Central Utah

I took a few days to drive from St. George to the Utah Valley.

Day 1
Cedar City, UT. Iron Mission State Park Museum. Southern Utah University: Braithewaite Fine Arts Gallery. Utah Shakespeare Festival. Parowan. Brian Head Peak. Cedar Breaks National Monument. Panguitch. Junction, UT. Big Rock Candy Mtn. Sevier. Fremont Indian State Park & Museum. Old Cove Fort. Beaver, UT. Crossed into Nevada. Baker, NV. Great Basin National Park.

Day 2
Great Basin National Park. Wheeler Campground. Bristlecone Pine Trail. Glacier Trail. Alpine Lake Trail. Wheeler Peak Trail. Summit 13,063 ft. Total 13.5 miles. Swam in Stella Lake. Campfire Ranger Program: Mountain Lions.

I drove roundabout from the Utah-Nevada border to the Utah Valley.

Day 3
Sunday, all day, drive. 450 miles through seven counties. Delta, UT. Fillmore. Nephi. Mt. Pleasant. Scofield. Duchesne. Heber City. Provo. Orem, UT. Subway, Wendy's, two gas station ice-cream bars, two protein shakes, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds: 3,000 calories. 95 MPH. = Almost a trucker...

I made a few loops through rural counties.

Day 4
Orem, UT to Heber City. Scenic Byway Hwy 150 North. Crossed into Wyoming. Evanston, WY to Woodruff, UT. Hwy 39 to Huntsville. Morgan to Coalville, UT. Hwy 80. Salt Lake City to Orem. Nine counties. Five new in Utah. One in Wyoming.

After the scenic driving, I began sightseeing around the Utah Valley.

Day 5
Brigham Young University and its four museums. Saw a few Hudson River School paintings, what a treat!

Day 6
American Fork Canyon-Alpine Loop Scenic Backway. Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Cave tour: 3.5 miles. Mt. Timpanogos Wilderness. Scout Falls: 2 miles. Uinta National Forest. Cascade Springs Loop: 0.6 miles. Hwy 189. Bridal Veil Falls (Provo, UT) 0.5 miles.

Day 7
Park City, UT. Kimball Art Center. Park City Museum. Deer Valley Resort. Downhill mountain biking.

The Grand Circle

      Utah...
   Colorado...
New Mexico...
   Arizona...
      Utah...
  2,600 miles.

Grand Circle, Day 1
Overnight backpack hike to Kolob Arch, Zion National Park. 15 miles r/t.

Grand Circle, Day 2
Cedar Breaks National Monument. Spectra Point, Rampart Overlook, Alpine Pond. 5 miles.

Grand Circle, Day 3
Bryce Canyon National Park. Queens Garden & Navajo Loop Trail: 2 miles. Bristlecone Loop Trail: 1 mile. Red Canyon. Pink Ledges Trail: 1 mile. Tunnel Trail: 1 mile.

Grand Circle, Day 4
Kodachrome Basin State Park. Nature Trail: 0.5 miles, Angels Palace Trail: 1 mile, Shakespeare Arch: 1 mile. Escalante State Park. Petrified Wood Trail: 1.75 miles. Took washboard Cottonwood Rd. a mile to water hazard in Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. Now clunking from right front end. Suspension?

Grand Circle, Day 5
Anasazi Village State Park. Boulder, UT. Hwy 12 to Torrey, UT. Hwy 24 to Capitol Reef National Park. Chimney Rock Trail: 3 miles, Hickman Bridge Trail: 2 miles. Swam in Fremont River under waterfall.

Grand Circle, Day 6
Hwy 12 to Hwy 24. Goblin Valley State Park. 1 mile. Hwy 70 Green River, UT. Green River State Park. John Wesley Powell River History Museum. Arches National Park. Campground Full. Moab, UT...knees hurt.

Grand Circle, Day 7
Moab, UT. And on day seven, Tim rested...Shower, shave, laundry, vacuumed Mystery Machine, and ordered front stabilizer kit. Parts arrive tomorrow. Mechanic will install Friday. Giving my knees a break; spending today inside--availing myself of McDonald's air conditioning and free WiFi.

Grand Circle, Day 8
Arches National Park. Delicate Arch Trail: 3 miles. Devil's Garden Trails: 4 miles. McDonald's Moab, UT.

Grand Circle, Day 9
Scenic Byway 128. Arches National Park. Windows Trails: 1.6 miles.

Grand Circle, Day 10
Mystery Machine stabilizers repaired. (New front stabilizers: $60.) Moab Museum. Dead Horse Point State Park. Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky). Mesa Arch: 0.5 miles. Upheaval Dome: 1 mile. Arch: 0.5 miles. Upheaval Dome: 1 mile.

Grand Circle, Day 11
La Sal Mountain Loop Road Scenic Byway. Hwy 191 South. Wilson Arch. Needles Overlook: 0.5 miles. Hwy 211 to Newspaper Rock Recreation Area. Canyonlands National Park (The Needles). Roadside Ruin: 0.5 miles. Monticello to Blanding, UT. Edge of Cedars State Park & Museum. Hwy 95 to Natural Bridges National Monument. Owachomo Bridge: 0.5 miles. Campground.

