My wife Petra and I just returned from a two week camping trip to Southern Utah. It was the maiden voyage in our "new to us" RV. Initial plans called for us to split our two weeks away from home between Snow Canyon State Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument, but we ended up tacking on a visit to Capitol Reef National Park, as well.
Snow Canyon was great, but may be a tad too warm for August, James. When we first arrived, the daytime highs were around 100 F, but early morning walks were still pleasant with temps in the high 60's to low 70's. After a couple days, temps spiked to around 106 and it ceased being so pleasant. While camped at Snow Canyon, we took a day trip to Kolob Canyon, which is a part of Zion most people never see. Kolob Canyon, only about 35 miles from Snow Canyon, is lovely . . . and cool . . . but there is no camping except in the backcountry.
We left the heat of Snow Canyon for the cooler climes of Cedar Breaks National Monument. Cedar Breaks is like a smaller version of Bryce Canyon, except the Amphitheater at Cedar Breaks is about 2,000 feet deeper than Bryce's. At 10,400+ feet in elevation, nights were a bit chilly -- around 45 F, and there were still patches of snow on the ground above the 11,000 foot mark, even in mid-July. Although Cedar Breaks is most renowned for its fall colors, the spring wildflowers were in full bloom while we were there. The sub-Alpine meadows put on quite a show.
Since we had never been before, we decided to head over to Capitol Reef National Park. We dropped down to Bryce Canyon and caught Utah Highway 12. UT 12 follows along the edge of the Grand Staircase of the Escalante and offers scenic views that have to be among the most breathtaking available anywhere. At Capitol Reef, we camped in the Fruita Campground among the 100 year old orchards of fruit trees planted by the original Mormon settlers. The apricots were in high season while we were there, and campers are free to sample as much as they like without cost. If you want to take some with you when you leave, the cost is a whopping $1.00 a pound or $18.00 a bushel (about 35-40 lbs.).
Finally, our route home took us along Interstate Hwy 40, right past the Visitor Center for the Petrified Forest National Park/Painted Desert. We stopped just long enough for a cold drink at the Fred Harvey Concession before continuing on to the Canyon de Chelly National Monument to spend the night in their free campground before heading home.
All in all, an enjoyable trip. This has gotten kind of long, so I'll post some pictures separately.
