Adam and Ashley's Alaskan Adventure!!: The Trifecta!

The journey continues as we leave Bryce Canyon and head east. Southern Utah is home to five different National Parks and we planned on seeing all of them. The next one we came across was Capitol Reef. This park is lesser known so we had little to no expectations for it. To our shock we drove up to the park and our jaws dropped. Rising out of the desert floor there was a large red rock ridge that stretched on for miles. This place is very unique in that it is called the waterpocket fold. This ridgeline is able to collect water and provide an oasis in the desert. For many years a town was located in the heart of the park which thrived off of fruit trees and orchards. Now the town is preserved for people to tour and the views are stunning. The national park does not have a lot of facilities and by the time we got there the campground was full so we moved on, but what a beautiful place.

The views approaching the park

Panorama of the ridgeline

Perfect place for a picnic!

We could look at this all day

The view south down the ridgeline

What they call "Castle Rock"

Deer hanging out in the orchard

After enjoying the sights we headed on to Moab, UT. This is where we set up camp because it is conveniently located near two National Parks. We managed to get one of the last campsites in the town and we headed off for an evening hike in Arches National Park. As we drove into the park we were in awe as the road climbed higher and higher in front of a massive red stone-front. But as soon as we rounded the corner it opened up into red rock pinnacle and massive red rocks. As we started exploring the park we found the massive Double Arch. It was two arches coming off at a 90 degree angle to make a cove of sorts. We hiked up to it and started climbing around on the rocks. Adam even scrambled up to the bottom of one of the open archways and Ashley soon followed. She quickly realized that once up at the top it was a sharp 40 foot drop (15 foot at most according to Adam) on the other side and she got down as quick as she could. By then the sun was starting to set so as we looked out through the arch we could see the purple and pink sunset on the horizon. A few bats fluttered between the arches above us. Too soon it was time to head back to the car and back to the camper but we would come back the next morning for more exploration.

The rock formations that greeted us as we entered the park

Evening is a perfect time time come

Those lumps in the foreground are petrified sand dunes!

Walking up to the Double Arches

Hiking up to climb around on the rocks

Adam climbed up to the bottom of the arch!

Adam really enjoyed climbing around on the rocks!

The sunset as we were heading back to our car

The next morning we got an early start and drove around more of Arches. We first stopped at the visitor center and became Jr. Rangers. We also learned that these arches have a lifespan, they will not last forever. Over time they will erode and collapse in on themselves. What makes this park even more special is that this place has the more natural arches than any other place in the world. We decided to hike to another arch and we chose Sand Dune Arch. This one was a good trail to do in the morning as it wound through massive red rocks and the shadows of the rocks kept the sand nice and cool as we walked through it. Soon we came upon the arch tucked back so far that you would never know it was there. Eventually we made our way back to the car and headed on to Canyonlands National Park next.

Hiking through the rocks to find Sand Dunes Arch

We found it!

We did a little bit more exploring after finding the arch

But we didn't get very far

Views from the drive

Canyonlands is another park that isn't well known by most travelers. We didn't really know what to expect. Much to our amazement we discovered that this park was going to be one of the best ones. We decided that is was time for some lunch so we chose a lookout spot as our picnic area. We hiked across the rocks to get closer to the canyon edge. Perched on a rock not 5 feet from the canyon edge we looked out to see deep, massive canyons that stretched out to the horizon. It was absolutely breathtaking. After lunch we decided to go for a hike. We chose the White Rim Trail and as we started the trail we walked through juniper trees, shrubs and even saw a tiny lizard perched on a rock. Most of the trail had no canyon views whatsoever. It was not until to last bit of trail that you got a glimpse as to what is in store. The end of the trail led out onto a fin of rock the jutted out into the massive canyon. Two more canyons on either side of the fin lay at the bottom of the first canyon. Easily another one of our most favorite spots that we have found. As you get further out onto the fin of rock it starts to look like giant boulders perched precariously on top of each other. We were terrified to walk over these rocks, sure that they would topple over and fall to the bottom of the canyon. But, luckily they didn't and we were able to venture out a little bit further until we got too scared and turned back. We drove around and saw several beautiful canyons before heading back to the visitor center and becoming Jr. Rangers. This was such a fun few days, we cannot wait to see what comes next!