A few weeks ago, my friend Samantha and I took an impromptu trip out west. We started with driving to The Grand Canyon from Las Vegas and then ventured on into Southern Utah. I think Utah might be America's best-kept secret. Every turn on their open highways led to so many "ooh's and ahh's"!
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
We started our morning off by driving through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and arrived at the unmarked trail for Zebra Slot Canyon. (Here is a great guide to get you there!) Before getting to the slot canyon, we hiked along the Mars-esque landscape.
Zebra Slot Canyon was incredible. We were lucky that it wasn't full of water and were able to jump right in to the canyon and start climbing our way through. It was exhilarating and also really hard to not think about the movie "127 hours"!
Bryce Canyon National Park
We then ventured on over to Bryce Canyon National Park. This was my favorite of the 3 parks we visited because of it's unique landscape. Unfortunately, it was storming so we only got to see the park from the overlooks but even still, it was breathtaking!
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
We took a side-trip off the highway on our way to Kanab, UT to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The rain had just stopped and we had the place to ourselves! The sand dunes are formed by the erosion of pink-colored Navajo Sandstone that surrounds the state park.
Kanab, UT
- Kanab, UT is also called "Little Hollywood" for being the film location for many of the old Hollywood western movies.
- We loved staying at Aiken's Lodge in Kanab. If you're into mid-century design and looking for a walkable neighborhood, this is for you!
Stay tuned for Part 3!