Slots to Slots

Posted on   October 29,2019   By Linda Compisi

I have been fascinated by the concept of “Slot Canyons” ever since seeing photos while in Sedona. I knew then that a trip to see them, walk through them and photograph them myself would be on my bucket list. So, we arranged a long-awaited trip to the 5 sister National Parks in Utah.

A couple things…since retiring early this year, I have not had a need to pay attention to dates, days, etc. Consequently, we arranged our trip to begin on September first. We love traveling at this time of year, after families are back home with school starting. Problem with our plan was that we arrived at our first stop, Zion National Park in the middle of one of the busiest summer holidays Labor Day weekend.

And did I mention the heat? This time of year, the temps in the park are 95-100+. So, the planning of the route, lodging, hiking trails and all the finer details that go along with trip planning did not include those two critical factors. Never thought about it since I am retired and don’t even know what day it is half the time (Just ask my friend Bill).

We flew into Las Vegas and rented a car. When, we arrived in the Zion area, it was packed and hot but wow, so amazing! We avoided much of the crowds by choosing less popular hikes. We attempted early morning/late evening hikes but still pretty much melted every day. Do I sound like I am complaining? Really, I am not. Zion is so utterly amazing! Pictures, of which I took hundreds, cannot begin to represent the extraordinary surroundings.

We were so excited and didn’t want to waste a moment so immediately after check-in we headed right to the park. There is a system of free shuttles to and from the park and throughout the city where we stayed, Springdale. We quickly figured out what was what and hopped on the shuttle to the park. After we arrived, we went to the visitor center to speak with a Ranger about our plans. She helped us to plan around the crowds and the heat and we were able to specifically plan out the next three days.

It was still early and we really were anxious to get our feet on the ground. After we got our bearings, we headed to the Riverside hike which is 3 miles and took us to the “Narrows”. The Narrows is a water hike through a canyon. It can be a 20-mile hike with an overnight if you are interested and permitted. Obviously, you don’t have to do the entire 20 miles to get the flavor and adventure. That finally explained why all these people were walking around with weird footwear and long sticks which they evidently used in the water to help them along. It was an intriguing idea but we opted not to attempt it.

An interesting observation is the variety of people hiking, all nationalities and languages, old-young, thin-heavy, tall-short, tons of gear or none. Nature welcomes all of us.

Our second day began by driving about 40 minutes to the Northern part of the park, Kolob Canyons, where fewer tourists traveled. The scenery is never ending so driving is always interesting. Also, the highway speed limit is 80 mph through that area, woo hoo!  We chose a 6-miler feeling very energetic. The hike, Taylor Creek Trail, crisscrossed a creek almost the entire way and we became very good at stepping stones across. The end of the hike was spectacular (you’re going to have to get used to that word on this trip) with a sheer red rock wall that was double arched. We topped off the end of that hike with a beautiful scenic drive. We found ourselves stopping every minute or so for an amazing picture. Quickly, we realized that everywhere you look is an amazing photo and we would never get anywhere if we didn’t accept that you can’t capture this natural phenomenon in a photo.

The third day, during a ranger lead tour, it became clear and we heard it over and over that there is nothing static in nature and the parks are a good example since they are constantly changing. A good example of this is the fact that several of the hikes we had chosen while doing our research had since closed due to falling rocks or slides. And we, in fact, were witness to a small slide.

On our last day, we snuck one more hike in early that morning at Zion and headed out for our next destination, Capitol Reef National Park. It was a long drive but again the scenery! We arrived at our hotel in Torrey which, much like our Zion digs, had views every which way you looked.

We immediately headed for the visitor center, got our recommendations for hikes and headed to the scenic 11-mile one-way drive which ended at a hub of trail heads. We hiked the Capitol Gorge trail because it contained some petroglyphs and an etched Mormon Pioneer register on its walls. It is a canyon, so it is flat and the walls were stunning. We did find the register which still reveals the names of some of the early settlers traveling through on their Conestoga wagons. We had a more difficult time finding those petroglyphs but did see some vague drawings. From there we drove to an area that is known for its remaining petroglyphs. Those were pretty amazingly intact except for part of the stone wall that slipped and crashed to earth. Capitol Reef was farmed by the settlers and there are still apple orchards where you can pick your own.

A big plus for the town of Torrey is Café Diablo. Great food and staff. They actually had a nice Margarita (my favorite beverage after hiking). They had rattlesnake cakes which John loved so much we had to go back the following night for a repeat. Alcohol consumption is an interesting topic in Utah with the confusing and multiple regulations that they have.

