Hiking Utah National Parks is not something that the High School versions of ourselves would be very excited about. Thankfully, we’ve grown a lot since then, both mentally and physically (not so thankfully…). Utah is home to a few absolutely INCREDIBLE experiences that you cannot have anywhere else on planet Earth.
Utah is home to 5 of the MOST BEAUTIFUL National Parks in the entire United States, and Grand Staircase-Escalante (a National Monument, not a National Park) is the cherry on top. This state is an absolute juggernaut when it comes to hoarding incredible sites, sounds, and experiences. Save some for the rest of us please, Utah!
Without further ado, let’s go on a once-in-a-lifetime journey through the Western Wilderness that we call Utah.
Disclaimer: It is most likely easiest to do this journey flying into a major airport nearby, such as Las Vegas. When flying into Las Vegas, this journey will start with Zion and move East. Of course, this same journey could be completed East to West if that works with your schedule and plans.
Zion National Park
Zion National Park, located in Southwest Utah, is stop number one on our journey. Zion is also the longest stop on our journey, because it is without a doubt one of the top hiking destinations not just in the United States, but the entire world.
While trekking up a mountain in 100 degree heat might seem like a recipe for yelling at your significant other for a few hours (not that that happened to us…) this place was UNREAL.
These hikes are no joke, but we promise you, they are worth it! The sights and sounds of Zion National Park are unlike any we’ve ever seen, we guarantee they’ll make your jaw drop.
Any Zion National Park visitor simply MUST do the following 3 hikes. They are each EPIC, uniquely different from each other, and offer stunning views of natural wonder we didn’t know existed.
Angel’s Landing
The most popular and Zion’s most iconic hike. Angel’s Landing is 5 miles round trip up a very narrow path with 1000 foot drop offs on each side of you!
We are not kidding when we say that Angel’s Landing is not for the faint of heart. You don’t need to worry too much, there are ropes and chains to help you out during the tough parts, so you should be able to safely hike to the summit. Still, best to know what you’re getting yourself into!
Once you get there, the views of the canyon from the top are astonishing. When the sun peeks through the clouds it looks like heaven is shining down on this place. They must call it Angel’s Landing for a reason…
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Hiking Zion National Park – Angel’s Landing Trail -
Hiking Zion National Park – Angel’s Landing Trail -
Hiking Zion National Park – Angel’s Landing Trail -
Hiking Zion National Park – Angel’s Landing Trail -
Hiking Zion National Park – Angel’s Landing Trail -
Hiking Zion National Park – Angel’s Landing Trail
Our tip for this hike: bring a small backpack to carry your belongings so your hands are free to use the chains. And of course, like all of these hikes, pack a sandwich and some fruit to munch on at the top before hiking your booty on home!
The Narrows
The Narrows is a wonderful hike, with many places to stop for lunch. The hike will take a full day, so our advice is to pack along a backpack of food and water and have a picnic you’ll never forget. You’ll have a snack surrounded by picturesque cliffs above a rushing river roaring beneath you.
If you’ve never heard of The Narrows hike, let us make something clear: you are going to get wet. Shortly after starting this hike, you will find yourself literally hiking through the Virgin River surrounded by huge cliffs on each side.
You’d be smart to bring shoes that can get wet. We used the below shoes and they worked perfectly! They are ‘amphibian’ shoes, meaning they can be used in water.
At times the water can get up to your waist (and higher if you slip!). Add in the fact that early in the morning most of the river is shaded, this hike can start out a little chilly. Bring a sweatshirt to start, but make sure it is light enough that you’ll be able to throw it in your backpack after the picnic, because you won’t need it once the sun hits!
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Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park -
Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park -
Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park -
Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park -
Hiking The Narrows in Zion National Park
One of the great things about The Narrows is that the trail basically never ends! You can literally hike up the river for as long as you want, up to 5 miles or so. Whether you want to go 1 mile or 4 miles, you’ll have a blast. Just remember, you must come back the way you came!
Observation Point
If The Narrows is peanut butter, then Observation Point is jelly. These two couldn’t be more different, but they are epic when you combine them in a delicious hike-which (ba-dum-tsch!).
Coincidentally, like our hike of The Narrows, we brought a peanut butter and jelly picnic on our Observation Point hike as well. And goodness we needed it!
This hike is long and hard…wink… We are talking 4 miles one way! And what goes up must come down, so this bad boy is an 8 mile trek. Enough with the hard part, with great effort comes great reward, after all.
The view at the top of Observation Point is one of, if not the number 1, best we’ve ever seen. At Observation Point, the entire park spreads before you like a delicious Thanksgiving meal.
Early settlers named the area Zion, a biblical reference highlighting the peaceful nature of the canyon. You’ll stand in awe at how such a beautiful forest grew in the middle of the vast desert expanding around Zion.
