In between the snowy winters and scorching summers, Northern Utah has a season uniquely called the “mud season.” In short, this is the season where you can’t ski, and you can’t really mountain bike that well either. Most Utahns will choose to travel South to enjoy abundant sunshine before the 100-degree temperature hits. I decided to follow suit as well.
With this second trip down south, I have decided to keep to the non-interstate roads. After hiking around Provo, I jumped on highway 89 and headed to the Mystic Hot Springs. Winding down from the green valleys around highway 6, highway 89 snaked its way from the Wasatch front to the La Sal peaks. The colors along the road started to mix bits of yellow and brown, a sign of things to come.
Time to relax the stiff muscles from driving. Mystic Hot Springs has a variety of options for you to soak in. But let’s be honest, you are here for the nice hot tub lodged into one of the mineral-colored rocks. There are only 2 of them, so you might want to time it right!
Mystics hot springs have a variety of options when it comes to camping. You can even choose to stay on a bus with your own dedicated fire rings, a very nice little setup. There is even a common area with books, microwaves, coffee pots, and even couches! There was also an outdoor shower which wasn’t really working at the time. (The indoor one was working, though!) This campsite is close to town, there is not very much privacy to each of the campsites. On the upside, you are 2 minutes away from a Family Dollar.
In addition to the “Big 5” National parks you may have heard of, Utah also has just as good of a collection of state parks. Many of them are in mid to southern Utah. As a student of Anthropology, I could not skip the chance to view an excellent collection of pictograms and petroglyphs. Fremont Indian State Park happens to be only 10 minutes away, so the morning started there.
Fremont Indian State Park (the name is highly disputed by the Native Americans) is mostly a drive-thru park. You can view most of the pictograms and petroglyphs from the highway or via a very short hike. This is because the building of I-70 going through the high concentration of the “Fremont” settlements with a high amount of pictograms and petroglyphs. Unlike the dry landscape you see right now, the Sevier River and Clear Creek valley used to be populated by many Native American settlements due to the abundance of food sources like salmon. But you won’t see salmon on the drawing, though! Most of the petroglyphs and pictograms depicted warriors, hunts, calendars, and other “not-so-mundane” themes.
Time to head into the sand. The temperature rose as the orange along the side of the road got more saturated. The wind picked up as well, whipping the sand drops across my skin. It’s the desert indeed. First stop, the sand caves, and the site of a lost old town.
The sand caves are located just outside Kanab’s town, east of Zion national park. A very interesting little site where you can view the natural forming caves that shows the beautiful layers of the famous sandstones. This is not a must-visit sort of say. However, with its easy access from the highway, many choose to stop for a short sightseeing.
(insert the sand caves)
If you want to test the shock springs of your car, then the Grand-Staircase Escalante monument is worth it. Often viewed from the highway or simply skipped over, Grand-Staircase Escalante is really local’s favorite. I approached from the Southern side, this time from highway 89 to Paria, an old Mormon pioneer settler town that turned into a famous western movie set. Unfortunately, the old town site is now gone, but you can still enjoy the colorful sandstone formation nearby away from masses of other tourists. Well, that is if your car can take the high clearance rough roads.
It should not be surprising to you that there are surfable sand dunes in Southern Utah. If you like sandboarding, then the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is where you should go. Don’t have boards? Don’t fret. The park ranger has them for rent at the station with instructions and wax included in the price.
One of the most viewed images of Southern Utah must be those slot canyons. Many of the canyons hide deep secrets. Buckskin gulch canyon is a gem worth exploring. It has everything: v shape and A-shaped slot canyons, petroglyphs, potential ancient ruins, and beautifully layered sandstones. I might even recommend this over the Antelope canyon as it is free, and you have unlimited time to explore these canyons.
If you get lucky enough, you might also be able to get that famous photo of The Wave. Not me this time. After a second failed try, time to head to Arizona.