Take a scenic ride from Panguitch, Utah to Kodachrome Basin State Park, stopping at Red Canyon, showcasing vibrant red rock landscapes and Mossy Cave, with its Bryce Canyon-like formations and beautiful waterfall. Embark on a relaxed drive from Panguitch, Utah, to Kodachrome Basin State Park, a route filled with striking landscapes and fascinating stops. As you head out from the charming town of Panguitch, your first stop could be the Red Canyon Visitor Center. Nestled along Highway 12, this area offers vibrant red rock formations that preview the dramatic scenery of Southern Utah. Stroll through its easy trails or simply admire the towering hoodoos and cliffs that glow in the sunlight. Continuing your journey, stop by Mossy Cave, a hidden gem that feels like a piece of Bryce Canyon. Here, you’ll find a unique blend of towering red rock spires, a small cave, and a scenic waterfall. Though not lush like its name suggests, the area provides an opportunity for a short, rewarding hike with Bryce-like views and the refreshing sight and sound of flowing water in a desert landscape. The drive then winds through more of Utah's scenic beauty before you arrive at Kodachrome Basin State Park. Known for its colorful, layered rock formations, Kodachrome Basin feels like stepping into a natural painting. The park is perfect for hiking, photography, or simply soaking in the vibrant surroundings. Whether you're spending the day exploring or just passing through, this laid-back drive offers a taste of Southern Utah's natural wonders.

Cedar Breaks National Monument's vibrant cliffs and hoodoos, carved by erosion, form a breathtaking amphitheater. Overlooks like Point Supreme offer panoramic views of its colorful beauty, framed by subalpine forests and dramatic sunsets. Cedar Breaks National Monument is a stunning natural amphitheater located in southern Utah, perched at over 10,000 feet above sea level. Its vibrant, multicolored cliffs showcase layers of limestone, shale, and sandstone eroded by wind and water over millions of years, creating a breathtaking landscape of spires, fins, and hoodoos. The amphitheater, about three miles wide and over 2,000 feet deep, provides a visual spectacle reminiscent of Bryce Canyon, but with its own unique high-altitude charm. The area is known for its subalpine forest, offering a cool retreat in the summer and vibrant wildflower meadows, with delicate blooms that peak in mid-July. Several overlooks around Cedar Breaks offer spectacular views into the amphitheater and beyond. Point Supreme, the highest overlook at over 10,350 feet, provides a panoramic view of the colorful cliffs and valleys below. Sunset View Overlook is aptly named for its dazzling sunsets that illuminate the red and orange hues of the canyon walls. Chessman Ridge Overlook offers a striking view of Cedar Breaks' natural amphitheater, framed by dark green Engelmann spruce and subalpine firs. From any of these overlooks, visitors can appreciate the grandeur of the landscape, which shifts dramatically with changes in light and weather.

Join us on an unforgettable road trip from Kanab's charming Parry Lodge to Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, exploring the magical Sand Caves and the mysterious Belly of the Dragon, with a few surprises along the way! Our road trip between Kanab and Escalante Petrified Forest State Park began at the historic Parry Lodge, a charming and nostalgic hotel that has hosted numerous Hollywood stars. Setting out from this iconic location, we drove northeast along US-89, eager to explore the natural wonders of southern Utah. Our first stop was the Sand Caves, a series of striking man-made caves carved into the soft, orange sandstone. The short hike to the caves was well worth it, as we were rewarded with stunning, wave-like formations and sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. Continuing our journey, we soon arrived at the Belly of the Dragon, an intriguing man-made drainage tunnel further formed by water erosion. The cool, narrow passage offered a unique and somewhat eerie experience, contrasting sharply with the sun-drenched desert above. As we made our way further, we planned a visit to Mossy Cave near Tropic. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we found the area crowded with visitors, leading us to skip this stop. While it was a bit disappointing, it didn't dampen our spirits for the rest of the trip. We continued on Scenic Byway 12, soaking in the breathtaking scenery, until we reached Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. Here, we marveled set up camp right next to the water and immersed ourselves in the afternoon light. This road trip, filled with diverse landscapes and fascinating stops, was a memorable adventure through one of Utah's most beautiful regions.

With meadows, bristlecone pine trees, and a half-mile-deep amphitheater of striped limestone, Cedar Breaks National Monument is a high-elevation Bryce Canyon look-alike. Comprised of the same geological layer but with a fraction of the crowds, this is a must-see park. Located northeast of Zion National Park and due east of Bryan Canyon National Park sits Cedar Breaks National Monument, a park with astonishing beauty of its own and a fraction of the crowds found at Utah’s larger and more well-known national parks. Taking in the views here couldn’t be easier. With plentiful parking and a short distance uphill, one can witness the splendor of the park. From here, the South Rim Trail is a 5-mile out and back trail with various stops along the way including Spectra Point Viewpoint and Ramparts Viewpoint. Spectra Point. These overlooks provide plenty of photographic opportunities down into the half-mile deep and three-mile wide amphitheater. Hiking to Spectra Point Viewpoint is a moderately rated 2-mile round trip hike whereas the hike to Ramparts Viewpoint and back is 4 miles. Also along the way is a historical stop not to be missed. This small unassuming wooden cabin once served as a generator room that supplied power to what was once the Cedar Breaks Lodge. The lodge was built in 1924 and served dinner for tourists making rounds via bus to many of the area parks such as Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim. The cabin is all that remains from the lodge today. In addition to hiking trails, the park is well known for a meadow filled with wildflowers in the spring, fall color in autumn, and snowmobiling and snowshoeing in the winter. While the park is opened year-round, some roads into the park and within around the rim are closed to visitors.

Utah has no shortage of red rocks and arches but with those comes a lot of crowds. Arches Trail in Red Canyon offers a lot of Bryce Canyon sights in a small area with plenty of space to call your own. The landscape around Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah is a wonderland and playground for adventurers. While nearby Bryce Canyon is well known, the caveat to that is the crowds that go along with it. Parking can be hard to find if one doesn’t arrive early, trails can be congested and campsites can go quickly. What if you were told that there is an alternative not too far away from Bryce Canyon where you might have almost complete solitude? What if you were told that some of those well-known features of Utah Parks, hoodoos, arches, and vibrant red rock were available to you packed into a short loop trail that requires little effort? Arches Trail offers all that with some spectacular views. Arches Trail in Red Canyon is a 0.6-mile loop trail that wanders around brilliant red rock with sights of several small arches and hoodoos. The well-maintained trail does have an elevation of about 187 feet, however, the trail is rated as easy, and most should be able to navigate it with good hiking shoes and some care in a few areas. The views are incredible and the shortness of the trail makes this trip an easy day trip or side adventure to pack into a day traveling to or from Bryce Canyon. To reach the Arches Trail, turn north off of UT-12 onto Casto Canyon Road. While this road is dirt and gravel, any two-wheel-drive vehicle should be able to make this drive with no problems provides that it hasn’t been raining. A parking lot for this trail, as well as others, will be on the right after two miles. From the parking lot, one merely needs to cross a dry wash and follow the signs for Arches Trail.