Zion National Park is a mountain oasis populated by luscious foliage and numerous animals, and you’ll see it all from Observation Point. You’ll probably spot a few deer and goats, but if you are lucky you might see a Peregrine Falcons (the world’s fastest animal!) and the rare giant, the California Condor! Both have been known to call Zion National Park home.
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Observation Point in Zion National Park -
Observation Point in Zion National Park -
Observation Point in Zion National Park
Plan to get an early start, since the hike to Observation Point can take about 4-6 hours, depending on the number of breaks you take. You’ll be huffing and puffing, so take a lot of breaks and bring TONS of water.
We brought 3 bottles each and that seemed to work fine. It also helped to have some citrus fruits, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and beef jerky packed away to enjoy at the top.
This trail is much less crowded than the others, and you’ll get some awesome views of Angel’s Landing on your way up. Once you reach the summit, the views at the top will take your breath away. Trust us, you won’t want to leave.
More to Know about Zion
Parking is very limited inside the park, but fortunately there are free shuttles from nearby towns, where there is a plethora of parking options. There are two shuttle loops:
- The Zion Canyon Shuttle connects the Zion Canyon Visitor Center to stops at nine different locations within the park
- The Springdale Shuttle has nine stops in the town of Springdale that will take you to the Zion’s pedestrian entrance
Now, you have two options for parking and getting around the park.
- Option one: park your vehicle in Springdale and catch the Springdale Shuttle to the pedestrian entrance, then transfer to the Zion Canyon Shuttle to get to your trailhead.
- Option two: arrive early (before 9am) and you can likely find parking inside the park.
The best parking spot we found was at the information center. We then caught the Zion Canyon Shuttle from there and took it to the Observation Point, Angel’s Landing, or Narrows trail-heads.
We tried both these options and preferred option two over option one for a few different reasons. It saved us loads of time at the beginning and end of our days, and we beat the crowds by getting an early start.
Everything was super easy to figure out with signs all over Zion and Springdale, so you shouldn’t have any trouble figuring out where you need to be! Finally, expect to see some wildlife:
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Zion National Park Wildlife -
Zion National Park Wildlife -
Zion National Park Wildlife -
Zion National Park Wildlife
We saw a few separate herds of bison, and more than a few mountain bighorns roaming the park! In addition, you might spot one of the incredible Peregrine Falcons or California Condors we mentioned above, but only if you’re lucky!
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Grand Staircase-Escalante is the only non-National Park on this tour, but for the life of us we can’t figure out why it isn’t a full-blown National Park. For those interested, here is what the National Park Service has to say about the difference between Parks and Monuments:
The national-park and national-monument system differ primarily in the reasons for which they are established. National parks are areas set apart by Congress for the use of the people of the United States generally, because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena. National monuments, on the other hand, are areas reserved by the National Government because they contain objects of historic, prehistoric, or scientific interest. Ordinarily established by presidential proclamation under authority of Congress.
Grand Staircase-Escalante is located only about 30 miles from Zion National Park, so you just have a short car ride here! For that reason, we recommend you stay somewhere between the two. Once your finished exploring Zion, you can spend a few days exploring Grand Staircase-Escalante before packing up camp and moving to the next place.
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Hike Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument -
Hike Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument -
Hike Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument -
Entrance to Zebra Slot Canyon at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
Hiking in Grand Staircase is primarily known for one unique trait: slot canyons. What is a slot canyon? Well, whoever named the fruit ‘orange’ probably named slot canyons as well. They are exactly what they sound like!
Slot Canyons are an extremely narrow canyon formed over thousands of years by water flowing through rock. These bad boys are WAY taller than they are wide, so they look like the ‘slot’ you put a coin in! Or the slot above your plumbers jeans, if you get unlucky in your plumber selection…
Zebra Slot Canyon
The best slot canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the one you should go to if you only have one day, is Zebra Slot Canyon. Why? Lots of reasons!
Zebra Slot Canyon is the most beautiful slot canyon in Grand Staircase. Named for the striped canyon walls, Zebra is drop dead gorgeous. This is probably the top choice of any other blogs you might read about slot canyon hiking, and we fully agree with that placement.
On top of the view, Zebra Canyon, and all of Grand Staircase-Escalante, is dog friendly. I repeat, BRING YOUR PUPPY here! Our pup had a blast exploring the trail, jumping in the creek you pass by on the hike, and running through the canyon walls.
Make sure to bring enough water on this trail, ESPECIALLY if you are hiking in the summer heat. The trail itself is about 6 miles roundtrip and is generally flat, but in the heat it can get challenging! Bring more than enough water for you AND your pup.
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Zebra Slot Canyon at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument -
Zebra Slot Canyon at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument -
Zebra Slot Canyon at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument -
Zebra Slot Canyon at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
Once you get to the slot canyon, spend an hour or so exploring the canyon, squeezing your way through the skinniest parts. At times, the canyon gets to less than 1 foot wide! About 10 inches to be exact.
