Southern Utah State Parks

Southern Utah state parks
One thing that is unique about southern Utah is its many hiking trails. Most of which arein state or national parks. The area is beautifully graced with vibrant red rocks all around. Some of the most prominent parks are Bryce Canyon, Zions national park, and arches. Though there are some other smaller parks like Snow Canyon and Glen canyon. All are unique to utah. The many different areas also have many different foliage and colors to see and explore. National parks have a magic that is really hard to recreate in normal lives.

One personal experience I have is in Bryce canyon. I was there for a young womens camp. It was the second I had ever been to. We stayed in tee-pees with all of our group filling 3 different tents. We planned different activities for each day we were up there. On the second day we were offered to go on a stargazing tour in the middle of the park. Some of the adults went, but me and my friend Angie decided to stay behind. We grabbed our pillows and a large blanket and laid in the back of one of the adult’s truck. We spent three hours in the back of the truck making our own constellations. We would make out different shapes and call them “semi-truckus” or “amazon-boxus”. I was amazed at the clarity of the stars in the sky. I will never forget how stunning the sky looked. I swore we could even see part of our own galaxy in the sky.

That next morning we went on a hike with everyone. The hike was long and hot, but the payoff was fantastic. It was a gigantic waterfall with moss and trees all around it. The water it was giving was frigid cold. This small hidden area with this gigantic waterfall was truly a

wonder to behold. We ate lunch as we took in the beautiful sight. As it was hot, a lot of the girls played in the cold water to cool off. As we were preparing to leave, an adult suggested to just follow the river back to the cars. Some girls were reluctant and some agreed. The group following the river stayed cool, but it came with a price. While they were trudging through the deep mud they saw something circling around them. They watched it and it charged them and it popped out of the river and it was an aggressive beaver. The group hightailed it back to the cars where we were sitting and waiting for them. When they showed up the beaver retreated back into the water. The way the group described the chase scene was hilariously comical. After they got some drinking water we headed back to the campsite.

With the instance of the stars and the beaver, it shows that things and experiences can be had in national parks that you can't have in a normal day to day experience. Those two stories happened back in 2019, but I can still remember them like I experienced it last week. National parks are naturally beautiful and aren’t horribly dismembered by pollution and urbanization of the world. We can feel the real intent and see the real beauty that nature intended it to be.