A Grand Tour - USA Part VII Horseshoe Bend & Grand Canyon

Horseshoe Bend - Page, Arizona

Page was the destination for two main reasons, to see the spectacular Horseshoe Bend meander and also to do a tour of Antelope 'slot' canyon.  

We had booked with 'Ken's Tours' which consistently had excellent approval ratings on tripadvisor (http://lowerantelope.com/general-tour/). 

Sadly the weather worked against us and a rainstorm meant tours were cancelled at the canyon. A quick search on google images shows what we missed. We didn't have time to be too disappointed however, next up and final national park visit was Grand Canyon.  

Grand Canyon - South Rim

Not much can prepare you for the sheer scale of The Grand Canyon, not least the distances involved of just the south rim. 

We decided to enter the park from the east (Cameron) from Highway 89. Most people enter from the south which makes that entrance very busy. True to the advice, the east entrance was very quiet and we started our tour from Desert View watchtower. 

We managed to park up in the village and then used the red line bus towards Hermits Rest. No cars are allowed on this park of the rim. We got off a few stops before the end and walked an easy route to Hermits Rest were we were able to get on the bus back.    

Homeward Bound

From our base in Phoenix for Grand Canyon we headed back to Las Vegas but not before going to a pre-season NFL game at the home of The Arizona Cardinals. Another brilliant experience.  

Our one final stop of before Las Vegas was the frankly bizarre Lake Havasu probably made most famous due to the fact that London Bridge was purchased, flown over and re-erected at the man made lake. 

We didn't spend long there to be honest. 
   

It felt quite depressing to be back in Vegas after what had been an incredible road trip around some of the most iconic natural sites in the world.  

Thanks to Sam and Louise for making it so brilliant for Laura and I too.   

A Grand Tour - USA Part VI Monument Valley

Immortalised in films for decades, Monument Valley was the main inspiration for our trip in 2016.    

The view from Highway 163 heading south

Back to the Future III

Heading south on Highway 163, you are afforded the amazing view (top picture) and (avoiding cars) are able to re-create the iconic scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest comes to the end of his epic run across America. There is even a shrine to Forrest by the side of the road.

Once inside the park you can drive around in your own vehicle. A word of warning though. It is on a Navajo reservation and is not paved. You should drive very slowly and carefully. Even though we had a few bumps we were ok in our rental. The views are amazing too. 

Footnote: 

Summer 2016 saw four of us embark on a trip of a lifetime across Nevada, California, Utah & Arizona taking in;

Las Vegas - The Grand Canyon - Death Valley - Zion NP - National Monument; Bryce Canyon NP - Arches NP - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon (again) and London Bridge (Lake Havasu). 

A Grand Tour - USA Part V Arches National Park (Utah)

Summer 2016 saw four of us embark on a trip of a lifetime across Nevada, California, Utah & Arizona taking in;

Las Vegas - The Grand Canyon - Death Valley - Zion NP - National Monument; Bryce Canyon NP - Arches NP - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon (again) and London Bridge (Lake Havasu). 

Arches National Park

Even the drive from Panguitch to Arches National Park offered some breathtaking views.  

Arches National Park is just north of Moab in Utah. Unlike Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, there was no shuttle bus to ferry tourists around. Instead you drive around the various natural landforms. 

We started at the far north of the park in Devil's Garden but did not do the full hike due to time constraints. From there we headed south to see the other arches/rock formations. Awesome park and well worth a visit.

A Grand Tour - USA Part IV Bryce Canyon NP & Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah)

Summer 2016 saw four of us embark on a trip of a lifetime across Nevada, California, Utah & Arizona taking in;

Las Vegas - The Grand Canyon - Death Valley - Zion NP - National Monument; Bryce Canyon NP - Arches NP - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon (again) and London Bridge (Lake Havasu). 


Bryce Canyon

Louise's picture

Bryce Canyon is a unique and beautiful place, containing (according to the tourist info) "the largest collection of hoodoos in the world" (https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm)

We travelled from Springfield to Panguitch (less than 2 hours) which was our base for Bryce Canyon. On the way we stopped off at National Monument - Cedar Breaks. 

We loved Panguitch, a very small American town. We stayed at Blue Pine Motel which was a comfortable motel in the centre of town and which had a selection of cafes and restaurants just across the road to it. 

On the day of our trip we followed the guidance (https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/shuttle.htm) 
to park outside of the park (at Ruby's Campground) and to use the shuttle bus. 

We booked the free 'Rainbow' tour for the afternoon which takes you to the very end of the park. Make sure you have enough water and food with you - the tour is approximately 4 hours with no opportunities to buy anything on the way. 

Cedar Breaks National Monument 

On the journey between Springdale and Panguitch we took a little detour to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument, a natural amphitheatre with some hoodoos, not too dissimilar to Bryce Canyon. 

Definitely worth a trip, we enjoyed a hike along the rim of this spectacular natural wonder.