Grand Canyon National Park: Sometimes You Just Have To Chance It

Pretty much the same shot from 6.5 years ago

Now Grand Canyon was slightly different second time round but to explain that I should probably take a step back and give you some insight into 2008.

Now this was to be my first big overseas trip so Bazil had some sound advice, 'try and take it easy on your first night'. Now I may have missed part of the message here, as although the first night overseas was a quiet one, the first night of the Contiki tour ended with me in a drunk tank in San Diego. So the next major city we hit, Phoenix, we got back to the hotel in the early hours of the morning and did the smart thing and stayed in the room for the rest of the night. Well we thought it would be a smart idea.

A few of the other lads had an early morning hot-air ballooning ride to get up for, so we decided the smart move would be to pull an all-nighter so they didn't miss their ride. Well it worked for them but not so much for me. I woke up to the alarm blaring, me kipped up between the two beds and the tour bus long gone.

Anyway, long story short, a bus ride that didn't quite get me back to the group, and a $160 taxi ride later I finally made it to the Grand Canyon. Fair to say I wasn't in much of a state to really get the most out of the canyon, but I still loved it.

Second time round was a whole 'nother story.

Now I said different but it didn't necessarily get off to the best start. Our first glimpse of the canyon was through overcast and cloudy skies, not really conducive to the best photographic opportunities. Still we headed west along the rim towards Hermits Rest, braving the rain along the way and getting a pretty good impression of the canyon as a whole.

South Western Rim

It was now that we decided we wanted to trek down into the heart of the canyon and stay overnight. We knew it would be a tough hike with all our gear but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to do it.

 A glimpse of the switchbacks we decided to put ourselves through

Then proceeded the longest night of the trip so far. And we've had 12 hour layovers in Brazilian airports.

Hoping to get a good night's sleep before the hike didn't quite turn out as planned. It rained for 16 hours straight. And not the good type of rain either (although I don't think there is a good type of rain when you live in a $20 tent), rather it was that bone-drenching drizzle that just keeps on coming with no end in sight.

Not knowing whether to chance it and head on the hike, we waited for the morning to pass and see what the afternoon provided. After a few hours of waiting, and still no real end in sight of the rain, we thought stuff it, let's give it a crack.

Things didn't look promising at the start

We would say it's one of the toughest things we have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding.

The hike down, 7 miles via the South Kaibab Trail, is relatively easy, well when compared with the walk up. Even though it's when your pack is at it's heaviest, it's always easier walking downhill than uphill. And luck was also on our side, as an hour into the hike the rain finally subsided.

Getting deeper into the Canyon

We made good time and got settled into our campsite and relaxed by the creek for the rest of the arvo. The one plus side to the weather was that instead of it being inhumanely hot (most people start the hike down at between 4-6am in the morning this time of the year), the overcast conditions meant it was surprisingly pleasant.

Our first real look at the Colorado River

That night we also missed the forecast showers and the early morning thunderstorm that threatened but just didn't eventuate. We had the wind, the thunder and the lightning but the rain held off.

The walk up was a whole different ball game. It was 9.6 miles… and all uphill. We had been told to prepare ourselves for a good 6 hours of torture but we managed to knock it out in 5. The plus side of the hike out via Bright Angel Trail is that apart from the first 4.5 miles, there is water stations every 1.5 mile so you can drop a heap of weight from your packs. The bad part is that although the first mile is somewhat flat, the rest surely isn't. Throw in an 8-10kg pack and that shite gets tiring after 20 minutes. Come and see me after 5 hours!

The Kaibab Trail Bridge

Nic took the brunt of the pain and by the end of it her blisters had blisters! Still she toughed it out and we were both pretty stoked to reach the top by the end of it. The views you get along the hike are unbelievable. There is a whole other world down there – an entirely different environment, and countless features that would be breathtaking on their own but somehow get lost in the vastness that is the Grand Canyon.

Bright Angel Trail and the Indian Gardens

I had previously written about Canyonlands rivaling the Grand Canyon. Now I can't quite say I agree with that statement, at least not 100%, but I will offer this. They are both worth the visit and both unique in their own way.

We did completely different things in each park, and I would easily go back to both (Canyonlands first though). I think the problem people have with the Grand Canyon is the sheer size of it, which is ironic as it's size is what makes it 'grand'.

The reason I say this is because it's hard to get an appreciation of it due to its immense magnitude. Those smaller, finer details and features you pick out in other parks are missed because, sometimes, you don't know where to look. It has so many things going on that half of it is swallowed by the depths of the canyon.

