The Perfect Spring Road Trip - The Mighty 5 National Parks

Hey guys, are you struggling to find the destination for your next big adventure? Well, struggle no more. We've got the solution for you. I'm Lynn and I'm Danny. Welcome to RV America. The original RV America. We want to recommend to you the Mighty Five National Parks. So what is the Mighty Five? The Mighty Five are five national parks that scan across southern and central Utah and talk about some amazing landscape. When you explore these five national parks, you will see some of the most amazing scenery you have ever seen. They have everything from arches, canyons, hoodoos, just amazing things that you can see and they're all centrally located. And these five national parks are Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonland, and Arches. So five national parks, as we said, across southern Utah. And one of the most amazing things is that these parks are all located within an hour and some maybe two hours of each other. So you can really get a lot in and see a lot in a small amount of time without doing enormous amounts of driving. Right. And that's why it makes such a great road trip. And there's other areas that we'll talk about that you can throw in to make it even a better road trip. Even longer depending on how long you have. Right. So we want to share with you some of the reasons why this road trip is an absolute must. And if you stay tuned till the end, we're going to give you some bonus tips including when's the best time to go. So let's talk about it. So the first reason that you want to go to these parks is the variety of scenery. No two, okay, no two of these parks are exactly the same. They are each unique in their own way. Right. From the canyons in Canyonland to the arches in Arches National Park, they're just all so different. And you will be amazed as you bounce from one to the other. We loved Arches, but Bryce was amazing. Don't you think? Like Lynn said, no two parks are the same. Each one has their own charm. Each one has their own formations. And you're going to really enjoy this trip. All right. The next reason is the extensive hiking trails. These national parks are full of trails that you're going to love to do. And they take you to a reward. You know how we like hiking, but we especially like hiking when we get to somewhere that's exciting. An arch, a canyon, or something like that. So I want you to imagine hiking to Delicate Arch and you're standing below this 100 foot arch. Or you're hiking down the Virgin River in what they call the Narrows. So many people take that. Yeah. We did not, but a lot of people do. We ran out of that. We'll talk about that more later. Angels Landing is an amazing hike that so many people take. And they're throughout every park hikes like these. Right. They have trails in each of these parks that go from the novice hiker to the one who is very experienced and goes out and stays overnight and hikes for days and days and days. We are way in the middle of that. We love hiking, but we like to get home to the RV and the pets at the end of the day. For sure. We've gone on hikes in all of the parks. Some of them pretty easy. In Bryce Canyon, we walked around the top and it was snow. The trail that we wanted to do, we couldn't do because of the snow and the slippery. I think we could have, but they said you have to get spiked shoes. Yeah. So we decided not to rent spiked shoes. Old people don't need spiked shoes to go on a trail. And she's old. And I'm old, I guess. Yeah. So we didn't want to risk it and rent those shoes and slide down something. So we just went around the top of the canyon. Yeah. Which just gives us an excuse to go back because we missed a whole lot that time. Yeah. And we will say that we, this was when we first retired and we were on with somebody and we went pretty quick and spending a day or two days in a park. And you really, and we'll talk more about that, what you really need. Yeah. When you're, when you're retired, when you first retired, especially you go traveling, you hit traveling like you are on a vacation and you go boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Versus now that we've been retired for about three years, we've kind of slowed down and we've realized it's okay for us to stay in a place longer than two days that we've got more time than we used to have. Right. So it, you know, it's a learning process. So there's a lot of hiking for all levels. So maybe you're not a hiker. There's still great reasons for you to go to these parks. And one of the biggest reasons is the scenic drive. You do not have to be a hiker to enjoy these parks and a lot of the things, a lot of the views you will be able to see directly from your car. Yep. And everybody loves a beautiful scenic drive, especially through this part of the United States. You see so much landscape that's foreign to most of us. We don't see on a regular basis where we see those things. So you can drive and take the Zion Mount Carmel Highway. It'll take you through the heart of Zion and it'll take you through the tunnel of Zion Mount Carmel, which is going to be an amazing thing to see. Another scenic highway that a lot of people talk about is taking Highway 12. It's a scenic route from Rice Canyon all the way up to Capitol Reef. And you get to see some amazing views that you, hey, I'm at an international park because you get to see those things along the drive. Just beautiful landscape. Just driving the roads through the national park themselves are absolutely wonderful and you'll be glad you did it if you don't do anything else while you're there. So next on our list is the fact that these five national parks provide endless, and I do mean endless, photo opportunities. From the arches, the sunset catching through the arches, all the way over to the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. You can just take picture after picture after picture after picture. And we did. We did. So you get up early and see the sunrise coming through Mesa Arch or taking photo ops at the Narrows or Angel Landing, as we mentioned. Some of these things are going to be fabulous photo opportunities. So next on our list, if you're a stargazer, these parks are going to be your paradise. Yep. All five parks are designated dark sky areas and you can really see some beautiful skies. A lot of times people will mention stargazing from Bryce Canyon or just watching the desert sky at Capitol Reef