Road Trip 2023: Goblins, Canyons and Sands of Time

Between visiting my brother in California, exploring new parks in Utah, trekking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and hiking in Colorado – our 2023 road trip promised to be epic. Unfortunately, we had to cut it short so the mountains of Colorado remain untouched by our hiking boots. And even though my mountain soul was really looking forward to that part of our trip, the Rockies have been around for almost 80 million years so I figured they will still be there in a year or two when we make our way back to Colorado. Plus, our truncated trip already featured quite a few beautiful places and exciting adventures. We returned with thousands of pictures, even more great memories and loads of sand in different colours – from the red sands of Utah to the yellow ones of California – tucked away in our camping equipment and clothing. So here are a few highlights.

Goblin Valley State Park

Utah with its whimsical rock formations around every corner has always been one of our favourite stops during long drives to California. In the past, we mainly focused on national parks known as The Mighty Five. This year, we decided to get away from the crowds and explore some of Utah’s state parks. They definitely didn’t disappoint.

Goblin Valley was our first stop and it truly lived up to its name. With a rich collection of sandstone sculpted by forces of nature into mushroom-like shapes, more commonly known as hoodoos, the Valley of Goblins offered hours of wandering and exploring landscapes that seemed to belong on another planet complete with weird-looking aliens.

Other highlights:

One of the best front country campsites we’ve ever stayed on. The campground at Goblin Valley State Park already had a lot going for it with its small size and remote location. We booked site 12, which turned out to be tucked out of view between sandstone cliffs. And even though the park welcomed us with a sand storm that made camp setup very challenging and required a complicated system of guy lines to keep the tents upright, once the wind settled down we could appreciate the incredible silence of the place.

The park’s remote location means exceptional sky-gazing opportunities. We didn’t get to see a lot of stars because of full moon. On the flip side, rocks glowing in the moon light and long shadows on the ground in the middle of the night were a magical sight.

We got a front-row seat for spectacular thunderstorms that miraculously stayed at a safe distance throughout our visit. Lightening zigzagging towards buttes strewn around the desert with impressive power, the contrast between deep purple clouds and sunlight breaking through the cracks, plus an occasional rainbow – nature’s fury was a sight to behold.

Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon was another state park we decided to camp at on our way to California. With our car breaking down right at the beginning and then again at the end of our stay, it seemed like this park’s destiny was to be defined by our visits to Toyota dealership at the nearby St. George. But the park has so much to offer that our car troubles were relegated to a footnote status. (As a side note, we can’t say enough good things about service associate Shaun who was incredibly supportive, patient and, most importantly, fast with all our repairs and our shuttle bus driver Bill who took us all the way to the campground and then back while also providing a tour of St. George).

Located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Snow Canyon’s striking scenery rivals that of The Mighty Five. In fact, it looks like a mini Zion minus the crowds. From burnt orange and creamy white rocks featuring intricate patterns to a slot canyon, ancient volcano and lava tubes, there was no shortage of trails to roam and places to gawk at.

Other highlights:

Another incredible campsite nestled against beautiful red rocks with epic views to go with that morning coffee. Just like Goblin Valley, the campground was small and cozy, although not as remote – after all the city of St. George is only twenty minutes away. Unlike Goblin Valley, it came with a lot of greenery and shade where we could hide on hot afternoons. Our favourite spot was the rocking chairs by the visitor centre where we could watch hummingbirds swooshing by.

There are lots of fun trails in the park. Our favourites were Jenny’s Canyon and Cinder Cone Trail. Jenny’s Canyon, while short, featured striking walls chiselled by water and wind and, as is the case with all slot canyons, offered photography-perfect light.

Cinder Cone Trail didn’t sound like much but once we got to the top of this ancient volcano, we were impressed both by the scale of the crater and the views around.

Speaking of old volcanoes, lava tubes were fun to explore; plus they offered a very welcome respite from Utah’s midday heat.

