Why Not Wyoming: Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

As you well know by now, I’m a crazy planner. At the beginning of each year I build out a document with each date of the year to keep track of my travel. I mark weekends, company holidays, and can’t-miss events like weddings. Then I look at my list of places I’d like to go and consider the season, length of trip, and so much more. Once I get a basic outline, I sometimes share it with close friends to see if they’d like to join us on any of our excursions.

This year, I shared it with a friend who happened to have the exact same dates and locations in mind for her own trip so we thought we’d do parts of it together. The Egresis are some of our favorite outdoorsy friends but they live in Washington State, so when we realized that we could be in the same place at the same time, it was just perfect. 

Their trip was a little different than ours since they drove from the Seattle area and spent more time camping than we did. Plus, they took on quite a few more hiking miles and early morning and late night wildlife photography than we did.

Best Sights in Grand Teton National Park

There are lots of delightful viewpoints and turnouts along the main highway through the park, but most of them are dependent on the weather and fog. If you can’t see the mountain range in the morning, be sure to drive by again in the afternoon or evening so see if the clouds have lifted. We got so luck most days we were there but there was one day where you couldn’t see the mountains at all. It was so nice to have three days in the park so we could ensure we could see everything.

We particularly loved Jenny Lake and the Cascade Canyon Trail, but be sure to arrive at sunrise and get the first ferry across the lake to avoid the crowds. The perimeter trail along String and Leigh Lakes was amazing views as well.

Additionally, we enjoyed whitewater rafting on Snake River as well as Astoria Hot Springs.

Best Sights in Yellowstone National Park

You can’t visit Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful erupt at least once. For best viewing, download the Yellowstone National Park app and then check the eruption prediction times so you can time your arrival. We chose to get there for the first eruption in daylight to avoid the hoards of people. Another tip is to check which direction the wind is blowing and snag a spot upwind so the steam from the geyser doesn’t block your view of the spewing water. We got to see five of the six major geysers by chance alone.

You can plan to be in Hayden or Lamar Valleys around dawn and dusk for your best chance to see wildlife, but so much of it is luck. We ended up seeing a grizzly bear, two wolves, dozens of elk, a handful of moose, deer, and hundreds of bison. Don’t worry about seeing bison, you likely won’t be able to get through the park without seeing at least a few blocking the roads. We also saw lots of bald eagles, ravens, roadrunners, grouse, hawks and so many other birds, plus a bobcat, pikas, and all kinds of varmints. Basically the more time you spend in the park with a keen eye, the more you’ll see. 

West Thumb Basin, Artist Paint Pots, and Mammoth Terraces were some of our favorite micro regions. 

To get the best views of the Grand Prismatic, you should actually take the Fairy Falls Trail. Otherwise you won’t be able to get the whole thing in your photos. You don’t end up doing the full 4+ miles.

Best Places to Eat and Drink in Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole Still Works: The only distillery in Wyoming so it’s a very small operation. Many of the spirits were smooth and sippable, and we especially loved the Absaroka which is a gin finished in whiskey barrels. 

Jackson Hole Winery: Similarly, there are only two wineries in the whole state. This one was certainly delightful. With spectacular views and a wide range of yummy wine, we enjoyed our time here and even bought a bottle of pinot noir which we don’t normally like.

Bin22: We loved the wine bar and appetizers here. I just wish they did takeout.

Persephone Bakery: The food was good, and the patio was nice, but we were too cold to enjoy it. Come at opening to avoid the crowds.

Hand Fire Pizza: I love a good architectural repurpose and this pizza place is in an old movie theater. The food is delicious; the service was excellent.

The Bunnery Bakery & Restaurant: Our favorite bakery in Jackson. The food is yummy, but you right at opening to avoid crowds, even on weekdays.

Cafe Genevieve: Our favorite restaurant in Jackson. We loved our lunch here and considered returning for another meal. Definitely a must-visit on your own trip.

We didn’t actually eat at Piste Mountain Bistro but you should definitely take the ski lift up here at Teton Village after 5 p.m. when it’s free for the beautiful sunset views. Bring your own snacks as you’ll pay $8 for a bag of chips if not.

