National Parks of the West 2012 Day 9: Back in Utah for Zion and Bryce

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My last parks! My last official day of touring!

You have no idea how tired I am. My day started at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah. Its a pretty park with actual pink sand dunes. They seem out of place in this area. So now I can say I've seen white dunes (White Sands), tan dunes (Monahan Sand Hills), and pink dunes. I'd like to ad yellow to that list some day.

My next stop was Zion National Park. I really only had time for a drive through on this one. It is a park that is great to see but to actually see it you must put in the work. In other words, you need to hike through it. It isn't like the other parks where you can basically drive to the area you want to see because it is in the postcards. Still, driving through the tunnels and seeing the rocky mountains was interesting. I much preferred the Kolob Canyons section of the park. The canyons are named after the star that orbits closest to the throne of God in Mormon Theology. They are beautiful to look at and stand out majestically.

I then took a drive to Bryce Canyon National Park stopping by the Cedar Breaks National Monument on the way. The drive is pretty to say the least. The highway twists and turns through forest and mountains until you reach more than 10,000 feet in elevation. I think that is the highest I've ever been. The natural amphitheater has echoes of what I was to see when I reached Bryce Canyon.

I wish I could of spent more time hiking among the hoodoos of Bryce. They look really fun and dangerous since they look like a maze. I stopped at two major spots to view the sunset and the canyon stretch out into the distance. It will be nice to get home but I will miss seeing the beautiful scenery of the great parks of the west.

I drove back to Salt Lake City that night. My journey had come to an end and I had to fly on back home to Texas. I am sure my cats missed me. I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

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Photos

Pine Trees and Dunes
AN odd combination.