Utah’s National Parks
Here in Utah we have 5 National parks. It’s hard to pick my favorite, but the list is pretty impressive. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and last but not least is Zion National park. I often wonder how many people who live in Utah take the opportunity to get away and visit some of these places that are literally in our back yard.
My favorite arch in Arches is not the “famed” Delicate Arch, but is one of the longest arches in the park, Landscape Arch. It’s near the back of the park and has a little walk to it. But the scenery is worth it. Bryce Canyonis very cool with 3 or 4 view points of the canyon itself. Amazing rock formations and colors are unbelievable to think that basically erosion over time created this canyon. Canyonlands is breath taking and for me a little hair raising. The Grand view point has an easy trail that follows the rim of the plateau. In some spots along the trail the cliff is a shear drop off ! (That’s the breath taking part) My favorite though is Mesa Arch after a short hike the Mesa Arch looks touchable however, the arch slightly spans over a cliff with about a 200 ft. drop off. (That’s the hair raising part). Capitol Reef is simply beautiful. The best part about Capitol Reef is in the fall you get to see the fall colors while visiting the park. Zion’s is awesome! There are many different hikes from easy to very difficult. From very dry to very wet! It’s a little more exclusive because all the good stuff requires a little hiking. So my recommendation is prepare for Zion. Do a little research on what you want to see before going.
In my opinion, the best time to visit all of these parks is in the fall. The days are not as hot and the nights are cool. With U.E.A weekend coming up, it’s a great time to take your family and visit one of our National Parks.
Hope you enjoy
Also, remember to get your furnace serviced this fall before the cold weather comes…
Brian Jackson
