Big Mountain Campground

The last stop on our trip is Big Mountain Campground, a very nice and green RV campground just a few miles from Interstate 15 at Nephi. The remaining distance to Salt Lake City is 90 miles, which should allow us to turn in the motor home before 11AM tomorrow. The campground has a great kids playground and splendid scenery from the mountains around it.

Big Mountain Campground

Address: 5298 UT-132, Nephi, UT 84648, United States

Phone: +1 435 623 4800

Website: bigmountainrv.com
Price per night: $ 39.00 (30' RV with 2 adults + 2 kids)

Scenic Highway 12

At the end of our Utah tour, rather than taking Interstate 15 straight North to Salt Lake City, we decided to take Scenic Highway 12 East and then North via Capitol Reef National Park. We didn't have time to visit this park, but we enjoyed the landscape from some of the summit viewpoints in Dixie National Forest.

Scenic Highway 12 may well present the most beautiful landscape in the United States. Here are just a few snap shots from this road that leads over the very spine of some mountains with awesome sights on both sides.

Bryce Canyon National Park

The last park we visited as part of our Utah tour is Bryce Canyon National Park. Many people have told us this is the park they like best, but equally many have named Zion National Park their favorite. And few of those people had heard of Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, which we like to best.

But Bryce Canyon is absolutely amazing, especially if you depart the crowded viewpoints, down the trails between the Hoodoos. We particularly liked the Navajo Trail Loop and the Queen's Garden Trail. The Horse Trail is officially only to be visited per horse, but can also be navigated by foot.

Park info: There is no place quite like Bryce Canyon. Hoodoos (odd-shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion) can be found on every continent, but here is the archetypal "hoodoo-iferous" terrain.

Descriptions fail. Cave without a roof? Forest of stone? Even photographs strain credulity. When you visit maybe you'll come up with a better name. In the meantime "Bryce" will have to suffice.

Let's decent between the Hoodoos and get a view from below...

On our way into the park for sunset, we meet five Antelope.

At Inspiration Point for some sunset inspiration.

The next morning, there is a beautiful sunrise too...

Below is a map of the park. Click the image to zoom in.

Ruby's Inn RV Park & Campground

Located one half a mile from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, Ruby's campground was an excellent choice for our 2-nights stay. The RV's are parked close to each other, but the park has plentiful space for kids (and adults) to play. 

Due to the non-existence of competition, the prices of both the campground and the general store are exorbitant. Better get your food and supplies in a small town along Interstate 15 before you head up here. 

But the cost is well-worth the visit to this magnificent park. Please take some time to walk the trails down (and back up) between the Hoodoos, as this presents even more impressive views of the park's visual wonders.

Ruby's Inn RV Park & Campground

Address: 300 South Main Street, Bryce Canyon, UT 84764, United States

Phone: +1 435 834 5301

Website: brycecanyoncampgrounds.com

Price per night: $ 48.23 (30' RV with 2 adults + 2 kids)  

Zion National Park

From Page, we headed straight West to Zion National Park. We took the shuttle bus to The Narrows and hiked the trail to where the path leads into the Virgin river. That's where we had a serious rain shower and a real good photo opportunity was lost.

Park info: Follow the paths where ancient native people and pioneers walked. Gaze up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky.

Experience wilderness in a narrow slot canyon. Zion’s unique array of plants and animals will enchant you as you absorb the rich history of the past and enjoy the excitement of present day adventures. 

Below is a map of the park. Click the image to zoom in.

Watchman Campground

Watchman Campground, just inside the West entrance to Zion National Campground, proved a worthy choice for our camper. The campground offers large slots with green barriers presenting quite some privacy from the neighbors. The facilities were great and it was just a short walk to the visitor center, the town of Springdale and the shuttle bus station.

Watchman Campground

Watchman Campground Hwy 89, Springdale, UT 84737, United States

Phone: +1 877 444-6777

Website: http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/watchman-campground.htm

Price per night: $ 18.00 (30' RV with 2 adults + 2 kids) 

Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park

Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park is located very close to Page, Arizona. Several native tour operators operate guided services that take you to the upper canyon and you can visit the lower canyon yourself. Our guide Shannon pointed out all the great photograph opportunities in the upper slot canyon.

Park info: A long time ago, herds of pronghorn antelope roamed freely in Antelope Canyon, which explains the canyon's English name. It is not known exactly when people first discovered Antelope Canyon. According to local Navajos, who have lived here for some time, the canyon and the LeChee area were places where cattle grazed in winter.

To older Navajos, entering a place like Antelope Canyon was like entering a cathedral. They would probably pause before going in, to be in the right frame of mind and prepare for protection and respect. This would also allow them to leave with an uplifted feeling of what Mother Nature has to offer, and to be in harmony with something greater than themselves. It was, and is, a spiritual experience.

The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse' bighanilini, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." Upper Antelope is at about 4,000 feet elevation and the canyon walls rise 120 feet above the streambed. Located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.

Below is a map of Page with directions to the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons. Click the image to zoom in.