South Eastern Rim

Getting down into the canyon definitely makes you appreciate it, so don't be one of the 'snob' travelers and skip the Grand Canyon because it's too mainstream, or been done before. Give yourself a couple of nights and experience one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World

We even got to see some elk and deer!

Goosenecks State Park & Monument Valley: The Cheaper Side of Life

The Goosenecks

After skipping Dead Horse Point S.P. because we didn't really see much point paying $10 for a photo we were at a crossroads with Goosenecks.

I had seen pictures of it and to say it looks incredible wouldn't do it justice. So with that in mind, we splurged and forked out a whopping $10 bucks for park entry and overnight camping – see I can always seek out a bargain! And people call me cheap!

And we were not disappointed.

The Goosenecks are one of the best natural phenomenons I have ever seen. I mean this in that nothing about them had been affected by man, and this is rather scarce these days. It rates up there with the likes of Torres Del Paine and Chapada Diamantina's caves, but these have been influenced by man whereas the Goosenecks haven't.

Taking in the sunset

The simplicity of it is half its appeal. It is a simple river meander that you see by driving 20 mile or so off the main highway. That they have dedicated it a State Park is rather hilarious when you look at the area it encompassed. You literally drive those 20 miles down a road, reach a cul-de-sac which contains the view point and that's all, and turn back around – or if you're like us, find a delightful looking patch of red dirt and throw your tent out.

For a simple river canyon it is unparalleled. The info boards told us it is one of the most striking examples of 'entrenched river meander' in the world, and not that my 'entrenched river meander' knowledge is far flung, but I would have to agree. Or so my hundred photos of the same thing would tend to say.

Just another one for good luck

Keeping with the tight-arse theme next up on the Tour de Scrooge was Monument Valley. Taking some helpful advice from a friend (cheers Morts) we forewent the entry into the reserve. The advice was that the view from the highway was just as good from within. You don't need to tell me twice on how to save a bit of coin.

And although we didn't know the names of the formations we were looking at, Wikipedia can always help with that!

Monument Valley

Both Monument Valley and Goosenecks are practically on your way from Canyonlands to the Grand Canyon, so if you have the time, and the money, spend a few hours at each. Or, get on board the cheap train and head into Goosenecks after 7pm, get yourself a free campsite and entry (we didn't do this but most of the other cadets around looked like they did) and drive by Monument Valley in the morning – you'll save yourself a whopping $20 or so! To put that into perspective, that's a carton of Buds over here!

I thought these guys might actually charge me for their photo but they were cool with it

Canyonlands National Park: Better Than The Grand Canyon?

Monument Basin

Canyonlands had quite the reputation to live up to. People had said that it was better than the Grand Canyon – now considering I have previously been to the Grand Canyon and was pretty awestruck by it, I had my doubts over the credibility of this call.

Still we did have rather high expectations, and this is always risky behavior as one can sometimes come out a little let down if these lofty standards aren't met.

A little advice for anyone thinking they may well visit Canyonlands in the future – you can not drive through it, there is a dirty big canyon in the middle preventing any such attempts. Knowing this, the smart move would be to check out the north section, Island in the Sky (if you are coming from Salt Lake) first, on your way to Arches, not the other way round. A lot of people talk of checking out Dead Horse Point S.P. on the way from Arches to Canyonlands, but given Canyonlands is split into two sections, be wary of which section they are talking of.

As you may have guessed we didn't have this information so we back tracked to get into the Island in the Sky. A decision that bore some rather delicious fruit. Not many people we have met talk highly of the northern section, rather everyone raves about the south east section, the Needles, but do yourself a favour and set aside ½ a day and give Island in the Sky a decent crack.

Buck Canyon

Most of the scenic view points are mere metres off the main drive, and they are remarkable. The views on offer at Grand View Point Overlook, Buck Canyon Overlook and Green River Overlook are incredible. The canyon carved out by the Colorado River in parts has fingers reaching out to draw you in, and in other areas looks remarkably like the ancient ruins of a civilisation lost to time.

The different looks of the Meander Canyon

We spent the good part of an hour or so wandering along the rim taking shots of the same thing from slightly different angles, and being ever more enamoured with the canyon with each one.

Green River Overlook

A short hike brings you to Upheaval Dome – a fascinating feature that still baffles scientists today. They still debate whether the formation was created by a meteorite or just the combined effects of it's previous life as a salt lake and the Colorado Uplift. Either way, go and check it out for yourself – sort of like a mini volcano within a larger crater.