Most of the slot canyon is wide enough to walk through, but those skinny parts can be a challenge! A few times, we had to take suck our breath in to sneak by!
Peek-a-Boo & Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons
Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch Canyon are the 2nd and 3rd best slot canyons in Grand Staircase. The hike itself is a bit easier, just over 4 miles round-trip, and the 2 canyons you’ll spot along the way are of course stunning.
We recommend tackling these 2 canyons on Day 2 in Grand Staircase. Everything we said about water and dogs on Zebra Canyon applies here as well!
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is stop number 3 on our adventure hiking Utah National Parks, and boy oh boy is this a good one!
Bryce Canyon is located about an hour and a half from Grand Staircase-Escalante, right on our path from West to East. This National Park differs from almost all other parks in that you arrive at the TOP of the park! Not at the bottom…
What does this mean for you? Well, a few things! Number 1, it means that you will be treated to SPECTACULAR views right from the get-go! You’ll park your car, walk 200 years, and the entire canyon will spread before you like a rolling red carpet.
Number 2, it means that hiking will be easier on the way to a destination versus the way from a destination. For that reason, we think it is best to start with the Rim Trail!
Rim Trail
The Rim Trail goes between Sunset Point and Sunrise Point, all along the rim of Bryce Canyon. Surprisingly, the views from Sunrise Point and Sunset Point are different from each other! Bryce Canyon’s landscape changes very quickly over a short period of time.
Another HUGE benefit of the Rim Trail? You can bring your pups! This portion of the trail is paved, and dotted with picnic areas and benches, so it is a perfect place to bring your dog for a stroll! And is there a more epic place for your dog to have a walk? We submit that there is not!
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Rim Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. Dogs are allowed between Sunrise and Sunset Point. -
Rim Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. -
Rim Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. -
Rim Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. Dogs are allowed between Sunrise and Sunset Point. -
View of the hoodoos from Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park -
View of the hoodoos from Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park -
View of the hoodoos from Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park
Another reason to start with the Rim Trail is that it is relatively easy. The trail is a short walk, just over a mile or so, and you’ll be able to get used to the temperature and altitude at Bryce!
Tower Bridge Trail
We STRONGLY recommend hiking the Tower Bridge Trail, if not for the reward at the end of the trail, then for everything you’ll see along the way.
The trail itself is about three and a half miles round-trip, with a descent of about 1000 feet from start to finish. As with all of these hikes, make sure to bring enough water! Unique from any hike we’ve talked about, the hike home is a 1000 foot elevation gain! Make sure you plan ahead and have the energy to hike out!
Along the trail, you’ll get spectacular views of the hoodoos Bryce Canyon National Park is known for!
A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, or earth pyramid) is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland
In addition to hoodoos, this trail offers gorgeous views of rock formations you will find nowhere else on earth! And the jewel at the end of the adventure? A land bridge that looks EXACTLY like Tower Bridge in London! Don’t believe me? See for yourself…
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Starting the hike down Tower Bridge Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park -
Views from Tower Bridge Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park -
Hoodoo views on Tower Bridge Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park -
Get up next to hoodoos on Tower Bridge Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park. -
End of Tower Bridge Trail in Bryce Canyon National Bridge. Do you see the Tower Bridge resemblance?
See… I wasn’t bluffing! Maybe those Brits had a South Utah hiking experience right before building the Tower Bridge and that’s how they got their inspiration…
Natural Bridge
The Natural Bridge is probably the most incredible formation in all of Bryce Canyon National Park. What is it? Well it is a GIGANTIC arch over the canyon that resembles a huge natural bridge! Hence the name… Not a ton of creativity when naming the monuments here…
You will have to drive to Natural Bridge, and there is no hiking around and under the arch. Therefore, this would make a perfect beginning or end to a day of hiking in Bryce Canton National Park.
Even better? Have a picnic overlooking this majestic scenery:
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View from Natural Bridge viewpoint in Bryce Canyon National Park -
Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
To be completely honest, we did not know about Capitol Reef National Park until we got to Utah! We are SO glad we finally learned about it, because exploring Capitol Reef was one of our favorite days!
Capitol Reef is located about 2 hours from Bryce Canyon, so we recommend moving your campsite/hotel/etc when you move from Bryce to Capitol Reef. In fact, our next stop, Arches National Park, is about 2 hours past Capitol Reef.
Therefore, one way to go would be to leave Bryce early in the morning, do the following 2 Capitol Reef hikes during the day, and then head on to a campsite/hotel near Arches in the evening!
Okay, enough talk about logistics. Let’s talk about Capitol Reef National Park! This hidden gem (note: it is tough to hide something this enormous and glorious!) is an absolute beauty of a park.
