- Lila Lu
Utah Rocks
Updated: Jun 5, 2020
Did you know there are 5 National Parks in Utah. They are sometimes called the Utah Rocks. Below are the 5 National Parks of Utah and what I thought of them.
Zion:
One reason I liked Zion was for their hikes. We did two main hikes, Angles Landing and The Narrows, they are said to be the two most popular hikes in Zion. There were a ton of lizards too.
Something that I did not like about Zion was that it was super busy, probably because it was Labor Day weekend. Also, three main hikes were closed because of rock falls.
Bryce:
We weren't for very long so we didn't get a very good feel for it. We didn't see any animals but on the bright side it had fantastic views and a really nice hike called Navajo Canyon. I liked Navajo Canyon because we got to walk deep down into the canyon and back up the other side.
Capital Reef:
There was a fair amount of wildlife at Capitol Reef. We saw a lot of deer, a couple of birds, and some wild turkeys. It was also not very busy here. One morning we went to the Gifford House (Originally built in 1908 by some of the first homesteaders to the Fruita area, which lies in Capitol Reef N.P.) to get cinnamon rolls. They were so good that the next day dad let mom and I sleep in and he got them himself for us.
Canyonlands:
We really enjoyed Canyonlands. We did the most strenuous hike in Canyonlands called Gooseberry. It was 5-1/2 miles down to the canyon and back up. In the first mile we dropped in elevation close to 1,400' before it flattened out. We also went to a geology talk which was pretty good. Unlike Zion where you look up to see everything, in Canyonlands you look down to see everything.
Arches:
When we first drove into Arches we weren't very impressed. We were soon to find out that you just need to find the right view. We found the right view at Devil's Garden Trail. We also did the Fiery Furnace hike which was super fun because you had to climb between two walls and jump a 3' span from one rock to another. We also did a couple of other trails including Park Avenue, which was pretty cool and a favorite of mine. It was a favorite of mine because of the spectacular views and tall rocks that helped Park Avenue get it's name. The tall rocks remind some people of tall buildings.
Overall, my favorite of the 5 Utah Rocks is Bryce Canyon because of the stunning views and the hoodoos. What is yours?