In May 2023 I went on a 2 week roadtrip from Ann Arbor to Las Vegas and back, and stopped at every National Park in Utah along the way.

An overview of where we slept:

Thursday May 18 – Home in Ann Arbor
Friday May 19 – Chicago
Saturday May 20 – In the car on a dam in rural Ogallala, Nebraska
Sunday May 21 – The Lazy Lizard Hostel in Moab, Utah
Monday May 22 – Backcountry campsite in the Devil’s Garden, Arches
Tuesday May 23 – Backcountry campsite in the Needles, Canyonlands
Wednesday May 24 – Campsite on Lone Rock Beach on Lake Powell
Thursday May 25 – The Signature at MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Friday May 26 – The Signature at MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Saturday May 27 – Backcountry campsite near Yant Flats, Utah
Sunday May 28 – Backcountry campsite in the Petrified Forest, Zion
Monday May 29 – Backcountry campsite on the East Rim, Zion
Tuesday June 30 – Backcountry campsite in Bryce Canyon
Wednesday June 31 – Hotel in Denver
Thursday June 1 – In the car at a truck-stop in Iowa
Friday June 2 – Home in Ann Arbor 🙂

On the drive out from Chicago we saw 4-states-worth of rural America, and slept on a cool dam in Ogallala, Nebraska.

Arches

The first major stop was Arches, where we hiked to pose with delicate arch…

…saw some petroglyphs…

…played with panoramas to take a photo of me shooting myself…

…and were nearly beaten by nightfall as we hiked 4 miles to our backcountry campsite in Devil’s Garden.

Canyonlands

Island in the Sky

After Arches, we went to an iconic overlook at Island in the Sky in Canyonlands.

The Needles

We spent the night in the Lost Canyon in the Needles, where we were (again) nearly beaten by nightfall, and learned an important lesson in drinking-water management (always bring more than you think you’ll need).

Lake Powell

After two days of intense backpacking, we spent a day resting on the beach and pitched our tent just steps away from our car.

Las Vegas

We went there, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Yant Flats

After picking up another friend and a quick round of golf in the desert, we headed back out into the wilderness. We camped on a backcountry road near Leeds, Utah, and in the morning hiked to Yant Flats the see the Candy Cliffs.

Zion

Zion was packed for Memorial Day weekend, but I was happy to find that backcountry campsites still had decent vacancy.

The Petrified Forest

On our first night, we hiked up Coalpits Wash and stayed in the Petrified Forest in southwest Zion.

We got a little lost on the way back and had to descend a canyon wall that…wasn’t exactly a trail.

We survived though, and spent the day cooking, showering off, and doing laundry (fun!).

East Rim

Our break didn’t last long. Eager for a sunset view, we raced up Cable Mountain to score some awesome pictures.

The rest of the night was, unfortunately, filled with challenges. Around nightfall we encountered a foreign couple that was over 7 miles from their car, and lost. Our car couldn’t fit everyone, so we split up, and lack of service made it difficult to reconnect later. Sleeping temperatures were also 20 degrees colder than anticipated, so morale was lower than usual in the morning.

Angel’s Landing

On our 3rd day in Zion (and after 3 attempts), we scored a permit to hike angels landing. It was easily the sketchiest outdoorsy thing I’ve ever done, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Sorry mom 🙂

Bryce Canyon

The group mostly took it easy for the rest of the trip, but we still found a backcountry site in Bryce.

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef was the last, and shortest, stop on our adventure. This park is known for historic fruit orchards and the local pies made from them. Naturally, we smashed a couple.

Too tired to hike, we settled for a cruise down the scenic drive.

And two days later we were home!

Cheers,

Chris