In August I road tripped West with my lovely and amazing friend, Alicia. It was a two week trip that encompassed 9 states and we hiked, camped, glamped, had random photo shoots, listened to audiobooks and true crime podcasts, hit 5 National Parks, and saw more sunrises than I’ve seen in a good while.

First we traveled from Missouri to Colorado Springs, CO. I didn’t do much documenting of our time in the Centennial State (hence the lack of pictures) but while we were there we hiked the Manitou Incline, sampled some craft beer, and went white water rafting.

Don’t ask me why I ever got it in my head going to the dessert in August was the best idea. Sometimes you get a destination in mind and only have a certain window of time to make it happen. So despite the scorching temps we found ourselves entering Utah in the early morning and made our way to Arches National Park.

We started the day by doing the hike to Delicate Arch. I’m so glad we did this first thing in the morning. The earlier you go the less people you’ll encounter and as it’s a 3 mile roundtrip hike the early morning’s cooler temps made the hike more enjoyable. We also did hikes to Landscape Arch, Sand dune Arch, and Broken Arch.

Below: Delicate Arch

Below: Sand dune Arch This is an extremely short hike but perfect for the middle of the day as the area is shaded and allows a brief respite from the heat. 

Below: Broken ArchAfter spending the morning and early afternoon in Arches Park we made the short drive to Canyonlands National Park. Previously I had never heard much about this Park, but Canyonlands stole my heart. This Park is divided into several different areas. Since we didn’t have a lot of time we mostly explored Island in the Sky

Below: Mesa Arch

We spent the night in Moab at a fun little airbnb. They made us a homemade breakfast the next day before we started the drive to Page, Arizona and Horseshoe Bend.Unfortunately we weren’t able to book a tour to antelope canyon but if you’re in the area I would definitely make that a stop. We spent the night at Wahweap Campground next to Lake Powell. Our first night of true camping on the road trip. 

After Page, AZ we headed to Zion and I had my first experience at glamping, which fyi was utterly incredible.  We booked 2 nights at Under Canvas and it was nothing short of heaven. It’s tent camping with a real bed with a flap that lets you stargaze. You get to wake up with the most beautiful view and have the option to cook your own food or enjoy their restaurant! They even organize activities like sunrise yoga and have live music around the fire. Go glamping!

Our day at Zion National Park  we hiked through The Narrows, Lower Emerald Pools Trail, and hit the Canyon Overlook Trail. Below: The NarrowsBelow: Canyon Overlook

Stay tuned for more. Part 2 & 3 of our EPIC ROAD TRIP are coming soon…