Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef Video
Check out this video Will produced from footage of our trip to Utah where we visited Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef National Parks!
 |
July 27, 2007July 9, 2007Capitol Reef National Park, UtahDate of trip: June 2007
Although many people travel to Utah to visit the state’s beautiful national parks, Capitol Reef is often overlooked. Even though is is only about 1.75 hours from Bryce Canyon, it is not as developed as the other parks and considered somewhat out of the way. This is unfortunate as Capitol Reef is every bit as impressive as its peers and its lack of crowds allows you to fully absorb yourself in all the park has to offer.  Highlights: -There are no hotels or lodges inside Capitol Reef, only campgrounds. Fortunately, there is a charming little town called Torrey right outside the park. We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Skyridge Inn and it was one of the nicest places we’ve been. The inn features six unique and beautiful rooms as well as a hot tub on the back terrace. Included in their low nightly rates are delicious evening snacks and a great breakfast. In the common room you can play board games, read a book or browse their large library of videos and CDs that you can enjoy in your room. Included in their collection are several programs about Capitol Reef and a very good CD driving tour that you can borrow to listen to in your car as you drive through the park. -The paved, Scenic Drive will take you past some famous natural formations like The Castle and Chimney Rock. You can turn down the Grand Wash dirt road which brings you inside the park’s famous Waterpocket Fold. This giant 100 mile wrinkle in the Earth’s crust, formed over 50 million years ago, is the defining feature of Capitol Reef and a short hike will bring you right inside. -Early settlers were farming in the park hundreds of years ago and the orchards they planted still bear fruit today. The Gifford Homestead is an old farmhouse which stands on the scenic drive today and has been preserved for visitors to learn what life would have been like there. Inside the old home, there is information about the Gifford family who lived there from 1928 to 1969 and you can even buy homemade ice cream and fresh pie made with fruit from the trees outside. -There are only two paved roads in Capitol Reef, the scenic drive I mentioned before and Highway 24 which brings you through the Fruita Historic District. Although the Giffords are the most famous residents of the park, there were people inhabiting the area as early as 700 A.D. The first residents were the native Fremont people and believe it or not, evidence of their existence is still visible. Art carved into ancient rocks, or Petroglyphs, can be seen from several viewing areas. Between the time of the Fremont and the Giffords, there were other early Mormon settlers farming in the area which was called Fruita because of the orchards planted there. It is hard to imagine anyone living in a place which seems so wild and untamed, but you can get a taste of what their lives were like by visiting the old Fruita Schoolhouse where the children attended classes and the small Behunin Cabin where a family of 10 once lived. -If you have more than a day in Capitol Reef and want to see more of the park, you will need to hike in or drive one of the unpaved roads accessible only by 4-wheelers when conditions permit. Before embarking on a trail, be sure to check with the Visitor’s Center for current closings and warnings as the weather can cause safety hazards in the backcountry. Hiking in the park overnight also requires a permit. The northern section of the park can be looped by driving the 60 mile Cathedral District Tour. This will take you through Cathedral Valley famous for its large free standing rock formations. The Waterpocket District Tour is a longer 125 mile loop trail which enters the southern portions of the park and offers the best views of the amazing Waterpocket Fold. If you don’t feel comfortable driving the rough terrain, there are several companies right outside the park in Torrey which offer 4 wheeler day tours.
Capitol Reef is as beautiful and remote as a national park gets but ironically it has been populated by people for thousands of years. The mix of untouched nature and the preservation of historical artifacts and evidence of early inhabitants for visitors to see make it truly unique and interesting. Here I learned not only about the history of the earth and environmental phenomenon but also about human history and the people who once called Capitol Reef their home. For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above. Capitol Reef Links: July 2, 2007Bryce Canyon National Park, UtahDate of trip: June 2007
Bryce Canyon is famous for its hoodoos or strange shaped rock formations. Although Bryce gets little rain, the hoodoos are created by water! The high altitude causes cold temperatures at night, frost forms and seeps into the rocks and the rapid freezing and melting makes cracks and fissures. Over time, large pieces break off and fantastic sculptures are carved. I had been told by many people that Bryce looks unlike any other place and I found that to be 100% true.
Highlights: -The Bryce Lodge is the only place to stay inside the park unless you want to camp. We reserved our cabin a year in advance and it was worth it as it was just steps away from the canyon rim. The Lodge is also the only place to eat for dinner so reservations are a must. Snacks can be purchased at the General Store by Sunrise Point. The pizza there is homemade and great! -The easiest and fastest way to see Bryce from many angles is to drive the main park road. It’s an 18 mile paved Scenic Road with 13 lookouts along the way offering beautiful views of the canyon. At the start, you can stop at the Visitor Center for information about the park and to watch a 22 minute film about its history. If you hope to see some wildlife, you’re likely to spot mule deer and pronghorns at dawn or dusk. -Sunrise and sunset are particularly beautiful at Bryce as the sun bounces off the towering hoodoos and sends shadows over the canyon. You might assume Sunrise and Sunset Points would be the best places to watch, but that’s not so. The absolute best views of the sun in the canyon are at Bryce Point and Inspiration Point. Check with the Visitor Center or the Lodge front desk for sunrise and sunset times. -Anyone visiting Bryce for more than a day would be cheating themselves if they didn’t go down into the canyon. Seeing the hoodoos from above is beautiful, but being surrounded by them is even more spectacular. We hiked the Queen’s Garden Trail down and the Navajo Trail back up to make a loop. I recommend starting early and doing it in this order as Queen’s offers less shade and should be completed before the sun gets too hot. This is definitely a moderate hike and proper gripping footwear should be worn and ample food and water carried along. NEVER try to climb on the hoodoos! They are extremely unstable and likely to break beneath you. If you are not the hiking type, horseback rides into the canyon are very popular and can be booked at the Lodge. -Another great way to see the park is from the air! Right outside the park is Ruby’s Inn, a compound which offers food, lodging and a big supermarket. They also have a flight desk where you can book a helicopter tour. We did the 30 minute ride and it was great. Only from above could we see just how massive Bryce is and the pilot pointed out all the famous rock formations and two waterfalls! -There are few places in the world darker than Bryce Canyon because it is so far from city lights. This offers an unparalleled opportunity to star gaze while visiting the park. It is a world renowned viewing spot for astronomers and you can sign up for a Night Sky Program during the spring through fall months to gaze with the park’s telescopes. Or you can just step outside after dark and look up!