Don’t eat at Big Hole BBQ. Poor service and unappetizing food.

Tips for a Similar Trip

• Jackson refers to the city, Jackson Hole refers to the region or valley.

• We camped in Yellowstone so cooked all of our meals on a JetBoil backpacking stove. Easy to manage and we highly recommend, but do your grocery shopping in Jackson (Albertson’s was the best), because there isn’t much at the campground visitor centers and general stores up in Yellowstone. But the real tip here is to not plan on cooking eggs in the morning. Many of the geothermal features here smell like sulfur or rotten eggs so the morning we ate eggs, we both felt queasy. We know the eggs we ate were safe to eat, but our brains could not handle the contradicting smells.

• It’s easy to explore Grand Teton National Park while staying in Jackson, but you should definitely plan to stay inside Yellowstone National Park. It’s a massive park that could take more than 2 hours each way to drive from your lodging outside the park. The main road is called Grand Loop and it kinda makes a big figure eight. We stayed at Canyon Campground and it was a perfect home base for exploring each day. Other convenient spots would be Norris or Madison Campgrounds. Regardless, you’ll need to book your campsite around six to nine months in advance because they fill up almost as soon as spots open up for the year.

• We flew into Jackson Hole airport and I mentioned that we camped. If you have camped before, you know there is so much gear you need to bring. To cut back on luggage, we decided to sleep in our car. We specifically rented a large SUV that had lay-flat seats so we could do this comfortably with just our sleeping pads and sleeping bags. It wasn’t the most glamorous but camping never is, right?

One last fun fact: the Jackson Hole Airport is the only airport in the country that is located inside a national Park.

Enjoy your trip!

Lexington: a Surprising Hidden Gem

Planning travel during what is hopefully the last few months of a pandemic is hard. Not only are many things closed, but even if things are open, it’s important to understand what the options are if it’s busier than your tolerance or if the situation changes last minute. Add in an attempt to plan mostly outdoor activities and you’re also contending with the weather. 

I think it’s important to stop comparing COVID travel to non-COVID travel. Instead, compare COVID travel to sitting at home. 

Mammoth Cave National Park

Perhaps I’m getting to the point in my travels where it takes a lot to impress me. And perhaps I would have a different experience visiting Mammoth Cave National Park when COVID-19 wasn’t looming. But Mammoth was just fine. I’m from Ohio which isn’t all that different from Kentucky. So these beautiful forested trails aren’t that exciting to me because they look like where I grew up. But Utah was amazing because it was like visiting another planet. So if you’re from a desert or beach locale, these views may appear magical to you.

I was delighted to add another National Park to our list this spring and made much effort to get in the caves themselves, unsuccessfully. I checked the park website almost daily, called the park office three times, and checked the park social media handles regularly. Unfortunately they stopped doing guided tours of the namesake cave a couple weeks before we were to arrive. And almost immediately, the self guided tour slots filled up. I know that I can’t speak fully to the park without visiting the cave, but we did explore a few other trails and caves throughout. Sand Cave, Dixon Cave Trail Loop, River Styx Spring Trail and Green River Bluffs Trail were all just fine. There was plenty of parking at the visitor center, they were short, easy walks along the river, and we got to see all of the budding foliage as winter breaks for spring. No complaints, but nothing special. I’ll make the effort to return when I can tour Mammoth Cave itself.

Red River Gorge

In another instance of lots of effort but little pay off, I carefully researched hundreds of potential hikes in Red River Gorge and found a version of one that I was so excited about. We intended to start at the Swinging Bridge and head north to Cloudsplitter via Sheltowee Trace Trail and end up at Indian Staircase and Bison Way. But two miles into the nine-miler I planned, at the top of Cloudsplitter, lightning struck. Lots and lots of lightning. So instead of climbing down from the giant rock and finishing another 3 miles before turning around, we booked it back to our car amid rain and thunder. If it were just rain, I would have still enjoyed the whole hike, but better to be safe than sorry during a storm in an unfamiliar place. And before you assume I forgot to check the forecast, I did not. This was a surprise to us all out on the trail that day.

We did love the part of the hike we did get to do. When we come back for Mammoth Cave we will do this exact trail all the way through because it was awesome.