and seeing the Milky Way just pass by. So there's some great, great opportunities to see stargazing. Yes, beautiful skies. Another reason you should take this road trip are the geological marvels. They are everywhere you go. From in the arches, you have the Fiery Furnace, where the wind and the water have just carved out beautiful arches and fins and they just go on for what seems like four mile. Beautiful, beautiful area. Or when you're in Capitol Reef, check out the Water Pockets. It's where the crust of the earth has been moved and you'll just see the ridge and it goes for 100 miles of ridge where that movement of the earth has created that ridge for that long. Just amazing geological marvels that are out there. So another reason to go to these parks is the cultural and historical things that are located in them. From the petroglyphs to the remains of the early settlers. There is so much history in all of them. So another great thing about visiting these parks is that you can set your own schedule and your own pace. You can choose to spend seven days there or if you have longer, you could spend a month or two months there and still not be able to see everything. If you want to extend your trip, try including the Grand Canyon. It's not very far, it's just a short drive. I'm not sure exactly how long, but it's just a short drive and the Grand Canyon is an amazing place all in itself. When you talk about photo opportunities, they are in abundance there. So another great thing about this road trip are the starting points. You can start from Salt Lake City. You can start from Las Vegas or Flagstaff and drive in or with your RV or maybe you fly into those destinations and rent a car. But the great news is around each of these parks, around the Mighty Five, there were over 80 campgrounds and over 70 or so hotels. So you're going to have a place to stay and a place to rest for the night and get ready for the next day's adventure. So now that we've given you all the reasons that you want to take this trip and I'm sure you have decided that you want to take this trip, let's talk about a couple of So that first tip is the entrance fee. There's five parks and it costs you $30 for each park. That's $150. Or the tip is get the American Beautiful Pass. It's $80 for a year unless you're a senior, then you get it for a lifetime. Military and other categories have a lifetime for that one-time fee of $80. Then you'll really make your money up by buying that pass because it lets you in these parks and all the parks across the United States. So that is a great win for you by getting in the parks and saving money. And if you decide you want to camp on the inside of the parks, the American Beautiful Pass will also get you a discount on I believe all of the campgrounds that are inside the park if you are able and one of those lucky people who actually got a campsite inside the parks. Right. And the next tip is get there early. Yes, the traffic in every one of these parks is going to be really, really bad. Parking is at a, what's the word I'm looking for? Parking is at a... It's at a minimum. It's at a minimum. Parking is almost non-existent. So they're parking on the sides of the roads. I think all of the parks have a bus that you can get on if you park in the main parking area and we did that for more than one. I think we did that for two that we were at. Just parked and got on the bus. But even parking and getting on the bus, if you don't get there early, you're going to have to park way, way out and walk in to get on the bus before you go to do your hike. So get there early regardless. That's the only way to do it. So let us share with you the tip that we talked about in the beginning, which is the time of year for you to go to these parks. A lot of people think summertime is the best time to get out and go and hit everything. It actually is not. Yeah, this is desert. So you'll be battling 100 degree weather during June, July, August. Very, very hot. So do not, in our opinion, go during the summer. If you can avoid it. If that's the only time you can go, by all means go, but drink lots of water. Yep. And Bryce Canyon would stay cooler. It's higher up in the mountains. So that's a great one to go during the summer and spend majority of your time there. But spring and fall are just beautiful. So those are the times you need to go. Get there, make your reservations early, and be able to enjoy that beautiful time of the year. Now, let's talk about the spring and the fall. If you are going to these parks and it's springtime, go to the southern parks first. So the northern ones will have a little bit of time to heat up before you get up there, depending on how long you're staying. And if you're going in the fall, go to the northern ones first, and then the southern ones later, if you can make your route go that way. Yep. If you have that flexibility. Some people don't. So if you're considering visiting one or all five of these national parks, we have more videos that you're going to want to see. Danny will link that playlist right here. So, one last reason why you need to go visit these parks. You will make memories that will last you your lifetime. Yep. From hiking to an arch, watching the sunrise or sunset on the desert, enjoying hiking down the narrows, and so many different things of just kicking back and relaxing and enjoying that type of landscape. That will be a great, great memory. And speaking of memories, one thing that pops in my head that is kind of strange, since you have all these five parks, was how the ranger got Linda to sniff ponderosa pines. Well, they said the ponderosa pines smell like vanilla. And so I went around smelling of the trees, trying to find the ones that smelled like vanilla. So I'll put some video up of that. But that does happen. He laughed at me. He wouldn't smell the trees. He wouldn't smell the trees at all. I'm like, you're not adventurous. I did look it up. That is the case. And she did find one or two that smelled like vanilla. But that is a funny adventure with, like I said, with all these other things that we saw, it just sticks in my mind that she's sniffing trees. And that memory will last our lifetime, I'm sure. We'll be laughing about that 30 or 40 years from now, hopefully. Right. So we encourage you to pack your bags, get ready, make your reservations, and head out to explore the Mighty Five. Until next time, God bless and many safe travels. And go RV America!