All Sections
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyon Rims National Recreation Area
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Fisher Towers
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
- Great Salt Lake State Park
- Island in the Sky District
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Maze District
- Moab Area
- Needles District
- Pioneer Park
- San Rafael Swell
- Uinta Mountains/Wasatch Cache National Forest
- Yellowcat Flats
- Zion National Park
Arches National Park
1 Day, 3 Day, and 5 Day Hiking Itineraries in Arches National Park
Arches National Park may have the most fantastic scenery concentrated into the smallest space of any national park in the…
10 Ways to Improve Your Sunset at Delicate Arch Experience
I’ve hiked the Delicate Arch Trail more times than I care to count, but I still love it. There’s something…
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
An Off-Trail Adventure to Winter Camp Arch
Winter Camp Arch is located just outside of Arches National Park, but to get to it, you’ll have to drive…
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Christmas Tree Arch: Hidden But Impressive
Arches National Park has over 2,000 documented arches, but most people don’t see a quarter of them. There are the…
Covert Arch
Arches National Park has over 2,000 arches within its borders. Some arches – like the Windows, Double Arch, Delicate Arch,…
Devil’s Garden Trail – Epic Arches Experience
Last week, a group member and I were talking about “epic hikes” we’ve taken over the years. He mentioned Devil’s…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows…
Bryce Canyon National Park
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
5 Best Day Hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park
Rock Formations. Hoodoos. Creamsicles. Ever since our first visit to Bryce Canyon in 1997, it’s been one of our favorite…
Beautiful Bryce Hike: Peek-a-Boo Trail & Navajo Trail
I’ve hiked in Bryce Canyon several times, but on our last visit, it had been several years since we’d visited. …
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows…
Fairyland Trail Loop: A Long, Lovely Bryce Hike
I love Bryce Canyon National Park. Somehow, I just can’t resist creamsicle-colored hoodoos sticking straight up toward the deep blue…
Queens Garden Trail & Navajo Loop: So Many Hoodoos!
There are many short trails in Bryce Canyon, and so many with wonderful views. Even if you’ve hiked the trails…
Wheelchair-accessible & Limited Mobility Trails and Viewpoints in Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon has so many wheelchair-accessible views! In fact, except for the trails that go down into the canyon, many…
Canyon Rims National Recreation Area
Canyon Rims: Better than Island in the Sky
Canyon Rims Recreation Area is a fairly small, fairly undeveloped park that overlooks Canyonlands National Park. It can be compared…
Canyon Views at Canyon Rims and Celebrating 5 Years!
Wow! It’s so hard to believe that it’s been 5 whole years since I started this blog. Yep, I started…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows…
Exploring Minor Overlook in Canyon Rims Recreation Area
I have four favorite overlooks in Canyon Rims Recreation Area south of Moab, Utah: Needles Overlook, Minor Overlook, Canyonlands Overlook,…
Spectacular Views from Anticline Overlook
Anticline Overlook is probably my favorite overlook of all the viewpoints in Canyon Rims National Recreation Area (other favorites are…
Canyonlands National Park
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Canyonland Views from Murphy Point
The Murphy Trail in Canyonlands National Park can be a little bit confusing – not because hiking it is all…
Climbing up Observation Rock
One of the most beautiful (and adventurous!) hikes we took in the Maze District in Canyonlands was the scramble up…
Driving the Hans Flat Road to the Maze District
There are two roads that access the area generally called the Maze District of Canyonlands: The Hans Flat Road, from…
Driving the Waterhole Flat Road into the Maze
One of the most scenic dirt roads in Utah that I’ve had the pleasure of driving is the Waterhole Flat…
Druid Arch
I’ve never seen an arch quite like Druid Arch. It’s free standing, has two large openings, and is somewhat reminiscent…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows…
Fantastic Views on the Gooseberry Trail
Every once in a while, a hike that you thought would be nice turns out to be fantastic. That’s how…
Capitol Reef National Park
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Picking Apricots at Capitol Reef National Park
I had always heard of the orchards at Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park. Established by the Mormon pioneers in…
Fisher Towers
Fisher Towers: “Towers Loom Into The Sky…”
Fisher Towers is a small BLM-managed park just outside of Moab, UT. The main attraction is the thin, red, sandstone…
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Broken Bow Arch Hidden Deep in an Escalante Canyon
In a former post, I mentioned that Corona Arch was a cross between Delicate Arch in Arches National Park and…
Climbing up Observation Rock
One of the most beautiful (and adventurous!) hikes we took in the Maze District in Canyonlands was the scramble up…
Driving the Waterhole Flat Road into the Maze
One of the most scenic dirt roads in Utah that I’ve had the pleasure of driving is the Waterhole Flat…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows…
Finally Finding Skylight Arch!
