From the spectacular canyons of Zion and Bryce, to the majestic monoliths of Monument Valley and onwards to the vast chasm of Grand Canyon, the scenic wonders of the western states of America offer a breath-taking backdrop to the best of all possible road trips.
Here, Rob reports on his recent journey around the ‘best of the West’.
‘Looking for a suitable way to distract myself from my latest significant birthday (they seem to come along more frequently these days!) the appeal of driving through – and hiking within – the national parks of Utah and Arizona proved irresistible. So too, for my wife and I, was the prospect of a first long-haul trip together without our now post-school-aged kids!
So, in March we flew to Las Vegas, collected a hire car and embarked on a 10-day, 1300-mile round-trip taking in the major highlights of America’s western states.
Staying in a homely guest-house near Springdale for our first 3 nights, we arrived at Zion National Park just a day after a dusting of late winter snow. The deep red sandstone walls of the canyon looked even more dramatic with their white sugary coating and the blue skies we were blessed with made for a picture-perfect start.
The main valley of Zion is a 15-mile-long parade of steep stately sandstone walls of reds, oranges and pinks. We explored by means of two separate short hikes – one to the waterfalls of Emerald Pools, and the other at the top end of the canyon where the so-called ‘Narrows’ begin. Some hardy souls were bravely wading through the knee-deep icy waters to venture further upstream than the paths can reach, something that is very popular in the much hotter summer months.
The following day we headed to Bryce Canyon where a completely different vista awaited. Upon reaching the lip of the rim we gazed in silent wonder at the sight below us of innumerable pillars of rock in closely-massed ranks like a petrified army of stone soldiers.
‘Hoodoos’ is the name given to these vertical structures and they create a uniquely arresting sight stretching the full length of the canyon’s 18-mile rim.
We headed down into this chaotic, contorted world and had an enthralling couple of hours hiking along ledges and sometimes through archways as we made our way through the forest of rock pinnacles. It was a magical afternoon.
We returned to Zion the next day to continue our exploration there with a full day’s hike high above the Canyon. We’d been unsuccessful bidding for permits to climb up to the crow’s nest of Angel’s Landing but instead we ascended to the remote ‘moonscape’ above the western rim – a completely different landscape of wide open spaces and bleached rock plateaus.
That evening we left Zion and drove onwards to Lake Powell where we stayed the next 2 nights at a marina hotel on the shoreline.
Close by is ‘Horseshoe Bend’, a huge U-turn in the Colorado River which gave us a tantalising preview of what lay ahead in a few days’ time further downstream.
Also nearby is the remarkable Antelope Canyon. This is a so-called ‘slot canyon’ formed by flash-flood water erosion widening a deep fissure in the ground. From above at surface level, it is entirely unprepossessing appearing as just a jagged crack in the desert floor.
But, after descending 60 feet downwards into the subterranean world inside, we entered a kaleidoscopic corridor of dizzying shapes and colours as we traversed its quarter-mile length.
It was an utterly bewitching experience and we emerged from inside to stumble back into the daylight as if awakening from a dream.
We continued onwards the same day to enter Monument Valley towards evening. The approach into this iconic landscape will be forever etched in my memory.
The next morning – after a night staying at the famed trading post of Goulding’s Lodge – we had a guided tour of the Navajo areas of the valley otherwise off-limits to visitors.
Our guide was a 30-year-old native Navajo who gave our small group a deep insight into the history and culture of the indigenous people of the valley, known more correctly as Diné (which translates to ‘The People’). We saw petroglyphs carved on to the rocks and heard about the struggles of native Americans of the past few centuries which are still ongoing.
That afternoon, we hiked into the heart of the Valley and made a 2-hour circuit around one of the huge ‘mitten’ monoliths.
We were amazed to see it had a chink of blue sky peeping through it, indicating a deep-seated crack promising a future split in aeons to come.
We drove onwards again that evening and arrived at Grand Canyon’s southern rim just as the sun was setting.
Our first view of the Canyon had been hugely anticipated and it proved even more breathtaking than we’d imagined: the vastness of this gigantic abyss with its multi-layered sandstone strata is absolutely overwhelming. It seems almost too much for one pair of eyes to take in!
We grabbed a few quick photos just as the final rays hit the top of the rim and then headed for our overnight stay in Tusayan excited about our explorations the next day.
And so it was that I spent my 60th birthday hiking in the Canyon. The upper sections were icy following recent snow and we used crampons initially to get traction on the steeper slopes before the sun did its work. The views were incredible and we descended around 2000ft before re-ascending again in the afternoon, being passed by mule trains coming up from the depths.
We enjoyed our 2nd Canyon sunset later from Yavapai Point before reluctantly bidding farewell to all the grandeur and – the next morning – heading for home after an unforgettable 10 days.
Our 4-hour drive back to Vegas took us along sections of historic ‘Route 66’ and we stopped off for a peak at the impressive Hoover Dam en route too.’
Taken as a self-drive holiday, or as part of a small group guided tour, this journey comes highly recommended. With more time, additional stops at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Moab and Sedona should be included too.
March to May or Sept/Oct are the best months to visit; an ESTA visa (approx. £18) is required for entry; direct flights with Virgin from Heathrow start from around £650.
Talk to me about planning your own ‘wild west’ adventure. – Rob