Another Great National Park in Utah: Canyonlands

Land of Canyons and Views

With national parks like Zion and Arches and extensive snowboarding, it's no surprise Utah is one of my favorite state to visit.  In this post I want to talk about one more reason I love Utah, Canyonlands National Park.  Canyonlands is comprised of a series of canyons cut by the Colorado and Green rivers.  I posted earlier about how the Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon, and the same process of uplift of the Colorado Plateau combined with erosion by the Colorado River formed the vast canyons of Canyonlands.  I guess we have the Colorado River to thank for more than one national park.

Taking in the view at the Island in the Sky at Canyonlands.

A National Park Unlike Any Other: Arches

When Wind Erodes Sandstone

Arches National Park is not just unique among other national parks in the US.  Arches, in eastern Utah, is home to the largest collection of natural arches in the world.  Let me reiterate, it has the most arches and the highest density of natural arches in the entire world.  The US does not need to be number one in everything, but in this micro category we certainly are.  

Getting ready to take in all the arches of Arches National Park.

The Red Cliffs of Zion National Park, Utah

A National Park With Mormon Names

I remember when I first learned about Zion National Park.  I was in middle school at the time at home on a Saturday.  My dad had just finished paging through the latest edition of Backpacker which recently came in the mail.  The two of us went backpacking together for a week every summer and so he splurged for a subscription.  I picked up the issue and an article in the table of contents caught my eye.  I don't remember exactly what its title was, but it was something along the lines of "Best Day Hikes in the US".  Among the hikes featured was The Narrows at Zion National Park.  I promised my self I would make it to Zion one day and I finally did on a cross country road trip at the age of twenty-six.

So proud having finally made it to Zion National Park.

Snowboarding Part 1: Park City, Utah

Why Not Go Snowboarding?

Utah is the fourth state that I have snowboarded in, and I would rate it as an average destination for snowboarders.  This is mostly due to the limitations for snowboarders.  We went specifically to the two Vail owned resorts in Park City, Park City and Canyons, because these resorts were included in our Epic Local pass.  In reality these are the only two resorts in the area that are truly welcoming to snowboarders.  The nearby Alta and Deer Valley do not allow snowboarders to experience their slopes.  A legal dispute has erupted since these resorts are on national forest, and by not allowing snowboarders they are essentially denying US citizens from using federal land.  Utah though I have always found be filled with the most clean cut, helpful, and legitimately kind residents.  The resorts we did visit and Park City in general were no exception to my experience. 

Park City Mountain Resort

Park City would not be considered snowboarder friendly at first glance as two of the resorts in the area do not even allow snowboarders.  However, I found this resort exceptionally welcoming to snowboarders.  Even the skiers I rode the lifts with were overwhelmingly friendly, wanting to compare and contrast different resorts and conditions of the day.  Park City is a large resort, which the trail map subdivides into 7 different areas.  Each area of the resort is best experienced at different times of the day, based on the sun position.  We consulted employees stationed at each trail map board (at the top of most lifts) as to what areas were prime for riding at that moment.  Not surprisingly, the east facing runs rode best in the morning and the west facing runs rode best in the afternoon. 

The west facing King Con mountain zone, serviced mostly by the King Con lift became my favorite area of the trip.  The predominantly blue area was less crowded that the front face or green areas at the summit.  The runs were wide, easily accommodating large crowds.  King Con was an express lift, ensuring more ride time than lift time.