June 10, 2013

Southern Utah Trip - Places Visited (Part 1)


This past April, we ventured out to southern Utah for some relaxation and photography.  We briefly visited Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks about five years ago on a tour.  It offered us a little taste of this scenic area, and we vowed to eventually make a trip back.  So flew out, rented an SUV, and stayed in two basic locations: a ranch/lodge in Teasdale and the park lodge inside Zion.  Our accommodations were wonderful, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.  It wasn’t too hot or too cold, and there wasn’t a drop of rain anywhere we went.  Each area we visited has its own unique beauty.

So where did we go on this grand exploration?  We skipped Bryce on this trip, but we spent a lot of time discovering all of the nooks and crannies of Zion and Capitol Reef National Parks.  The main canyon and Mt. Carmel Highway in Zion were busy, but there were hardly any souls visiting the Kolob Terrace Road and Kolob Canyon areas.  And Capitol Reef is huge in size and the amount of visitors was substantially less than the well-known National Parks.



living on the edge, Zion National Park


red cliffs, Capitol Reef National Park

We traveled on Utah’s Scenic Trail Byway State Route 12.  This state highway is legendary for its western scenery.  Along the way, we breezed through the Dixie National Forest, including the Red Canyon area, and also explored the famous Burr Trail in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.



hoodoos of Red Canyon, Dixie National Forest


cottonwood trees welcome spring in Long Canyon
Burr Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

We visited some state parks too.  I’ll tell you more about those in second post! (P.S. Don't forget to click on the photos to see them bigger!)

13 comments:

  1. such rich colors! beautiful rugged area!

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  2. These are very gorgeous photos Donna. Ya done good!

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  3. oh my gosh, it's breathtaking.

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  4. Wow, these are so beautiful. What gorgeous and interesting country out there! I'll never get to see this in person. Thank you for sharing them here.

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  5. what an incredible view...all of them...simply fabulous!

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  6. How wonderful, I knew nothing of either of these locations, thanks for taking me along.

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  7. Hoodoos? Totally new to me. I was absent when they were discussed in Social Studies. Such beautiful pictures as always, Donna.

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  8. Wonderful photos and it makes me want to go back also. We struggled at Zion since there were SO many people there. Want to go back when there aren't 500 tour buses....

    Loved that Scenic Highway 12 also... Just gorgeous.

    Your photos are marvelous.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  9. You show the diversity of our country in such a beautiful way. We truly do have it all in the good ol' USA and I don't think she could ask for a better photographer to take snapshots of her. *wink*
    HUGS!
    Kim

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  10. Gorgeous shots as usual Donna! It looks warm there already!
    hughugs

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  11. Beautiful places you visited! It's so nice that you both enjoy travelling and photography! :)

    xoxo

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  12. Donna you captured the wonder of this magnificent area perfectly.

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  13. Beautiful! This is on our list.
    ~Adrienne~

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Marty, here! Donna loves comments, and I faithfully pass them on to her. Thank you so much for visiting!