I’ve been going through pictures from our honeymoon and getting organized, it amazes me the things we did on our road trip in such a short time! I thought I’d give you the rundown on everything we did on our honeymoon so you get a feel for how much we crammed into one week. When planning our 6 day honeymoon to Utah and Arizona, the one overriding principle was to go somewhere warm and dry. And see and do all the things.
We had started with a few planned activities, like the glamping on the Navajo Reservation, but then “played things by ear” to fill in our week. Since I had seen and done quite a few of the standard Utah and Arizona highlights last year, like Zion National Park, Angel’s Landing, Bryce Canyon National Park, Havasupai Falls and Horseshoe Bend, I was open to finding a few more out of the way or less popular hikes and fun things to do. I had a long list and didn’t get to do everything I wanted but I can’t wait to share all that we did do with you!
Day 1
Just like my spring break road trip last year, we flew into Las Vegas and rented a car. Vegas is cheap and offers a crazy amount of flights as long as you don’t wait to the last minute. It is spring break after all and a billion people are headed to warm and dry for the same reasons you are. This time, unlike my last trip, my hubby had an old high school friend to stop by and say hello to.
The smart traveler I am, I suggested we borrow a cooler from them to keep food in so we didn’t have to do like last year and buy one we had to then turn around and give away on Craig’s List at the end of the trip (not that that wasn’t something interesting to write about, car rearview mirror picture and all). Pro tip when road tripping from Vegas and planning to do some backpacking: there is a Big 5 next to Trader Joe’s on Green Valley Parkway. You can pick up a fuel canister and get some good eats conveniently!
When we first started planning our trip, the one thing my husband wanted to do was near Page, Arizona, so we made that our central location for the week. Now mind you, there is not much in the actual town of Page, including places to eat, but it makes a great base for all the outdoor adventures in the area. In fact, the one thing I learned was that I could spend another 2 weeks around Page and still not run out of things to do. I didn’t get everything on my list done so that is a great possibility that just might happen in the future. I will say here, to Page’s credit, they do have a decent grocery store (Safeway) that carried some organic produce and kombucha that helped keep our dining costs down and closer to our health goals.
Day 2
On our first full day, we headed to Utah with loaded backpacks in search of an overnight trip into Grand Staircase Escalante. The Paria Contact Station (pronounced pah-ree-ah) is located about 30.7 miles from Page (or 43.7 miles from Kanab, UT) and the closest place to get permits and current information for BLM lands in the area. Here we asked the staff person behind the desk where a good place would be to do a one night backpacking trip into the national monument. She suggested several, most of them in the direction of Cottonwood Drive. We opted on the Hackberry Canyon and after picking up a map, decided the lower trailhead was our destination.
We were, also, told about adding Yellow Rock to the beginning of our trek and we spent the rest of the morning finding and exploring the colorful sandstone striations of this unique landmark. This hike is a great day hike option, as long as you don’t mind a shallow creek crossing, steep and rocky beginning and end and no water for most of the hike. The views were amazing and a great introduction to Grand Staircase Escalante. It can be accessed at the same trailhead for Hackberry Canyon.
After a few hours at Yellow Rock, we began our overnight into Hackberry Canyon. This was about 5 miles in and 5 miles out with a side scramble out of the canyon the second day. Except for a few hikers at the beginning and end we had the canyon to ourselves.
Day 3
On our third day, we hiked out of Hackberry knowing we had to be in Page by about 5pm. It was only noon, so I turned the car west onto US 89 and drove about 30 miles to the old town of Paria (Parheah). I had seen not only the beautiful drive in pictures but heard that a visit to the old township was an interesting step back in time. Both were true.
Truth be told, our trip really revolved around this unique experience. My hubby got it in his head that he wanted to sleep in a Hogan on the Navajo Reservation (and thus why we were centered around Page). The only night available the week we were down there was in the middle but I tell you it was so worth it. But that’s not a Hogan, you say? Well, the Hogans had dirt floors and single beds so I pulled a honeymoon veto and chose the platform tent instead for the same price. Next time, though, I would choose the covered wagons. Yes, it’s touristy and I’m sure it isn’t P.C. but who didn’t read Little House on the Prairie and not want to stay in a covered wagon?
Day 4
We had heard about Catstair Canyon while exploring Old Paria so after breakfast in our bell tent we drove back up to Utah on US 89 in search of the trailhead. We had some pretty vague directions having to do with “after the passing lane” and “end of the guard rail” but with only one U-turn we found the small entrance off the highway and parked next to BLM gate to begin our hike. The canyon can be accessed on both ends but rappelling and bouldering are required to do the whole length so we did a little over 1 mile round trip with a short scramble up when it became blocked. Hubby’s favorite part (petroglyphs aside) was the owl that flew overhead while we were in the canyon.
