Canyon National Park. This one was a little bit further away, but we decided to take the scenic route, which turned out to be an excellent idea. Once again, we were treated to beautiful views on relatively quiet roads through rural Utah. We imagined what life would be like if we lived here, where the one road to town would close if there was too much snow—would we ride snow mobiles instead? Just turn around and try again the next day? Luckily the weather was clear, and we once again arrived to the park early (our definition).
Bryce Canyon is different in that it’s largely unassuming. When we arrived at Zion, we were met with sweeping views, but as we approached and entered Bryce, all we saw was trees and snow. But we had an idea of what was hiding just beyond the ridges, so we trusted the process and went to our first trailhead, which launched from Sunset Point. We decided to do one longer hike, and we needed to start with it, because if we waited until the afternoon we would talk ourselves out of it. The first view of Bryce Canyon is almost… overwhelming. It’s hard to take in and process exactly what you’re seeing. And it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, so your brain doesn’t have anything to compare it to. As we began our descent into the canyon, that’s when wonder began to turn to awe.
Completely opposite to our experience in Zion, Bryce was covered in snow. The Thor’s Hammer side of the Navajo loop was slick switchbacks all the way down—I was glad no one else was with us to watch me waddle down the trail. As we walked amongst the hoodoos, it truly felt like we were traversing an alien planet. Despite the various signs explaining how the canyon’s odd spires were formed, it still feels hard to believe. There’s one rock that even looks like a statue of Queen Victoria—it’s different enough to not be an exact replica, but it’s still similar enough to make you question.
For a short period of time, when we reached the “Queen’s Garden” part of our trail, the beauty surrounding us seemed to offset any pain and soreness from the hike. We were going uphill, but it didn’t feel like it. All we were focused on was taking as many photos as possible, trying to capture both the intricacies of the rock formations and the vastness of the view. That did wear off eventually though, as we worked further and further up to the rim of the canyon. My knees cracked, my feet ached, my face was flushed from effort and the bright sun. But we took it slow, and somehow we made it up to Sunrise Point. I sat on the wooden bench and ate a protein bar, looking out at the incredible scenery. It was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
Once we finished the short walk between Sunrise and Sunset Point, we were able to get back in our car to just drive through the park. This scenic drive was different from Zion—not consistent top-tier views, but rather pull-off points to stop at admire. We didn’t stop everywhere, but we made sure to hit the major spots—the Natural Bridge, Rainbow Point, Yovimpa Point, Bryce Point, and Inspiration Point. Of all the highly regarded vista views, we liked Bryce Point the most. It gives the greatest all-encompassing views of the canyon. Once again, we could have stayed there watching for hours. But again, after about 5 hours, we turned back to our scenic route, and began to head home.
One thing about Bryce Canyon that I can’t shake is that it’s temporary. The park itself emphasized that right now is not the final form of the rock formations—eventually, they all will collapse, leaving only reddish-orange hills in their wake. It could be in thousands of years, but it could also be tomorrow. How strange, to think that millions of people before me have seen these same rocks, but one day someone will be the last. How fortunate we are to see it while it stands.
Lockie and I are already thinking of where else we want to go, what other national parks we can visit. Maybe we’ll visit Arches and Canyonlands in November; maybe Yellowstone and Grand Tetons next May. We’ve got the bug—we know what beautiful things exist, and we must see more, while we still can. People think that our natural phenomena will be around forever, but they won’t. We might not have our whole lives. So we have to go when we can, no excuses.
On the long drive back through the Colorado mountains, a song that I love came on—‘Never Grow Up’ by Taylor Swift. This song often makes me emotional, thinking about how I didn’t want to grow up, but I had no choice. Today, however—I found myself thinking about how lucky I am to be grown up enough for adventures. Sure, I went on adventures with my parents, but now I can plan my own. I can forge my own experiences. Never before had I thought about that part of growing up. I’m young enough to be silly, to be durable, to have fun, but I’m also old enough to adventure. And to have sore knees. I think that’s what most folks would say is right in the sweet spot.
– Abby Among the Hoodoos
abby j 