Travel Journal: Solo Utah Trip 2024

Day 1: Horseshoe Bend and Zion (3/11/24)

Everyone told me this trip was a bad idea. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" or "That's dangerous, you know that, right?" They said I should wait until I could find people who could go. They said I should wait for a "better time." I had this same trip planned two years ago. Nobody could go then either. Maybe it wasn't the right time or maybe it was a money issue—or they simply did not want to. For me, I came to realize there is no "right time" to do anything. 

I decided to run on my own time instead of waiting for the stars to align for anyone else, so I planned to do this trip alone. 

I woke up this morning in my apartment in Flagstaff, still tired from last night's last-minute preparations. Red Bull in hand, I took the 89 North out of Flagstaff. As I neared Page, I pulled off to Horseshoe Bend. I always assumed the hike was strenuous because the view was so breathtaking. To my surprise, it was an easy 15-minute walk to the viewpoint. There were so many people they should have made the hike more difficult on purpose. 

I recently obtained a lot of new gear for this trip—new to me I should say. Among my new toys is a Canon RP, a lightweight mirrorless camera. I took my pictures at Horseshoe Bend and kept moving. 

I was headed to Zion National Park! This is my first time in Utah. The way the mountains just tear through the sky is so incredible. It seems intentional like a potter molded the earth from clay. It is hard to believe all of this is just...here. 

I entered the park through the east entrance. I drove through the Mt. Carmel Tunnel and settled on some picnic benches to sit down and eat my lunch. 

Eventually, I parked my car at Watchman Campsite—where I'd spend the night. I walked to Watchman Trail. Going up was more difficult than going down—as it usually is. The trail was about three miles and had stunning panoramic views of the mountain. 

After my hike, I of course had to go to the Visitor Center. I already gave the Parks Service $80 for an annual pass, but I am a sucker for souvenirs. After much deliberation, I bought an enamel pin and a National Park theme deck of cards.

The sun was starting to go down so I pitched my tent. Dad bought me a nice new North Face Homestead Roomy 2. 

Then I "made" dinner. Really it was a freeze-dried pouch of beans, corn, and rice. It was actually pretty good—with some Taco Bell sauce of course. 

As the sun began to dip below the mountains, I brought out my camera again to try my hand at astrophotography. I am not optimistic any pictures will turn out, but that's okay because I had fun. 

I thought I would be more stressed, but this is the most at peace I have felt in a while. Tomorrow I head to Bryce Canyon, but tonight I sleep under the stars in Zion. 

Day 2: Bryce Canyon (3/12/24)

Day 2! I woke up early this morning to pack up and head to Bryce Canyon National Park. Last night was cold but manageable. However, it was windy, and the tent's rain fly was making an awful lot of noise. Before leaving, I took the shuttle to see some of the rest of the park. During some months they close it off to everyone but the shuttles. It was cloudy and chilly but still very pretty. I got off at the last stop and took more pictures before driving an hour and 40ish minutes to Bryce. 

Unlike Zion and Capitol Reef, Bryce sits at a much higher elevation. The trails were snowy and icy and I did not come prepared for that level of hiking. I decided to only check out the viewpoints instead. I stopped at Bryce Point, which had an insane view of Bryce Amphitheater. Hoodoos, tall rock spires covered this bowl-like landscape. I've never seen anything like it before. It sort of looked like a clump of coral. 

I went to another viewpoint when it started to snow, which was not forecasted. I was looking into camping at Bryce too, but now I am really glad it did not work out. 

As snow began to pick up, I drove deeper into the park to another viewpoint. The snow was so heavy at this point I couldn't see anything but white in the canyon. 

On my way out of the park, I stopped at the Visitor Center. This one had an interesting little museum attached. I had an hour to kill before check-in, so I went around and read all of the exhibits. Now I am knowledgeable about Bryce Canyon's Indigenous and geologic history and wildlife. 

I checked in to the Bryce View Lodge, a 2-star motel. The lotion and shampoo are clearly used but hey it has heat and a bed! I ate an early dinner across the street at Ruby's Inn Cowboy Buffet and Steak Room. I got a mango margarita and a BBQ brisket sandwich with fries. After that, the snow cleared out and I headed back to Bryce. 

I debated whether or not I should’ve gone back, but now I am so glad I did. I got pictures of a blue jay and inverted clouds over the canyon. It was magical. The fog rose to the viewpoint walkway and I got to walk through a literal cloud. I then came back to the hotel and finally got to upload my photos. The $700 I spent on this camera was so worth it. 

Day 3: Capitol Reef (3/13/24)

I woke up warm and cozy in my hotel room only to see that it had snowed overnight. Not a lot of snow but still enough to be annoying. 

I left Bryce to drive to Capitol Reef National Park. I drove over two hours on a road covered in snow. It wasn't bad; honestly, I expected worse. It was a very pretty drive. The trees and mountains were all sprinkled with snow—it looked like a winter wonderland. 

I drove past some horses in a field that looked like an amazing shot, and I couldn't help but pull over. 

Eventually the snow on the road cleared up as I passed through tiny farm towns. I didn't realize how valuable cows were until today—there were so many. I passed through a couple light flurries before arriving at my destination. 

Capitol Reef is huge red rock cliffs and old fruit orchards from Mormon pioneers. Some old structures from the settlers are still here which is pretty cool.

