THE "WHY" OF THIS TRIP:
My husband is not one to sit still, even during a pandemic. Shortly after flying up to our second home in Colorado, he began talking about "The Mighty Five", Utah's famed National Parks and how great friends had said they were. I listened with half an ear, since I had only been up in my low-covid mountain sanctuary for a few weeks and was glad just to be here.
July was a busy month and in August, a trip to Utah was again on the table. Since my husband is a physician, I figured he knew what he was doing health-wise. We were driving, not flying and, at the time Utah had a fairly low incidence of covid. We kenneled our dog, packed a few bags (he actually grabbed the wrong one and ended up without clothes for the trip, which is a whole other story) and took off. I let him do the navigating, since I never bothered to do much reading about the Utah parks, since I figured his idea of visiting them this year was a fantasy; the whole time he had been watching Youtube videos and reading about them.
From where we live in Colorado, Utah is just a few hours down the interstate. As we drove, we noticed that vistas in the distance were hazy and wondered how smoke from the West Coast would affect visibility on our trip. We decided to continue, and I am so glad we did that.
MOAB AND ARCHES PARK:
First stop was Moab, home to Arches National Park, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park among man other fabulous sights. Below are a few shots from Arches.
Arches National Park, Moab UT
Arches National Park, Moab UT
Sunset at Arches National Park, Moab Utah
PETROGLYPHS:
Petroglyphs, are big in Utah and can be found in many locations, with several sites around Moab. These petroglyphs are carved images in rock left by the early indigenous peoples of the area. My husband misunderstood where to find this particular group of petroglyphs and we some knee-punishing cliff climbing.
Writer's husband looking for Petroglyphs
We learned that a good rule of thumb when the sign "Petroglyphs" is located right on the side of the road is to look there first, because that's where they were, in plain sight. 
Petroglyphs, Moab UT
Overlook, Dead Horse Point State Park
Overlook, Dead Horse Point State Park
Mormon Orchard, Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Gorge Trail, Capitol Reef National Park, UT
THE PANDEMIC AND THIS TRIP:
All dining is outdoors in a very pleasant setting. There was no rule-bucking or maskless diners in this place. I did not mind eating their gourmet offerings take-out style with plastic forks and knives.
For lunch, we grabbed a table in the courtyard and it was comforting to see the disinfectants available for cleaning table.
Petroglyphs, Moab UT
Petroglyphs of horses later, from the post-colonial period, because the indigenous peoples did not have horses before the Spanish arrived.
DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK:
Dead Horse Point State Park really a continuation of Canyonlands National Park and is a worthwhile stop with what brochures claim is the most photographed vista in the US. Whether or not that is true, the sheer cliffs overlooking the canyon were dramatic. This was the only park in which I actually got lost. I wanted to take a short hike along the cliffs and told my husband to meet me at the parking lot at the end. He misunderstood our meeting place, but eventually we did connect.
Writer at Dead Horse Point State Park
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK:
After Moab we headed to Capitol Reef. It is a different sort of park, much more tranquil than Arches and includes an working orchard with over 3000 plants that date from the 1890's, planted by early Mormon settlers.
The rock formations in Capitol Reef are majestic, with hikes into ancient river beds being a mainstay.
Rock formation,Capitol Reef National Park UT
Rock formations, Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Sunrise and sunset are the best times for photographs in the parks because the light is best at these time. I headed for a place called "Sunset Point" at the end of the day. Unfortunately it was cloudy that day, and even though there was no dramatic sunset, the lighting around sunset was was subtle an lovely.
Sunset, Sunset Point, Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Sunset, Sunset Point, Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Sunset, Sunset Point, Capitol Reef National Park, UT
BRYCE CANYON: HOODOS AND BADLANDS
Bryce Canyon seen from canyon rim, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Bryce Canyon seen from canyon rim, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Bryce Canyon National Park was the star of the trip. Bryce is all about hoodoos, "the tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland" (Wikipedia).
Hoodoos are also called fairy chimneys and it's not hard to see why; they create an enchanted landscape. For me, it was love at first sight. The three photos were taken from the rim of the canyon, There is a 20 miles scenic drive where it is possible to catch a glimpse of the canyon from various vistas. My recommendation is to first do this drive and then choose your hike or hikes.
I did the Queens Garden-Navaho loop, a moderately difficult 3 mile loop, traveling from the picturesquely named Sunrise to Sunset points. I will never forget hiking down into the badlands amongst the towering hoodoos. There was not one place that was not overwhelmingly picturesque. This popular hike was crowded, so masks were advisable at many points. All of the following photos were taken on this unforgettable hike,
Writer on Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon UT
Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon Ut
Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon UT
Queen's Garden-Navaho Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon UT
Queen's Garden-Navaho Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon, UT
Navajo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon UT
Writer in Queen's Garden, Bryce Canyon UT
Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon UT
Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon UT
ZION NATIONAL PARK
Zion is all about incredibly towering rock formations. About the most popular hike there is one
called "the Narrows" which requires walking in a river surrounded by towering rocks on each side and requires special shoes and a walking stick for support on the slippery rocks. We did not get to do this hike, thanks to the pandemic. Beyond a point, only public shuttles are allowed in the park and although there are safety standards, such as masks and reservations to limit passengers, they are still public transportation and we judged these not sufficiently safe for us. We tried to "sneak" into the park on horseback, but there was no availability for days.
