The Ultimate National Park Loop

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“The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasuring ground for those who explore the roads, hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent Colorado River. This canyon is a gift that transcends what we experience. Its beauty and size humbles us. In its vast spaces we may find solace from our hectic lives. Sit and watch the changing play of light and shadows. Wander along a trail and feel the sunshine and wind on your face. Attend a ranger program. Follow the antics of ravens soaring above the rim. Listen for the roar of the rapids far below. Savor a sunrise or sunset.”

While making this drive you will no doubt cross over Glen Canyon Damn, and pass through Glen Canyon National Recreation area. On this brief leg of the trek, you’ll be treated to a stunning blue-green lake surrounded by vast red cliffs and crannies. Many people will spend their entire vacation at this scenic location each year. They rent houseboats and explore the mysteries of Lake Powell. The Visitors’ Center at the damn is well worth the hour or two you might spend there.

I know that many people prefer to drive past the welcome and visitor centers at the parks without stopping. Conversely, I have found that I get a LOT more out of the area if I stop and read and chat. In fact some features or attractions can only be found with the aid of a map, or a kind ranger's assistance. I'm also a literature hog. I grab everything while I am in these centers. I read a lot of it as I go through the park, and then finish reading it at home, later. Then too, I'm the type who watches the Colorado River raging 200 feet below me, and I wonder how many gallons a day go through here? Or looking at the walls of the Grand Canyon I wonder how many years of geology I am looking at, or how long did it take to carve this. Anyway, you get the idea. And I'm pushing here for visitors to the fantastic places to take advantage of the literature and the input of staff.

As you drive south from Zion to the Grand Canyon, if you decide to check out the road less traveled and see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, you will no doubt come to the little town of Kanab, Utah. This area was home to many of the old westerns, the John Ford, John Wayne westerns where the good guy invariably won the day. Kanab was where the actors laid their heads at night. It is a beautiful little town ringed by brilliant red cliffs. The old Parry Lodge still fills up on most nights in the summer. This hotel was home to Hollywood when it visited in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. If you’re lucky, or ask for it, you may even stay in the same hotel room that was the Duke’s, or Maureen O’Hara’s or Jimmy Stewart’s. It’s an interesting little town, and if you can’t spend the night you might want to at least stretch your legs and have a cool ice cream cone. But be warned, if you want a beer, you might have to return to Arizona. From Kanab, it’s 12 miles to the nearest bar – across the Arizona state line.

Well, I hope you enjoyed The Ultimate National Park Loop – enough, perhaps, so that next time you'll try it in your car, and with friends or family. Believe me, nobody could possibly express in writing the grandeur that awaits visitors to the national parks.

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....Savor a sunrise or sunset: http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/