September 2022 / January 2023
Utah is just plain beautiful. I understand why the Mormons picked it as home. For those who find nature’s canvas the most awe inspiring of art, the Escalante area of Utah is an underrated adult Disneyland crossed with the Modern Museum of Art. Words cannot describe the beauty of this place. The rocks change color with the sun and clouds and the interspersed greenery is breathtaking…but mostly the rocks, wow!
An interesting tidbit about Utah (in addition to an 80 mph speed limit on much of the interstate – woohoo – there are four wineries in Utah, one of which grows their own grapes. One of the unique aspects of Utah alcoholic beverage laws is that wineries cannot ship to Utah residents. This also applies to the in state wineries. The only way to sell wine to Utah residents is either direct to consumer at the winery (or in the case of Cedar City, the tasting room), or to sell it to a State run store which charge a 64.5% markup. Therefore, the Utah wineries predominately sell out of state as they are not large enough to absorb the large markup.
I waited until Escalante to camp and ended up spending five nights – see below for more on that. My first night there, it poured rain with lightning and thunder. But was I scared…absolutely! In California, lightning often means fires so I was finding my escape. Not to mention my nagging fear of being struck by lightning. So, that night was spent in the car. Night number two, was going great until I heard scraping outside my tent. My first thought was wild animal, then wild person, then who knows. I was now on high alert and unable to fall back asleep. This sleeping on the ground thing takes some getting used to and the pain in my hip did not help as my current bed set up consisting of two dog beds, a yoga mat and a backpack blowup mattress were not sufficient to cushion my ailing hip. In the morning I realized the scraping was likely a racoon as I had left out a small amount of trash. Later I met a couple at the campground who are both Jehovah Witnesses. We shared camping advice and found our common ground in life of which there was a lot. Most people I am meeting are looking to connect and move away from fear and distrust. Another positive in my travels. I do still need to look at the JW website as I told them I would. That will be for another day. I also got to hang out a bit with the wonderful camp host, Jessika. Not only was she a blast to hang out with, she turned me on to where to shower, do laundry and that there was a James Beard 2022 semi finalist restaurant in Boulder (UT) – Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm which turned out to be a great splurge meal. Being five days into camping and water bottle showers, I went to an RV park in Escalante to take my $10 shower for my fancy meal and then back to the tent after dining.
DRIVING TO UTAH – LAMOILLE CANYON
Though not in Utah, I am adding my first stop at Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada. An absolutely gorgeous area just east of Elko. The only mar being my slight altercation with a crazy conspiracy lady at the campground blasting her pro Alex Jones talk radio throughout the lovely canyon – putting aside the content, you just don’t megaphone your talk radio through an otherwise quiet campground. All ended okay and I was not the only one to take issue with loudspeakers in a no frills nature spot as soon the loudspeakers went silent and the campground host passed by.
SALT LAKE CITY
In addition to eating some amazing food (see food section below), I toured SLC with my friend Julie, specifically Downtown/Temple Square, the Avenues, and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. Here we visited City Hall (see the statue of Bringham Young), took in views of the City, meandered around the hills, and went to a free organ recital at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir building – they also have free viewings of choir practice if you can land on the right day. There are plenty of other neighborhoods to visit and maybe will hit them on another visit. For food, I twice went to Red Iguana where I ate the Puntas De Filete A La Nortena which is sirloin with bacon, jalapeno, onions and tomatoes over an incredible almond mole. Get the mole sampler before your meal so you can pick your favorite.
PARK CITY
Summers in Park City should include a visit to the Park Silly Sunday Market, a very crowded and fun outdoor street fair on Main Street, with artisan booths, some food options (though plenty of food at the many restaurants around), music, and a popular Bloody Mary bar which has all sorts of self serve fixings. You can park for free at the High School and take a free shuttle, ride a bike to the valet parking, or park in one of the paid lots around Main Street for around $10. There are several hiking areas (you may have to search a bit more for those with free parking) and there is an extensive paved bike trail system as well as a lot of mountain biking trails, though know that they are quite technical. On my last day visiting Julie, we helped carry a new friend down the rest of a hiking trail after she broke her fibula while braving the technical single tracks on her mountain bike with the beginnings of a lightning storm. Her husband had already carried her a mile before his calf injury forced him into a time out. I was back in January for Julie’s birthday and some winter activities.