High above US-89 north of Page, Arizona (but before Big Water), a hole in the cliff can be seen up…
Golden Stairs Trail into the Maze District
It’s not easy to access the true Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. In fact, most of what is known…
Golden Stairs Trail to the Fins Trail to Lou’s Spring
A few days ago, I wrote about hiking down the Golden Stairs Trail and (almost) into the Maze District of…
Graveyard of Fallen Arches
In Southern Utah there is a fin—or a butte—or a mesa—whatever you want to call it—that sticks up almost out…
Hole in the Rock: Scramble to Lake Powell!
I was shocked the other day when I found out that I’d never done a post on Hole in the…
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
10 Best (and worst) Day Hikes in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
I think I can safely say that Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of my favorite parks ever. There’s such…
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
Amazing Golden Cathedral in a Neon Canyon
Slot canyons are slot canyons, especially if they aren’t very narrow, but two very special “slot” canyons in Grand Staircase-Escalante…
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Broken Bow Arch Hidden Deep in an Escalante Canyon
In a former post, I mentioned that Corona Arch was a cross between Delicate Arch in Arches National Park and…
Camp Cannonville: A Free Campsite with a View
What’s better: A free campsite, or a paid campsite with a view? Or, are you like me, and would say,…
Crazy Moqui Marbles!
Have you ever seen a moqui marble? Most people have never even heard of these phenomena, let alone seen them. …
Day-hiking Coyote Gulch: Waterfalls, Arches, and Solitude
Near Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument there is a wash that turns into a canyon, and through…
Dry Fork Slots, pt. 1: Peek-a-Boo Slot
On a recent trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (May 2013), I hiked again one of the first hikes that…
Great Salt Lake State Park
Sunset at the Great Salt Lake
On a recent trip to the west coast, we decided to stop at Utah’s Great Salt Lake. However, by the…
Island in the Sky District
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
Canyonland Views from Murphy Point
The Murphy Trail in Canyonlands National Park can be a little bit confusing – not because hiking it is all…
Fantastic Views on the Gooseberry Trail
Every once in a while, a hike that you thought would be nice turns out to be fantastic. That’s how…
Late Afternoon at the White Rim Overlook
If you can only visit one overlook for close-to-sunset in Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, I’ll…
Lathrop Trail: Rim to White Rim Road
There are several premier trails that take hikers from the mesa of Island in the Sky to the White Rim…
Mesa Arch Just After Sunrise
I’ve been to Mesa Arch a few times, and each one carries a special memory with it. On our first…
Monument Basin Overlook via the Gooseberry Trail
Last week, I posted about hiking the Gooseberry Trail, better known as the fastest route between the rim of Island…
Viewpoints in Island in the Sky
There are quite a number of viewpoints in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. Most are…
Whale Rock: What a View!
Whale Rock isn’t a long hike. Whale Rock isn’t a hard hike. Whale Rock isn’t even difficult to drive to. …
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Echo Bay Swimming Beach – Desert Swimming Hole!
On a recent trip, my group wanted to go swimming. I couldn’t blame them; we had been camping and driving…
Maze District
Climbing up Observation Rock
One of the most beautiful (and adventurous!) hikes we took in the Maze District in Canyonlands was the scramble up…
Driving the Hans Flat Road to the Maze District
There are two roads that access the area generally called the Maze District of Canyonlands: The Hans Flat Road, from…
Driving the Waterhole Flat Road into the Maze
One of the most scenic dirt roads in Utah that I’ve had the pleasure of driving is the Waterhole Flat…
French Cabin in the Maze District
There isn’t a whole lot of hiking on top of the Orange Cliffs in the Maze District of Canyonlands National…
Golden Stairs Trail into the Maze District
It’s not easy to access the true Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. In fact, most of what is known…
Golden Stairs Trail to the Fins Trail to Lou’s Spring
A few days ago, I wrote about hiking down the Golden Stairs Trail and (almost) into the Maze District of…
NP-633: Hans Flat to the Flint Trail
The dirt road between the Hans Flat Ranger Station and the top of the Flint Trail is unique in the…
The Maze Overlooks: Millard Canyon, Bagpipe Butte, and Flint Trail
There are three official overlooks along NP-633, the road between Hans Flat and the Flint Trail in the Maze District…
Moab Area
1 Day, 3 Day, and 5 Day Hiking Itineraries in Arches National Park
Arches National Park may have the most fantastic scenery concentrated into the smallest space of any national park in the…
10 Ways to Improve Your Sunset at Delicate Arch Experience
I’ve hiked the Delicate Arch Trail more times than I care to count, but I still love it. There’s something…
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
A “Hidden” Desert Meadow: Hidden Valley, Moab
Located just outside of Moab, Utah, it’s surprising that more people don’t know about Hidden Valley. If this scenic desert…
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Canyon Rims: Better than Island in the Sky
Canyon Rims Recreation Area is a fairly small, fairly undeveloped park that overlooks Canyonlands National Park. It can be compared…
Canyon Views at Canyon Rims and Celebrating 5 Years!
