2021 Utah Off-Roading

Besides boating on Lake Powell, which is really the ultimate outdoor lover’s experience, we hadn’t been back to Utah in over 15 years. We were definitely long overdue.

Since our move to California in 2015, our trips have transitioned more and more away from traditional RVing, to offroading in a converted 4Runner. This allows us to get off the “beaten track” to beautiful areas that are more isolated and pristine - especially important to us during Covid.

Plus, since Covid and the restrictions on indoor activities and the inability to travel internationally, so many people have discovered Rving and camping and a love for the outdoors, resulting in booked campgrounds and over crowded trails.

However, long ago, Herb and I discovered that if you can hike more than 2 miles or drive more than 5 on dirt roads, you can leave the crowds far behind. So that has been our new approach for travel, at least for now.

So off we went to Utah, but not to the popular (and extremely overcrowded) national parks, which we had already seen, but to more of its remote destinations on BLM and Forest land.

My whole itinerary was turned on its head, when I was able to find a campground cancellation on the famous Canyonlands White Rim Trail, which would allow us to drive this incredible 100-mile 4WD road in two days - aggressive, but doable. Then, right before we left, I was lucky enough to find another campground cancellation further along the route, which would give us the recommended 3 days to complete the drive.

This White Rim Trail had been a dream of Herb’s since 1999, when he stood at an overlook in Dead Horse Point State Park, gazing down enviously at Jeeps winding their way along the switchbacks leading down to the Colorado River.

Now he would finally get his chance. We were both quite excited.