Grand Circle, Day 12
Hovenweep National Monument. Little Ruin Canyon Trail: 2 miles. Crossed into Colorado. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Cortez, CO. Mesa Verde National Park. Cliff Palace & Balcony House tours: 1.5 miles. Took cattle guard too fast. Bump caused fuel gauge to go haywire...

Grand Circle, Day 13
Mesa Verde National Park. 2 miles. Yucca Hat National Monument. Crossed into New Mexico. Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (Chaco Canyon) 1 mile.

Grand Circle, Day 14
Chaco Culture National Historic Park. 1 mile. Aztec Ruins National Monument. 0.5 miles. New Mexico to Arizona. Fuel gauge broken. Navajo Indian Reservation. Canyon de Chelly National Park. 3 miles. Free camping.

Grand Circle, Day 15
Kayenta, AZ. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Navajo National Monument. 1.8 miles. Free camping. (2,000 driving miles logged)

Grand Circle, Day 16
Page, AZ. Horseshoe Bend: 1.5 miles. Powell Museum. Glen Canyon Dam tour. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. 1.5 miles.

Grand Circle, Day 17
Page, AZ. Lake Powell. Navajo & Antelope Canyons. Three failed attempts to change oil on Mystery Machine. (Stripped drain pan.) Glen Canyon Dam overlook. Hanging Garden Trail: 1.5 miles.

Grand Circle, Day 18
Upper Antelope Canyon tour, Navajo Tribal Park. 1 mile. Hanging Garden Trail: 1 mile. Morning swim in Lake Powell @ "The Chains". Humpback Whale delights pleasure craft. Page Public Library.

Grand Circle, Day 19
Hwy 89 West.Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. "The Wave" @ Coyote Buttes. 6 miles. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Toadstools Trail. 1.6 miles. Big Water, UT. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center. Breakfast. Lee's Ferry. Hwy 89A to Jacob Lake. Grand Canyon North Rim. Bright Angel Point. 1 mile.

Grand Circle, Day 20
Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim. Transept & Nature Trail. 1 mile. Cape Final Trail. 4 miles. Widforss Trail. 10 miles.

Grand Circle, Day 21
Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim. Hwy 67, Jacob Lake. Hwy 89A. Hwy 89. Crossed into Utah. Moqui Cave. Maynard Dixon Home. Zion National Park. St. George, UT.

St. George, Utah

From Las Vegas I took I-15 north through the border town of Mesquite, NV.

I made a brief stop at the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum.

Continuing, I followed the scenic Virgin River into Utah.

I explored the city of St. George.

First stop was the Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum.

I loaded up on tourist brochures at their Welcome Center.

I met up with a friend and local hiking guru, Kendell: http://www.hikingsouthutah.com/

We did an evening hike at "The Slots" in Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

The next day I did Zion National Park; on the way stopping at the Hurricane Valley Heritage Park.

It was a very hot June in St. George. I learned to do my hiking early.

The Saddle Trail starts outside Snow Canyon State Park before cutting across the sandstone borders.

St. George has several small museums:

Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum

Brigham Young Winter Home

Jacob Hamlin Home (Santa Clara, UT)

St. George Tabernacle

St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm

An evening bike ride along the Riverside Trail is a nice way to beat the heat.

Camelback Trail near the town of Gunlock is off the beaten path.

The St. George Art Museum is small but worthwhile.

The Washington City Museum and Monument Plaza is less worthwhile.

North of St. George in Leeds is the Silver Reef Gallery & Museum.

The St. George Temple has a large visitor center that welcomes tourists.

I took a day trip from St. George to Pipe Springs National Monument.

Pipe Springs National Monument is just across the border in Arizona.

It's jointly managed by the National Park Service and Kaibab-Paiute Indian Reservation.

I continued to Fredonia, AZ and Kanab, UT.

Kanab is known as "Little Hollywood" for the many westerns shot in the area.


Frontier Movie Town has actual sets from many of the movies.

The lobby of Parry Lodge is papered with photographs of celebrities and memorabilia.

I drove around the grounds of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary outside Kanab.

I spent the remainder of the day at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park before returning to St. George.

The sunset from atop the tallest sand dune at Coral Pink looks over the Vermilion Cliffs.

This introduced the beauty awaiting me in The Grand Staircase.


Zion Canyon is crowded in summer. However the Lava Point & Kolob Reservoir sections of Zion National Park are nearly deserted.

From Kolob Reservoir the dirt road, Right Hand Canyon Road, leads to HWY 14. 

From the 14 it's a short drive up to Cedar Breaks National Monument. 

Back in St. George the Historic St. George Live Tour meets in front of the Art Museum. 

Dixie State College has a small gallery, the Dolores Dore Eccles Fine Art Center. 

Nearby is the small museum: Washington City Museum & Monument Plaza. 

As I said, it was a HOT June in St. George. The Dixie National Forest offers an afternoon reprieve.

It's a short drive up the mountains to Mt. Meadow Historic Site. 

The community of Pine Valley is also worth checking out. 

I visited the Pine Valley Chapel and Pine Valley Heritage Center. 

I saved the best for last. 

Before leaving on the "Grand Circle" I spent an afternoon in Snow Canyon State Park.