Let's do some more camping! In the desert?

 In July we took two camping trips in southern Utah. Camping in the desert in the middle of the Summer is hot! But we really wanted to visit some of the be-Utah-ful State and National Parks, and this is how we could do it while social distancing.

 

On our first trip we stayed at Dead Horse Point State Park and hiked around the Rim Trail. 

 

The views were amazing!

 

We roasted hot dogs around the campfire and had some pasta salad I packed along too, and all seemed well.

 

But then a freak desert storm hit with pouring rain and wind gusts.  Our tent was being thrown around so we had to drop it and go wait out the storm in the car. When the wind and rain died down we put the tent back up, but had a broken pole and a few small holes in the rain fly.  Everything in the tent was wet! It was pretty disheartening, but we decided to stay and tough it out. Then during the night a mouse was trying to get into our kitchen bin outside the tent. (There was no food inside only dishes, etc.) The sound kept Rob and I awake, as well as fear of the wind returning, so we didn't sleep much at all!

 

In the morning we had instant oatmeal for a camping breakfast, and headed over to Arches National Park.  We started with the longest and most difficult hike planned for the day- the Delicate Arch.  At the start of the trail we got to see these cool petroglyphs too!

 

The trail goes up and over that giant rock face.

 

We were able to find little pockets of shade at a few spots along the trail, but it was very exposed and hot in general.

 

The Bear said the scenery reminded him of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!

 

We made it!  I've wanted to see the Delicate Arch for like 20 years, and it was amazing!

 

 

There is a large "bowl" in front of the arch and a cliff side behind the arch. A couple of the kiddos were super nervous walking out there to get our picture taken, but everyone survived. 

 

It's nice to see moments of sibling love. I try to capture those.

 

Our next hike was to the Landscape Arch. These big rock formations are called fins, where the rock has eroded away creating these narrow canyons and paths.

 

Landscape Arch is over 300 feet wide- just a little bigger than a football field! A big chunk fell down on the right side in 1991, and since then you can't get any closer to it than this.

 

Our next stop was the Parade of Elephants and Double Arch.

 

The kids loved the Double Arch! It was a short, flat walk and they love when they get to climb around on rocks.  Plus, it was pretty shady in this area and felt a bit cooler.

 

We did bring our masks and put them on whenever we had to go indoors, or couldn't keep distance from other people. There were so many more hikes we would've liked to do at Arches! But we hit all of our top picks in one day.

 

Then, after a long day hiking in the heat, (and after a sleepless night,) we drove into Moab and enjoyed a big meal at a restaurant with outdoor seating.

 

And then it was back to the tent to try and get some rest!  Night two was a bit better, but still not great. At least our sleeping bags had dried out in the heat of the day.

 

The next day we drove to Canyonlands National Park. Utah has 5 National Parks which are referred to as the Big 5. Arches and Canyonlands are two of the Big 5.

 

Canyonlands is much more car-oriented, and we actually only visited the Islands in the Sky portion of park. You have to drive for about an hour, outside the park, to enter the southern Needles District... maybe another time. We really liked hopping in and out of the air conditioning this day to take short walks to spectacular views like this one at Mesa Arch.

 

Grand View Point Overlook

 

We trekked a little ways down the Rim Trail here, and that gave us some more amazing views.

 

And rocks to climb on.

 

Daddo was the only one to hike up to Upheaval Dome to take a look while the kiddos and I took a restroom and snack break. Geologically they don't know what caused this hill inside this crater. One theory is a salt dome, as the dome is a different type of rock from the crater surrounding it. The other (and more popular)  theory is a meteoric impact crater.

After our drive around Canyonlands for the day, we decided that we really didn't want to spend another night in the tent just to drive home in the morning. So we went back to the campsite, packed up camp, and drove home to sleep in our own beds, even if it was a late night. Our own beds never felt so wonderful!

 

About a week later we packed up the gear and headed out again!  This time to our third of Utah's Big 5- Capitol Reef.

 

The campground at Capitol Reef was great! There were shade trees everywhere, gorgeous red rock views, clean bathrooms, a stream running nearby that the kids could cool off in, and even deer roaming around like the people were just part of the scenery. 

 

 

We took it relatively easy at Capitol Reef. We had some hiking to do, but we also had fun playing cards at our makeshift card table, wading, and attending the ranger programs at the nearby outdoor amphitheater. We learned about bats, birds of prey, and geology, the rangers did an excellent job.

 

But early in the morning is the best time to hike in the desert! (Especially when the forecast high is 100 degrees Fahrenheit.) Our first (and longest) planned hike was to Hickman Arch.  The arches are just so cool!

 

 

The trail actually goes right under the arch and loops back to the way we came up. Our kids always love when they get to scramble up rocks.

 

 

Our next short hike was to see the Pioneer Register. We had to drive down a windy dirt road for miles to get to this trailhead that went down a wash. This used to be the road to the next nearest town in the 1800s, and when the pioneers traveled through, they would stop to scratch their names into the rock walls.

 

On day two we walked the 250 yards from the campground to the Gifford House. They sell fresh baked mini fruit pies and cinnamon rolls here!

 

 

Guess what we had for lunch!

 

There is more pioneer history in this National Park, as the area was settled by Mormon pioneers. We visited the old one room schoolhouse, the orchards, and this "Mail Tree." These Cottonwood trees usually only live 60-70 years and don't get so big. But sheltered by the canyons, this tree is more than 200 years old and has a circumference of 23 feet!

 

 

There are petroglyphs from well before the time of the Mormon pioneers to be found in Capitol Reef as well.  Between 600-1300 AD, according to the park experts. Craziness.

 

 The last hike we attempted was the Grand Wash hike.  I thought, that because it had high cliffs on both sides it would be shady in the afternoon.  But it was not! In fact it was full sun and over 100 degrees. We quickly decided it would be downright dangerous to continue, so we didn't venture too far before turning back to the car.

 

 

The shady campground and cool stream water beckoned, and were so much appreciated! I can see why people settled here at different periods, it is incredibly beautiful, even if the climate is pretty harsh.