Hidden River Cave Tour

This experience was heavily dependent on the people in our tour group and the fact that we visited during the pandemic. Many, many screaming children and no one wearing a mask inside the waiting area was not a good start but we decided we could still enjoy the tour distanced from those families. While the cave itself is newly opened to the public (at least as far as we went into it), it’s mostly natural from water erosion throughout the centuries. The swinging bridge is neat and the domed rooms throughout are beautiful. But we decided to ditch five minutes early to leave the children enjoying screaming echoes and head back up the 250 stairs toward the surface. A nice alternative if you can’t get into Mammoth, but don’t expect anyone to wear masks here, including the employees.

Lost River Boat Tour

We were excited to take a boat tour of an underground cave river, but unfortunately with the rain the evening prior, our tour was cancelled. But I wanted to mention that customer service was excellent and we were given a full refund. 

Bowling Green, Kentucky

We had planned to get lunch before our boat tour and even though it was cancelled decided it was the best spot to grab lunch and take a midday break before our Hidden River tour. Bowling Green is delightful. As the home of Western Kentucky University (a gorgeous campus), BG offered an adorable town square and loads of fun local shops to enjoy. We all loved our brunch at Spencer’s Coffee (top five favorite breakfast sandwich for me), Mary James Chocolates, and Melodies and Memories (a rad 80s record store). If you’re in the area, definitely stop by.

Lexington, Kentucky

Okay, Lexington rocks. I had been a few times as a child, but we loved everything we did, saw, ate and drank. If you’ve read my blog before, you know I love a city with a little grit and grunge. Some history and personality. And boy does Lexington have it.

No exaggeration, we got one of everything at The Futile Bakery and all of it was so yummy! For dinner we explored a reimagined industrial part on the north side of downtown Lex. Wise Bird Cider had some delicious ciders, all of which were unique without copping to blending with other fruits. We got flights so tried 12 different items on the cider list which had almost double that available. We also loved the food with one exception: the chicken tacos could have used a sauce or crema. But the charcuterie and pretzels were good and the sweet cider barbecue sauce on the wings was like nothing else I’ve had. We also grabbed a few things from Ethereal Brewing as well.

As a consolation for our Red River Gorge hike ending early, we made time to stop at Le Petite Delicat and while the macarons were fine, the toffee was fabulous! I’d definitely go back to try the tarts and cronuts.

We started the evening at Bourbon on Rye where the burger was seriously perfection and the cocktails were bougie and delicious. However, the hipster mixologists weren’t wearing masks which was concerning. Not wanting to stay long for that reason, we grabbed a few rolls and sake from School Sushi a block away. The server there confirmed that West Main Crafting Co. was the place to be. I love a good cocktail bar and the literal book of a menu at West Main left me wanting to try something totally new, until I saw the perfect drink called Bird of Paradise: gin, lime, raspberry, soda water, egg white. All of my favorite ingredients. I’ll take two please!

Definitely better than staying home, but next time I’ll just tour Mammoth Cave and bum around Lexington. There is plenty more to see in both places.

I’ve explored Louisville previously, but anything else I should add to my next itinerary in Kentucky?

How to Plan a Hiking or Backpacking Trip

One way we can enjoy our time off from work this year is to spend time outside. That may mean a simple picnic in your local park, or it may mean a backpacking trek to a national park across the country. If your trip lands somewhere on the second part of that spectrum, there are a few things you can do to prepare for your trip to make it the most fun and stress-free.

Plan Ahead

Some of my friends love spontaneity so much that they usually just wing it. That’s a little harder to do with backpacking and hiking trips because you may need different gear, more water, or even a lottery permit depending on what trails you choose.

There are some incredible hikes around the world and if you have any FOMO at all, you should consider taking on one of them. While popularity might be a positive thing in most circumstances, coronavirus may impact which trails you choose. However, you can often still find a way to experience the best views while avoiding crowds.

Did you know that 90 percent of visitors to the Grand Canyon visit from the south rim? The north rim is just as majestic and you can find trails that are completely deserted, especially off-season or early mornings. Even some of the most popular trails may be pretty quiet at 6 a.m. in the middle of the summer. And bonus, you’ll miss the midday heat.

