We began our family’s Red Rock road trip in Flagstaff, Arizona. Here, my wife and our two kids, Nicole and Alex, met up with my parents and brother.
From the airport, we rented a van and piled in. Dad took the wheel, Mom sat at his side, and my brother and I in the back. It was just like our childhood road trips, only with my wife and another generation of kids in tow.
From Flagstaff, the highway wound through the stunning Vermilion Cliffs. Towering red and orange sandstone walls rose around us, their striations glowing under the afternoon sun.
The landscape felt ancient and alive, like a silent guardian watching over travelers. Nicole, my daughter, marveled at how the cliffs seemed to shift colors with every passing mile as my son, Alex, snapped photos.
“It’s like driving through a painting,” Nataliya said, sketchbook in lap. Through the Vermilion Cliffs, the road carried us deeper into the heart of the Southwest.
Canyonlands National Park: Where the Earth Cracks Open
The road led us north into Utah, where Canyonlands National Park stretched endlessly under a cloudless sky. We stood at the Island in the Sky overlook, staring into a labyrinth of canyons, mesas and buttes carved by the Colorado River.
“It’s like Mars, only you can breathe here,” Alex joked. My brother, Rob, squinted at the distant buttes and spoke of the geological epochs the layers of rock must have witnessed while Mom clung to her wide-brimmed hat, the wind threatening to carry it into the abyss.
We hiked the Mesa Arch Trail, an easy path leading to a stone window that perfectly framed the canyons below. The sun lit the arch like it was glowing from within. Nataliya sketched the scene, Alex photographed it, while Rob and Nicole climbed higher, seeking out less-traveled overlooks.
That evening, we gathered around a campfire near our lodge, the sky darkening to reveal a sea of stars. Dad pointed out constellations, and Alex tried to identify satellites moving steadily across the night. In that stillness, we felt the vastness of the universe—and the closeness of family.
Canyonlands National Park Half-Day Tour from Moab
Capitol Reef National Park: Orchards and Petroglyphs
Capitol Reef was a quieter marvel. Red cliffs and domes rose against blue skies, but the real surprise was the Fremont River cutting through the landscape, nourishing lush orchards planted by early Mormon settlers.
We picked apples straight from the trees, the juice sticky and sweet. Mom reminisced about her childhood, plucking apples from trees at her grandmother’s house, while Dad read aloud about the pioneers who once called this rugged place home.
A short walk led us to ancient petroglyphs etched into sandstone walls. “Think of the people who painted these images thousands of years ago,” I said. “Probably some kid who got in trouble for writing on the walls,” Alex blurted.
Later, we spread out a picnic near the orchards, surrounded by the quiet rustle of leaves and the distant murmur of the river. The meal was filling; the scenery more so.
Arches National Park: Stone Giants and Fiery Skies
By the time we reached Arches National Park, the heat had turned up. Stone arches and towering spires rose from the desert, defying gravity and time. We tackled the hike to Delicate Arch in the late afternoon, the sun casting long shadows across slickrock.
Halfway up, Mom and Dad decided the shade of a juniper tree was more inviting than the summit. “We’ll hold down the fort here,” Dad declared.
The rest of us pressed on, sweat evaporating amidst fine red dust. When we finally stood before Delicate Arch, the sun slipping toward the horizon, it was worth every labored breath. The arch glowed orange and pink, a natural monument against the wide sky.
Nataliya took it in silently, her hand resting on my shoulder. Nicole and Alex scrambled around for the best photo angles. Rob considered taking a picture, but decided to just take in the view instead. We stood there as a small, quiet part of something infinitely larger.
Bryce Canyon National Park: A Forest of Stone
Bryce Canyon was a dreamscape of hoodoos—spindly rock spires that crowd together like stone towers. The air was cooler here, the elevation lending a crispness to the morning.
We descended the Navajo Loop Trail, weaving between towering formations. Dad was ahead, calling back facts about how frost and erosion carved these shapes. Nicole tried to echo her voice off the walls, laughing every time it bounced back.
Mom paused often, marveling at the twisted bristlecone pines clinging to the cliffs. “Look, there’s Thor’s Hammer,” Alex pointed out the formation. “And there’s Wonder Woman’s Invisible Lasso,” he joked, pointing at a blank space.
At Sunset Point, we watched the sun dip below the horizon, painting the hoodoos in shades of crimson and gold. After dark, we joined a ranger-led stargazing program. Telescopes revealed Saturn’s rings and the fuzzy glow of distant galaxies. Curiosity lit up as brightly as stars.
3-Day Tour: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and Grand Canyon
Zion National Park: Sandstone and Crimson Giants
As we drove into Zion National Park, we were instantly enveloped by the grandeur of towering sandstone cliffs glowing in shades of crimson and gold under the sun. The Virgin River shimmered beside us, weaving through cottonwoods that rustled in the warm breeze.
We hiked the Riverside Walk, admiring how the sheer canyon walls seemed to rise endlessly, their rugged faces streaked with ancient mineral lines. Alex and Nicole skipped stones into the river as the rest of us took in the rock formations.
Later, we stood at the base of Angel’s Landing, craning our necks to trace the narrow trail that snaked skyward. While the daunting ascent wasn’t for us this time, we admired the daring hikers silhouetted against the sky.
We chose the Emerald Pools Trail, winding past trickling waterfalls and lush alcoves, each turn revealing new shades of green tucked into the desert. As the sun dipped behind the cliffs, casting long shadows across the valley, we found a quiet spot to rest, breathing in the scent of warm earth and juniper.
Later, we drove the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, its switchbacks and tunnels revealing stunning vistas at every turn. At Canyon Overlook, the whole family gathered for one last panoramic view. The cliffs blazed with the setting sun, shadows stretching long and thin.
As the sky darkened, we stood quietly, the desert wind brushing past. The vastness around us mirrored the closeness between us, a fitting end to a journey carved from stone and into memory.
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