I have been traveling to Utah since the early 1980’s. It was initially an astonishing discovery for me. I was invited to be a guest speaker at a medical meeting in Snowbird, Utah, and decided that I would explore the state a bit with my camera following the conference. After checking the map, I decided that Moab, Utah, an abandoned uranium mining town in southeastern Utah was a good choice, situated between two national parks, Arches and Canyonlands. When I first arrived, it was apparent that these two parks were only lightly visited. In fact, I think that I was probably the only visitor to Arches on my first day there. Few other cars appeared in the park until much later in the day, and I reveled in the fact that I essentially had the park to myself for a number of hours. It was truly mind-bending, as I had never seen anything like it. Later in that trip, when I drove to Canyonlands, I found that the roads were not yet paved and I saw no one the first time that I entered that park. I truly had the entire place to myself. I also came across Deadhorse Point State Park for the first time on that day, which was also quite impressive. Since that time, however, things have changed dramatically. Moab grew up as a place to visit because of mountain biking, and the major roads into Canyonlands were finally paved. So successful has Arches been and attendance has grown so much that there is now timed entry into the park after 7 AM each day because of the very limited parking that exists. That was not a problem for me in 1981.
Although it has been a bit saddening to see the large crowds appear at these parks, and the other three national parks in southern Utah, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef, Utah is large and still unexplored in many ways, and it remains one of my very favorite places to visit. For my most recent trip to Utah in March, I decided that Zion and Capitol Reef would be ideal to explore, since I had not been to either park for a number of years. My plans worked out quite well, and I found that, if anything, the parks had seemingly grown even more beautiful in my time away. As usual when I travel to Utah, I found myself wishing by the end of the journey that I had more time to spend there, as I had only begun to explore the striking landscapes of these parks. As I often think after a visit to Utah, I know that I will be back in the not too distant future. The only proviso here, however, is that I have impending knee surgery coming up in June, and my recovery will dictate the time until I can get my camera out and start photographing once more. Until then, photos like this one from Zion will encourage me to do the necessary rehab to get back on the trail once more.
The Virgin River and Mountain Peaks, Zion National Park, Utah 2025