As for meals, there is nowhere in particular that stood out. The food is mostly average but there are a lot of fun spots. But do go the Spur Bar & Grill if you want to listen to pretty decent music and want a well crafted cocktail and good beer selection. They have a cool indoor/outdoor set up on the second level.
CEDAR BREAKS
This is the top layer of the strata and very pretty though most of the trails were closed from flood damage. We were only able to hike the Sunset Trail and Nature Trail which did smell lovely with pine trees throughout. My travel companion Julie and I agreed that Bryce was the prettiest of the three and we were glad we went to Cedar Breaks first even though it was quite lovely.
BRYCE CANYON
Definite must see with amazing views in and outside the canyon. We parked at Sunset Point and hiked the Queens/Navajo Combination Loop which brings you down into the park and then walked the Rim Trail from Sunrise Point which brings you to all the overlooks.
ZION CANYON
To hike the famous Angels Landing in Zion, you now need a reservation. I hiked this many years ago before it became so popular and it is beautiful and worth doing if you can snag a spot, which we could not. The other popular trail is the Narrows which does not require a reservation, but not somewhere you want to hike when there is flash flooding which was the case on this trip. We learned later that they located the body of a hiker the day we were who had gone missing following flash flood four days prior. If you don’t land a reservation and time your arrival with flash floods, you can still drive through much of the park and hike the short but steep Canyon Overlook Trail which we did. It gives you a flavor for the park.
ESCALANTE
Wow, I fell in love with this area. The people are so friendly and the beauty unparalleled. I plan to come back. The hiking in the area was amazing – Kodachrome State Park (see my video section as well), Lower Calf Creek to a Hawaii reminiscent waterfall, Wilson Creek slot canyon hike, Escalante River Trail (lots of time in the river), and the Petrified Forest State Park. Then there are the stars which from the campground are breathtaking – the last time I saw such a vivid sky was in Ireland. Most entry fees are nominal, if any, and I was able to enter State parks for free having purchased a discounted late season pass which you should ask about in any state where you will be awhile and where the parks are not free.
As for meals in Escalante, James Beard 2022 semi finalist restaurant in Boulder (UT) -Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm for a great splurge meal. They had an amazing fresh muddled blackberry cocktail which I enjoyed before my meal and of course fantastic food. I could not decide so ordered a bunch of small plates. I also had some nice budget meals at Kiva Koffeehaus (amazing view), Escalante Outfitters (fabulous large salads; decent pizza), and Ranch Dogs (yummy sausage and sauerkraut – just needed a pretzel bun to really rock it).
There is some glamping in Escalante, but I stayed and recommend Lower Calf Creek, a fairly rustic (meaning no amenities other than water and a vault toilet) area of BLM land. The campground is beautiful and for $15 per night cash, it won’t break the bank. It is also at the start of the Lower Calf Creek Trail and has a great camp host, at least through October.
CANYONLANDS
I wish I had stayed another night instead of venturing to Needles, Canyonlands where I arrived as the sun was setting. I learned that the roads in Canyonlands do not connect so after a stop in Torrey for breakfast, I first went to Island in the Sky area, which it turns out is three hours from the Needles area since the road to Needles was washed out. Okay, so need to do a bit more research before I just drive. While it was quite beautiful, setting up camp with mosquitos flying up my nose was not the experience I had hoped for, and then the rain, which was not predicted until the next afternoon, started at midnight leading me to breakdown my tent since I had left off the rain fly to view the stars, and scrambling into my car with more mosquitos and trying to avoid the mice running around. The early thunder and lightning storm eliminated any chances for the hike I came to do the next day due to flash flood risks. I did get to see a shooting star, meet a nice couple from Minnesota who shared their pasta with me, and took in a beautiful drive to arrive. And you can camp in the dispersed camping for free, though I chose to camp at the Hamburger Rock campground for $15 per night – BLM land and the fee goes to park maintenance. Not gonna lie – Needles pretty much broke me but it also made me really, really appreciate my next night at the Hoodoo Curio in Moab.