Capitol Reef doesn’t have the awesome power of Zion, or the sexy arches in, well, Arches. But don’t sell it short. The hiking here was incredible, and unique in its own way from all the other national parks in Utah. How? Let us show you…
Cassidy Arch Trail
Cassidy Arch Trail clocks in at just under 3 miles round-trip. A pretty simple hike with an absolutely wonderful gem at the end of it!
The Cassidy Arch is named for…Butch Cassidy! As in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! If you want to, you can even visit Butch’s childhood home…
Also, as with all of the hikes in South Utah, this bad boy can get HOT! Even though it is only 3 miles, please plan to bring enough water for your journey! The more water, the better. You’ll be thankful you brought it, trust us.
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First view of the arch on Cassidy Arch Trail in Capitol Reef National Park -
A huge arch in Capitol Reef National Park at the end of Cassidy Arch Trail -
Standing on top of Cassidy Arch in Capitol Reef National Park -
Standing on Cassidy Arch and looking back on the trail in Capitol Reef National Park.
By far the coolest thing about Cassidy Arch, and what sets this apart from other arches in Utah, is that you can walk on top of it! You can’t walk on any arch in Arches, folks…
Walking on the Cassidy Arch is a pretty surreal experience, and is one we will not soon forget. We even had Julie’s Dad, Pete, snap a few pictures of us on the other side, though we look like ants in the picture. That shows just how HUGE this arch really is!
Chimney Rock
The Chimney Rock Trail is a hike that is very similar to Cassidy Arch in terms of difficulty. So, if Cassidy Arch was a piece of cake, this one will be easy as pie! Again, bring water!
The Chimeny Rock itself is an extremely cool structure, and is located right at the beginning of the trail. If that is all you want to see, then basically no hiking needed!
However, the real treat with Chimney Rock Trail is all the views along the way! Panorama views of white sand beneath you, huge red rock mountains and canyons in the distance under a deep blue sky.
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Hiking on Chimney Rock Trail in Capitol Reef National Park. -
Hiking on Chimney Rock Trail in Capitol Reef National Park. -
Views from Chimney Rock Trail in Capitol Reef National Park. -
View of Chimney Rock in Capitol Reef National Park.
If you followed our recommendation on logistics, and are headed to Arches National Park (or a hotel/campsite in the area) immediately after this hike, then we recommend getting started no later than 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm. That will leave enough time to complete the hike and get on the road to your next adventure!
Arches National Park
If Zion is our favorite National Park in Utah, then Arches is a darn close second. Arches requires AT LEAST a few days to see it right, in fact you could spend a month here and still have things to see.
Let’s start out with location. Arches is located right near the town of Moab, Utah. This is a town that you will at least have to stop in to see. It is a wonderful town full of hiking enthusiasts, coffee lovers, and quite a few van-lifers!
If you are seeking a hotel, we highly recommend finding one in Moab. It can even be the last hotel you book on this journey, since Arches and Canyonlands (our last stop) are both very close to Moab!
Another recommendation: try your best to go to Arches on a weekday. And if you do go on a weekend, PLEASE go early in the morning. We went on a Saturday around noon on our first day here, and had to wait in line at the entrance for about 45 minutes. NOT ideal.
The park gets busy for a reason: it is incredible. Some of the coolest sites we have EVER seen. We learned how the actual arches are formed over HUGE time spans, and seeing the real thing after learning what it took to create them is a BONKERS experience.
Side note: We learned the Arches facts on the free video shown at the Visitor Center. Each and every one of these parks has a similar free video shown at their respective Visitor Centers if you are interested!
Okay, time to get to the actual arches that make Arches National Park so special.
Delicate Arch
Have you ever seen a Utah license plate? That’s a weird question isn’t it. Well, it has a purpose. If you have ever laid eyes on a Utah license plate, then you my friend have seen Delicate Arch!
Well, you haven’t really seen it, you’ve seen a picture of it. You’ve read the menu, but we recommend eating the meal. GO TO DELICATE ARCH!
Delicate Arch competes with Observation Point in Zion National Park as our favorite single Place in Utah. This arch is beyond impressive. It is an absolute wonder.
The arch itself seems to be balancing so precariously that it may fall at any moment, however thus far it has stood the test of time! However, who knows how long it will last, so you better go see it while you still can!
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The famous Delicate Arch at Arches National Park -
The famous Delicate Arch at sunset in Arches National Park -
The famous Delicate Arch at sunset in Arches National Park -
Delicate Arch in Arches National Park
The hike to Delicate Arch is just under 2 miles each way, and is mostly flat except for one somewhat steep ascent near the halfway point. Our recommendation: do the hike late in the day so you can be near the arch when the sun is setting.
At sunset, the sky changes colors and paints a beautiful masterpiece as the backdrop for your view of Delicate Arch.
