Utah
I've spent quite a bit of time in Utah over the years. I first discovered how beautiful the state can be when visiting a friend who lived in Salt Lake City, and then going on a camping trip through southern Utah. He knew little nooks and corners off the heavily traveled paths, and I learned how easy it was to get away from everything there. This web page is from trips that I'd made to Utah prior to this year (2001) and includes pictures that are mostly from southern Utah.
Though these pictures are from different trips, they are organized along the following routes. North from St. George on I-15 to the northwest corner of Zion National Park; east on UT 14 to Cedar Breaks National Monument; east on UT 143 through Panguitch; east and north on UT 12 to Bryce National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Escalante, and Boulder; east and south from Boulder on a gravel road through Capitol Reef National Park and down to Glen Canyon National Recreational Area; east on UT 95 to National Bridges National Monument; then south on UT 261 through Valley of the Gods. With the exception of Zion and Bryce, most of this trip is through areas where there are relatively few tourists and thus a fairly high amount of solitude.
Zion National Park, northwest corner -- this is the less visited area of the park, with some amazing scenery (including very red rock) and relatively quiet hiking trails. The first picture is 'proof' that I was there -- I had a pickup in those days with a camper shell.
Cedar Breaks National Monument -- these pictures don't capture the majesty of the area. It's worth a visit, but not particularly great for hiking until probably mid-summer -- the time I visited was in June, and there were still massive snow banks along some of the trails. There is a small Bristlecone pine area near Cedar Breaks which is interesting to visit (no picture).
From there, I was basically heading over to Bryce but took a back road that lead me through Panguitch. On the way, I noticed I was driving through a large lava field, so did some exploring. You'll have to look close to see that this is a lava field, but what always amazes me is the way trees and brush grow through the lava.
