The Grumpy Old Scientist's Picture Page: Travel Advice

Getting towards the end of the trip. We're tired and we want to go home. So I will wrap this up with some travel tips for those of you who might be heading to Utah/Colorado:

The Grumpy Old Scientist
sees another red rock cliff.

First of all, if you want to see the famous national parks remember that everyone else does also. And, once you have seen one red rock cliff. . . .

Zion is worth the free shuttle through the park. Look at the walls and the canyon. Then get out. There's better. No entrance fee after 6 PM, but the shuttle runs until 10.

Bryce Canyon will blow your mind. Then it will try to do it again with a similar view. It gets repetitive very quickly. Drive in to Inspiration Point. It is beautiful. Look. Then drive back to Sunrise Point. Look. Amazing. Then get out before you are trampled.

DO THIS: Drive Utah state highway 12, the Million Dollar Highway. You will see everything that you could see in the national parks, with no crowds or fees. We drove east from Bryce, but you could also do this heading west from Torrey. Just follow this backwards and avoid Tropic, Utah with the most depressed-looking populace in the world.

Make sure that you visit Escalante Petrified Forest State Park on UT-12. It won't be

Petrified wood, just
lying around

crowded. Climb up the short trail to the pinyon / juniper forest and walk the 1-mile loop.

Escalante Petrified Forset
State Park

Besides the petrified wood you will see beautiful views and have the peace to enjoy them.

We saw only one other couple, and a few lizards.

The crowds in the state park

After the state park, we continued east on UT-12 to the "scenic lookout". We could see much of Utah from there.

Looking out over UT-12 -
from UT-12

Then over the hogback, a narrow strip of road with a 1000 foot dropoff on either side. I drove slowly.

We stopped in Boulder, Utah as recommended by that wonderful woman in Kolob, turned onto the Burr Trail and ate at the second restaurant. Good folk with great advice on what to look for. Then we drove down the 17 mile Burr Trail road. Everything that you can see in the national parks was there: Red rock cliffs, incredible rock formations, slot canyons, desert creeks, everything but people.

Burr Trail rock formations

Burr Trail

Creek flowing through
canyon on Burr Trail

Red rock cliffs on
Burr Trail

No charge and no people on the
Burr Trail road in Boulder, UT

At the end of the 17 miles, the canyon opens up to give you a wonderful view of Capitol Reef National Park. Guaranteed, Driving UT-12 between Torrey and Bryce will be the best part of any trip to Utah.

Dinosaur bones in the wild

If you go to the Dinosaur National Monument you can go into the quarry building with other people and you see the bones. Cool. You can take the guided hike back down to the visitor center and see bones in the wild. Cool. Then if you are smart, you will drive a ways down the road to Josie's cabin. Too cool for words.

This is Josie Basset Morris, of The Outlaw Josie Wells fame. One tough bird. Built a homestead, lived on her own for 50 years, hung out with Butch Cassidy, rustled cattle. Her cabin is still standing.