Double Arch
Double Arch is located not too far off the highway as you drive through the heart of Arches National Park. These Arches are a pair that look as identical to each other as an arch can look.
The Double Arches are a match made in Arch heaven, and everyone who sees them is the beneficiary of their union. There is really nothing like Double Arch in all of Arches National Park, all of Utah for that matter, well all of the World for that matter!
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Hiking to Double Arch in Arches National Park -
Standing in Double Arch in Arches National Park -
Hiking to Double Arch in Arches National Park -
Hiking to Double Arch in Arches National Park
North & South Windows and Turret Arch Loop
From the same parking lot you can reach Double Arch, you can also reach the North & South Windows and Turret Arch! That makes these 4 arches a bang-bang-bang-bang stop, and a very productive (and visually appealing) afternoon!
The North & South Windows and Turret Arch can all be seen on a relatively short, but beautiful, loop hike. We had a wonderful walk around these stone marvels getting every view that we could as we made our loop.
The Turret Arch is, like all of them, HUGE. The North & South Windows are incredible in that they mirror each other, creating an awesome visual for any fortunate onlookers that is tough to capture by camera.
With all of these Arches, you truly have to see them to believe them. The sheer size of them as they curve above you as tall as a building is awe-inspiring.
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Turret Arch in Arches National Park -
Hiking to Turret Arch in Arches National Park -
The North and South Windows in Arches National Park
Balanced Rock
We have come to the only item on our list of sights in Arches National Park that is not an arch! Balanced Rock is just what it sounds like: a big ol’ rock that is precariously balanced on the altar beneath it!
Fun Fact: Balanced Rock had a ‘mini-me’, a smaller version of itself standing really close, however that collapsed on itself not too long ago. If and when Balanced Rock collapses, you do NOT want to be near it!
Balanced Rock is an extremely short hike, one that can be done in succession with the previously mentioned arches. It is located just off the main highway through the park, just follow any signs and you can’t miss it! It would be tough to miss something this huge…
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View of La Sal Mountains from Balanced Rock in Arches National Park -
Balanced Rock in Arches National park -
Balanced Rock in Arches National park -
View of La Sal Mountains while hiking Balanced Rock Trail in Arches National Park
Landscape Arch
Speaking of huge, Landscape Arch is the largest arch in Arches National Park! You could fit an ENTIRE FOOTBALL FIELD beneath this bad boy.
Let’s think about this. Over hundreds of thousands of years, erosion caused a giant fin to form where there was once a solid block of red rock. Then one day, a small window was created in the fin by that same erosion. Over the following centuries, the window widened and widened, until it reached all the way to the earth floor on which the rock was standing. Erosion kept occurring until that fin was now an enormous arch that spread out over 300 feet long! And that whole process left Landscape Arch on display in all its glory for you to see. Wonderful!
However, you better see Landscape Arch while you still can. If Delicate Arch is delicate, then Landscape Arch is a porcelain doll covered in butter.
In fact, a huge chunk of the arch broke off and fell to the ground in 1991! That fall is the reason that we are no longer allowed to walk beneath Landscape Arch… Better see it while you still can!
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Landscape Arch in Arches National Park -
Landscape Arch in Arches National Park
Black Arch Viewpoint & Double O Arch
Landscape Arch is located just off the Devils Garden Loop Trail. Further down this same trail are the Black Arch Viewpoint and Double O Arch!
This trail is the longest we did in Arches National Park, and the longest we recommend that you do. It was a hot day in the Utah sun, and we needed every sip of water we brought!
Also, we did get a bit lost along the way, however we found our path before too long. Remember to follow any carins (small man-made stone towers) that mark the path!
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Black Arch Viewpoint on Devil’s Garden Loop Trail in Arches National Park -
View of the many fins in Arches National Park while hiking Devil’s Garden Loop -
Double O Arch is the final arch you will come to on Devil’s Garden Loop Trail in Arches National Park
Double O Arch, in the final picture, was pretty flipping cool! These two arches are stacked on top of each other like an awesome Lego creation made by a child that’s going places in the modern art world.
Mother Nature seems to be the best Lego creator of all, with amazing shapes and structures that even the most clever human beings can’t dream up. Mother Nature, you win again!
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is located SO close to Arches National Park. As we said earlier, you do not want to move your campsite/hotel when moving between these parks. They are basically next-door neighbors.
Being real for a minute, Canyonlands is an awesome name for a National Park. In fact, whoever named all of Utah’s National Parks did an incredible job! Zion? Arches? Canyonlands? I’d want to go to all of them even if I didn’t know what they were!
Canyonlands is, quite literally, a land FULL of canyons. The Grand Canyon is grand alright, but this is a whole other level. There are canyons stacked on canyons stacked on canyons! Rivers running beneath all of them and the whole thing put on display for you to discover.
Grand View Point
Grand View Point was our favorite spot in Canyonlands. It was an easy walk to get to, just a mile or so, and the views along the way were spectacular.