Our second day at Capitol Reef was full of hikes. Started in the early morning with a short hike to natural bridge, followed by one that started with elevation leading down to a canyon and back. An afternoon storm moved through and gave us a short break for lunch. As quickly as it came, it left and we were back on the trails. Capitol Reef provides a lot of canyon hikes. There are, of course, much more difficult hikes but since I am not a master hiker/rock scrambler, we kept to the moderately rated hikes. (pic)

Then it was on to Moab where we visited Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Moab is a cute city that is well known for its mountain biking activities. It is also known for its proximity to the largest discovery of uranium back in the 1950’s which is now a remediation site. Interesting side story which will eventually follow.

We immediately headed to Arches the afternoon of arriving and drove the 22+-mile one-way drive through the park. Along the way you can see many of the highlighted sites. Realistically, you could see enough of the park to get great views/pics from your car. We drove it and planned our strategy for the next day, not wanting to miss anything. We left first thing in the morning with a plan to stop at 7 sites with a total of 6.5 miles of hiking. Some of the hikes were 1.5 miles and others of various lengths to a specific arch, outcropping, whatever, each was amazing. After each hike, which got warmer and warmer as the day progressed, I kept thinking I just can’t do more but I did not want to miss anything. After a little air conditioning while driving from site to site I was re-energized and we did complete our goals. Each hike was worth the sweat! It is very different from the previous parks. Obviously, it has hundreds of arches and large stone formations resembling all sorts of shapes. Just use your imagination. Amazing!

The next morning, we headed to Canyonlands. I found it to be very different in topography. It is higher and flatter and over looks several gorges. We completed several hikes, each leading us to another amazing (there’s that word again) sight. I didn’t find it as breath taking as the other parks (except at the edges overlooking the gorges) but still would not have wanted to miss it. It was our last day in the Moab area and our first and last close proximity to any sort of city in any of the national parks’ areas.

It was now our 9^th day and we were off to Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Escalante National Monument. Arriving in Panquitch, we realized we were not in a city anymore. We headed to Bryce and were overcome with the sights. It’s as if Mother nature took wet sand and dripped it into thousands of spires everywhere (hoodoos). I found it to be a visually overwhelming experience. We immediately dove into hiking part of the “rim trail”. As light faded and stomachs growled, we opted to save more adventures for the morning and grab some vittles. There is an entire little village that has arisen at the entrance of the park which can accommodate hundreds of people at a time. Not exactly gourmet, you know we are from Californian so we do have certain standards, but the food filled the need and we headed to our home base for a good night’s sleep. The next morning, we dug into our carefully planned hikes and I gave it all I could. It was so amazing and I have to say, a couple times terrifying. Wow! There are a lot of hikes there of all levels. We stuck to our comfort level (mostly) and really enjoyed every minute. The elevation (9100+) was the highest we encountered. This park also has a long drive (18 miles one-way) that you can take if you are not a hiker. I really think people of all abilities can enjoy these parks. By the end of the day, I have to say that finding a restaurant in the area is almost as difficult as some of hikes. If you are a restaurateur and want to live near a natural wonder, here’s an opportunity.

We drove to Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument the next morning. What is the difference between a National Park and a monument, you might ask, as I did…Well, National parks are protected due to scenic, inspirational, educational and recreational values   National monuments have objects of historical, cultural, or scientific interest. However, it really all boils down to politics. Let’s not go there.

It is a staircase of over 1 million acres of cliffs and terraces spanning from desert to coniferous forest. It is huge. In its canyons, it holds many of the slot canyons that are accessible to those of who cannot bend into a skinny pretzel shape to experience. We found several opportunities for hiking the skinny canyons, crossing the creeks and squeezing through narrow slots. We especially loved Willis Creek Canyon. I was awed. This place needs a longer visit and hopefully there will be one in our future. The canyons are really amazing from the heights or the canyon floor.

Geologically, all these wonderful places are all related but also so different in their formation and evolution. It really is very cool to experience each.

But our time was up and we headed back to Las Vegas for a great dinner at one of favs, Bouchon, and headed home. We felt a bit fitter after almost two weeks of hiking and certainly have a great fondness for the area with a desire to return. This is a brief description and every park needs pages of description to do it justice but I am not that kind of writer. Suffice it to say I loved it!

You know the US has amazing natural beauty and it is accessible to all.

To reiterate a couple tips: Don’t go on a holiday weekend – Watch the temps when you are planning – Don’t bother with hair or makeup – Lots of dirt roads consider your vehicle – Water, water, water – Have fun!