Journeys For Women presents:
National Parks - Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon
May 18-25, 2018
Escorted by Jocelyn
National Parks - Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon
May 18-25, 2018
Escorted by Jocelyn
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The blue line on the map represents our route to the National Parks.
Kirk our driver and tour guide created this You Tube show and cool map of our itinerary, he remarked that a lotta love got poured on him during that trip and it came back through the video. Click here to watch the video Turn your speakers on. |
On Friday, May 18, 2018, eleven “Journeys for Women” travelers met at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, waiting for our National Parks’ adventure to begin. We were picked up by our fabulous guide Kirk, Captain Kirk, or as he is known on his driver’s license, Glenn Kirkpatrick. He whisked us away through Nevada and into Utah for our first glimpse of Zion National Park. We caught the last visitor movie at the Zion Natural History Museum. Thankfully enough of us had brought our National Parks Senior Passes, so our park visits were always free!
We spent our first two nights at the lovely Majestic View Lodge, one of the older and more established lodges in the town of Springdale. Our first dinner was at the Lodge, and our second was at the nearby Switchback Grille.
The first full morning of our trip began with a whimper. Instead of our usual 9:00am starting time we left at 7:45am to beat the rush at the park entrance and for the tram. As it was, we waited a good 45 minutes for the shuttle, but much less than the people coming later than we did.
Zion National Park is exquisite. Gigantic red and white rock monoliths tower around us like a skyscraper city of stone, concealing pockets of abundant flora and fauna. We saw the Great White Throne, Angel’s Landing, the Court of the Patriarchs as we took the shuttle to the last stop and hiked the Riverside Walk to the Narrows along the Virgin River, which over centuries has carved out Zion National Park. From there we walked to Weeping Rock for an iconic Zion photo and then to lunch at the historic Zion Lodge. After lunch we hiked to the Emerald Pools, then back to the Lodge for ice cream, then some time at the Visitors’ Center before returning the Springdale and our lodge. The weather was comfortable and sometime warm, but pleasant for most of our trip. There were a few sprinkles and a memorable thundershower to spice things up.
The next morning we left for Bryce Canyon National Park, stopping at Red Canyon State park to get up close and personal with Hoodoos, freestanding red rock columns which eerily dot this landscape. In Zion we looked up at the rock formations. In Bryce we drove along a crest and looked down on the formations. We stopped at a few overlooks to get a sense of what the next day would hold. Spectacular!
We ate dinner at the old time Bryce Canyon Pines restaurant, known for their pies. Yum! Back to bed early, especially for the intrepid travels who joined Kirk for a sunrise over Bryce Canyon. It was chilly but lovely watching the sunrise creep over the pink and white cliffs and hoodoos below and in the distance. Fun fact: the best sunrise in Bryce is seen from the Sunset, not Sunrise, point. Back to the hotel for breakfast and to pick up the rest of our crew then return for a hike on the Rim Trail looking down at the massive amphitheater of rock formations. On the way in we stopped to say hello to the resident prairie dogs.
After lunch we drove to Kodachrome State Park to see another “movie set of rock formations” landscape and explored the cemetery, and what was left of the town of Widtsoe, Utah. Throughout the trip we learned about the pioneering Mormon families who tamed, sometimes successfully, the desolate lands of southern Utah. For dinner we had the opportunity to eat at the original Lodge at Bryce Canyon.
The next day was a long driving day, but Kirk regaled us with stories and the time flew by, punctuated by a short and violent rainstorm. Eek! We visited the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument Visitors Center to see how the northern land steps down to the Grand Canyon. Then we drove beside and through Capital Reef National Park where we saw petroglyphs and settlers’ homes and orchards. Our last stop for the day was at Goblin Valley State Park. From an overlook there we ate our sandwich lunch then explored and photographed thousands of free standing little red “goblins” of rock below us.
That night we rolled into Moab, Utah, a bustling town devoted to tourism and red rock four-wheeling adventure. We ate dinner at the delightful Peace Tree Juice Café.
After breakfast the next morning we left early to beat the crowd entering Arches National Park. We took several walks to see some gravity-defying natural arches. Then back to the van for lunch and a visit to Deadhorse Point overlooking the immense Canyonlands National Park. Here the Colorado River has carved out thousands of acres long before it reaches the Grand Canyon. It is even known as Utah’s miniature Grand Canyon. We had dinner at Pasta Jay’s in Moab and settled in for the night.
For our final full day, we traveled to Monument Valley, a national park of the Navajo Nation. Here we saw huge red rock monuments made famous in John Wayne and John Ford movies. The Visitors Center included a restaurant for lunch, shops, and a fascinating display chronicling the history of the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II. From there we drove to Page, Arizona and our tour of Antelope Canyon. This narrow slot canyon has been carved by thousands of years of rain and flood waters to create beautifully colored sculptured walls. Our guide told stories of her tribe’s history in the region, and at the end of the tour she played a song she had composed on her flute.