After asking friends and locals, I usually start my research on AllTrails where I can narrow in on a specific geographic area that I plan to visit. You can filter by length, difficulty and more.

Choose a hike

Based on my own fitness level, I try to schedule a big hike no more than every other day. For example for my Southern Utah National Parks trip, we did an eight-mile hike in Bryce Canyon on a Sunday, then waited to do a six-mile river hike in The Narrows in Zion until Tuesday, then waited until Thursday to do another six-miler in Arches. The days in between we hiked only two or three miles each day to rest.

But I’ve also done the backpacking trips where we only did one 22-miler in a weekend and just rested when we returned home.

When you’re thinking about how long you want to hike, you should also think about elevation. Not only the elevation gain throughout the hike, but the starting elevation compared to where you live. For example, you will likely travel much more slowly in Colorado if you live in Los Angeles because your body isn’t used to the altitude in the Rockies. To minimize this effect, you can plan to stay a few days in your destination before beginning your hike. 

Fun side note: Ever wonder why so many Olympic training centers are in the mountains? They train at the higher altitude (less oxygen) so their bodies can perform at peak levels in any environment.

A good rule of thumb for the average hiker is no more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain per mile. Any more than that, you’ll want to do a bit of training before your hike.

There may also be different weather to consider on your hike. Checking the forecast for the nearest town often isn’t indicative of the weather on the trail so apps like AllTrails can give you a better sense of what the temperature and precipitation might be at the trail’s elevation.

The location you choose to explore may not have cell service so it’s always a good idea to download an offline map or have a physical one with you to ensure you don’t get lost and can find your way back to civilization. I’ve hiked in a place legitimately called Desolation Wilderness and you better believe it was absolutely off-grid.

Finalize your hike

Always research the hike you are considering on the official webpage, be it the national park or state park website because it will provide details on closures, animals, and more.

You should research not only what animals you may meet on your hike, but also appropriate behaviors in case of an encounter. Some of the smallest, cutest animals can be dangerous, and how you react seeing a grizzly is much different than how you should behave if you run into a black bear.

Many popular hikes have a permit system where you may have to pay a fee to enter a lottery up to a year in advance of your trip. Mount Whitney is one example where almost 17,000 people submitted entries to the lottery and only 5,000 were permitted all summer. Some people enter annually and wait years to get the opportunity to explore that trail.

Certain parks may not allow private vehicle traffic to help with traffic and parking issues. They often offer shuttle services that may need reservations well in advance of your trip as well.

In addition to the trail’s official webpage, reviews on All Trails may also provide insights to any obstacles you may encounter like creek crossings, icy patches, rock scrambling, etc. This can help you pack the appropriate gear.

Pack the right gear

You don’t have to have all the fanciest gear to enjoy nature, however, depending on your dream hike, it may make your experience significantly more enjoyable and less stressful.

For all hikes, you’ll want a pack big enough to carry everything you need. Obviously overnight backpacking trips will need a bigger pack than a short day hike. I’m happy to help with a packing list appropriate for your trip, but here are some basics you may not have thought of:

• I always love bringing a fresh change of clothes for when I return to my car. Fresh under things and warm, dry clothes are a luxury that don’t take up any valuable space in my backpack.

• A water bladder instead of a bottle. It comes with a giant bendy straw that is much more accessible than your bottle, and it can hold way more. I usually share a three liter bladder with my husband and we rarely run out.

• Add dry soap sheets to your first aid kit. You usually have plenty of water in your bladder and it’s a tiny addition in case you need it. Obviously we’re all carrying hand sanitizer for coronavirus, but friendly reminder to use that before you break for a snack.

• It’s almost always a good idea to opt for hiking boots over hiking shoes. Invest in the comfiest ones you can find and you’ll only need to bring this one pair. I also bring a plastic shower cap that I can put around my dirty boots when I pack my bag so they don’t muck up the rest of my things. A plastic grocery bag works just as well. 

• No cotton clothing. Look at the tags on your clothing and choose synthetic materials or wool. This is particularly important for your base layers like socks, sports bras, underwear, gloves and a hat because you’ll want these to stay dry or at least dry quickly if they do get wet (with sweat). Smart Wool is my favorite brand for hiking socks.

