In February 2024 I flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to meet up with my one brother who was already there. There was a plan to loop around Southern Utah and Arizona to see several National Parks and then some. This was a little odd, in that he was already in Las Vegas visiting some old friends and I flew there to meet up with him. As long as the opportunity was there, hey, a trip is a trip.
We only spent a short time in Las Vegas, Nevada. Just enough time to drive through and then soak up the massive Hoover Dam. The amount of concrete just in this single location is enough to pave a standard highway 16 feet wide, from San Francisco to New York City. Besides, if we did do anything else in Las Vegas, it has to stay there.
We drove to Bryce Canyon National Park in southwest Utah, about a 300-mile (483 kilometre) drive from Las Vegas through some sparsely populated areas. Once we got to the park, one nice thing is that the road into the park is really the only way in and out. It's about an 18 mile (29 kilometre) scenic drive one-way. It has a couple side roads that take you to a few more scenic viewpoints. We decided to drive to the end, start there, and then make all the pull-off stops on the way back. Remember, this is February. But despite Bryce Canyon NP having an average elevation of 8,000 feet (2,438 metres), we had really nice sunny weather and the temperature wasn't too bad either. There was some snow on the ground, but we were still able to take a couple of the small trails to the scenic areas. I almost think the snow added to the beauty because of the contrast against the evergreens and red rock formations.
Only about a 75-mile (121 kilometre) drive away, also in southwest Utah, was Zion National Park, Utah's first National Park. While Bryce Canyon seemed more open to me (like viewing the Grand Canyon from the top), Zion was more canyon like, seems odd they didn't just call it Zion Canyon NP. The 7-mile (11 kilometre) drive through Zion was mostly all in a canyon surrounded by high soaring peaks on both sides. Even though it wasn't that far away, it had a completely different sensation from Bryce Canyon. Since we were there in February, the crowds were rather small. This meant we could drive our car into the park (March through November you can only enter the park using the provided park shuttle). This was nice since we could make all the stops at our leisure.
We spent several nights in the northern Arizona town of Page, since there were several things nearby to see. Page isn't too large of a town, but it has all the amenities needed to use as a good jumping off point for the area. As we entered the town coming from the north, you pass right by the Glen Canyon Dam. The 710 foot (216 metre) tall dam is the second tallest in the United States, with the previously viewed Hoover Dam near Las Vegas being the tallest at 726 feet (221 metres). Ironically, when they flooded the area for the dam, they flooded the Glen Canyon which can no longer be seen. Just outside the town, we did a tour of the remarkable Antelope Canyon. From ground level you see almost nothing, you need to go below ground to see the incredible canyon details. When we entered and exited the canyon, it was nothing more than a crack in the ground that you use. Nearby is the roughly 1,000 foot (305 metre) deep Horseshoe Bend of the mighty Colorado River. It makes a 270-degree horseshoe-shaped bend around a sandstone monolith in the valley.
About 150 miles (241 kilometres) south of Page, Arizona is the south entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park. I had been there several times before, but we were in the area. The nice thing about the Grand Canyon, like so many other National Parks, it's a road with lots of stop-offs to see the most scenic spots. As you drive along the 23-mile (37 kilometre) Desert View Drive, you take every opportunity at each stop to see the canyon. We entered the park east entrance, drove the scenic route, then exited the south entrance to get to Flagstaff, Arizona.
Flagstaff, Arizona, founded in 1874, has a small old town that was only a short walk from our hotel. It also has the famous old Route 66 passing through it. Flagstaff was linked to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1882, and even to this day has over 100 trains that pass through it every day.
Our stop in Sedona, Arizona was brief since the nearby scenery is prettier than the town itself. There are a lot of art and craft shops in Sedona, which is surrounded on all sides by beautiful red rock formations. We did take some time to stroll the older part of downtown Sedona to soak in the artsy culture. I now feel so refined.
It's quite a drive from Sedona to Phoenix, Arizona. But there is an Interstate that traverses the central part of the state to make it quick and painless. Since we were in Phoenix on the weekend, there was minimal traffic and we were able to easily drive into downtown Phoenix and roam around. The highlight was seeing the State Capital and nearby Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza.
We returned our rental car and had plenty of time to have a nice meal before flying back home.
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