If you checked out "Part 1" 2 weeks ago, you know we have seen a good amount of places in Utah just in the first few days. It's quite amazing to see how much we have explored in the next few days! We cannot wait to go back one day and spend more time in these places.
Day 4
Bryce Canyon
I would say Bryce Canyon is one of the smaller National Parks, but it still gets a lot of visitors; therefore make sure to go as early as you can. Parking is quite limited and supposedly there is 1 parking spot for every 4 cars that enter the park during summer! We were lucky enough to visit this park both during winter and summer, and both seasons are amazing. The orange rock formations called "hoodos" look amazing covered by snow, but more viewpoints are open during summer. If you do any trails here, make sure to do the Navajo Loop. It is about 1.3 mile roundtrip, but it's quite steep, so keep that in mind!
Day 5
Zion National Park
The one and only Zion National Park! One thing that we suggest to do if you are spending a night, is to stay at the Lodge within the park. It is the only lodge that is located inside of the park and actually allows you drive into the park (till a certain point). Otherwise, you will have to jump on a shuttle (free) at the Visitor Center. If you do anything here, definitely consider hiking Angel's Landing. It is a 5 mile roundtrip, but you are climbing the whole way up. Hiking shoes are a must, especially once you start climbing to the top in the chain area. If you are VERY scared of heights, I would suggest to think twice, or at least go as far as you are comfortable. We climbed all the way to the top, and it was so worth it!
Day 6
Lake Powell
Lake Powell is located on the border of Utah and Arizona. If you have few hours here, definitely rent a kayak and go explore the Lower Antelope Canyon. The kayak ride is super fun and about 3 miles one way. Make sure you have enough water and snacks since there is nothing around. Ideally, get there in the morning before it gets busy. On the way back from the canyon, the water does get a bit rough due to all the boats passing by, so if you are sensitive to motion sickness take some Dremamine. Once you arrive at Antelope canyon (super easy to get to), you will hike for about an hour to reach the amazing rock formations you see below.
Horseshoe Bend
It's a short stop from Lake Powell, and about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot. By the time we got to this place, it was super crowded. Make sure to arrive before noon or you will be fighting a crowd of people. If you have some time, make sure to stick around for the sunset!
Monument Valley
On our way to Colorado, we had to stop at the famous viewpoint of Monument Valley. Due to Covid-19, Monument Valley itself is closed and does not allow visitors, but this infamous view has been featured in many movies, so we had to stop and take a quick shot!
Day 6
Great Sand Dunes National Park
As we were heading back home through Colorado, we had to stop by at some of the largest sand dunes in North America. The views here are simply stunning. If you don't mind the sand, you can rent a sand board at the visitor center and go down those warlocks.
Thank you for coming back and checking out how the rest of our road trip looked like! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Also don't forget that the 3 ingredients for successful road trip are: go with the flow (mother nature does not care about your plans), do your research, and stay safe (Instagram pics are not worth getting hurt or destroying what's around you).
Love, Adri & Kam