• Avoid anything with a particular smell. Leave the perfume, fragranced deodorant, and hair products at home. You’ll already be piquing the interest of local fauna with your snacks and natural scent. No need to attract bugs any closer with your floral lotion. Another way to deter animals is to make noise along your hike. A simple conversation is enough, but some choose to wear a bell or play music quietly. Most animal encounters happen when you accidentally sneak up on each other.

• Build yourself small emergency kit for any weather that includes an emergency blanket, band aids (moleskin works well preventatively), a whistle, a headlamp, and depending on your location bear spray. Keep that last item in an outside pocket of your pack, or even on your belt for easy access. Bear spray can be helpful for animals beyond bears so it’s a must have for me. 

• Speaking of animals, if you are doing any overnight backpacking, you may need a bear canister to prevent them from getting to your food stash. If you do bring this along, prepare your meals and eat at least 100 feet from where you plan to sleep. Then change your clothes and place them with your bear canister before sliding into your sleeping bag for the night. No one wants to be a human candy bar in your tent when the critters come crawling around.

• I usually go on airplane mode to conserve my phone battery while I’m taking a million photos. But I also bring an external battery that will completely charge my phone three more times just to be safe.

• Dry sacks are so useful for the obvious use, but sometimes I use them to keep my wet stuff from touching everything else, or even as a cooler with a couple ice packs in them. Take a tip from my friend Shane and bring a hike beer.

• For cold weather hiking you may want crampons or snowshoes.

Begin your hike

If you haven’t done much major hiking, there are a few tips that will keep you out of trouble. Most trails are well marked, however you need to know what to look for. You may only find formal signage at major crossroads, so being able to navigate the trail system can be tricky. And sometimes telling the difference between the trail and a wash (where the water flows after rain) can be hard. Firstly, you can watch for natural items that aren’t where they look like they belong. If you get to a point where you see a trail going in two different directions, look for big logs or rocks that block off one of those. It’s usually a cue from the ranger that that’s not the right way. Rangers also use cairns or small stacks of flat rocks to indicate direction of the trail in places without easy natural blockers like in snow or mostly smooth rock trails.

Nature calls

Sure, the great outdoors may tug on your heart strings, but any hike longer than a couple hours may also mean you have to relieve yourself along the trail. First of all, hikers are generally pretty chill about the situation so don’t be shy; we’ve all done it. Try to find a spot with a little privacy and ask your hiking partner to stand guard and ask oncoming hikers to pause a moment while you finish. 

It’s usually a better idea to urinate in flowing water or on rocks or dirt, not on vegetation.

You usually have two options for number two unless dictated by the park you’re in. You can bring a small trowel to dig yourself a six-inch hole and bury your waste. Or you can bring a Double Doodie bag that has special chemicals in it to solidify the waste that you carry out with you. In either circumstance you should bring your own toilet paper in two ziploc bags (one for clean TP and one for dirty).

You should always pack out any trash you create while hiking, but you can duct tape that silver poop bag to the outside of your pack and wear it as a badge of honor. You’re officially a hiker after pooping in a bag on a trail!

I’ve hiked hundreds of miles and done a few serious backpacking and camping trips. If you’re looking to stay socially distanced outdoors this year, I’m happy to help you prepare for your trip.

The Mighty Five: Utah’s National Parks

2020 may have prohibited us from our international travel plans, but it didn’t keep us from exploring. When considering how to travel this year, we knew we wanted to visit more rural locales, and our national parks were an obvious choice.

Only 29 states have national parks, and Utah has five: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Only Alaska and California have more with eight and nine respectively.

We flew into Las Vegas and were lucky to have only 15 people on our flight and to get upgraded to first class because of that so it wasn’t hard to socially distance on the way. Upon arrival we got an Instacart delivery and rented a car to make the drive to Southern Utah.

Arches National Park

Arches is one of the most accessible parks we’ve visited with a few difficult trails, a few moderate and plenty of easy trails or driveable overlooks. Depending on your pace you could visit all the sights in one day, but I definitely recommend two if you’re going to do any major hiking.

