Mile High and Mighty Five

Ohhhh, baby…back to Moab.

The road trip continues to rolllllllll on, and into Colorful Colorado. I hadn’t explored much of this state that appears to excel in every recreation area. My road trip last summer showed a good amount of the state but, truthfully, it felt rushed. Although my understanding of my own exploration will continue to change, I know it’s time to slow down a little more and see all of the stuff! It’s arguably the best time of year to visit Colorado, as the colors of autumn begin to settle in for the season.

We decided to chase the color and head to Steamboat Springs, to drive up Buffalo Pass. As the temperature continued to drop, the sun was always welcome. The sunshine continued throughout the day as we moved further east and we felt the need to soak it up! We found a great trail near Granby, Colorado, but could only focus on one thing - Lake Granby and the seashore that we decided to enjoy instead.

With some light left in the day, it was time to get a little more elevated - which brought us to Rocky Mountain National Park. I planned on visiting the Rockies last May on a road trip until a Nor’easter had another idea in mind. We were immediately thrown into the action of the season, as we noticed some elk in the valley. Although we did not get to see the rut, our luck for incredible wildlife viewing continued on as the trip included more sightings of moose!

My favorite part of the park was the road that took us through it. Trail Ridge Road takes you from the valleys down low right through the middle of the alpine region of the Rockies. There is nothing but 360-degree views of the historic American Rockies up there and some very cold air. We embraced freezing temperatures and sharp wind to enjoy a golden hour well above 12,000 feet.

So quickly, we find it hard to say goodbye to beautiful parks such as this one. We get so comfortable absorbing the climate, nature in abundance, and all there is to learn about the area. We especially had a blast at the alluvial fan in Endovalley, two parts of the same breathtaking landscape. And as we went on and out of the Rockies, we spent more time at campsites that provided views for the perfect send-off from the peaks and Colorado the colorful.

Goodbye Colorado, hello Utah. The theme of awesome campsites followed us west as we woke up to find ourselves in a beautiful canyon painted by fall leaves. Starting in central Utah, we were in our first stint of sustained bad weather. It was a reminder to count ourselves lucky for what we’ve seen and still enjoyed some sights nearby. We stumbled upon the Mount Nebo Scenic Byway in the rain and snow to see a collision of seasons.

This clash continued as the weather continued to dip and we saw our first snow of the season outside of Torrey, Utah. This is where we started our trip to conquer the Mighty Five - the illustrious Utah National Parks, starting in Capitol Reef. There is so much driving area for you to enjoy most of the park without leaving the roadside.

Making more natural arches in Arches National Park!

Like most of Canyon Country, it’s recommended that you have a high-clearance vehicle to get through the terrain but most vehicles can take most of the park roads. Alas, our time in Capitol Reef was cut short as we were itching to explore Moab. I have been so excited to get back to Moab to get another look at the awesome parks in the area. There’s so much to enjoy in both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks but wait! There’s more!

The cool part about Moab is the amount of recreation there is to offer. We spoke to a few folks that were out mountain biking, hiking, and rock climbing, soaking up the last rays of the season. But my favorite part is the proximity of campgrounds surrounding the trails, being either a small fee or free in dispersed camping areas.

Our saving grace <3

Thanks to the Bureau of Land Management, there is much room to camp for FREE all around the country. Be on the lookout for BLM land whenever you want to camp for free or (very) reduced rates, so long as you respect our Public Lands.

Most of the pictures of our camping are on BLM land and we have found some SWEET campsites doing so. Those are some of the small victories that we enjoy on a long trip and saving money is always a huge added bonus. By utilizing the nearby space, we’re usually only a few miles from views like these.

The heat fades in Utah and the crowds begin to dissipate with it but this is one of the best times to be in the Southwest. So, we found a trail that would suit all of our needs and enjoy the day ahead. The Grandstaff Canyon is located 5 miles from downtown Moab and offers a great day hike into the canyon. We had a great time on the trail and Willow was in strong agreement.

There was plenty of time left to try some good food. Fiesta Mexicana in Moab rocked our world, and that’s an understatement. The very next day, we made our way south to Panguitch and found Backroads Bistro - a small, new restaurant that has nothing but quality homemade food. Should you get a chance, don’t pass up the cinnamon rolls because….oh my goodness. You can find this delicious food when traveling to southern Utah, on your way to Bryce Canyon! October was playing its mind games with us - one day gorgeous, the next frigid, and Bryce Canyon called for more colder weather.

From canyon to canyon, we wandered southern Utah with our jaws dropped; I had only seen Bryce Canyon once and never Zion, until recently, and it was a different beast. I mean, you don’t expect too many parks to be busy at 7am at the tail end of October but Zion earns a year-round status that only the most popular parks can claim. We decided against taking the shuttle into the busiest area of the park, and did the short Canyon Overlook Trail and found it to be a great activity for a first-time visit to the area. Even with limitations, we saw what the hype was about!

When traveling to the big Utah parks, be sure to do your homework at any point in the year, as all of the National Parks in the state are very busy year-round. It was now time to seek out warmer weather by leaving Zion to continue our trip further south and further west. Although that may be hard to find anywhere in November, you just have to know where to look.