More nighttime photography, this time car lights rather than the moon providing illumination for the rocks.

Sunrise from the Snow Canyon Scenic Overlook was a beautiful experience, and the fact that I was able to share it with my husband, which doesn’t happen often, made it even more special. Watching the sun slowly paint the cliffs rich orange and golden was a perfect ending to our stay in the park.

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon needs no introduction. After all, it’s called grand for a reason. It was our second visit to the South Rim and we came with one goal in mind – to hike to the bottom of the Canyon and back. That particular adventure deserves a separate blog post so check back soon to learn how that went down — and then up.

Other highlights:

Catching the Perseid Meteor Shower on our first night in the park. Even though we saw somewhere close to 50 meteors dash through the skies, somehow they all managed to avoid my camera’s shutter. So instead here are some pictures of the Milky Way.

Sunset over the Canyon is a must and it never disappoints. Sharing this moment of awe with hundreds of other people makes this collective experience incredibly special.

Elks wandering around the campground are always a delight.

The Trail of Time offered a glimpse of the Grand Canyon’s two-billion-year old history. Set against the Canyon’s magnificent vistas, it helped us appreciate the deep time and forces that shaped this natural wonder.

Crystal Cove Beach

A visit to California is never complete without a trip to the beach. This time we headed to Crystal Cove State Park in the Orange County, and we enjoyed it so much that we returned to the park two days later. It’s been unanimously decided in our family that it was one of the best beach visits in all our years of coming to California. The beach itself has a cozy vibe and, luckily, lacks the polished feel of some of the beaches we visited in the past. The nearby Historic District with its rustic cottages dating back to the 1930s and 40s definitely adds charm to the area. And with the Beachcomber Café on the beach and Shake Shack on top of the cliff, there are some great food options (the first one is significantly more expensive than the second).

Other highlights:

All the usual beach delights: swimming in the ocean, playing in the sand and roaming along the beach while getting lost in the roar of the Pacific’s crushing waves. With 3.2 miles of coastline that features cliffs, rock stacks and tide pools, there’s lots of space to escape the usual beach crowds and wander.

The tunnel that connects the parking lot to the beach. I know it’s a weird thing to put on the list but the beautiful murals and incredible acoustics perfect for whale singing always made that walk a lot of fun.

Watching the sun going for a swim in the ocean at the end of the day never ceases to amaze and mesmerize.

Finally, the biggest highlight not only of our days on the beach but also the entire trip was spending time with my brother and his family.

Bonus: Best food stops along the way

Trying new food is one of the best things about vacations. And yes, since we camp, we cook most of the food ourselves. However, we do make sure to check out interesting spots during long drives. Occasionally, there are places we enjoy so much that we plan our subsequent trips around them. Here are a few places that tickled our taste buds during this trip.

Amigo Café in Kayenta, Arizona, with Mexican, Native American and American options on the menu was a revelation. We all agreed that it was some of the best food we’ve ever tried. My husband and I enjoyed our Fry Bread Chalupas and our kids really liked the Three Sisters Burrito and Navajo Taco (minus the beef). We are definitely going to come back.
La Pasadita taco truck in Green River, Utah, located in an old gas station may not look like much but the veggie burritos we had there were delicious. And once you are there, make sure to try those famous Green River watermelons sold at roadside stalls.
Bear Paw Café in St. George, Utah, will forever be known as a place where we had a great breakfast followed by our car breaking down for the second time. Car troubles aside, the food was delicious (we especially enjoyed hash browns), the coffee was exceptionally good, and the art on the walls slightly confusing.
Pies at Capitol Reef National Park just keep luring us back. It was our third time stopping here; in fact, we planned our route this year so we could drive through the park just for that purpose. There are many options to choose from: apple, cherry, peach, berries, strawberry and rhubarb – all of them delicious. Add to that a beautiful setting for enjoying them and it’s no wonder we keep coming back.