In two weeks the Modern Magellan is packing up the Subaru and heading to Utah. My girlfriend and I are driving out from Denver, spending 4 days and 5 nights camping and hiking around Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Utah is just awesome. Not too long ago we drove out there to explore Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, and as soon as we got back, we kept telling ourselves we needed to go back. And ever since we returned from Patagonia back in February, we’ve been itching to get out on another adventure.

Our plan is to hit the road on a Tuesday afternoon and drive to Moab, Utah. Zion is 9-10 hours away from Denver, and Moab is a little over half-way. We have a couple super sweet explorations planned so far. A sunrise hike to the delicate arch in Arches NP. The Angels Landing and Narrows hikes in Zion NP. A scenic drive around Bryce Canyon NP. The campgrounds in Zion were already all booked up, so we are going to try our luck with BLM campgrounds. In Bryce, all of the campgrounds are first come first served. Here’s a little itinerary of the road trip:

Tuesday 

Leaving Denver late afternoon

Drive to Moab, Utah and camp that night

Wednesday 

Sunrise hike in Arches NP

Drive from Moab to Zion 

Afternoon Hike in Zion

Camping near Zion NP (BLM camping)

Thursday 

Narrows hike in Zion NP

Camping near Zion NP (BLM camping)

Friday 

Angels Landing  Hike in Zion NP in morning

Drive to Bryce Canyon in the afternoon

Camp in/near Bryce Canyon NP

Saturday 

Hiking and Drive around Bryce Canyon NP

Camping in/near Bryce Canyon NP

Sunday 

The long drive back to Denver

We are looking forward to outrageous rock formations, epic sunsets, breathtaking landscapes, and camping under the starry night sky. In fact, this part of Utah has some of the darkest nights in the whole country, meaning tons and tons of stars. Be sure to follow my Instagram during the trip and be on the lookout for a “What’s in the Pack” post later next week. Explore on!

-Dave