Our last night was in Page, Arizona. Our farewell dinner was at the Rainbow Room, overlooking Lake Powell. We dined as the sun set.
The next morning on our way back to Las Vegas airport we stopped at the 710-foot-high Glen Canyon Dam Visitors Center in Page then drove to St. George, Utah, for lunch with Kirk’s bride, Barbara.
We had spent a week in good company exploring the most beautiful and haunting landscapes that southern Utah had to offer with our congenial guide
We spent our first two nights at the lovely Majestic View Lodge, one of the older and more established lodges in the town of Springdale. Our first dinner was at the Lodge, and our second was at the nearby Switchback Grille.
The first full morning of our trip began with a whimper. Instead of our usual 9:00am starting time we left at 7:45am to beat the rush at the park entrance and for the tram. As it was, we waited a good 45 minutes for the shuttle, but much less than the people coming later than we did.
Zion National Park is exquisite. Gigantic red and white rock monoliths tower around us like a skyscraper city of stone, concealing pockets of abundant flora and fauna. We saw the Great White Throne, Angel’s Landing, the Court of the Patriarchs as we took the shuttle to the last stop and hiked the Riverside Walk to the Narrows along the Virgin River, which over centuries has carved out Zion National Park. From there we walked to Weeping Rock for an iconic Zion photo and then to lunch at the historic Zion Lodge. After lunch we hiked to the Emerald Pools, then back to the Lodge for ice cream, then some time at the Visitors’ Center before returning the Springdale and our lodge. The weather was comfortable and sometime warm, but pleasant for most of our trip. There were a few sprinkles and a memorable thundershower to spice things up.
The next morning we left for Bryce Canyon National Park, stopping at Red Canyon State park to get up close and personal with Hoodoos, freestanding red rock columns which eerily dot this landscape. In Zion we looked up at the rock formations. In Bryce we drove along a crest and looked down on the formations. We stopped at a few overlooks to get a sense of what the next day would hold. Spectacular!
We ate dinner at the old time Bryce Canyon Pines restaurant, known for their pies. Yum! Back to bed early, especially for the intrepid travels who joined Kirk for a sunrise over Bryce Canyon. It was chilly but lovely watching the sunrise creep over the pink and white cliffs and hoodoos below and in the distance. Fun fact: the best sunrise in Bryce is seen from the Sunset, not Sunrise, point. Back to the hotel for breakfast and to pick up the rest of our crew then return for a hike on the Rim Trail looking down at the massive amphitheater of rock formations. On the way in we stopped to say hello to the resident prairie dogs.
After lunch we drove to Kodachrome State Park to see another “movie set of rock formations” landscape and explored the cemetery, and what was left of the town of Widtsoe, Utah. Throughout the trip we learned about the pioneering Mormon families who tamed, sometimes successfully, the desolate lands of southern Utah. For dinner we had the opportunity to eat at the original Lodge at Bryce Canyon.
The next day was a long driving day, but Kirk regaled us with stories and the time flew by, punctuated by a short and violent rainstorm. Eek! We visited the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument Visitors Center to see how the northern land steps down to the Grand Canyon. Then we drove beside and through Capital Reef National Park where we saw petroglyphs and settlers’ homes and orchards. Our last stop for the day was at Goblin Valley State Park. From an overlook there we ate our sandwich lunch then explored and photographed thousands of free standing little red “goblins” of rock below us.
That night we rolled into Moab, Utah, a bustling town devoted to tourism and red rock four-wheeling adventure. We ate dinner at the delightful Peace Tree Juice Café.
After breakfast the next morning we left early to beat the crowd entering Arches National Park. We took several walks to see some gravity-defying natural arches. Then back to the van for lunch and a visit to Deadhorse Point overlooking the immense Canyonlands National Park. Here the Colorado River has carved out thousands of acres long before it reaches the Grand Canyon. It is even known as Utah’s miniature Grand Canyon. We had dinner at Pasta Jay’s in Moab and settled in for the night.
For our final full day, we traveled to Monument Valley, a national park of the Navajo Nation. Here we saw huge red rock monuments made famous in John Wayne and John Ford movies. The Visitors Center included a restaurant for lunch, shops, and a fascinating display chronicling the history of the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II. From there we drove to Page, Arizona and our tour of Antelope Canyon. This narrow slot canyon has been carved by thousands of years of rain and flood waters to create beautifully colored sculptured walls. Our guide told stories of her tribe’s history in the region, and at the end of the tour she played a song she had composed on her flute.
Our last night was in Page, Arizona. Our farewell dinner was at the Rainbow Room, overlooking Lake Powell. We dined as the sun set.
The next morning on our way back to Las Vegas airport we stopped at the 710-foot-high Glen Canyon Dam Visitors Center in Page then drove to St. George, Utah, for lunch with Kirk’s bride, Barbara.
We had spent a week in good company exploring the most beautiful and haunting landscapes that southern Utah had to offer with our congenial guide
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