Utah’s Mighty Five - Winter Edition

Welcome to Utah Canyon Country

The desert southwest region of the United States should be atop of any true American road warriors agenda.  In order to truly understand the geographical landscape of our amazing country, traveling throughout the red canyons of this area is a must.   is HUGE and often when a place is so vast, travelers shy away because they don’t know “where to begin”. This playground of exploration is a true “hands on” experience for all ages, in that it is WIDE OPEN for all to enjoy.

Throughout the years, we have made many pilgrimages to this region and this past holiday season, we jumped into our Winnebago Solis to experience this place in the dead of winter.  We researched, we read, we made contingencies, we were slightly worried…we didn’t know exactly what we were getting ourselves into, BUT dang was it a great time.  We all had suspicions that the Utah winter would whip us and that we might end up spending the entire holiday week cooped up in our Winnie away from the cold and snow.  

As a family, our goal as tourists is not to vacation, but to explore.  This means we always have rather an aggressive agenda and tend to strive to see and do everything, which involves a great amount of movement throughout the landscape.  This winter adventure was no different in that we wanted to not only complete the “Mighty Five of Utah” in one push, but also get out into each park and unlock a few more secrets. 

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.” - Edward Abbey 

#1 - Arches National Park

KIDS LOVE ARCHES! The obvious starting point for a north to south traverse of Utah’s Mighty Five is the red rock playground of Arches National Park.   Seriously, the arches and flowing rock formations throughout this park bring out a primal need to scramble, climb and explore within kids of all ages. Arches is the perfect park to start out in and get situated.  Ease of access and a simple layout will give a newcomer to the Utah desert a bit of confidence to seek out more.  One of the best things about Arches National Park is that it lies just north of the city of Moab, a little bustling adventure city with many amenities.

Walk the Walk…
1) Walk Park Avenue to Courthouse Rock (Can do as a one-way if one driver parks van at Courthouse & walks up back to group)
2) Explore The Windows Section (loop hike around formation w/ multiple large Arches)
3) Out & Back Hike of the Devils Garden *hike ONLY gets better the further you go…amazing rock scrambling and views
4) Morning Iconic Phantom Ranch to Delicate Arch Hike (3 mile round trip & very friendly for all levels of hikers)

Talk the Talk…
#1 - What makes Utah Canyon/Red Rock Country “red”? one element = Iron
#2 - Arches NP is home to the most densely concentrated group of natural arches on earth…home to 2000+ documented arches!
#3 - An Arch, to be “officially documented” by the NPS, must have a light opening of at least 3 feet in one direction.

Camp Ground: Arches National Park - Devils Garden 4 out of 5 Stars in Winter = FCFS $25 per night
Positives - Clean, Paved roads/pads, Nice Bathrooms & easy access to the Devils Garden area of park & CANNOT beat the camp views!
Negatives - 18 miles one-way from park entrance & if gets real cold and windy, this spot could be a bit miserable

#2 - Canyonlands National Park

Camp Ground: Canyonlands National Park - Willow Flat ($15) or the Needles ($20) FCFS in Winter
*due to time contraints we did a 1/2 day morning in Canyonlands & then headed to Mighty #3 for the night (so no rating, but you will have place to yourself if you stay…most access roads off the main road will be gravel)

#3 - Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef is the hidden gem within the Mighty Five.  This park is probably the least hyped and talked about of Utah’s National Parks, but this quiet and cozy place is the perfect destination to hide away during the winter months.   I believe our family fell in love with this place because it just felt right.  As midwesterners, I think we found comfort in the unexpected tree lined canyon bottoms within the Fruita region of the park.

Talk the Talk…
1) Waterpocket Fold is literally a 100 mile “fold” in the earth’s surface…the entire park follows this fold & main park paved road is the only paved road that crosses it. (just think Geology, plate tectonics, uplift, erosion & millions of years in the making)
2) PETROGLYPHS = Rock Carvings vs. pictographs = rock paintings hieroglyphics = symbols used to represent words…you can view Petroglyphs in Capitol Reef!
3) “Capitol” “Reef” = the name comes from the fact that early settlers thought that the bleeched navajo sandstone domes of the land looked like our nation’s capitol building in Washington and the “Reef” = same settlers referred to the Waterpocket fold as a Reef…like in an ocean a place that is a barrier for transportation.

Walk the Walk…
1) Cohab Canyon Trail w/ hidden Slot Canyons referred to as “the 7 Wives” (departs from the campground)
2) Grand Wash Hike w/ Cassidy Arch Add on (an out & back hike that can take 30 min to 4 hours)
3) Petroglyph Panel

Campground: Capitol Reef - Fruita 5 out of 5 Stars in Winter = FCFS $25 per night
Positives - heated bathrooms, quiet & secluded off the main park road, central location with easy access to visitor center and one of THE BEST “non advertised” hiking trails departs right from the campground. (oh and the high canyon walls light up at sunrise and sunset)
Negatives - we have none…its a dreamy place & upon conversation with a few other campers, we learned that many make a point to spend the maximum allowed 14 days each winter

#4 - Bryce Canyon National Park

Welcome to Bryce Canyon, the famous winter wonderland among the red rock hoodoo spires. Micro-Spikes and trekking poles might want to be packed for this wintertime National Park stop. Why the added “extreme” hiking gear? Well, Bryce Canyon sits at an elevation of over 8000 ft, so this park is very susceptible to big snow and cold winter events.  According to many conversations with rangers, if your trip within the park coincides with a big winter event, the park is usually back to normal within 24 hours. These same rangers will also share that if your trip is delayed by winter, you are greatly rewarded by experiencing the grandeur of hoodoos under a fresh blanket of snow!

Talk the Talk…
1) Hoodoos are geological sandstone pillars created ice wedging…water seeping into cracks, expanding, and breaking off chunks of rock from itself (FYI - Bryce Canyon NP is home to the largest collection of Hoodoos on earth)
2) Bryce Canyon is not actually a “canyon”…the area is a series of 12 Amphitheaters that have been eroded into plateau. (FYI - canyons are worn away by flowing river water)
3) Park got its name from an early pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, who was sent to the area by Church of Jesus Christ-Later Day Saints because he had great skills as a carpenter and would be helpful in settling the area.

Walk the Walk
1) Hike the Hoodoos Challenge…complete it and get a prize at the Visitors center.
2) Queens Garden w/ Navajo Trail (Wall Street, Thors Hammer & Two Bridges)
3) Walk the Rim Trail (Paved and easy access to all overlooks)

Campground: Capitol Reef - North Campground 4 out of 5 Stars in Winter = FCFS $25 per night
Positives - easy access to everything, clean & well organized
Negatives - not really a negative, but this area will be covered in snow and walking around can be dicey with the freeze/thaw cycle of ice daily AND due to the closeness of Zion nearby, it is much more busy & it may have filled up by nights end

#5 - Zion National Park

Campground: Zion National Park - Watchman 3 out of 5 Stars in Winter = MUST Reserve $30 per night w/ electric
Pos - fun to be within walking distance of town (Springdale, UT), well organized in close proximity to both National Park and city transportation services, dish washing station open year round and within walking distance of a shower *Shower: Zion Outfitters https://zionoutfitter.com/ ($4 for 5 min)
Neg - busy and the place looks like it gets used “loved to death”…did we mention it is busy?