After picking up a map from the Visitor Center, I drove down the 20-mile scenic drive through the park. It is a narrow, winding road alongside cliffs. 

I drove all the way to the end where the pavement stopped and the dirt began. I decided to continue, and it took me through a gorge. The walls were so tall, like skyscrapers. At the end of the road there was a hike.

I hiked most of it, I wasn't sure where it ended and it began to snow. What was crazy was the amount of holes throughout the walls. Perfect circles and ovals of all sizes. It looked like an alien landscape or a planet from Star Wars. 

To escape the snow I drove back to the Visitor Center to look at their museum and ask if it was a good idea to camp tonight. The lady at the front desk said yes even with a chance of snow and a low of 28º.

Before setting up camp I wanted to do another hike. This one I didn't finish either because I wanted to preserve daylight. I got a faraway picture of Cassidy Arch and called it a day. 

I am staying in Fruita Campground tonight. The campground is in one of the historic fruit orchards. The trees are barren right now but I can't imagine how pretty they'd be flowering or bearing fruit. 

For dinner, I prepared another one of those military meals, today mac n' cheese with peas, corn, and carrots. It was alright, a little too crunchy for my taste.

It's dark now and this is the brightest I have ever seen the stars. I think I can even see the Milky Way. Capitol Reef is a Dark Sky Park like how Flagstaff is a Dark Sky City. Now I will sleep with two blankets, two sleeping bags, and five layers of clothes. Think I'll be warm enough?

Day 4: Home (3/14/24)

I returned to Flagstaff yesterday but was too tired and lazy to write. Now I am drinking rosé and eating French onion dip with Ruffles to feel up to the task. At Capitol Reef I slept through a low of 28º with risk of snow. Thankfully, it did not. I packed up camp pretty early and wanted to stop at the Visitor Center to get a sticker. 

While purchasing my sticker and salsa, the checker told me the Gifford House was opening for the first time this season. Not sure what it was or what was so special about it but I had to see what the hype was about. 

I drove down the road and there was a line out the door. I learned quickly everyone was there for the pies. Naturally, I bought yet another salsa and a strawberry rhubarb pie. Pretty good; I'll hand it to the bakers. The Gifford House historically sold baked goods and served as a general store for the Mormon settlement. 

I also bought a big cinnamon roll, which I ate before heading out. 

On my drive out, I saw a group of deer grazing in a field with a beautiful mountain backdrop. Of course I had to stop and take a picture. 

The road out of Capitol Reef and all the way back home was absolutely gorgeous. On my way out, I saw more buildings from the Mormon settlement. There were many interesting rock formations, and I did pull off the road a few more times to take pictures of the landscape. 

At one scenic viewpoint, it was just me and this older fella. The view was of a river with large cliffs. We stood there and talked for about 20 minutes. He asked me where I was from, the trip I was taking, and what I was studying in school. He told me his life story. I listened. 

He is an ex-marine, he fought in East Asia—I assume Vietnam. He said he had a lot of mental troubles coming back from the war and found exploring the outdoors really helped him. 

He has two kids, a 25-year-old daughter and a 27-year-old son named Aaron. His daughter has a career in creative writing and is getting her master's degree. She plans to help kids with mental health problems through nature therapy. His son has a degree in economics and a minor in mathematics. His daughter knows French and his son knows Spanish. Both already had two years of college complete before they graduated from high school—so they took gap years. His daughter traveled the world and his son worked for his friend's logging company.

He said he grew up in New York but his family would visit Wyoming, so they got the best of both worlds. He said his daughter has always been a survivalist; she skinned and ate a rabbit at 13. Better than me. 

He said he had just visited Zion and built his truck out so he could sleep anywhere if needed. He had a Toyota Tacoma with a rooftop tent mounted over his truck bed. Sweet rig for sure. 

He said his wife was a teacher. He complimented my camera and said his wife used to have a nice one before giving it to their daughter as a graduation present. She never bought another one. He said he never had much use for technology and only brings his phone when he needs to. 

We wished each other safe travels. He told me to always take every opportunity that comes my way. And that was that. I didn't get his name and he never got mine. 

On my journey home I took State Route 261. It was a regular highway most of the way until this one part. At the turn off it said: "Road not suitable for trucks or semis." I thought that was odd but didn't think much of it until the pavement suddenly stopped. 

Turns out, a portion of SR261 goes down a cliff side! It was a dirt road with hairpin turns and no guardrail. Scary! 

I stopped in Mexican Hat, Utah, for some gas and a Big Gulp. A bit later, I stopped again at Forrest Gump Hill for a picture of the iconic movie scene. 

I stopped a couple more times for pictures in Monument Valley before my non-stop drive home. 

It was over six hours in total, especially with my dilly-dallying. I hit some snow on my way down, and it was snowing in Flagstaff when I drove in. I'm glad I did my adventure when I did because the snow has continued on and off until tonight. It's expected to continue like this for the next few days too. 

Now that my trip is done I feel really proud of myself. People seem surprised I did the trip alone but I always knew I could. I feel like I was ready even a few years ago. I am proud of the pictures I took, the miles I hiked and drove, and the time I spent alone. 

I never once felt alone; I think I may enjoy my own company more than any other. I do hope to do a trip like this again soon. The feeling is awfully addicting. It may be dangerous for me in the best way possible.