Reflecting on our trip

Throughout our 2 month trip and especially now that we've returned, we've been asked "what's your favorite park?" and "which ones would you go back to?" Now that we've had a week to unwind, settle down and think it over, I can answer those questions.

Narrowing it down to one is nearly impossible. In some ways the parks we visited on this trip were similar but in many other ways the parks were absolutely unique. I am very into cool geologic formations and this particular trip had that in abundance! If you like other things, your rankings might be different!

For more information and lots of photos of these beautiful places scroll through the Travels section of our website: BraysAway Travels

Here's a recap of the parks we visited with my short description and review:

1. Monument Valley: as our first stop, this location really wowed me. It's basically a bunch of mesas and buttes ranging from 800 to 1000 feet high that are all that remains of a once large plain. So much earth has been removed that you almost think the monuments must have popped up out of the ground! It's a rough road through the park so take a good truck or jeep or pay for a guided tour in one of the many tour vehicles bouncing their way around. There is a nominal fee per carload to get into the park.
2. Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park: I'm covering these together because they are side by side and are basically views of the same type of terrain. Both parks can be accessed from the north on the same road and have amazing overlooks of a gorgeous meandering canyon or series of canyons that stretch out to the horizon. The river that carved it still meanders snake like through the two parks still carving out more rock and making it deeper. Think Grand Canyon though not quite as deep but going all the way to the horizon! Canyonlands has three major sections and we only visited the northern most. It's a huge park!
3. Arches National Park: Famous for having over 2000 arches scattered throughout the park some of which you can drive right up to and others take a bit of hiking to get to them. Also, it has some buttes and geology like Monument Valley. The geologic processes that allow so many arches to form naturally is truly amazing! You'll need to make a reservation for a time to enter this park as it's a favorite with tourists and can get quite busy.
4. Gooseneck State Park: A miniature version of Canyonlands. The river has carved a deep winding path through the plain and here you can get a good overview of it. Definitely worth the stop. Only $5 for a day pass and even if you just want to look over the edge and the winding river, it's worth a fiver! They even allow camping along the edge!
5. Valley of the Gods: Similar to Monument Valley but slightly less impressive though still worth the drive. Both are rough roads so take a vehicle with some clearance! There is no fee to drive through and there's boondock camping throughout.
6. Natural Bridges National Monument: Like Arches but with 3 natural bridges. Bridges are cut by water rather than an arch that's cut by other natural processes not including water. Small fee per carload to enter the park. Nice shortish hikes down to the bridges.
7. Capitol Reef National Park: Beautiful red rock formations not unlike Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley. Not a very popular park but it's worth a stop. They have a nice long, but rough, scenic drive to some of the more iconic formations. I recommend renting a Jeep for this one!
8. Bryce Canyon National Park: This park is in the running for my favorite! It has some of the most amazing rock formations of any park we have seen! The canyon walls are slowly eroding into Hoodoos which are column like formations everywhere you look. The park starts at about 7000 feet and runs back to over 9000 feet in elevation so hikes can be strenuous! We hiked down Wall Street along the Navajo Trail and it was amazing!
9. Zion National Park: unpopular opinion here but probably the most overrated of all the parks we saw. To me, the best part of the park is the drive in from the east entrance that goes through some amazing geologic formations and hair pin turns down the side of a canyon wall. The touted "scenic drive" road is only accessible by bike or free park bus and it goes along a stream in a canyon with high straight walls on both sides which is actually kind of boring. Now, there are some aggressive hikes that probably take you to amazing sights but for the average visitor it's rather bland.
10. Grand Teton National Park: It's a relatively small national park along the eastern side of the Tetons but I think it's gorgeous there! The mountains become more craggy and impressive as you move north into the heart of the park for amazing views. Still, there's really only hiking to do in the park for the most part other than the scenic loop that gives you views of the mountains and the Snake River Canyon.
11. Yellowstone National Park: Okay, another top contender for my favorite from the trip! Yellowstone, America's first national park, is huge with a ton of things to see. It has the geysers, fumaroles, hot pots, mud pots, and steaming pools of water spread out all across it and then also has mountains, a beautiful canyon with two sets of falls and amazing wildlife like bison and elk throughout the park! There's sections of wide valley with gentle streams to fish and see bears! There's tons to see and do but it's also very popular and you will wait in line to see things or find parking at the most famous sites.
12. Yosemite National Park: The third contender for my favorite park. I'd visited once before so this didn't hit me as hard as it could have. Still, it's a beautiful valley full of amazing granite domes with rivers and falls to explore! Such a beautiful park but again it's crowded during peak season. Don't miss the views from Glacier Point - not for the faint of heart!
13. Giant Sequoia National Monument: You drive through this monument on the way back to Kings Canyon National Park and as the name indicates, you see a lot of huge sequoia trees on the way in. But you also pass through an amazing section of very rugged and beautiful mountains with a deep canyon that is utterly gorgeous. After many miles of switchbacks down the mountains onto the floor of the canyon near the river you enter Kings Canyon.
14. Kings Canyon National Park: Continuing from above, this park is basically the canyon back to the end where the rivers spill into the park. There's several falls to visit and a wonderful stream that many anglers were fishing. After the drive in from Giant Sequoia, it actually feels rather tame though.
15. Sequoia National Park: As the name suggests this park is home to the largest (by volume) trees in the nation - The General Sherman and General Grant. It's also home to dozens of additional HUGE trees. In addition to the trees there's beautiful mountains and canyons, some granite domes and amazing hikes around the forests.

So, now for the all important naming of my favorite! Drum roll please .... Bryce Canyon! While I would visit Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia and many others again, Bryce Canyon National Park was the one with the most amazing geology that just boggled my mind!