springtime in the desert

This time last year, we were off on the most epic trip through the desert. I’d never been to the desert and aside from a few cacti, I expected it to be pretty desolate. But as it turns out springtime in the desert is just as beautiful as it is anywhere else. More so even because it's so unexpected. 

Southwest Road Trip Budget: Utah's Mighty 5

 Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 30
 This is the third year in a row that we've flown out west to spend a week road-tripping. And this trip was my favorite one yet. We have been dreaming of driving through Utah and hiking the Mighty 5 {utah's 5 national parks} for years, but we weren't sure if we could swing it. Once we knew we could fit everything we wanted into our one-week itinerary, the budget became our next priority. 

Going on a southwest road trip is something that every American should do at some point, but there can be many unknowns when it comes to cost. I felt so frustrated with trying to find info so I feel compelled to share our exact budget to show how doable a Mighty Five Road Trip can be.

12 hours in arches national park

There is so much to do and see in Arches National Park that it can be disheartening to know that you only have one day to spend here. When it comes down to it, you have two options.

Option #1: Make peace with the time that you do have. Slow things down by picking just a few spots to enjoy.

Option #2: Realize that you’re not guaranteed to have this opportunity ever again. Ignore all the rules of the time & space continuum and squeeze every drop of sunlight out of the day.

Can you guess which one we chose? Yep, the latter. But, with either route you choose, this will be a good guide. And it’s actually pretty doable to see the entire park in one day because everything is located right along the scenic road. This made it possible to soak up everything we wanted to see in a single day. On that note, here’s how to spend a perfect day in Arches National Park.

Islands in the Sky

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 25
Our very last stop on our Mighty Five Southwest Road Trip was the city of Moab, Utah. Moab has not one, but two national parks…Cayonlands & Arches. While Arches National Park is the more famous of the two, I've always preferred to stay off the beaten path. Don't get me wrong, Arches is impressive, but Canyonlands is life changing. 

why you shouldn't skip capitol reef national park

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 22 

When comparing Utah's five national parks, people have a "don't bother" attitude when it comes to Capitol Reef National Park. And for this reason, we almost skipped it. But Capitol Reef is a national park in its own right, which means you're guaranteed an experience of a lifetime!

So in case your planning on skipping Capitol Reef…DON'T. And here's why.

You shouldn't skip Capitol Reef National Park because…everyone else does

We took our mighty five road trip, visiting all of Utah's national parks right around Memorial Day. As you might imagine, the parks were pretty crowded around this time. But, Capitol Reef was virtually empty. Because so many people skip this spot, we had the place to ourselves. If you appreciate the solitude of red majestic mountains and cascading rivers, then Capitol Reef is where you want to be. 

Gone Glamping!

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 21
I pride myself on finding unique places to stay while we're on vacation. We typically don't spend too much time in our room, but after a full day of adventures, it's still nice to come home to something a little different than the average cookie cutter hotel. Our Southwest Road Trip was no different, with us finding places to stay that enhanced our experience. After camping at the base of a mountain in Zion and spending a night in a tipi at Bryce Canyon, we decided to try glamping. 

glamping = glamorous camping 

Mule Rides in Bryce Canyon

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 15 

Day 2 of our Mighty 5 Road Trip landed us in Bryce Canyon National Park. After this crazy hike and all our adventures in Zion the day before, we were feeling exhausted by the time we arrived. Thus, we decided to give our hiking boots a little break and do a mule ride through the canyon.  

There are a lot of options for horseback and mule rides around Bryce Canyon, but Canyon Trail Rides is the ONLY company authorized by the National Park Service to enter the actual canyon. We did their half day ride, which takes you through the most iconic spots in Bryce Canyon including Queen's Garden, Fairyland Loop, and the Peek-a-Boo Loop. 

Adventures in Zion National Park

They say to save the best for last, but on our mighty 5 road trip, Zion was the first place we visited and also our favorite. We saw mule deer, desert cottontails, and rattlesnakes. We did some epic hikes and stayed at the best campground. Our time at Zion was perfect and I'm already trying to figure out a way for us to get back there. 

Trying not to Die at Angel's Landing

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 14

Today is my birthday so I thought I'd share a little proof that turning a year older doesn't necessarily mean getting any wiser. Here's one of our favorite hikes from last week's southwest road trip.

Mighty 5 Southwest Road Trip

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 13
I cannot believe the amazing week we just had adventuring in Utah. It definitely earned it's title as the best travel destination in the world this year. We climbed mountains, rode horses, and submerged in waterfalls. We trekked over 40 miles on foot through the desert, hiking our way through all 5 of Utah's national parks! 

Just Back

We're just back from Utah and a week spent road tripping around the state visiting the national parks there. 

I never imagined I’d be spending time in a place like Utah. It’s not exactly diverse after all and with being predominately Mormon, there are a lot of customs and rules that you wouldn’t find in any other part of the country. Definitely got a ton of eye brow raises when we told people we were headed that way. 

But we were there to experience the natural beauty and certainly did that. I’m still amazed by how impressive everything is there and a little shocked that we managed to do the mighty five in just 7 days. Seriously crossed so many things off the bucket list. 

I'm a bit overwhelmed with where to start with sharing this epic adventure, since I literally have thousands of amazing photos like the one above. I guess I’ll begin with an overview, so I'll be back with our itinerary tomorrow. For now, we’re catching up on sleep, reuniting with our pup, and nursing some wicked sunburn.

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