Upheaval Dome

And being so close to Arches N.P. it wouldn't be that far out of the question for Canyonlands to contain a world class arch of its own would it? No, no it wouldn't. Mesa Arch isn't spectacular on its own, but the view it commands (and frames) is beautiful.

Mesa Arch

After deciding against checking out Dead Horse Point S.P. (we had heard it's very similar to Island in the Sky but with an overlook of the Colorado River and we didn't really see the point in paying $10 for a photo – yeah we're cheap!) we made our way south to the Needles.

The Needles are a must, and if you can fit in an overnight camping trip out into the heart of the park it's well worth your troubles – or so we have been told.

We arrived a little too late to organise an overnight trip, a little too late to secure a camp within the park and a little too late for some old duck's liking as well. The old duck running the closest private campsite had obviously just shut up shop when we arrived. As we were looking at the registration papers and the exuberant prices she was trying to rob us for, she politely came out and told us to 'put the money in the envelope and f_ck off!' Well f_ck off we did – to another campsite.

Hamburger Rock turned out to be one of the nicest 'primitive' camps we have stayed at. Being a 'primitive' camp no water is provided and the toilets usually remind you of day 3 of a festival, but the location more than made up for it.

As mentioned if you have the time, spend a night out in the wilderness of the Needles, and if you don’t, try and spend a good part of the day out there. We had thought of doing the 11 mile hike out to Confluence Overlook but the ranger informed us whilst it's a good hike if you've done most of the other hikes on offer, essentially you are just walking out there for 5.5 miles to see two rivers meet and then walking back. But then again isn't that what 95% of hikes are – walking your sorry arse for miles, looking at something, and then walking your sorry arse back? But seriously for some bizarre reason we love it. Not that we have done any hiking of the sort back in Aus but apparently that's what we're all about when we're overseas.

The ranger's suggestion was to hike Chelser Park, where there is no real end destination, just a loop through the park with highlights and amazing views everywhere you look. And he wasn't wrong. There haven’t been too many hikes we have done that aren't focused on one or two viewpoints along the way, but the Chesler Park loop was incredible. You get right into the heart of the Needles and it's easy to tell why so many people fall in love with the park.

Chesler Park

The loop is a pretty strenuous 12 miles but the variety of scenery and landscape you cover keeps you enthralled the entire way. From the fantastic rock formations that give the section it's name, to the one-man wide crevice that is Joint Trail, the loop can take you half the day or all day, it just depends on how lost you let yourselves get – not lost in the traditional sense but you do see people just sitting back and taking it all in, and others charging through to get back to the car, out of the heat.

Joint Trail

As mentioned earlier, people have been quoted as saying Canyonlands is better than the Grand Canyon. I will say that it lived up to all the hype, and some, but I will be holding back on my judgment of the above statement until I have revisited the Grand Canyon.

Wooden Shoe Overlook

Arches National Park: Does it Rain in Utah?

Windows Section viewed from Double Arch

After a night of gluttony (I really should ban myself from buffets as I lack any form of self control when it comes to containing myself. This night was particularly gluttonous as I almost had to have Nic drive home as I couldn't sit upright), a day of admin, and a night of anguish (Cavs lost in OT in Game 1), we farewelled Salt Lake City (didn't really see much of the city but we were only there to get a shower and a bed to sleep in) we made our way to Arches N.P.

After being informed that the only campground in the park was already full (we did half expect this) we made our way out to one of the BLM Campgrounds (just outside the park boundaries) and made a careful selection of our camp site. Nestled in amongst the rock walls to give us some shelter from the ridge winds, and underneath the only tree in the area we thought we had a winner… how wrong we were.

But I’ll get to that later.

With the site set up we headed back into the park and completed the Devils Garden loop hike. The loop takes you past the majority of the park's arches where you can get as up close and personal with the formations as you need. But you can't satisfy everyone. Despite the numerous warning, or pleading, signs requesting you to stay on the path, the number of f_ckwits (yes that's what we'll call them) that ignore the signs is staggering. I often feel like giving them some worldly advice but we usually just shake our heads in disbelief and move on.

Landscape and Partition Arch

Devils Garden has 8 arches but the picks of the bunch for us were Landscape Arch (many of you have probably seen pictures of this one), my personal favourite Partition Arch (where you could actually stand in the window) and the Double O Arch, which all make the 7-8 mile loop well worthwhile.

Partition Arch

Beating the rain back to the car we headed back to the main road, risking quick stops and even quicker photos of Skyline and Sand Dune Arches before I decided to brave the rains and jog out to Broken Arch. Not one of my brighter moves, but a little water never hurt anyone (I wasn't saying this in a few hours time mind you).