We wanted to spend some time in the slot canyons that are famous in the area but without the hassle of permits, so we continued west on US 89 4.9 miles past the Paria Contact Station and made a quick left on House Rock Valley Road. It was about 8.5 miles down a dusty red gravel road to a large parking lot filled with cars. It was busy but we didn’t feel overwhelmed with other people as we wandered the canyon of Wire Pass to the confluence with Buckskin Gulch. There were more petroglyphs and when we turned right to hike Buckskin Gulch, we had some fun wading icy cold water to see how far we could get. Needless to say, we had the canyon to ourselves after just a few pools.
After hiking out of Buckskin Gulch and Wire Pass and a few hours of daylight left, we pulled off at the Toadstools located just off the road less than a mile east of the Paria Contact Station on our way back to Page. We weren’t sure what to expect on hike #3 for the day but it turned out to be the perfect way to end our hiking marathon. The moon was coming up over the rock formations in the bright blue sky while the sunset was increasing the glow of the sandstone making the landscape otherworldly.
Day 5
After a quick night at a cheap hotel in Page to shower and refresh, we made our way south on 89 towards Flagstaff. Other than a stop in Vegas at Trader Joe’s to load up the cooler with food for the road and what I brought in my luggage, we only ate out twice on our trip. The first was breakfast in the old part of Flagstaff to preload for our second overnight backpack plans. Mix offers a gluten free menu with vegan options, as well. I had the Rainbow Veggie Omelet without peppers and tomatoes and my hubby tried the Biscuits and Gravy. He blamed his lack of will power on the honeymoon.
I had done research on a few backpacking ideas around Flagstaff but after all our time on rock and in canyons in Utah, we thought we would do something a little different for our second backpack overnight of the week. So, after our hardy breakfast, we stopped by the Coconino National Forest Ranger Station and talked with the ranger about hiking on the Arizona Trail. She was able to direct us to a few different trailheads we could get started on and the corresponding maps.
I have had the Arizona Trail on my brain since a trip to Tucson and hike in Sabino Canyon so we took an opportunity to do an overnighter when we passed through Flagstaff on our way back to Las Vegas. It was gorgeous Ponderosa Pine country and although we didn’t have expansive views from the trail, it was a great test run for my shoulder and evidence that I could put in miles. I hadn’t really planned on trekking 19 miles in one day but that seems to be how we roll. You might wonder why on earth we would start a hike around 11:33 am, do 10 miles in and 9 miles out only to be 1 mile from the car (most of which was by headlamp), camp, and roll out at 5am the next morning but that is a story for another post…
Day 6
I could tell you we ate some totally healthy foodstuffs we had in our cooler but that would be a lie. After an unexpected 19+ mile day, I could have eaten anything. We opted for the MartAnne’s Burrito Palace and had amazing chilaquiles. No, these are neither paleo nor nightshade free. Just delicious and gluten free. I may have a had a pear mimosa, too. I figured I was already going to be stiff from the hike so what was a little more? Not rational but worth it. Honeymoon, remember?
Instead of heading straight to Las Vegas (our flight was at 7pm), I took us on a detour via Sedona on US 89A to the old mining town of Jerome, Arizona. It ended up being a double feature because while following signs for The Gold King Mine Ghost Town, we end up at the Jerome State Historical Park, too. Let me just say here, if you have a plane to catch the same day, do not add Jerome to your itinerary. Save it for a full day. Not only is it hard to get in and out of Jerome (the highway winds through town), there is a lot more to do than what we had time for!
Leaving Jerome, it was a shot up US 89 to I-40 (which, also, is a part of the old Route 66) and on to Las Vegas to drop off our borrowed cooler and catch a flight. We did make one more quick stop in Seligman to eat most of what was left of the food we had purchased. The Route 66 General Store has covered picnic tables and bathrooms which make it the perfect roadside meal break.
Let me add another pro tip here: pay special attention to the time zones when you travel from Arizona to Nevada. That hour difference between the two states during Daylight Savings and a rental car not set for Daylight Savings can really mess you up. We made it just in time to join the line boarding the plane!
Look for more stories and details about these amazing places in future blog posts as I share about the interesting places, people and experiences we had on our vacation. You can, also, read about last year’s trip to warmer temperatures that I mention at the beginning of this post in Spring Break Road Trip: Where Do I Start? Both will be great for planning your next trip to the Southwest!
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