A Whirlwind Trip to Arizona/Utah and the National Parks - COMPLETED 4/1/15 - Page 7 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Wow - didn't realize we had some new updates! Looks like you had some interesting weather - wind, and then snow! But it does make for interesting photos. I enjoyed the photos from your 3 hour hike - I'm sure your kids had no trouble keeping up with everyone else in the group.
Your photos are definitely making me want to get back to this area - we did Bryce and Zion, but didn't have time for all of the other areas.
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Sorry for the long delay in finishing this trip report. We are leaving in 10 days for another trip out West which has given me the motivation to finish this one up. Not good practice when you're a trip report guide! Plus, I'm supposed to be doing the taxes and this was a diversion! And there was really only one day left! Thanks for reading along!
Thursday April 18, 2013 – Canyonlands NP and hiking to Delicate Arch (Arches NP)
In the morning we drove up to Canyonlands NP, which was about 45 minutes from downtown Moab, maybe a little more. It was another cold day, morning at least. We stopped at the Visitor Center to stamp our NP Passport, and then made our way thru the park.
Matt’s pictures:
I’m pretty sure we went back to the hotel to rest a bit before heading back into Arches to do the Delicate Arch hike. At the beginning of the trail is Wolfe Ranch, and there are some examples of rock art from years gone by.
Then we started the hike up. This is not an easy hike as you are going up around 500 feet over slickrock. Lots of starts and stops to rest! But this is what you get at the end…..
Matt’s pictures……………
Then we drove out of the park for the last time, getting some sunset shots along the way.
Don’t remember what we ate for dinner that night. I’m sure most of it was spent packing, as we were heading up to Salt Lake City in the morning.
We checked out of the hotel and headed out to Salt Lake City. I think it was about a 3 or 4 hour drive. We stopped for snacks along the way. I kept looking for an In-N-Out Burger place, but they never put their logo on the exit signs (for food/services) and then we’d pass the exit, and look, there’s an In-N-Out. Ugh!! Next time. We arrived at our hotel downtown (Hyatt Place) and trucked everything into the room. We then headed out to Temple Square to see the sights.
We then drove out to the Great Salt Lake so that we could say that we saw it!
We had a late lunch/dinner at a California Pizza Kitchen which was right near the hotel. Matt ended up going to an IMAX movie that was also right next to the hotel, the rest of us went back to the room and crashed.
Saturday, April 20, 2013 – Home!
We got up early at the hotel, which had a free breakfast (I’d highly recommend the hotel – more boutique like). We then headed to the airport, where we boarded our flights for the long journey home. Made it home without issue, and another vacation has come to an end.
Final Thoughts:
This was a great trip. It’s too bad that the weather was so cold in the Grand Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands, but in retrospect, it was nice to hike in weather in the 40s and 50s instead of the 70s and 80s! I can’t say enough about the amazing sights in this area of the country and feel so blessed that we were able to experience it all. If you have the chance to get out to this part of the country, I’d highly recommend it. I spent a lot of time Trip Advisor researching how many days to spend at each location, and I think we had just about the right amount of time. It would have been nice to spend more time in Sedona instead of it being a passthru, but there’s always the next time, and when you travel during spring break, you are unfortunately more limited in your days. It was a great time of year to go, the crowds were very low as I’m guessing that the West Coast was not on the same spring break that we were on. Speaking of which, we are leaving in 10 days to experience the two NPs that I couldn’t fit into this trip (Zion and Bryce). With the new trip coming up, it has given me to the push to come back and finish this report up, seeing as I was so close.
Oh I am so glad you came back to finish off this trip report Marnie, as the photos are just stunning. I was also going to ask you if you'd be doing one for your forthcoming trip - I was really hoping so, as I know you'll be seeing more beautiful sights on that one.
Glad you finished this up, Marnie. What spectacular photos. It does look cold, but better cold than fog. Nothing worse than showing up at the Grand Canyon unable to see anything! You had beautiful blue skies and long views. I hope you'll write up this year's trip!
I'm glad you finally finished your report! You are going to LOVE Zion and Bryce. Ben and I had a fantastic trip to both of them last October. I highly recommend hiking the Narrows and the Canyon Overlook Trail in Zion. The kids will enjoy the Hike the Hoodoos Challenge at Bryce (we did, too)! Have a wonderful time!
Nice finish to your trip west! Great pictures of the Canyonlands, and Delicate Arch definitely makes the hike worth it. Salt Lake City looks great, too, especially your hotel. so much for sharing your trip with us.
Gorgeous pictures of Canyonlands and Arches! I need to get out to this area. DH and I drove through the area on a cross country trip, but didn't go to the NPs. I hope you write a TR for your next trip!
Great finish to your TR Marnie I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the NP pictures and reading about the things that you did along the way. Your children have grown up so much since you started that TR back in 2013. I hope you get to share some of your experiencing of your upcoming trip when you return! Safe travels and enjoy
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Thanks for finishing the report. I look forward to your report on Bryce and Zion. They are two of my favorite parks-both stunning.
I am not sure you will be able to do it in spring break but there is a wonderful drive from route 9 called the Kolob Terrace Road. Wonderful views up and ending in a beuatiful green park area. I would love to fo all these parks again.
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Plus, I'm supposed to be doing the taxes and this was a diversion! 
And there was really only one day left! 
Thanks for reading along! 
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