Skyline Arch

We caught a break in the rain and were able to enjoy the Fiery Furnace, albeit not quite as fiery as it would usually be (it is named after the afternoon sun which appears to light up the tops of the rock formations). We would have liked to have hiked down into the Furnace but it is only accessible via a ranger led tour and they, like the campgrounds, had all booked out for the duration of our stay. Still viewing it from afar is a pretty decent consolation prize.

Fiery Furnace

With sunset fast approaching we made our way back to camp and headed for an early night. Well that's when it all went pear-shaped. Usually if it looks like a rainy night, we pack the tent with items from the car that can afford to get a little wet and lay the back seats of Rodge down and enjoy a dry night in the car. Well somebody (me) made the grand prediction that it looked like a good night so we bunked down in old Bluey (our tent) and caught a few hours sleep, before being rudely awoken by our air-mattress turned water bed.

Our carefully chosen campsite

That sweet spot we had so carefully chosen wasn't so sweet after all. The rock walls we thought would protect us from the wind, just channeled all the water into our campsite, and that tree that was supposed to provide us with some shelter was in a slight hollow that seemed to just collect the run off from the rock walls.

What we got was a flooded tent and a floating mattress.

We lasted the night out in the front seats of Rodge, me wrapped around the steering wheel like the contortionist I'm not and Nic hugging pretty much every backpack we own… all to stay somewhat dry!

After a late start we headed back into the park where we received an initial shock from an information board stating that the Delicate Arch (the most prolific and spectacular arch within the park) viewpoint was closed due to flooding. Our minds were put at ease after a quick chat with one of the rangers who pointed out that the road was closed but the trail was still open.

Delicate Arch

What this meant was that all those 'tourists' who had hoped to see Delicate Arch from the luxury of their RVs and tour buses actually had to hike to the arch. What this also meant was that you had a variety of under-prepared and ill-equipped cadets on the trail. Not that we ever really look the part of the hiker, in fact we often get some disapproving looks from the serious hiker all decked out in their Kathmandu finest, but we at least wear shoes (well most of the time) and we always have water, and being Liam's brother, there's no shortage of schnacks.

The hike isn't too bad, about an hour of walking up hill, but Delicate Arch definitely makes up for it at the top. They say it's not the biggest arch, nor the tallest, or widest spanning, but it would go close to the most photographed arch in the world, and if you haven't already seen a picture of it somewhere along your travels, let me help you out.

Delicate Arch

Leaving the masses at Delicate Arch, we joined the rest of them at the Windows section, where Double Arch would actually be my favourite of the park. It's actually two arches and one 'pothole' arch that all combine to make one of the most spectacular formations I have seen to date.

Double Arch

The rest of the Windows section is also a must do, even if it's just to watch the 'tourists' in action. The must have photo of the section captures both North and South Window, and you have to pick your moments to get a clear shot.

North & South Windows

A quick lap around Balancing Rock, which sadly will tumble one of these days, and a stroll trough Park Avenue rounded out Arches for us. A place we had expected a lot from, and got a lot out of. Given it's on the number plates of Utah, you'd expect it to be worth the trip.

Balancing Rock

Grand Teton National Park: Battle of the Brothers

The Teton Range at pre-dawn

Grand Teton is virtually attached to Yellowstone, and one may consider it Yellowstone's little brother. But like all little brothers it stands on it's own two feet when in comes to it's independence.

We had read that one of the campgrounds within the park, Jenny Lake, is rated in the Top 10 of US National Park campgrounds, so with little fanfare we hauled arse down to Jenny Lake to try and secure a spot. Luck would have it that it was only half-full and we snagged a decent spot. To be honest we weren't, and still aren't, quite sure what all the fuss was about. But still we had a place to sleep and a place to … well you know what.

With camp set and the weather not looking too favourable to hiking that afternoon we decided we take in the scenic drive and try and remain dry. The views you get from both Glacier View Turnout and Snake River Overlook are pretty amazing, but frankly anywhere you look in Grand Teton the view is incredible. Snake River Overlook did provide us with another unexpected highlight with a fox managing to get a hold of a pika, or some sort of mouse in the shrubs next to the car park. Not the big game kill we were after but we'll take it.