Fair warning: many of the walks in Canyonlands are on the edge of a canyon. We never felt unsafe or anything, but there are cliffs that are not too far away from the trails.
From Grand View Point, you can see as far as those retinas will let you. We are talking MILES AND MILES AND MILES. Vanessa Carlton actually sang her hit song ‘A Thousand Miles’ about the view from this point (this is not true and 100% made up).
Regardless of how many hit songs were written about this place, this is a stop you will not regret making. Heck, if you want to do it right, bring a picnic along and have one of the most spectacular lunches we could ever imagine!
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Views from Grand View Point trail in Canyonlands National Park -
View of the canyons and La Sal Mountains on Grand View Point Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Fun Fact: in the distance from Canyonlands you can see La Sal Mountains. Translated to English: The Salt Mountains. Why were they named this? In the Utah heat, people thought that there was NO way that those mountaintops were covered in snow (update: they are) so they presumed that it was salt!
Upheaval Dome
Upheaval Dome is freaking awesome. This structure was created not exactly by Mother Nature alone. She had help from a meteor. One more time for the people in the back: A METEOR!
A meteor from outer space came hurtling towards the earth, was large enough to survive burning up in our atmosphere, and came crashing down in South Utah. It probably killed anything within 100 miles (sorry for the morbid thought), but it made an absolutely CRAZY view from the top of the crater.
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Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park -
Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park
The hike itself up to Upheaval Dome was pretty quick, depending on where you finish. You can hike up to the nearest crest to the parking lot in about 20 minutes, but if you want to get further (and a better view) you can go for up to an hour or so as you walk the crest.
Shafer Trail Viewpoint
Shafer Trail Viewpoint was our final stop in Canyonlands National Park, and therefore our final stop on our tour of Utah’s Unbelievable National Parks (and one National Monument).
We would shed a tear because it is the end of a journey, but we were already crying at how beautiful the view was from Shafer Viewpoint. The canyon spreads before you like a huge red carpet, with La Sal Mountains making the backdrop for this pretty picture.
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Shafer Viewpoint in Canyonlands National Park -
Shafer Viewpoint in Canyonlands National Park
The viewpoint itself is not difficult to get to, just a short jaunt from the highway, but we HIGHLY recommend you make time for this stop.
We recommend that you spend an hour or so contemplating how incredible your trip across Utah was, thinking of all the incredible sights and experiences you had.
Gear Recommendations
Let’s talk about gear. You are going to need some gear to have the time of your life adventuring across Utah’s National Parks! Full disclosure, these are affiliate links, if you click them and purchase the item it helps us continue to provide free content and hiking recommendations!
We personally have used these items and have shopped around for the best. We are EXTREMELY conscious of price (we live on a monthly budget of $1,000 TOTAL…) and we believe these are the best products for the cheapest cost on the market.
Hiking Gear
This gear is what we bring on every hike that we do. You HAVE to protect your feet on the trails, and even if it isn’t raining we pack along our rain jackets just in case.
The cooler backpack below has an actual COOLER that is part of the backpack! Perfect for picnics and lunches. And the water bladder is enough water for both of us on most hikes.
Men’s Jacket
Women’s Jacket
Men’s Hiking Boots
Women’s Hiking Boots
Cooler Backpack
Water Bladder
Bear Spray
Trekking Poles
Photography Gear
We love to capture our adventures on photos and video! Here is all the gear we use to get a bunch of different perspectives and super high quality photos! As you can see, this gear doesn’t break the bank, but it DOES offer super high quality.
GoPro Hero 7 Black
GoPro Floating Handle
DJI Spark Drone
Canon Rebel Camera with Accessories
Aluminum Tripod
Flexible Tripod
Camping Gear
If you are going to be camping, we recommend getting some of this gear for your trip. We cook as many meals as we can, both because it is healthier and it helps us cut costs! On top of that, if you are going to be in the back-country, bring along a water filter and iodine tablets so you can drink the water safely!
Camp Chair
Hammock
Camping Stove
Backpacking Stove
Beef Jerky
Hiking Bars
Water Filter
Iodine Tablets
We hope you had a blast learning and being shown Utah’s wonderful National Parks. We know we had the time of our lives exploring them in person, and we know you will to. If there is ANY more information that we can provide about any National Park in Utah (or really anything else) please reach out!
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Despite its measurement, it’s fundamental for varied movements and
maintaining balance in addition to total glute muscle growth.
Butt exercises at house often contain high-rep, low-resistance
exercises. Right Here are 4 band workouts you
are able to do with hip resistance bands to get those glutes fired up!
Examine out seven of Katie’s favorite gluteus maximus workouts below.