Bryce Canyon is a unique mix of desert and forest. While some areas are dry and covered in sand and rock, others are full of trees and a large concentration of wildlife. It’s remote location allows visitors to experience true peace and tranquility which is so rare in modern times. Sitting on the rim of the canyon, gazing at the hoodoos below, you can’t help but feel grateful to the people in history who preserved such a beautiful place for future generations. The United States has such an amazing and wonderful national park system and Bryce is a sanctuary just waiting to be experienced. For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above. Bryce Links: June 25, 2007Zion National Park, UtahDate of trip: June 2007
We decided to plan a trip to Utah after a fellow traveler told me it was his favorite place and looked like no other in the world. We booked our cabin at Zion a year in advance and chose early June to avoid crowds and the intense heat that comes later in the summer. We flew into Las Vegas and drove 2 1/2 hours to the park. The drive was beautiful as deserts turned to mountains and canyons. My parents and my brother Chris joined us.  Highlights: -Cars are not allowed in Zion from the spring through the fall. A free park shuttle will take you along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and stop at all the main sites and hiking trailheads. The stops include viewing points for The Temple of Sinawava, the Court of the Patriarchs and the Great White Throne, rock formations that I found particularly impressive. You can also check out the Human History Museum or Visitor Center to learn more about the park and plan your activities there. If you are patient and have good eyes (or binoculars) you may be able to spot the famous Natural Bridge on a mountain outside the museum. The shuttle schedule varies, but during the summer it runs from 5:45am to 10pm and comes about every 5 minutes. -Zion is a hiker’s paradise and there are trails of all levels in the park. If you are not the athletic type or are short on time, the Weeping Rock Trail is the shortest in the park at a half mile round-trip. It takes you to a beautiful hanging garden caused by springs that drip continuously down the steep rock face. Another relatively easy and popular trail is the Emerald Pools Trail which leads to waterfalls that form pretty pools. The falls can be powerful or weak depending on the water level during the time you visit. It is just over a half mile on a paved trail one way to the Lower Pool. The trail gets more difficult to the Middle and Upper Pools. -The Narrows is a moderate hike to and through Zion’s famous slot canyons and it is widely considered the best hike in the United States. It offers a truly unique and stunning perspective of the park, but does require some advance preparation. Most people who hike The Narrows do a bottom up day hike to Orderville Canyon. This takes at least 4-5 hours. A through hike from the top to bottom can be done in about 12 hours or with an overnight camp out but requires a permit. Checking the weather forecast before heading out is necessary as rain could cause a flash flood in the canyon and leave you trapped with no escape. I strongly recommend renting the appropriate socks, shoes and walking sticks from Zion Adventure Company right outside the park. Much of the hike requires walking in water on slippery rocks and having waterproof footwear and an adequate stick to keep your balance is in my opinion worth the $17/person rental fee. I also encourage hikers to start early to avoid crowds and the heat of midday. All that said, as long as you take the necessary safety precautions, hiking The Narrows is a rewarding and beautiful experience you will never forget. -The Red Rock Grill is Zion’s only restaurant other than a small a la carte cafe. Although it is casual, dinner reservations are required and worth it as the dinner is very good. Another meal option is the Zion Pizza and Noodle Company right outside the park. The Springdale shuttle will drop you off right in front of it. -Entering or leaving Zion through the East entrance is a must so you can drive along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. The scenic byway travels over six switchbacks and through two tunnels blown into mountains. It offers some of the most dramatic views in the park. Vehicles 7’10″ wide and/or 11’4″ tall or larger require an escort through the tunnels and will be charged a $15 fee. There are many places to pull out on the road for pictures including a stop for the Checkerboard Mesa, a giant rock face with carvings on it resembling a checkerboard. Right outside the second tunnel is the Canyon Overlook Trail, which is not too difficult but is steep and has some uneven terrain. The scenery here is absolutely beautiful and if you are lucky you might even see some bighorn sheep!
Like so many of the national parks in the United States, Zion is truly a treasure. There are few places you can visit that will leave you so impressed with nature’s power and beauty. It is important for me to add that respect for that power should be upheld at all times. Whenever hiking, even on the easy trails, it is vital to protect yourself by wearing adequate gripping footwear as well as a hat and sunscreen. You should always carry sufficient water and snacks. Stay on trails and follow all park rules. Every year, people die from preventable accidents. Make sure you play it safe and trip to Zion will be fun and memorable experience. For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above. Zion Links: |
© 2007-2012 Alena Kerins Powered by WordPress |
