Arches & Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Uath, are about 30 miles apart in the southeast corner of Utah. The Rocky Mountains of northern Utah disappear and are replaced with red Navajo sandstone carved by Mother Nature into mountains of interesting shapes. It is desert country and every bit as beautiful as Sedona, Arizona. But we felt more at home in Moab. Visitors were here to hike, not shop, and the shops sold moderately priced goods. There was one golf course nestled up against the red rocks with fairways and greens fit for a pro tournament and prices for anyone's pocketbook. We split our time in Moab between golf, hiking, and sightseeing. 

The very first hike we took was a "moderately strenuous" ranger-led hike into a labyrinth of sandstone fins (narrow walls) called the Fiery Furnace. It was a three-hour walk/ talk over, under, and around two miles of "slickrock" so called because of ever present lose sand on top. Several passages were so narrow that we had to climb up the sides of the walls a little like spiders (one foot on each side) to get to a wider area. Oh, it was great fun, and we wouldn't have been able to do it without the ranger as there are no trails in the furnace. We did think the hike should have been labeled "strenuous." 

We hiked just about every "day- hike" in the park (11 total miles) and each took us to new heights and sights. The arches in this park are plentiful and big. One feels so tiny in the presence of them. The other rock formations were also spectacular but too difficult to explain. It was fun to give the shapes our own names --- reminiscent of naming clouds. 

We didn't know that Moab is the mountain bike capitol of the world until we got there. We wondered why every car and truck was carrying mountain bikes. Near the national park is a national forest site with a slickrock trail just for bikes (and many trails for four wheel drive vehicles). We decided not to try it since we had all we could do to walk on the rocks and we had already biked into the canyon. 

We drove into Canyonlands and stopped at all the scenic turnouts. This park is very difficult to see without getting out of the car. The paved roads are few and short, but the sight of the canyon from the different vantage points was special. 

Nearby are the La Sal Mountains and a scenic loop road. That drive took us up out of the desert and into the tall pine area. It was a lovely drive with the aspens in bright yellow dressing. 

This area is really prepared for adventure seekers. Rafting companies, jeep, and bike rentals are abundant. Brochures on hiking or biking trails, drives, restaurants, dessert and so on are available at the Chamber of Commerce office. 

We tried out three Moab restaurants and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. Dos Amigos Mexican Cantina served wonderfully spicy, Mexican food. Eddie McStiff's Brew Pub & Restaurant was a very relaxing place with a great Chicago style pizza. Everything else that we saw being delivered looked great too. 

The Grand Old Ranch House on the National Register of Historic Places was superb. The meal we had there will be remembered for a long time. They boast serving authentic German dishes, prime rib, seafood, steaks, and desserts. We opted for the German sauerbraten. Dinner included delicious homemade soup and salad which was out of this world because of the home-made dressings. Ever hear of champagne walnut or orange marmalade dressing? We had the first and highly recommend it. Fresh warm bread was served with the salad, and dinner included red cabbage and potatoes. It was the best we have ever had. Our complete dinner which included a drink, dessert, and tip came to about $35. 

We had a wonderful time in Moab and really enjoyed both parks there. 

Capitol Reef National Park is southwest of Moab and near the village of Torrey, Utah. Its main attraction is petrified sand dunes and the giant sinuous wrinkle in the earth's crust that stretches for 100 miles across south central Utah. This wrinkle which is called the Waterpocket Fold can be seen from a distance, but as in most parks, the best way to see it is up close. There is one road which runs along the Fold, but after just a few miles we gave up on it. It was of the washboard variety, suitable for jeeps or other such vehicles. We did some hiking in the park and drove the scenic drive which was a passable dirt road. At the end of that drive, we hiked into the Grand Wash to see the waterpockets and the names of the early Mormon pioneers who first entered the area. The names are etched in the walls of the Wash. 

A very interesting area of the park is Fruita. In the middle of this red sandstone desert is a lush valley; the remnants of the Mormon frontier community settled in the 1880's. Fruit trees are abundant and well cared for by the park service. At harvest time, anyone can "pick your own." Red Delicious apples were there for the picking when we visited, and we climbed the ladders provided to pick plenty. A scale and envelopes are provided. It's all on the honor system. 

Bryce Canyon National Park  is southwest of Capitol Reef and much higher in elevation. It is not really a canyon like one carved by water, but it has the appearance of one. Carved by wind and rain, the phantomlike rock spires jut out of the earth creating a maze, like never seen before. Entering the park reminded me of the Grand Canyon because it is heavily forested, unlike the red rock desert we had spent several weeks in. We could have been driving into Yosemite, that is, until you walk over to the overlooks and look down. 

We really wanted to get down into this canyon. We thought it would be fun to try horseback over hiking. The four-hour ride guaranteed the most spectacular views, but we weren't sure the weather-man would cooperate. It was raining when we arrived. We figured we would wake up in the morning and see what the weather was like. When we awoke there was one inch of snow on the ground and much more on the trees. Snow on the red rocks promised to be a pretty sight. We headed for the barn and in no time we were off. As we descended into the canyon, the views were indeed breathtaking. Names like Thor's Hammer, Silent City, Queen's Garden, and Fairyland Point are just a few which aptly describe the sandstone sculptures. They were even more fairylike with the fresh white snow which was the first of the season. 

Sadly though, our visit was cut one day short when both our heater and furnace decided to quit working. We got through the night okay and headed for Zion which is at a lower elevation; it is usually warm and is in fact called "Dixie." 

Zion National Park is the western most of the parks in Utah. From Bryce, we drove scenic route 89 to Rt 9 knowing that it would take us through Zion for a quick peek on our way to the Coast to Coast campground. As we turned on Rt 9, we saw large warning signs. "Tunnel in park---clearance 11' 4." We were okay with four inches to spare, so we continued on. But when we stopped at the entrance station, we were informed that we were too wide to travel through the tunnel safely. For a $10 fee, they would stop traffic so we could travel through the center of the 1.1 mile tunnel. We had no choice but to go on. To reach our destination any other way would mean traveling over 100 additional miles. 

The drive through the park was just as spectacular as Yosemite Valley. Instead of granite, the vividly colored cliffs towering above us were Navajo sandstone. Set aside in 1919, Zion is one of the early national parks. The scale is immense; there are sheer cliffs dropping 3,000 feet, massive buttresses, and deep alcoves. Again, in the midst of such grandeur, I felt very small. 

It was Friday when we drove through the park, and we had planned to drive there again from our campground on Saturday. We wanted to spend the day driving and hiking. The weather did not cooperate though, and as of this writing, we have still not had the opportunity to visit Zion properly. We have another week in the area, so weather permitting, we will get back. We won't do the most popular hike though. The Narrows is a 16-mile strenuous trip requiring at least one full day. Much of the trip involves wading through the Virgin River. In some stretches barely 18 inches separate canyon sides that loom 2,000 feet high. 

Each of these parks was beautiful. Although each had the same basic characteristic (the red sandstone), they were all different. It is not fair to judge which is best, but we really had the most fun at Arches, and Moab. But then we enjoyed Capitol Reef and John and Vally's campground. Oh, but the horseback ride into Bryce was very special. Zion's beauty was awesome and I cried for the magnificence of it all. I can't decide which was best. You'll have to come and see for yourself.