Snake River Overlook

On the way back to the camp site we stopped off at the Jenny Lake Overlook and it was here that the storm finally hit. We actually got to watch the wind and rain race across the lake, and by the time it hit you, you knew it was going to be a decent storm. I'm not too sure how strong the winds were but by the time we made it back to the car, the carpark was a minefield. Trees were being snapped and blown over everywhere you looked.

Incoming storm rolling across Jenny Lake

With that we hightailed it back to camp via a few route changes due to trees falling across the roads. Not long after arriving at camp were we moving again, given a rather large tree across the road had just come smashing down about 10m from our tent. Our neighbours were due for quite the surprise when they returned from their day's activities – it fell about 2m away from their tent.

Storm damage within the camp site

We weathered the storm from the safety of the visitor centre's carpark – a safe distance away from the fall zone of any nearby trees. The storm didn't do too much more damage in our area but it had caused extensive damage throughout the park – bringing down power lines at the south end of the park meaning we were back to basics for the next few days with no power or running water.

Sunset from Signal Mountain

The next day continued in a similar vein, turning out to be a day of near misses.

We had read that the sunrise viewed from atop Signal Mountain was a must do whilst you're in the park. So at the crack of dawn, well actually 45 minutes before the crack of dawn, we headed out to Signal Mountain. One of the benefits of being up so early is the abundance of wildlife around – if only we had a camera with battery charge! Luckily the old phones these days take decent photos and we sufficed with that. We later stopped off at one of the park's northern campgrounds that still had power and hung around the toilets (like the creeps we are) and got a bit of charge back into one of the cameras.

Sunrise over the park

What we hadn't considered was how much damage the storm had done overnight, and lo and behold, the road up to Signal Mountain was closed. So we had to settle for the Mount Moran Turnout to take in the sunrise – not a terrible second option but wouldn't have had much on Signal Mountain. We confirmed this later when we finally got up the mountain for sunset, and given the vantage points it was obvious why it is highly recommended for sunrise, but still a must do at any time of the day.

Sunrise lighting up the Teton Range

After some animal watching at a few of the viewpoints we decided to make the most of our early morning and tackle Cascade Canyon – a leisurely 13.6 mile round trip plus a few added miles to take in Inspiration Point (far more inspirational than its namesake in Yellowstone) and Hidden Falls.

View into Cascade Canyon from Inspiration Point

The hike takes you around the shores of Jenny Lake and then up into the heart of the canyon itself. A somewhat short detour brings you to Inspiration Point which provides you with one of the best views in the park – out across the waters and the park itself. True, given you are actually within the Teton Range itself, you aren't actually looking at the mountains, but very few views within the park aren't so it's somewhat unique. And definitely a great spot to sit and take it all in for a few minutes.

Inspiration Point

The hike through the canyon is rewarding in it's own regard, and following a porcupine for a few hundred meters was definitely the highlight in terms of animal spotting, but we also got quite the shock when what we thought was thunder was actually the start of a rock slide from the top of the canyon walls. The crack of thunder we thought we had heard must have actually been the crack in the rock wall that started the slide. We didn't actually get to see any rocks falling but we did see the column of dust the proceeded it. It set Nicole off into 'action plan' mode if anything of the sort happened again.

Cascade Canyon

One would think that was enough excitement for the day but again the day of near misses struck right at the end.

After ducking in to find Hidden Falls we were back on the trail just above Jenny Lake when an older couple came charging the path yelling, 'have you seen the baby?' My first reaction was, 'what f_cking baby, and where are it's parents?' But in her haste the old duck had forgotten to say 'bear' at the end of her sentence. Reluctantly we admitted we hadn't seen the cub, or it's mother for that matter, to which she responded, 'But you can't miss it. It's right by a tree'. This in a field of a thousand trees, and what had the mother bear chained the poor thing to it so she wouldn't lose it, or didn't it have legs? Anyway we didn't get to see the bear cub, but that exchange was a great way to cap off a pretty rewarding but strenuous hike.

But our day of near misses wasn't quite done with us. Upon arriving back at camp our new neighbours came over and shared some more exciting news. A young male bear had been roaming through the campsite and took a liking to our tent, Old Bluey, but was more interested in theirs. Apparently he wasn't too fazed with the attempts of our other neighbours to get rid of him, and the ranger's rubber bullets didn't concern him much either. Luckily everyone in the area had followed the camp rules and all foods and strong smelling substances were safely stowed away in the bear bins, not the tents, and once he was done satisfying his curiosity, he made his own way out. All this excitement and we weren't there to savour it!

Phelps Lake

For the hiker in you, I would say Grand Teton slightly out points Yellowstone but both stand alone as must do's on your All American Road trip.