Delicate Arch is the main attraction in the park. If you are physically fit, you should take the challenging three-mile roundtrip hike right up to it. It’s mostly walking up a 30 degree rock face. Once you get to the top, you’ll traverse a wide cliff that will round the corner to the arch. At the base of the arch, the terrain doesn’t flatten out so proper footwear is imperative. However, if that’s not for you, there is a distant overlook with an easy trail that is just the length of a football field.

Delicate is a must if you haven’t seen it in person yet, however it wasn’t our favorite hike in this park. We loved the Double O Arch trail that begins at Devil’s Garden. On your way to Double O you have the opportunity for more than a half a dozen spur trails that will take you up close and personal with other arches like Navajo, Partition, Wall, Tunnel, Pine Tree, Landscape and more. But this trail isn’t about the end view. Cheesy, yes, but it’s about the hike itself. You start on a gravel and sand path for about a mile before scrambling some major rock faces. There were many occasions where the massive boulders we were on dropped 30+ feet on either side. A few times where we got to the end of the rock cliff and were sure that we made a mistake following the trail only to discover that we needed to keep going up an eight-foot cliff, down a five foot face, or hug the rocks around a corner to get to our destination. The mental attention required to navigate this one was immense and it made for an absolute blast!

This trail can be a loop or an out-and-back, and that significantly impacts your mileage. We did an out-and-back to Double O with all of the spurs except Dark Angel and it ended up about 6.5 miles. If we had made it a loop, it would have been closer to 8. But that additional section of the loop is a very primitive trail which we weren’t up for at the time. If we come back, we’ll definitely add it. This is not a trail for those afraid of heights or out of shape, but a top hike for sure. At a minimum, you should trek in far enough to see Landscape and Navajo arches, which would be just about 2.5 miles with only minor scrambling.

Other highlights of the park outside of those two hikes are The Windows, Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Turret Arch, Fiery Furnace (permit required), Broken Arch, Sand Dune Arch, Skyline Arch, and more.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Many people advise that you only need a day in Bryce and I’d agree. But there are plenty of ways to go deeper than the driveable overlooks to make that quite a chunky day. One example is to start at Sunset Point and take the Navajo Trail (take Wall Street if it’s open) to Peekaboo Loop. Once you finish that half of the figure eight, take Queen’s Garden back to Sunrise Point and then follow the rim back to Sunset. It gives a complete experience of everything in Bryce, seeing it from the top and from the bottom of the hoodoo-filed canyon. This eight-miler is tough with a lot of elevation changes, but every turn means new rock formations to admire, tunnels, views and switchbacks galore. There are even arches and windows in this park as well. This was my husband’s favorite hike of our trip because of the constantly changing views. It also didn’t hurt that there was a mini challenge to take photos at three of the checkpoints. He’ll do anything for a sticker.

The elevation ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 feet so that adds to the challenge. Take it slow and bring much more water than you think. It took us about 4.5 hours so snacks or a light lunch are important as well.

Other highlights included Natural Bridge and Ponderosa Canyon which are an easy drive with no hiking required.

Canyonlands National Park

We only spent an afternoon here and felt it was all the time we needed without going deep. There is a lovely little walk to Mesa Arch which is a beautiful arch with an impressive view on the other side. We also enjoyed Grand View Point Overlook and plan to hike Upheaval Dome and explore the southern half when we come back.

Capitol Reef National Park

We planned to visit Capitol Reef, but it’s a bit out of the way and we were feeling tired so we bailed. Next time we visit, we’ll be sure to hit a few of these recommendations from locals: Hickman Natural Bridge, Lower Calf Creek Falls, and the scenic byway 12 for a section called Hell’s backbone. While you’re there, you should plan to check out Goblin Valley State Park as well.

Zion National Park

Zion (rhymes with lion) is one of the most popular National Parks in the country bringing in hoards of tourists. There are a couple major hikes including Angel’s Landing that attract most of the visitors. However, in order to summit Angel’s Landing, there are narrow cliffsides to navigate using chains bolted to the rock. While that in itself is treacherous in the wind or dicey weather, it’s even more unsafe when you consider the crowds of hikers touching the same chains without sanitization. We determined that we would come back for this hike another time.

