The Summer of National Parks

For the past year and a half in this new reality of a pandemic, I have had the travel bug. Every night I would dream of all the places I was eager to explore. So, as the world began to open up again this summer, I laced up my hiking boots and drove out west. I started my journey in Utah, venturing through Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks. I felt a restored sense of hope as I spent countless days on the trails and was lucky enough to visit on not so crowded days, when I could have the freedom to roam around and enjoy all nature’s beauty uninterrupted.

Image shot at Zion National Park

Zion was a dream. I arrived at the park early one morning in mid June and was enchanted by the remarkable landscapes. I felt minuscule as I walked around in complete awe at how grand the mountains were. They boasted a unique purple hue as the sun lit up the canyons and I began to ascend 1500 feet on Angel’s landing hiking trail. I spent several hours trekking up the mountainside and snapping photos the entire way, and while some may consider this a strenuous hike, it was a breeze for me due to the insane adrenaline rush I got from all the beauty around me. The hike was a lengthy vertical ascension, and when I reached the final stretch, chains guided me along the rocky path in the sky to the summit. It was so quiet up there. The only noise was wind tearing through the canyon below. I sat on the edge and dangled my feet off. This is joy.

Image shot at Arches National Park

Arches National Park was my next favorite on my western road trip. I have never seen rocks so red or sky so blue. The contrast of barren desert with a sky that looked like an ocean provided a dramatic landscape that inspired me beyond belief. It was a scorching summer day, but we still spent hours exploring the trails to delicate arch, north and south window arches, landscape arch, double arch, panorama arch, and countless more. I have vivid memories of climbing one of the double arches and sitting on the edge of the rocks covered in red dust, peering over the edge into the canyons below. I sat there in wonder, the vast desert before me, and the land seemed infinite.

National parks are not a playground, but rather a sanctuary to keep wild and connect us to the natural world.

Image taken at Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon is home to some of the most spectacular hikes I’ve been on. We descended into the canyons on the rainy day we were there, and embarked on a wild adventure. The burnt orange and rust hues of the hoodoos, unique to this park, contrast with lush green vegetation populating the area. The weathered trail markers provided me with a sense of comfort that is inexplicable; this park has been traversed for decades and has seen so many people passing through its gates. These hoodoos, these castles in the sky, create fantastic photos and as I passed through tunnels and meandered through the often tight ‘caves’ on the path, I captured some stunning photos. Sometimes on a trip that is so far from your daily ‘norm,’ it can be hard to feel like you’re actually present. It’s hard to fully feel everything around you. It’s overwhelming! So, something that I did in Bryce Canyon that helped me to ground myself, was sitting on a bench overlooking the landscape with all my friends, and we just sat in silence and ate our peanut butter sandwiches and apples. We listened to the wind screaming through the canyons below and smiled at the chipmunks darting around our ankles. Taking a moment to invite in the stillness, is exactly what we all needed to fully enjoy where we were.

Image shot at Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is truly the hidden gem of Utah, home to panoramic vistas and incredible rock formations. It felt like Radiator Springs from the Cars movie, come to life with the winding roads and rust orange hues. I felt lucky to be able to see the result of thousands of years of erosion from the natural elements, particularly the Colorado River, which all accumulated here in this spot to carve out the deep canyons and create such wonders. Some of my favorite parts of the park were how staircases were carved into the natural rock to blend into the landscape and create effective, yet aesthetic and minimally invasive ways to hike the trails. My group sat on the edge of the canyon as it began to obtain a purple colored look with the way the light hit, and took photos and ate our apples while we marveled at Jeeps speeding through the dusty roads below on the canyon rim roads. The park, also dubbed, “islands in the sky,” invited me to see such cool elements like the needle stacks and grand view point. Canyonlands surprised me in every way and is a must see.