Right Here, learn all about why your glute max muscles
are essential for on a regular basis bodily activity,
tips on how to activate your glutes, and the best gluteus maximus workout routines to build
a stronger bottom. Your physique can adapt to movements, weights, and workouts, based on De Leon. So if you’re doing all of these
exercises but aren’t reaping any new rewards, she says it’s time to
combine it up with more weight, reps, or new workouts altogether.
Though you can work your glutes by strolling, running, and other everyday practical movements,
there are some workouts that can actually increase booty features.
Right Here are nine upper glute workouts which would possibly be positive to make your buns burn. As a health coach,
I’ve seen countless people struggle to build muscle at residence.
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We provide the vitamins you want to energy your energetic life-style.
Go heavy with 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps, resting two to three minutes after each set.
Use average weight for 3-4 sets of reps, resting between one and two minutes between sets.
These ideas go beyond the basics, offering new ways to challenge your
glutes and avoid plateaus in your training.
If you need greater glutes, you should place a greater load on them.
The solely means to do that is when you apply progressive
overload in a structured fashion.
When strengthened properly, they offer your butt that agency and taut appearance.
For instance, when you weigh a hundred and fifty five kilos,
you would convert your weight into kilograms by dividing it by 2.2.
Then, you would multiply that number by 1.6, so you ought to be consuming round 113 grams of protein daily, or 38
grams per meal. Robust glutes are a crucial component of
accelerating, decelerating and shifting in numerous directions.
If you battle with steadiness, you can maintain onto one thing whereas doing the exercise.
This smaller glute muscle is positioned in conjunction with the hip and is answerable for hip abduction (moving
your leg away from the midline of your body) and helping to provide stability during strolling.
It springs into action whenever you step on one leg, stroll, run, or lunge [1].
If you are still hitting PRs on the exercise, it’s not inflicting any
undue pains, you’re getting an excellent mind-muscle connection, and there’s no different want to
vary it, then don’t change it!
Don’t fear about any other glute exercises for filling out a
pair of pants yet. This not solely decreases the effectiveness of these workout routines
but in addition will increase your threat
of lower back pain, especially when lifting heavy
weights. The gluteus minimus muscle begins from the exterior floor of the ilium, a bit
of the pelvic bone. Specifically, it emerges from the area between the front and lower
gluteal strains. This location is on the decrease portion of the hip bone, beneath the gluteus medius.
It acts in synergy with the gluteus medius muscle to abduct and
internally rotate the thigh. Your glutes are the
one of many largest and strongest muscle tissue in your physique, and play an essential position to propel your
forward when you stroll and run. The banded clamshell is another awesome banded exercise to target the aspect
glutes. Likewise, with the banded walks, all you want
for this exercise is a resistance band. The middle glutes (the glute maximas) are the largest
muscle within the glute area, so spending
most of our glute-building efforts here is smart. However if we overlook
about the side glutes then we’re never going to have the power to build the well-rounded, fuller look many people strive
for.
Understanding this, we will hold our give attention to hip extension-based workouts to grow the lower glutes.
Outcomes from a more modern 2016 examine can help
check this concept [2]. The study took 20 individuals and had them full eleven totally different
glute exercises. During each train, they
examined the activation of each the superior and inferior parts of the glutes.
The gluteus medius is the 2nd largest of the three muscular
tissues, and is situated beneath and above the maximas, at the sides of
the higher buttocks. With over 30 years of experience in energy training and health, Mark LaRue is the founding
father of Health Mastered, a weblog to help educate health
fanatics of all health ranges, ages, and
gender. We write matters that vary from weight training
tips and train routines to home exercise machine and fitness related product evaluations, to call a quantity of.
The RDL is an awesome exercise as it’s a sort of hip thrust and allows a
higher mind-muscle connection. This may be glute isolation workout routines similar to
clamshells or quadruped hip abduction. When I say hip extension movements, I wish to be very clear about
what I mean. The glutes are superior in that they will assist the hips lengthen in either
direction. Hip extension can contain one of two actions
OR each of the actions happening collectively.
As A Substitute, the workout has been designed to develop the entire
glute area with a particular emphasis on the aspect glutes,
for those of us who could additionally be missing
in this division. You’ve probably seen people within the gym carry out glute kickbacks as a
part of their program, and rightly so, they’re a fantastic train to activate the glutes.
As a end result, this exercise produces excessive amounts of
glute activation and is a great exercise to strengthen and develop the aspect glutes.
In addition to training, Lopez stresses the importance of thoughtfully planning out your meals
for hypertrophy. “Like any muscle, the glutes want good food to get greater,” he says.
“Assume of complete, balanced vitamin with at least a light-weight surplus.”
In Accordance to the ACE, the perfect coaching schedule for hypertrophy includes
24 to seventy two hours of relaxation before you work out the same
muscle group once more.
There are too many advantages of walking to count—but is muscle progress certainly one of
them? Walking to build muscle is possible, particularly if you’re new to fitness.
