The Scenic Drive into Bryce is busy, but we were not ready for the overcrowded stops at the Inspiration Point, Bryce Point and Paria View parking lots, so we quickly head deeper into the park. 

The following stops are much better! We can stop, enjoy the views and take little walks. Unlike 32 years ago, it’s a dog, not rain, that keeps us off the trails. Yet the views down into and over the amphitheaters (Bryce is not really a canyon) are just as spectacular as I remembered… definitely new: a food truck at Piracy Point, which of course we have to check out for lunch.

Some of the highlights: Upper Inspiration Point at 8,100 ft, Fairview and Piracy Points (8,819 ft) and Natural Bridge Overlook. [Note – the Bridge is actually an Arch, as there isn’t a river running under it.] Aqua Canyon, Ponderosa Canyon and finally Rainbow Point (at the very end of the Scenic Drive).

As we are ready to head back to our campground, we get news from Livermore, asking us to come home sooner than expected. So rather than sticking around in the area for another day and taking a scenic route through Zion NP to go home, we head to Cannonville to pack up camp and head into the sunset that same evening already.

Need to get away even further? Say no more .. heading south along Cottonwood Canyon Road to Grosvenor Arch, a double arch certainly worth the drive on the dusty dirt road.

The 1.9M acres of Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, where preserving the land’s wild character is a top priority. These public lands don’t just protect astounding scientific values, they safeguard one of the rarest natural resources of all – the opportunity for solitude – in a landscape sculpted by wind, water and time.

We could spend a few days just here along the drive but have places to be and (other) sights to see! So we continue on to our next campground, the KOA in Cannonville, US.

After a first stop at Goosenecks Overlook and Panorama Point, we’re heading south on the Scenic Drive onto the Capitol Gorge drive (dirt road), past Tapestry Wall and more stunning rocks. A short turnoff makes for our perfect and private lunch spot for a quick break. 

The other dirt road extending from the end of the Scenic Drive is the Pleasant Creek drive, which we follow until we hit the creek, where the road turns into some hard-core 4-wheeling.

About halfway back up the Scenic Drive is the turn-off for yet another dirt road to be explored – the Great Wash follows the creek bed of its namesake for most of the way into the canyon, past old uranium mines that have long since been closed off.

On our way out, we get to be stunned once more by the rock walls or the “reef” – although the park boasts a huge variety of towering cliffs, massive domes, arches, bridges, and twisting canyons.

It’s a scenic drive once we get onto Hwy 24 towards Capitol Reef National Park and our next overnight stop in Torrey, at the Wonderland RV Park.

Once past the Gooseneck we reach Shafer Canyon and with it the entrance to the NP. Shafer Trail Road is not for the faint of heart, where steep inclines, tight switchbacks and breathtaking views make for an unforgettable drive. Our heart rates can slow down again a little once we hit the top and are back on the paved road of Canyonlands. 

Knowing that the easy way out of the park can not be how we end this day, we decide to take the road less travelled instead. Cue in: Long Canyon Road, a scenic detour that makes our heart rates go through the roof and breaths getting stuck in our throats a couple of times! It’s a sand road in parts, a slippery-smooth plain rock trail in others and squeezes us through collapsed rock tunnels where Kirk actually steps out of the truck to check if it will even fit! Good thing it will, because turning around would have been a no-way on this stretch of the road. Yikes! 

Once back on solid ground (aka paved Hwy 279) along the Colorado River we pass the Corona Arch (fitting name given the pandemic we’re in!) before reaching Moab and our campground again.

After getting our bearings at the Island In the Sky visitor center we explore the various sights including Shafer Canyon Overlook, Whale Rock, Aztec Butte, Green River Overlook, Orange Cliffs Overlook and Grand View Point. With a dog in tow, the hiking trails are all off-limits to us, but the overlooks provide a stunning insight into this amazing park.

Before sunset, we leave the National Park and head into the adjacent Dead Horse Point State Park, just off the north entrance. From here (dogs allowed), we have a beautiful view of the Colorado River, Potash Road, Shafer Trail and towards Canyonlands National Park. In addition, we get to people-watch, check out a young couple getting their engagement photos taken and families around us enjoying the sunset with us. This park is absolutely not to be missed!

Stop 1 is what this park is most known for – or at least what’s the most recognizable arch in Arches: The Delicate Arch. Nestled about in the middle of the (developed) park, visitors can choose between taking the strenuous hike to get to the arch – or opt for the arch view point only, which is an easy walk from a different parking lot. With limited time and a dog on hand, the view point it is. Definitely worth it if you don’t have all day, have a dog or are out of shape! 

Stop 2 is where we had fallen in love with this park 4 years ago, when a little detour brought us into Arches the first time: The Windows and Double Arch. On our cross-country trip in 2016 we had left J.T. in the trailer to hike up to The Windows. This time, with most visitors heading that direction, Kirk and I leave J.T. again in the trailer, but we chose the Double Arch trailhead instead. While still busy, people are good about wearing their masks unless taking pictures. We get to snap ours, with almost no one else in them, before heading back to the truck for a quick lunch break in the trailer. 

Stops 3-4 are more drive-bys, but can’t leave without stopping at the Balancing Rock, the Great Wall and Park Avenue. 

Too soon we’re leaving the park – but not the area. It’s time to check into Portal RV Resort in Moab, UT, our full-hook up home for the next 3 nights.

In the afternoon, in time for some pre-sunset photos, we head out to the Garden of Eden Viewpoint. Just a few miles south of the campground, the rocks look different, with more columns or spires. J.T. explore the areas near the parking lot (no dogs allowed away from paved paths), Kirk & his camera make their way to see more.  

The sun is about to set as we drive on to capture one more sight of the park – the Fiery Furnace. Normally accessible only by tour or permit, it is closed due to the pandemic. But the viewpoint allows us to get a sneak peek of this beautiful area.