Circus Trip 2018: The Mighty 5

Utah has five National Parks – Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands.  As of this morning I have been to all five!

Yesterday I went to Capitol Reef National Park.  In the rain.  It was muddy – that red clay mud really sticks to everything.  I wasn’t in the mood to hike in the rain, so I did the scenic drive, went to the historic area of Fruita, and bought a personal sized apple pie, made locally.  Capitol Reef maintains and manages the historic orchards that were owned by the Mormon settlers in the region at the turn of the last century.  The pie was amazing!

Mormon Settler Cabin at Capitol Reef

Unfortunately the weather got me a bit down; I headed south on Highway 12 after a grilled cheese sandwich lunch.  Highway 12 is gorgeous!  I did hit snow at the higher elevations of the pass but fortunately it wasn’t sticking to the road.

Today I explored Bryce Canyon National Park.  It was still raining, and even colder than it had been at Capitol Reef.

The misty view at Bryce Canyon

The rain was more a misty rain/snow mix though, and I was determined to hike.  I hiked down into the canyon among the hoodoos and the juniper and pine forest and loved it!  This park is so amazingly beautiful!  Bryce Canyon was really what I needed to get out of my rainy funk.

 

Me on the Queen’s Garden hike

Wet but happy in Bryce Canyon

I hiked up all those!

I spent some time checking out the viewpoints in the afternoon, and the little bit of snow didn’t stop me.  Bryce Canyon is certainly a place I will go back to!

Me at the Natural Bridge Viewpoint