Birthday Road Trip through Southern Utah’s Beautiful National Parks

The alarm was set for 6 a.m., car already packed, we were ready for another epic Abby & Liam Road Trip. In days previous, I decided I wanted to spend my 24^th birthday traversing 3 of Utah’s 5 National Parks. Planning around a limited timeframe and harsh February weather, we chose our Southern Utah destinations based on proximity to each other… leaving room for the inevitable unexpected change of plans that seems to follow every expedition with Liam. 

The morning of my 24^th birthday brought an early-morning wake up and Starbucks lattes. Our road trip began with a 5 hour drive to Zion National Park, where a $35 fee allowed us to drive the 13-mile scenic road through the inside of the park. This road took us in two directions: the main road led through the main region of Zion. The other direction headed towards a 1-mile tunnel through Mount Carmel and out towards south east Utah. The plan was to hike the Grotto trail, a 1-mile leisurely hike that forks off into more strenuous paths like Angels Landing or The Narrows. By the time we arrived at the park, made lunch, stopped in town to add to my sticker collection, the sun had begun to set – so we continued on our voyage. 

Though I was slightly disappointed to not hike in Zion, I made plans to revisit and conquer the dangerous Angels Landing 5.5-mile rock-climb once the weather warms up. 

Our journey continued about an hour East of Zion, at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. This sea of sand hosted our van for the night. I set up camp while Liam foraged the desert for firewood to keep us warm in the 18º weather. Around our campfire Liam grilled Italian sausages with red peppers on our new Coleman grill!. With Liam’s trustee signal booster, we were able to have dinner and a show! We celebrated turning 24 by cracking seltzers and birthday cookies over our favorite TV show, Brooklynn 99.

We woke up groggy but ready for adventure. Strapped with skim boards and GoPros, we ventured into the expansive orange ocean with the intent to surf the sand. This endeavor sounded easier in our heads, we quickly discovered the boards barely moved against the friction from the sand. Nevertheless, we attempted sand-surfing until around noon when we hit the road for our next destination. 

Another hour and a half drive brought us to Bryce Canyon National Park. After paying $30, we parked at Sunrise Point and stared in wonder at the incredible geological features of Bryce Amphitheatre in the wintertime. The stark contrast of freshly fallen white snow dusting red rocks against a blue-bird sky looks almost like a fake backdrop from a movie. We began walking down the path to Queen’s Garden & Navajo Loop, but quickly realized we lack proper footwear for winter hiking! Next time we’ll definitely pack crampons!

One more 4-hour drive took us through remote desert all the way to Moab, where we found the perfect camping spot off a dirt path. Though the empty camping lot’s 45º temperature ran much warmer than the previous night, we had no energy to leave the comfort of the van to build a fire. Instead, we remained indoors with un-microwaved frozen pizza and red Gatorade – a surprisingly tasty though highly unhealthy duo. Netflix and the sound of the Wild West winds rocked us to sleep. 

Sunday morning I woke up excited to explore. Moab, along with Arches National Park, has become one of my favorite little towns since we were stuck here last March when the covid-panic first hit. 60º in February is a welcome change to the weather we’re used to in Massachusetts! We remembered our way around town, driving straight to the Starbucks before setting out towards the park. Much to our surprise, our coffees were free! 

Another $35 National Park fee made up for our coffees, but we finally arrived at my favorite National Park. Arches takes around 45 minutes to drive from one end to the other, without stopping. Along the 18-mile drive are scenic pull-offs, hiking trails, camp grounds, and geological attractions. This 120 square-mile park has over 2,000 naturally occurring sandstone arches and hundreds of noteworthy formations, making it one of the most popular parks in the country. 

One viewpoint in particular is balanced rock, an iconic feature standing 128 feet tall. Liam and I skipped over this- it’s easily visible from the roads, and our hearts stand stubbornly in solidarity with Wachusett Mountain’s much, much smaller balanced rock in Massachusetts. 

We were on a mission to hike through Devils Garden to Double O Arch, the only hike we couldn’t complete during our previous visit last March. This complicated 4-mile hike took us about 3 hours, and we found ourselves lost at multiple points. Rocky footing, subjection to heights, and climbing shear, steep rockface are just a few obstacles we experienced during our difficult trek, but eventually we found the overlaying arches! Honestly I thought there’d be more of a sign, they are pretty easy to miss if you aren’t looking! 

Back in Moab, Liam longboarded downtown while I hunted for additions to my sticker collection. I wish we had time to explore every artisan shop and artistic coffee parlor in town, but unfortunately our road trip allotted timeframe was coming to a close. Driving back to Salt Lake City takes about 5 hours from Moab and our energy levels were depleting fast. Chipotle, more coffee, and Pandora stand-up comedy radio accompanied us on the journey home. 

If you have any follow up questions about our Southern Utah road trip, please email me at hello@alostblonde.com

♡ Abigail Reagan

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