Zion is a very popular spot and requires planning and reservations, not a last-minute trip like ours.
Rock formation, Zion National Park, UT
Rock formation, Zion National Park, UT
Pa'rus Trail, Zion National Park, UT
Sunset, Zion National Park, UT
Sunrise, Zion National Park, UT
Sunrise, Zion National Park, UT
Hiking Trail, Zion National Park, UT
Banded Navaho Sandston, Zion National Park, UT
Banded Navaho Sandston, Zion National Park UT
The Parks
The parks had mask mandates in indoor areas such as information centers and an effort was made to keep as much outdoors as possible. Outdoors, some visitors wore masks all the time, some not at all and others at times. I always had a mask available, but in areas where there was absolutely no one, I did not wear it. On my favorite hike, Bryce Canyon "Queen's Garden-Navaho Loop", at points the trail was congested and masks were essential. Visitors tended to be respectful and when approaching others outdoors, putting on their masks; this seems to be the new general new outdoor etiquette in many places with mask mandates.
Accommodations:
Before setting out, a friend asked if we were camping, a perfectly logical question, since that is what many people do at National Parks. (However in view of our "fly by the seat of your pants" approach we were lucky that we get our suitcases packed, let along our car for a camping trip). So my answer to her was- "no, Booking.com. "
We arrived in Moab with no reservations and although Moab was crowded, we did find a room at a national motel chain which advertised following the Southwest Utah Health Department's covid standards. (Masks in public area and extra cleaning in the rooms). This was something I looked for in all the subsequent places we stayed. I had brought an air purifier with a hepa filter from my house for added protection, along with a pack of alcohol wipes for wiping down surfaces.
Every now and then a maskless patron would enter a motel lobby. There was no aggressive effort that I saw to force them to wear masks. In Teasdale Utah, which did not have a mask mandate of its own, I offered a mask to a man in a motel lobby and he politely refused. My decision was largely to keep my mouth shut and stay far away from unmasked people.
Springdale, UT was our stop for Zion National Park. It is a cute town that specifically asked the state for a mask mandate to be put in place, because of its volume of out-of-state visitors; they wanted to keep their numbers low.
Eating
In Moab, masks were required to enter businesses. I saw some infractions, but most people wore their masks. There was no problem finding restaurants with outdoor dining; servers all wore masks. Motels have changed breakfast protocols; gone are breakfast buffets with a pick-up window for pre-ordered food or breakfast go bags instead.
Teasdale, Utah, the stop for Capitol Reef National Park, had more limited dining options, none of them outdoor seating. Our early dinner there was my one and only experience with indoor dining since the beginning of the pandemic. We were the only ones in the restaurant, so it wasn't so bad, but it was uncomfortable.
Bryce Canyon Lodge gets an A-plus for covid dining and I felt perfectly comfortable there. Since it is a national park lodge it follows strict government guidelines. We could not stay there because reservations are required months in advance, but we did eat two very comfortable meals. The fabulous food is ordered in a structured way with controlled social distancing. Each diner is given a pager with a number, leaves and when an order is ready the pager rings and food is picked up on a table with a number corresponding to the pager.
For lunch, we grabbed a table in the courtyard and it was comforting to see the disinfectants available for cleaning table.
Shopping
With the exception of Teasdale, all businesses required masks for entry. In some places, for instance at the drug/general store I went into in Moab, some people felt the need to defy this mandate. I gave up giving maskless people dirty look and just kept my distance.
Shopping instincts overtake common sense at times, as in the rock shop we stopped at in Moab. It was packed with people, which sent me back out the front door.
There were times when it was not possible to totally avoid maskless people and my approach was to keep my distance if I could not avoid the situation completely.
THE TAKE-AWAY:
Any trip during the pandemic involves some degree of risk, but so does general living unless you are seriously quarantining and completely avoiding the world outside of your home.
We chose a destination with a low covid incidence, and drove there. Staying in public accommodations does add some risk, but choosing hotels that adhere to a strict covid protocol lowers this. Bringing an hepa air filter made me feel better, as did double-disinfecting surfaces with the alcohol wipes I had brought.
Dining out of doors is my absolute rule, one which I did break in one place where nothing but indoor dining was available. Here, we chose a in-between meal time when no one else was eating. In all other places we stopped, outdoor dining or take-out was available.
Exploring outdoor settings like National Parks is intrinsically safe because it is generally easy to avoid people. In places where totally avoiding others is not possible, masks and social distancing are solutions that are enforced in National Parks. We avoided situations which seemed marginal, such as the park shuttles in Zion Park.
It would have been much more fun to explore the parks without anxiety about covid, but given the situation our impromptu trip was a tremendous experience and opportunity to spend time in breathtaking places. I discovered the beauty of the light at sunrise and sunset and finally understood why these are such prized times of day for serious photographers.
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