Utah National Parks

For lovers of nature and wide open spaces, Utah is incredibly rich, with national parks covering a large part of the state’s surface area. Last September, with the Mountains Legacy team, we undertook a 10-day road trip to explore and discover the most beautiful landscapes of Utah.

THE ROUTE AND THE RENTAL

Paris Charles de Gaule – Los Angeles / Los Angeles – Las Vegas

So our trip starts in Las Vegas, we rent a camper van from one of the most famous Rental companies for this kind of getaway: Cruise America.

Our vehicle is an RV for people, literally, a rolling house for 5 people with beds, electricity, shower, WC and other practical amenities! For the next 10 days, our 25′ feet RV promises to give us all the comfort we need for the adventure we are looking forward to. The service and handling of the vehicle is really fast and easy.

When you do a road trip in Utah, you quickly realize that the landscapes change at a fast pace, you notice that the diversity of the landscape is part of the “charm” of this type of trip. We have the impression to cross several countries in less than 200 kms.

Here are some pictures of our first moments on the road to Saint George:

THE ROAD MAP

Before you can drive a colorful RV on Utah’s desert roads, you need a well-established road map. Everyone chooses their own pace of travel and the activities they want to experience! Our philosophy is to live as much as possible with the time we have on site, so we have booked as many activities and places to visit as possible.

We got up every day before sunrise (between 5am and 6am) to contemplate the lights of dawn and have all day in front of us. What is practical with an RV is that you can sleep everywhere, so we often took the night road to go to the next spot and be already there in the morning!

Here is our road map

SNOW CANYON STATE PARK

After sleeping in a campground for the RVs, we got up at dawn to watch the sunrise over the heights of Snow Canyon State park. The park is located on an old volcano that is now extinct but has left many visible traces: blocks, cones and lava caves dating from 1000 to 2000 years ago… This old volcano has also revealed an expanse of pink sand dunes that are very aesthetic and colorful!

More practical information on: State Parks

We shot several sequences of the Back to Wild video on these sand dunes!

ZION NATIONAL PARK

We travelled through Zion National Park, the first impression is the fascination for this landscape, arrived in the city of Zion, we did not have the chance to have the weather on our side, but a very famous walk and which offers a superb view of the park is Angels Landing, so do not miss the short hike!

We spent 1 day in Zion, we booked a half day with a young local Zion Outfitter guide who took us on a tour of the Slot Canyon in Zion Park. No technical knowledge is required to do this style of activity. During this excursion through the slots, the young guide explains the history of this place to us!

BRYCE CANYON

Bryce Canyon is a park located at an altitude of 2000 m, so compared to most of the other spots where we stopped, this is clearly where it was coldest… Especially when you take a shower in the evening and have to run to the motor home quickly!

Arriving at Sunrise Point, we have a panoramic view of the entire park, which extends rather below the valley. Bryce’s landscape is truly Grandiose and striking. Among this decoration, there are stone columns as far as the eye can see.

It is possible to follow a hiking itinerary called “Queens Garden Trail – Navajo Loop and Peekaboo Loop”, a 6 mile hike, or 10 km. We took advantage of the good weather to capture some images:

MONUMENT VALLEY

One of the activities we have a strong memory of is the kayaking down the San Juan River. Guided by a local Indian from Four Corners Adventures and to the rhythm of the current, we discover the history of the river and the Indian heritage engraved on the walls along the river (pictographs, petroglyphs). After 2 hours of floating, we are recovered with RZR (an ultra fast quad) to go back up the trail to the start.

PEAK A BOO CANYON

Peek a Boo is one of the most famous canyon slots in Utah and one of the most famous destinations in Utah because the lights and rocks are very special, it’s a very photogenic and aesthetic place! We loved taking pictures in the narrow canyons of Peek-a-Boo!

MOAB

The city of Moad is a city that has not left us indifferent, it is the flagship city for outdoor sports. We have booked a Poison Spyder bicycle day, a shop located at the entrance to the city. We were able to ride the different bike trails in Canyon lands.

In Moab, one of the activities we loved doing was the Tandem Flight, we flew over the Moab area aboard the WACO YMF-5!

During the 2 days of our stay in the Moab area we had time to go to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, we were able to surf sand! Here are some pictures

CAINSVILLE

We stumbled upon the Dunes of Cainsville by chance. When we saw this lunar setting, we put on our running pairs and grabbed our shooting equipment… a very strong memory and especially an incredible running spot!