The “Big Five” Sleeper
Journal Entry #50
April 24, 2023
It is often said Utah’s “Crown Jewels” are Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands- the “big five” Utah National Parks. When I google and search Pinterest, I find lots of travel tips and “how to’s” about the best way to plow through them at break neck speed, like “Five Parks in Five Days” or “The Two MOST Instagramable places in Each Utah NP”. I suppose if you are on a week’s vacation and you’ve managed to get yourself deep into the wilds of Utah, I can understand the desire to check all of the boxes. Vanlife allows us the great luxury not to have to rush through these spectacularly surreal and beautiful landscapes. Last year we visited Zion and Bryce. This year we returned to Utah to spend time exploring Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands.
Early April is shoulder season in the Central/Northern Utah parks. Nights drop into the 30’s and days just creep into the low 60’s, often with gusty winds. The colder temperatures tend to keep the crowds at bay. The parks are quiet in the mornings and the late afternoons and evenings - before day trippers come in and after they leave.
I have fond memories of Capitol Reef from decades ago. In 1986, the summer before I headed off to college, my family - my mom, dad, younger brother, uncle and I -took an epic three week trip around the Southwest. We rented a Ford passenger van and wandered around the four corners area and up into Utah, staying at little highway motels along the way. The days we spent in Capitol Reef were blazing hot. I recall at one point on our drive through the park, my brother got out of the van to pee. He picked a rock to aim at and was blown away by the sizzle and immediate evaporation. He jumped back in the van and shared all of the details of his spectacularly amazing bathroom break.
To escape the searing heat, we ultimately retreated to the shade of Johnson’s Orchard in the center of park where cherries were just in season. We climbed ladders, shook branches and picked more than five pounds of fruit. I recall not wanting to see another cherry for months after gorging on them for a solid week. This was also the family trip where my uncle famously dared my brother, who was about 13 at the time, to try ghost pepper salsa. My brother said he would try it if my uncle did too. Both went pale, broke a sweat, and had to nurse the pain with big glasses of milk.
Capitol Reef was much quieter and cooler on this visit. The cherry trees hadn’t bloomed yet. Still, it gave me a big smile to hike past the orchard with Tom and recall that family trip. In retrospect, it was my first “van adventure” — nearly 40 years ago. I loved that trip.
What struck Tom and I about both Capitol Reef and Arches National Parks is that they both seem to be designed primarily as driving parks; scenic roads with pull offs and short walks to views and highlighted vistas or formations. This is a good thing in terms of of access for all, but have found that it is a fairly unsatisfying way for us to experience the parks— the crowds become a distraction from nature. Nothing like the buzz kill of “waiting in line” to see a noted feature or take a picture.
So, of the three Utah parks we visited this time out, our favorite was Canyonlands. It is the “sleeper” of the bunch— vast, remote, and far less traveled by people.
One of the things that made the park particularly special for us was the amazing luck we had in snagging one of only 12 camping spots in the Island in the Sky area of the park (read about this luck in our last blog) which meant we could enjoy the park at dawn and dusk. This small, quiet campground is deep in the park at the edge of a magnificent canyon.
Another aspect that made Canyonlands rewarding was the nature of the hiking. Because the Island in the Sky sits high atop a massive mesa, most of the hikes in the park required what I would call “commitment and fortitude.” The hiking is significantly longer and more demanding than most are willing to undertake. In terms of length, we have generally observe what we call the “one-mile-in” National Park rule. If you hike beyond one mile in, you will have the park largely to yourself. By demanding I mean that nearly every hike required roughly 1000 feet of cliff-face descents (and then ascents on the return!) Of course, the hikes down and up cliff sides also provided head-spinning views. Luckily, our last year of trekking mostly cured me of what I call the “woo-woos” about super narrow trails and steep drop offs.
Canyonlands is both a hiker’s and photographer’s paradise. Our ability to enjoy stunning hikes with very few other people for miles on end made this vast place feel both intimate and full of wonder at every turn. I will let a few more photos (with a bit of captioning) speak for themselves.
These photographs are just scratching the surface. I took SO many more - but there are only so many I can include in a single blog. So, if you want a part 2, shout it out and I will do a follow up entry with no words, just pictures!
On the whole, if you prefer to be off the beaten track, and are willing to work a little, opt for the “sleeper” park of the “big five” in Utah. Canyonlands National Park is absolutely magical.
part 2 please! stunning photos!
GO FOR PART 2!