Once more around the national parks in Utah
An older image of Zion’s Overlook, in 2020
Visiting the national parks in Utah, of which there are many well known ones, was slightly different in spring, as the weather changed, and some of the snow remained on the mountains, making it a very pretty sight in many places, while the weather warmed, and yet the spring blossoms did not quite emerge to cover the ground with blooms. Unlike the forests of the Midwest, the landscape in Utah is more Martian, many say, and I would agree, with its reddish hues and desert landscapes, and the mountains with sparse ground cover that do not really ever seem to change with the season, in many places.
Skiing at Brianhead Resort was a very scenic sight, with beautiful vistas on many sides of the mountains, with the red hues in the distance against the white snow.
The best places to go in Utah that are National Parks are arguably the Big Five:
Bryce Canyon
Zion
The Canyonlands
Arches
Capitol Reef
There are also places of immense beauty that are lesser known, such as Snow Canyon, near St. George, and many places around St. George, like the Pioneer Park boulders and the trails in the Red Cliffs National Conversation Area. There are also pretty places around Moab that aren’t amongst the Big Five that are worth exploring, though I will leave those up for the visitor to discover themselves.
Not to be missed is Salt Lake City, with The Crater nearby (in Park City), and the white sands to the left of the city (an hour and a half away).
On the way back to the Midwest, Vail is a nice place to visit with its Swiss styling, even if one is not skiing and merely taking in the sights. Visit the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop for gifts if anyone likes chocolates.
There was just enough time to get back in time to see the Solar Eclipse with friends and family.
Vail, covered in snow, from one of the roads.
As always, all opinions are my own.