However, the cardio staple must be mixed with power training and other components to achieve noticeable, full-body positive aspects.
Your body ought to type a straight line from your knees to your shoulders—if you end
up arching on the prime of the movement try reducing your range of
motion slightly and engaging your core. Hold the major target in your glutes and hamstrings to energy the motion. Subsequently, mixed
with its excessive gluteus maximus activation, this is likely one
of the finest glute exercises you are able to do that targets massive muscle acquire
while giving medius and minimus some additional love.
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extra charge to you. This fee helps maintain our operations and
ensures our assessments stay neutral regardless of affiliate relationships.
You May also hold the muscle tissue under pressure for longer,
which translates to more gains.
By Paige Waehner, CPTPaige Waehner is an authorized personal coach, writer of the “Guide to Turn Out To Be a Private Coach,”
and co-author of “The Buzz on Train & Health.” By
Laura WilliamsLaura Williams is a fitness professional and advocate with certifications from the American Council on Train and the American Faculty
of Sports Medication. Often measure your glutes to track your progress and make adjustments to your program as wanted.
Naturally, consistency in your training routine is a must for sustained progress.
Here are my favorite moves for glute hypertrophy, starting with the basic Barbell Hip Thrust.
Along with these exercises, you wish to use the correct acute variables.
Goal your gluteus medius and gluteus minimus with glute workouts that use abduction. The banded lateral aspect
steps are an excellent way to work against resistance as you are taking these lateral steps to the
aspect. You’ll want a small, looped resistance band to
carry out this train. Your glute muscle tissue are highly effective and consist
of complex subdivisions. This implies that as a muscle
group, they will handle a lot more volume than your other muscular tissues.
In addition, the gluteus medius consists of extra slow-twitch muscle fibers, which reply
well to high-volume exercises. If you need to
obtain a more rounded glute fast, you should train them 2 or more times per week, with many sets and
reps.
Apparently, having sturdy glutes might even help stop pain elsewhere within the body, corresponding to
your knees and low back. If the gluteus medius muscle weakens, it can allow your
thigh to pull inward, putting stress on your knees. A 2016 examine found that people with persistent, non-specific low again pain generally had weakness within the gluteus medius.
Each of those workouts targets the lower glutes in several ways,
and incorporating them into your routine will promote balanced glute improvement.
Research reveals that workout routines that stretch the muscle on the bottom of a movement
are sometimes more effective for growth. When a muscle is stretched, it has
a greater potential for force era in the course of the
contraction section. High Quality protein foods are going to provide
the amino acids required to repair and build your muscle tissue.
Carbs will supply the vitality and glucose required to gasoline and fill your muscular tissues.
We’ll come right out and say it—your butt doesn’t get
enough love. The glute muscles that pad your
behind are responsible for supporting all sorts of every
day actions, yet it’s all too straightforward to focus your
health on different components of the body.
This is especially true if you’re performing compound lifts or extra superior exercises like sports conditioning workout routines.
If you wish to lift your bum, you have to focus on coaching your gluteus medius.
Due to its pure anatomy, it sits on the higher a half of your butt, nearer to your waist, which gives you the “side arc”
profile of a rounded butt. You will have to change up your exercise selection to ensure you hit
all three glute muscular tissues and construct better butt strength.
If you didn’t feel anything from the glute activation take a look at – or felt
it as a result of your foot was turned out –
it’s time to discover methods to activate your glutes.
If you lack proficient neuromuscular control of the glute
max, it diminishes the effectiveness of the glute workouts
you’ve been performing. By incorporating a number of the glute activation workouts below,
you’ll be ready to convey your glute medius in control.
Studies have proven that pre-activating the glutes with warm-up
workout routines such as 1-2 sets of banded lateral walks or banded clamshell ends in more activation of the higher and lower glutes.
To add more shape to your backside, you have to support
your growing gluteal muscle tissue by consuming enough calories and protein in your food plan.
Doing so can accelerate the transformation of your sq.
glutes to round glutes.
The finest glute workout routines are those that go away you feeling challenged,
somewhat shaky, and prepared for more. While training the
glutes every single day might look like a good suggestion, rest
days are essential for recovery and muscle repair.
The legs, again, and butt require relaxation days to permit the muscles time to get well.
Once you get started with them, you’ll see that simply by adding a band
to this back-and-forth motion, your glutes might be activated and burning like crazy.
This exercise is superb for enhancing your capability to externally rotate your hips, since it places constant tension on the muscle tissue
within the glutes responsible for rotation. When you’ve
the hip mobility, power, and flexibility this exercise helps enhance,
virtually each lower body movement, like bending over and
choosing one thing up, will turn into simpler and more fluid.
Nutrition plays a major position in adding muscle to your frame, and I’m excited to share foods that improve hips dimension in addition to foods that grow your butt.
References:
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