Summer Roadtrip Part 3: Hello, Utah

Finally! After a late night of traffic jams and mountain driving, we settled on sleeping at the Colorado Welcome Center off I-70 in Fruita, CO, only about 20 minutes from the CO/UT border.

[SIDE BAR: Sleeping at Visitor Centers and Rest Areas can be a lifesaver when you're on the road - I'll write more about this in another post.]

In the morning, we used the restrooms in the Welcome Center, bummed some ice for our cooler from the Subway nearby, and headed back on the road. About an hour later, we stumbled in at the Thompson Welcome Center, where we grabbed a few pamphlets that we probably didn't need (sometimes you just can't help it) and checked out a short trail that leads up to a vista with some nice views.

While we were out exploring we saw some interesting plants, which I, unfortunately, can't name, and a couple of prairie dogs. I should also mention that it was BRIGHT, I mean, eye-meltingly bright. When in Utah, bring sunglasses. Also, sunscreen.

After about 30 minutes or so, we headed back out towards our first National Park of the journey, Bryce Canyon. At the advice of the woman working at the Welcome Center, we decided to take UT-24 W, followed by UT-12 W once we reached Torrey. 

This provided us with some AWESOME views, honestly, every time we rounded a bend the view changed. From bold orange rocks to deep reds, soft beige-yellow plains to white canyon dappled with dark green plant life, the nearly 5-hour drive from the Thompson Welcome Center to our camping spot for the night just outside of Bryce Canyon was rarely, if at all, a bore.

To add to the perks of taking the less traveled route from Colorado National Monument to Bryce Canyon is that you drive right by Goblin Valley State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Kodachrome Basin State Park on the way. 

If you're making this journey with a bit more time on your hands, I'd recommend stopping in Capital Reef to take in all that gorgeous red rock.

When we got to Bryce, we found a nice free campsite to set up for the night, and then headed into the park to explore. Find out more about Bryce and the awesome hikes we found there, here. ;)

All in all, it was a great day, and Yaz and my very first time in Utah - which, to be honest, was much more exciting than I had expected. 

STATS:
Date: July 29, 2017
Location: CO to Bryce Canyon National Park
Length of Stay: 1 day
Time from last stop: 4.75 hours, 9 hours from Longmont to Bryce
Miles from last stop: 290 miles, 540 miles from Longmont to Bryce


Accumulated # of Days: 12
Accumulated Miles: 2,279 miles


Highlights: Colorful rocks, constant change in view, heat, sunshine
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