A Road Trip For The Soul
Sian Pages – Travel Planner
What are we craving now? The freedom to travel, somewhere new, somewhere that reawakens our soul and inspires us…
Nothing beats the feeling of you and an open road with your favourite music and the opportunity to travel at your own pace.
It’s even better when the scenery you’ll travel to is outstanding national parks, and some of the most awe-inspiring backdrops nature has created.
Inspired by this ‘Life Elevated’ video by Visit Utah, read on, to see what’s possible in this versatile and beautiful State.
Fly into Salt Lake City
While the granite Mormon temple anchors the city as a focal and geographic centre of the city, Salt Lake has blossomed into a truly cosmopolitan destination.
Experience state-of-the-art performing arts venues, sample the spirits and brews of our local distilleries and breweries, stroll some of the cleanest and safest streets in the nation as you soak up the surprisingly eclectic culture of downtown Salt Lake. Whether it’s a Jazz evening, a basketball game with buddies with beers and burgers afterwards, a top-shelf dining experience followed by a symphony performance, or an apres-ski tour of the city’s cocktail scene, Salt Lake has your ticket.
Salt Lake City, Utah, sits in a mountain bowl 4,300 feet up, with immediate access to all forms of adventure: four world-class ski resorts 45 minutes from Salt Lake International Airport (with 10 more outside city limits); a lineup of slanty canyons to the east with a hundred options for hiking, biking, climbing and camping; a Great Salty Lake to the west for boating and floating; and there’s golf, too, for you golfers.
Moab
Moab, Utah, home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, is surrounded by some of the most stunning red rock landscapes on Earth. Moab’s unique combination of small resort town hospitality, beautiful scenery and the cool waters of the Colorado River has made it one of the most sought-after destinations in the American Southwest.
While exploring the most unique scenery in the American Southwest, visitors can relax and experience the small-town hospitality of Moab.
Moab’s perfect climate has made it a magnet for year-round outdoor events and festivals, and the downtown business district has responded with a great collection of restaurants, microbreweries, shops, and galleries. Moab’s diverse cuisine will please any palate, from regional southwestern fare to world-class gourmet. Stroll through the downtown shops for a great selection of southwestern arts and jewellery, souvenirs, t-shirts, and much more.
Monument Valley
Make your way slowly South, to experience the beauty of this Navajo Tribal Pak. Used in many film and tv locations, such as: Forest Gump, 2001: A Space Odyssey and the HBO series Westworld, it’s not hard to understand why.
Take the 17 Mile Tribal Park Loop and see the most beautiful of sites that the Valley has to offer, before overnighting here on your way to your next destination.
Zion National Park
A bajillion years ago, ancient iterations of the Virgin River started wreaking havoc on southwestern Utah. Now there’s a faint “You’re welcome” echoing through the canyons of Zion National Park.
This incredible park is like the set of a movie that’s so grand you know it’s fake, but you don’t care because it’s delicious to look at; the kind of film where the art director was given carte blanche and didn’t worry about believability. You’ll need a good few days here to truly explore. You could even base yourself here and visit Bryce Canyon from this point.
Bryce Canyon
The natural beauty here will leave you in awe. No amount of planning can prepare you for the scenic beauty of Bryce Canyon, Utah and no length of stay will exhaust its possibilities. By the time you have to depart, you’ll already be planning your next visit.
There is no place in the USA quite like Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. The delicately carved multi-hued spires and pink cliffs — formed by wind and rain over millions of years — create the park’s one-of-a-kind landscape. Home to hoodoos (irregular-shaped pillars of rock), stone forests and more, the stunning skyline of this National Park will undoubtedly amaze you.
Experience all the park has to offer with a hike through the peaceful backcountry on the Riggs Spring Loop or Under-the-Rim trails, which weave through forests, meadows and those stunning rock spires. For a burst of adrenaline, explore the park’s lush pine forests or gradient canyon walls by off-road vehicle. Just be sure to save time for a visit to Fairyland Point, which offers arguably the most spectacular and sweeping views of the park.
Want More Information?
If you’d like to discuss your future travel plans you have in mind, get in contact with our in-house travel consultant, Sian Pages, on sian@longhurst.co.uk.
Sian will be more than happy to spend time talking you through your options; remembering her service is delivered at no cost to clients and professional connections of Longhurst.
Happy Adventures!
