Over Thanksgiving 2017 we decided to return to Bryce Canyon, but continue to the other regional National Parks in a grand loop. In all, we spent time in Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Dixie National Forest, Arches, Moab, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon.
One of our favorite and most accessible National Parks, Bryce Canyon is a full day drive from San Diego. The Park is large and spectacular enough to be overwhelming, while at the same time small enough that you can see nearly the entire Park in two full days of hiking and driving around the rim. Some of the most iconic images of US National Parks can be seen here.
View from the bottom of Bryce Canyon looking up towards the west side rim
This National Park is a long 60 mile and narrow 6 mile park that boasts sweeping landscapes, sheer cliffs of red rock, petryoglyphs and arches. There are many short hikes directly accessible from the road to get out, stretch your legs.
Balanced Rock in Arches
A must-see for anyone who enjoys the outdoors and desert southwest, Arches National Park, only a few miles outside of Moab, is a spectacular and quite walkable destination. Natural sandsone arches give the park its name, and offer incredible panoramic views for anyone who appreciates a moment captured in photo.
Park Avenue
Double Arch seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Cove Arch
Hiking to Delicate Arch
Almost there...
Delicate Arch on a high plateau
Michele standing under Delicate Arch
Brian sitting under Delicate Arch
Straight-on view of the perspective shot on the right
Probably one of my favorite photos ever taken, as the sun was setting and casting a beam through the arch.
Landscape Arch
Between Moab and Page Arizona
Quiet. Quiet... she's going to say something
Monument Valley
The bend is located very near Page Arizona. It is a major tourist attraction with busses and loads of people making the very short "hike" from the parking lot to the bend. Although these photos appear like we are the only people there, in fact we had to shuffle past many people and wait for the crowd to disperse in order to get good photogrphs.
Another iconic image of the desert southwest, Upper Antelope Canyon, a type of desert slot canyon, is not a national park. The canyon is on Navajo land and requires the visitors to pay an entrance fee and be driven to the canyon entrance, "Mad Max" style racing across the desert sitting in the bed of a group of pickup trucks. The time in the canyon is limited and expedited. Groups are brought in and ushered all the way through the canyon, pausing momentarily to take photos, emerging on the other side, and then quickly back-tracking out.