Poolside in Moab, “Glamping” in Zion (and Roughing it in Goblin Valley)
Hello, world! After a week (plus) off, I’m back on the writing grind and ready to tell you alllllll about the adventures my husband and I had in Utah the last seven days. From flying first class for the first time (for hella cheap— more tips on that later) to staying near Kylie Jenner while she also vacationed in the desert (!!) to glamping, camping, and more... we did it all in beautiful Utah. Let’s dive in:
Flying First Class (for Cheap!)
Our trip started with some COVID-19 considerations. Where could we go and still avoid crowds and maintain social distancing, and how could we get there as safely as possible, putting ourselves and others at little risk? Andrew, having been to Utah before, initially suggested it. It took little convincing after showing me only a few photos of how beautiful and serene the area was, so I was in— but, the question of getting there safely remained.
Andrew, always thinking on his feet and being the finance guy, had a solution; why not fly as cheaply as possible out of the smallest airports we could find, in counties with the fewest COVID-19 cases? Moreover... why not fly first class (if we could find a deal on seats)? Thus, the search began, and lo and behold— we found actual *cheap* first class tickets with American Airlines.
Flight prices having dropped already helped a bit, but what really assisted Andrew and I on our quest to budget a first class flight for two was the AA Advantage credit card. Andrew has immaculate credit (thanks to being smart about credit cards, student loans and car payments as a teen + onward), so after applying and receiving the card he was given a sign-up bonus of thousands of free airline miles with American. That said, he found the perfect, small flight to the tiny regional airport of Grand Junction, Colorado, just over an hour outside of Moab, Utah... and the rest is history.
Arriving in Moab
Flying first class for the first time was pretty neat, even during a pandemic. With our masks, Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer in tow, we sipped mimosas (carefully) on the small plane as we headed toward Colorado.
Our first day in Moab, Utah, after finding this amazing mural painted on the side of a local motel!
Having only been to California and Nevada out west before, I was super eager to see (some of) Colorado and (a lot of) Utah. Utah in particular is home to a multitude of National and State Parks, each unique in their beautiful terrain and hiking, biking, and rafting activities. Once we arrived in Colorado, hopped in the (Lysol-wiped) rental car and arrived in Moab, I knew I was in for a treat.
Our view from a peak in Canyonlands National Park.
The earth all around Moab is red and scorched, but in a way that’s strikingly beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that Kylie Jenner was also vacationing there during our stay!
We checked into a very private, brand-new hotel called Hoodoo Moab. (Hoodoo being the name for the strange rock formations that appear across much of Utah’s desert terrain.) Only staying in a hotel for two nights before the glamping-to-camping tour began, my husband and I knew we needed to soak in every second of the beautiful scenery, *real* showers, and refreshing pool at our disposal between National Park visits all around the Moab area.
Although the hotel was a wonderful oasis in the desert wilderness that is Moab, it was far from the main attraction there— that, of course, was Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Specifically, the Delicate Arch within Arches and the HUGE, rocky canyons that you can drive straight into (very, very carefully!) in Canyonlands. Rearing to go and backpacks (and TONS of water) in tow, we set out to hike the precarious path to Delicate Arch the day we arrived. Shew, was THAT a challenge.
The moment we finally made it to the Delicate Arch!
About three miles in length round-trip, one wouldn’t think the Delicate Arch hike would be as difficult as it is. Between walking straight uphill on slick rock and fighting the 105 degree heat and blistering sun the entire time, we ended up drinking a total of 2.5 liters of water on the Delicate Arch walk alone. Was it worth it? Hell. Yes. Was it hard? Pretty hard, actually, yeah. But would I do it again? Yes, I would!
Luckily, the rest of our time in Moab entailed driving more of Arches National Park (thank God for cars!) and taking *much* simpler hikes through Canyonlands. It’s hard to describe how beautiful everything was, including our boutique hotel stay and the gorgeous desert oasis pool and bar there, but you can check out my Instagram for more photos that attempt to do it some justice.
Next Stop: Glamping in Zion
After a couple days of hiking and becoming what seemed like professional sightseers in Moab, Andrew and I headed out toward Zion National Park. Stopping to (safely) see family friends in St. George, Andrew and I made it to Zion pretty late on that Monday night, checking in to our first-ever “glamping” (as in: glamorous camping) experience at Under Canvas Zion just seconds outside of Zion National Park. We fell asleep pretty quickly in the incredible feeling king-sized bed that night, but when we woke up, the full luxurious feel of the glamping area really set in.
