Las Vegas, Zion & Bryce Canyon
Viva Las Vegas! And two gorgeous National Parks: Zion & Bryce Canyon.
October 22, 22:34
¡VIVA LAS VEGAS! We arrived around 13:00 at the Luxor hotel in Vegas. It took us some time to find a hotel with a big enough parking lot, but eventually we found it! Hotels of the MGM group share an oversized parking lot behind Excalibur, so it was perfect for our RV.
We hiked a total of 17 km today, just here in Vegas. The main area of the strip itself is already about 4km, but it’s mainly because the sizes of the hotels are INSANE. And you get lost inside these buildings too. All outside light is blocked, so you have no point of reference anymore (and you can’t tell night from day), and all hotels/ casinos have different areas and non-straight pathways. So often you just can’t find the exit. And that means you apparently easily walk about 17k in one day.
October 23, 21:44
We’ve left Vegas, and although it’s fun for a day, I am happy we left the weirdos and the gross smell of the city behind us. We’re in Zion National Park now! Well, almost. Our campground is a short 15-minute walk to the entrance. Earlier, we did groceries for the coming days, and because of the time difference, we arrived an hour later than expected. I thought maaaybe we could do a short hike today, but that didn’t work out. We did, however, have time to go to the Visitor Centre to get our beloved maps, so we could make a plan. The idea is to wake up early tomorrow to hike to the different Emerald Pools in the morning and then hike The Narrows in the afternoon. Plus, during breakfast, we want to apply for the permit to hike Angels Landing the next day. It’s a lottery, so we won’t know until after 15:00 if we get it. If not, we’re applying for another lottery to visit The Wave in two days. This is not in Zion, but it’s close by and apparently hard to get. If we do get it, we have to be in Kanab at 8:30 the following day for the safety briefing and to pick up the permit. And if we don’t get it, then we’ll hike The Watchman here in Zion before heading to Bryce Canyon, and we’ll apply for it another time when we’re in Page in about two weeks. But first, we’re hoping for the permit to hike Angels Landing. We got our plan A, B’s en C’s, so we’ll see what will happen. Anyway, I am excited about tomorrow and ready to go to sleep.
Views of Zion National Park, Utah.
October 24, 21:57
It turned out we were not close enough to apply for The Wave; we were just outside the geographical area. BUT that didn’t matter cause we got a permit to hike Angels Landing! Super excited! The alarm will go off at 6:00 in the morning, which is about two hours before sunrise, so a little crazy, but I’m sure we’ll be happy about it after the hike. Today, we went to the Emerald Pools and the Narrows, and according to my health app, we walked almost 18km today. So, no wonder my knee is hurting, I have a blister on my small left toe, and we are just exhausted. A good day tho and Zion is gorgeous! The only downside is that it’s super crowded. I think it’s the busiest park we’ve been to so far, but understandably so. And you know, can’t complain when you’re part of the problem yourself, haha.
Sidenote: the Emerald Pools were as good as empty; we were too late in the season. The photos below are from the Narrows hike.
October 25, 20:42
I am hurting. My legs hurt. My knees hurt. I’m already sore, so I’m scared about tomorrow, but what a hike! Angels Landing might just be my favorite hike so far! The switchbacks, the views, using both hands to climb, the drop off, the chains. It was so intense and so fun! Definitely not a hike for people who are afraid of heights. But if you’re not, it’s amazing! I enjoyed every second of it, even the hard parts, or maybe because of them. It was about 4,5 hours roundtrip and that includes taking water breaks, photo breaks, and even two coffee breaks with a sandwich. Super solid if you ask me. I’m just so happy we got the permit! Exhausted as I am, it was totally worth it, and I would definitely do it again.
October 26, 21:38
What a chill day. We washed our sheets in the morning and swapped beds for the last time on our road trip. I’m in the upper bed now, which I am a little bit worried about, to be honest, because they say it’s gonna freeze here in the night from next week onwards, and the upper bed area is COLD.
Today we left Kanab, cause we didn’t get the permit for The Wave, which we applied for yesterday after leaving Zion, and went to Bryce Canyon National Park. Still sore from yesterday, we decided to drive the scenic route, stop at several viewpoints, and visit the Sand Caves. Super chill and honestly, I don’t think I was able to do a lot more today. I’m actually happy the weather report says it’s gonna be rainy next Tuesday, cause that means a ✨nothing✨day.
Inside the sand caves in Kanab.
October 27, 21:47
This morning, we hiked the Queen and Wall Street of the Navajo trail. It’s a three-hour loop down into Bryce Canyon and definitely a must-do if you’re in the park (or any other trail that brings you into the canyon). You experience Bryce so differently if you’re down there in between all the hoodoo structures instead of just looking at them from above. It’s all so much prettier from up close!
Since Bryce Canyon is not a big National Park, we left after lunch and drove the scenic route 12 east, in the direction of Capitol Reef National Park. And what a drive!! I think it’s my favorite road so far! Such beautiful and diverse scenery. About two hours of pure enjoyment on the road! When we arrived, we quickly got ourselves some maps of the park to see what we could do the next day, and turned around to park our RV just outside the national park, for free.