But our second choice wasn’t a let down at all. As one of the world’s top ten hikes, The Narrows was incredible! The “trail” starts off with a one-mile paved path that follows the Virgin River. At the end of that walk you step into the river itself and wander the riverbed for two to four miles, sometimes in waist deep water, and others traversing boulder-filled banks between 1,700-foot black, pink and and white rock walls. There are caves, waterfalls, and even a mini Horseshoe Bend. It’s magical.

We booked a tour through Zion Guru which provided us with a private shuttle, a personal guide, and all the appropriate gear. Being a winter visit, I was certainly nervous about being cold and wet, but with the dry pants, neoprene socks and made-for-water-hiking boots, we were perfectly comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, our feet were wet, but not as cold as I expected with 48 degree waters flowing at 45 cubic feet per second. Also, do not try this hike without a sturdy stick. Trekking poles wouldn’t work as well.

We had most of the river to ourselves with two other pairs hiking 100 feet or so away. However, they did not have a guide who helped navigate the river and coach us on how to negotiate each crossing. They ended up purposefully keeping distance behind us and following where our guide took us.

The intersection of Wall Street and Orderville Canyon, only five feet wide in some places, was the perfect spot to stop for lunch before returning to the trailhead. This is a must-do hike if you visit Utah and I’d love to do it again.

Other popular hikes in the park include The Grotto and Emerald Pools.

One note about Zion, March through November (and between Christmas and New Years) no private vehicles are permitted on the main road through the park. They offer an almost-free shuttle that you must book in advance. However the shuttle tickets are almost impossible to acquire so you should consider a private shuttle which might run you $40 or so roundtrip. There are other hikes not on this main road including Canyon Overlook which is a fun little two-miler and Kolob Canyon. There is also a great expert level hike called The Subway which requires a lottery permit. Be sure to also drive through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel near the south entrance of the park. Very cool.

If Zion Narrows was our crossfit-style workout, Bryce Peekaboo was a marathon and Arches Double O was an obstacle course. We assumed we would be sick of looking at rocks for almost two weeks, but were surprised how unique and different each park was. If you have to skip any parks, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands are the two, but Arches, Bryce and Zion are must-visits.

I’ve been to just under a third of the National Parks and have always been impressed with the care taken of these lands. A huge shout out to the rangers and National Parks Service team. Our America the Beautiful annual pass is well worth the $80 if you plan to visit more than two in 12 months. These landscapes are incredible.

It should also be noted that we visited in the winter so on almost all of our trips we had the place to ourselves, even on those mornings we got a late start. The weather was clear and between 35 and 55 degrees. I’ll take plenty of parking and warm layers over crowds and 115 degree heat the summer months usually bring.

Honorable Mentions

Our itinerary actually included some time in Arizona, specifically to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, adding a fifth national park to our 12-day trip. Bright Angel Point and Cape Royal were favorite mini hikes and viewpoints before heading up to Balanced Rock, Lees Ferry, and Lonely Dell Ranch, all of which we had completely to ourselves. We also stopped by Glen Canyon Dam which is the second largest dam in the country behind Hoover which was closed for coronavirus, and Horseshoe Bend, which is a popular tourist spot, but while we were able to stay distanced and masked, we didn’t stay long.

Antelope Canyon was closed for coronavirus because it’s on Navajo land, so I searched for an alternative and I’m so glad I found Peekaboo Canyon in Kanab. It’s a four-mile off road drive to get to the entrance of the canyon so I highly recommend a private tour guide with an appropriate vehicle (and deep sand driving skills). Unlike our experience would have been in Antelope, we had the entire two-mile slot canyon to ourselves. Everything had a gorgeous red glow and was such a fun and unique experience, learning about flash floods, fossils, layered rock formations and more.

There are also a few other experiences worth mentioning including Toadstool Hoodoos, Kanarraville Falls, and Dead Horse State Park.

While traveling at all during this time is risky, I don’t regret this trip because it was easy for us to stay distanced from others and adventure outdoors. If you’re interested in planning some time away, I’m happy to help you research safe experiences for you and your travel partners.