We awoke to a safari-style canvas tent with hardwood floors and a nice sized porch, a working toilet, sink and shower, a king-sized bed, and cooling misters fighting off the Southern Utah heat. I was in awe. This (pretty reasonably priced) tent was completely camping yet completely comfortable, offering all the conveniences of a hotel while still allowing visitors to stay extremely socially distanced in their own tent in the beautiful, wild Zion Canyon Valley. I was really impressed, to say the least.
Also offering breakfast, dinner and bar services in the “main” tent (which acted as a lobby and food take-out station), Under Canvas Zion was incredibly well put-together and completely focused on guest comfort and keeping the experience wild and wonderful yet pampered and pristine. I’d easily give them 5/5 stars overall, because it was really one of the coolest things I’d ever done (and, like I said before, all at a very reasonable price).
A photo I took at the beautiful Under Canvas Zion.
Once again, though, the main attraction in Zion was not where we stayed, but what we did (and the beautiful sights we saw) there! From ATV riding up to Gooseberry Mesa to hiking the famous, river-wading trail called “The Narrows” in the National Park, we filled our three days in Zion full of outdoor, socially-distanced activity.
The Narrows, in particular, was another of the more challenging hikes I’d ever done. Starting on a paved riverside walk trail before forcing hikers to dive straight into the Virgin River, The Narrows is a miles-long excursion upstream toward the area where the slot canyon “narrows” to an extraordinary point, allowing only a few hikers to get through at a time beyond a certain area a few miles upstream in the riverbed. Yep, that’s right— you hike *in* the river, wading waist-deep at times over slick rocks and rushing currents, trying your best to utilize hiking sticks and your best water-proof hiking boots to not fall over every few feet.
Truth be told, I fell a few times while hiking The Narrows and Andrew did as well (much less than me, though), but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My only advice would be to use caution, because the river can become pretty high at points (even though we were lucky, going at a pretty low cubic-feet per minute time of year), and occasionally some insidious algal blooms can spring up in the Virgin River. Basically, that means always wash up before and after going into the water, and DO NOT get it in your eyes, nose or mouth. Also, don’t let pets drink the water, and it would really be all but impossible to take pets on this particular trail, anyways. That said, if you use caution and hike at a low-tide time of year, The Narrows is only moderately challenging and is well worth seeing at least once in your life. It certainly rounded out our Zion trip, as it took the entire first half of our last day there to do it.
The beginning of the trail— “The Narrows” opening, just past Riverside Walk in Zion National Park.
Our last evening in Zion consisted of sipping Cava under the stars (courtesy of the Embers bar and restaurant at Under Canvas Zion) and soaking in the beautiful, mountain views one last time from the top of the Canyon Rim trail inside the park. In the morning, we’d head to Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley in a marathon-style car trip along I-70.
Last but Not Least: Roughing it in Goblin Valley
After a short stop in Bryce Canyon on the road out of Zion (which was also beautiful, by the way, standing at an impressive 8,000 feet and FULL of awesome-looking hoodoos and other rock formations) Andrew and I made our way toward Goblin Valley State Park. Stopping in tiny, historic cowboy towns for photos and take-out food along the way, we barreled down highway 70 toward the State Park and the secluded campsite we’d reserved there.
Upon arrival, Andrew and I ran through the “Goblin Valley”, which is really one of the weirdest yet most beautiful places I’ve ever been! Surrounded by strange rock formations called “goblins” (i.e, tiny hoodoos) we found weird little (and some not so little) rocks stacked up in all shapes and sizes. It was truly such a strange sight, as the goblins stretched on for yards and yards, popping up out of seemingly nowhere and standing stoic in the vast valley beyond.
Perhaps even more impressive was the camping at Goblin State Park, which allowed us to stay completely secluded in our tent and view the most stars I’d ever seen. As a West Virginia gal I’m used to seeing plenty of stars in the dark, rural sky at night, but this was different— you could actually *see* the swirling clouds of the Milky Way galaxy streaking the black backdrop of the night, with what seemed like millions of little stars dotting it all around. It took my breath away, and Andrew and I fell asleep gazing up at it all through our tent mesh.
Another shot from Zion National Park, Utah.
When we woke up, the stars were all but gone, and we headed back to Moab for one more day of horseback riding, sightseeing, and poolside chilling before our flight home. What a trip it had been.
Our Utah trip was (honestly) so exhausting yet completely worth it, beautiful yet strikingly different from any other natural landscape I’d encountered before, freeing yet comforting, and full of excitable joy yet complete calm in all the best ways. If you ever get a chance to do Utah (whether socially distanced and responsibly, or post-pandemic), I’d highly recommend visiting the beautiful state.