A friend, Latonia, had a conference in Salt Lake City, so we took this opportunity to rent a campervan from Escape Campervans. We planned enough in advance that when we saw the Black Friday sale of 40% off, we jumped on it! “Hilly” was our ride for the week.
Friday, June 14 – I picked the van up while my friend finished her meetings. Groceries were loaded and luggage was organized. And I did a quick solo hike to a waterfall in Cottonwood Canyon. We hit the road towards Moab by 3pm on Friday afternoon. We arrived to Horsethief Campground just outside of Canyonlands National Park – Island in the Sky District just before dark. We were delighted to find that there were quite a few empty campsites available. My biggest fear was not finding a campsite on a Friday night.
Saturday, June 15 – We were awake before 5am on Saturday morning, so we headed to Mesa Arch within Canyonlands NP. There were a lot of other people there; it’s a popular spot for sunrises. And it did not disappoint. After sunrise, we made our way to the picnic area, ate breakfast and took a quick hike to White Rim Overlook. We drove to all of the overlooks and hiked to Upheaval Dome too. Next on our agenda was Dead Horse Point State Park. A quick stop by the Visitor Center, then off to another picnic site for lunch. After lunch, we did a hike on the rim trail. The rim trail gave us views back toward Canyonlands, Schafer Trail and the Potash Ponds. Off to Arches we go! We had reservations for a campsite within the park Saturday night, so we did not need a timed entrance pass. We stopped by a few sights, including Balanced Rock, on our way to the campground. Another picnic for dinner, then sunset in the park and a presentation at the amphitheater by a park ranger.
Sunday, June 16 – Our first hike of the day was to Landscape Arch, Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. Then off to the challenging Delicate Arch Trail. I had been told that there was a portion of the trail that was a little skinny with a drop off. Heights bother me just a little (ok, maybe a lot!), so this had me concerned somewhat. I actually did not have a problem with that section. But no one told me about the huge slab of slick rock – which actually was pretty grippy on my hiking boots. It reminded me of what Half Dome at Yosemite looks like, just not quite as tall and steep. One more stop at Double Arch and Windows Arch and we were done at Arches. The temperature was getting close to 100 degrees and a hamburger was calling my name in the air conditioning in Moab! LOL! We checked in at Field Station in Moab after lunch. This is a newly renovated hotel that caters to outdoor adventurers and van life folks. Our campsite came with showers, pool and community space to stay cool in the late afternoon.
Monday, June 17 – A busy day of driving and exploring was ahead of us. We had a quick breakfast at Field Station then headed out to Goblin Valley State Park. This was a fun place to explore the sandstone formations. I’m sure kids would have a great time running around and climbing! Then off towards Capitol Reef National Park and our search for the perfect boondocking campsite. We had several locations pinned on the map and each site seemed just a little better than the last – so lots of good options. After a picnic lunch, we headed toward the visitor center and Gifford’s Pie House. We grabbed a pie for a snack later. Cohab Canyon Trail was calling our name…or so I thought. After a good climb of many switchbacks, we got to the top section. The wind picked up and the trail got skinny with a steep drop off. Did I mention my fear of heights earlier? Yeah, well, the combination of wind and skinny, high places played with my equilibrium! I sent Latonia on to check out the trail and see if it was worth it for me to face my fears or just turn around and head back down. She explored a little more then came back and said we could head back down. So off we go to the picnic area to cool off in the Fremont River and eat our Peach Pie! We opted for the Grand Wash Trail next. It was a long flat trail in, you guessed it, a wash between two rock walls. If you have seen the Narrows at Zion, imagine that without water. It was a nice hike in the shade on a hot day. Back to the picnic area again to rinse off in the bathroom sinks (LOL!) and have a quick dinner before finding our campsite for the night. We drove just outside the West entrance of the park and found the perfect boondocking campsite.
Tuesday, June 18 – Up and at it early, we headed off before breakfast to hike to Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point (yes, Sunset point at Sunrise!). A quick breakfast of yogurt and berries, we headed up to our next hike of Hickman Natural Bridge. Then off we go to Great Basin National Park – another 4 hour drive away. We stopped at another picnic site for a lunch of fried eggs and bacon along the way. We got to Great Basin around 3pm. And were lucky to find a good campsite. That campground filled up quickly since two of the campgrounds were closed for improvements. We stopped by the visitor center and then headed up to the trails near Wheeler Peak. We started off with the Sky Island Trail, but then decided to push it a little more and hike to see the Bristlecone Pines and Teresa Lake. The skies cleared as we were heading back down the mountain and we were able to catch a wonderful sunset.
Wednesday, June 19 – Back to the Visitor Center by 8am and ready for our Lehman Cave tour. Caves are always interesting to me. A quick hike once we exited the cave and off to Salt Lake City. Another 4 hour drive! But we were rewarded with a night at the hotel, a nice shower and hot dinner! And a nice place to get reorganized for our trip home the following day.
Thursday, June 20 – Time to take “Hilly” home and head to the airport. What a fun adventure we had! Little did I know, I had a little more adventure left later that night. My flight back home from DFW was overweight so they were asking for volunteers to take a later flight. I was able to take an offer of $600 American Airlines trip credit and I arrived home only a couple hours later. Now I have money for my next adventure!!
So – how much did this cost? I’ll try to do a summary of my trip since this blog is for traveling on points. With other incidentals such as lunch on the day I arrived or meals/snacks at the airport and Lyft to pick up the van, it was about $1,200 out of pocket for me (or about $170 per day), along with 8,000 American Airlines points and 9,500 Hyatt points (transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards). But … I also received $600 back! So I guess you can say this trip cost me $600. 😉
Also, click on the “Shopping” tab above to see items I have used for this and other trips! Specifically for this trip, I purchased a new fanny pack, some more packing cubes and the closet organizer to keep the van organized because suitcases were hard to get to! The links on that page are affiliate links, so if you like what you’d see, I’d appreciate clicking through the links!