WILSONS ARCH
It is a lovely drive back out of Needles and I stopped at the Monticello visitor center on my way out and learned about the area and that I should stop at Wilson Arch along Highway 191 near marker 100.
MOAB
When I arrived at the Hilton Hoodoo Curio in Moab after six nights of camping, the last of which was at Needles, I sunk into the luxury of a warm shower, their super soft towels and wrapped myself up in one of their comfy robes and just sat in bed and watched episodes of the Office to prepare for my next day of adventure. Since it was raining with afternoon lightning showers predicted, I was able to score and early morning entry into Arches that very morning (they release tickets every half day or so if you are like me and can’t plan ahead and with an annual NPS park pass only costs $2 for the reservation fee). I arrived before sunrise and was able to capture the beautiful pic you see below. I then proceeded into the farther end of the park to hike to the Double O Arch, with sidetrips to Navajo and Partition arches. The hike involved some rock scrambling with a few reaches but generally beautiful and the light rain kept away most tourists so the couple I met from Seattle and I had the place mostly to ourselves. My next hike was to Delicate Arch where I met Noah, a young Teton park seasonal ranger who joined me on the trail. This trail, though marked as difficult, was much easier than the early morning hike and again, the rain kept most folks away – though we did see a group of nuns hiking in which was pretty cool. After that it was the hikes to Windows and Double Arch. Arches is beautiful and I recommend you go mid October and maybe when there is some rain to avoid the crowds.
For meals in Moab, Trailhead Public House and Eatery which has an amazing Bison burger, not overly creamy Cream of Pumpkin soup, yummy fries, and a tasty Squatters IPA. Antica Forma, where I would go to again for good pizza, Napoli salad, and a nice glass of Indigenous Nebbiola on their covered (not enclosed) outdoor patio. As far as lodging, camp if you can land a spot and a massive storm isn’t predicted like it was on my stay. I ended up one night at the Fairfield which I don’t recommend, but my first night was at the Hilton Hoodoo which was pure luxury.
DEAD HORSE STATE PARK
The next day, I drove to Dead Horse State Park to hike the West Rim and East Rim trails and take advantage of my Utah States Park pass (see past post on buying late in the season for a discount). There was a side trek to Big Horn Overlook which was my favorite part of the hike. Absolutely amazing – unless you don’t like heights. I started sort of early so had the entire trail and rocks to myself. Were I not afraid of mountain lions and other critters, I probably would have stayed and relaxed a bit longer (see the pic with my feet in it). This park is just outside of Canyonlands, and having driven into both, a better bet for some amazing scenery. Toward the end of the hike, you overlook Green River, which is really green.
If you are heading to Colorado after, take Route 128 which is a gorgeous drive through the canyons. On this road, I said goodbye to Utah and started my ventures in Colorado in Fruita.
TORREY / CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK
Torrey is a cute one strip town near Capitol Reef National Park. The Wild Rabbit Cafe is a great breakfast spot with good drip coffee and nice outdoor and indoor seating. Lots of veggies in my egg scramble and amazing jam (normally not a fan but this was more like a not too sweet syrup).
MEXICAN HAT / GOOSENECK STATE PARK / MONUMENT VALLEY
I made my way here on my fourth venture to Utah. The drive here is lovely, at least the part I could see before the sun went down. Bear in mind that you can drive hundreds of miles in southern Utah without seeing a gas station so make sure to load up or you will end up taking 60 mile detours like I did to get gas. This did lead to a nice conversation with a national park ranger on camping options, one of them being Gooseneck State Park. Pretty cool to wake up in the morning to a canyon view and though there were many vehicles including motorhomes, folks were respectful. This is a good jumping off point to tour nearby Monument Valley. It was interesting to see how they route everyone through the giftshop to get to the bathroom and then have jewelry and other items set up for sale and most viewpoints.