Wow! It’s so hard to believe that it’s been 5 whole years since I started this blog. Yep, I started…
Canyonland Views from Murphy Point
The Murphy Trail in Canyonlands National Park can be a little bit confusing – not because hiking it is all…
Christmas Tree Arch: Hidden But Impressive
Arches National Park has over 2,000 documented arches, but most people don’t see a quarter of them. There are the…
Needles District
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
Hoodoos in a Desert Meadow: Chesler Park
Chesler Park is one of my favorite places in Canyonlands National Park. It’s so pretty and awe-inspiring with red and…
In Search of Kirk Arch
Last week, I wrote about hiking Upper Salt Creek Canyon to Kirk Cabin in Canyonlands National Park. I had read…
Joint Road Chesler Park West: Finish the Chesler Park Loop!
After you’ve enjoyed the spectacular views near Elephant Canyon, wandered among the spires of Chesler Park, and explored the further…
Needles Views on the Elephant Canyon Trail
There are a few hikes in Utah that I return to again and again. The Queen’s Garden Trail in Bryce,…
The Peek-a-boo Trail in Canyonlands!
This week, I’m going to share with you one of my all-time favorite trails in Canyonlands National Park. While Elephant…
The Wonders of Chesler Park
A few weeks ago, I posted about the Elephant Canyon Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It’s…
Upper Salt Creek Views from the Big Pocket Overlooks
If you’re looking for an easy hike with a long, scenic drive on a dirt road to get there, the…
Viewpoints and Short Trails in the Needles District
The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is really only set up for hiking long distances. Chesler Park, Druid Arch,…
Pioneer Park
Pioneer Park: A Place to Explore Utah
What do you do when you’re suddenly stuck in a strange town because your vehicle has broken down? Whenever possible,…
San Rafael Swell
Bell Canyon & Finishing the Little Wildhorse Canyon Loop
I wrote in another post about ascending Little Wildhorse Canyon in Utah’s San Rafael Swell. It’s a great canyon experience,…
Exploring Baptist Draw & Upper Chute Canyon
I’d read that Baptist Draw and Upper Chute Canyon were two of the best slot canyons in the San Rafael…
Little Wildhorse Canyon – A Fun Slot!
Little Wildhorse Canyon may be the most famous slot canyon in Utah. It’s certainly up there, along with Buckskin Gulch,…
Wildhorse Window & Lower Wildhorse Canyon
There’s no trail to Wildhorse Window in Utah’s San Rafael Swell. But it’s also not that difficult to find. If…
Uinta Mountains/Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Beautiful Early Summer Hiking to Ibantik Lake
One of the great things about hiking the Uinta Mountains in the early summer is that there is still snow…
Early Season Hiking on Bald Mountain
If you’re looking for one hike in the Uinta Mountains that will give you bang for buck, I’d highly recommend…
Hiking the (Shorter) South Slopes up Mt. Agassiz
On visiting the Uinta Mountains last June, we decided on our last day to take a bit of a risk. …
Hiking to Donut Falls & Kessler Peak in Big Cottonwood Canyon
In my rambles around the internet (and social media), I’d seen a cool waterfall where the water fell through a…
Spectacular Views from the Loafer Mountain Trail to Santaquin Peak
Santaquin Peak in the Wasatch Mountain Range isn’t the loftiest of peaks nor is it the most famous. Even the…
Yellowcat Flats
An Off-Trail Adventure to Winter Camp Arch
Winter Camp Arch is located just outside of Arches National Park, but to get to it, you’ll have to drive…
Exploring to Clover Canyon
Hike off-trail through Salt Creek to Clover Canyon in Arches National Park, Utah
Zion National Park
15 of the Best Day Hikes in Southern Utah
If I had to pick one desert state to say was my favorite, Utah would almost certainly win. I love…
Angel’s Landing: Best Views in Zion National Park
Ok, so I’ll admit it: I’ve never been fond of Zion National Park. Every time I’ve visited since 1997 it…
Best Hikes for Kids in Utah’s Big 5 National Parks + Grand Staircase-Escalante
Southern Utah is a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Who can resist giant arches, towering hoodoos, sculpted slot…
Epic Day Hiking Road Trip to Southern Utah
Southern Utah packs so much beauty into a small area. Arches, rock formations, turrets, towers, spires, mountains, canyons, cliffs, meadows…
Walking the Zion Narrows
I first did the Zion Narrows in 1997. Or, should I say, I first set foot in the Virgin River…
