A DESERT SOUTHWEST RUNCATION (April 7-19, 2021)

After registering for the Zion Ultras 50K, held on April 10, 2021, I built a road-trip vacation around the race with the goal of seeing as much of the desert southwest as I could pack in, with an emphasis on hitting the National Parks. I ended up visiting eight National Parks, running and hiking a total of 156 miles including two ultramarathons, driving nearly 2,000 miles, and covering four states. I pushed my body, saw much natural beauty, cycled through emotions, connected with old friends, and befriended strangers along the way. It was quite the adventure. Special thanks to Aly Adkisson, Laura Sanders, Matt Bromley, Coree Woltering, and the indispensable TrailRunProject App for running and hiking route recommendations, and to the America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which is probably the greatest bargain in America at $80 for an Annual Pass.

I feel super fortunate that I was feeling up to the physical challenges that I took on during this trip. I came down with Covid-19 on March 14 and was stuck in bed for a couple weeks, and then taking it easy for the next two. So, for four weeks I had practically no training. The silver lining was that the time off my feet allowed some long-lingering knee issues to heal and by April 8 I was feeling pretty much 100%.

After a morning at work, I hit the road to catch my late afternoon flight out of Traverse City, MI. With a layover in Chicago and the time change, I landed in Las Vegas after 10pm. Time enough to pick up my rental car (a fancy black Camaro… fun to drive but not the best off-road vehicle) and check in to my hotel. I had walked the Vegas strip once before and had no interest in venturing out. I chose sleep instead.

Thursday, April 8

My first full day of the trip started early. I breakfasted on 7-Eleven coffee, fruit and granola bars on my way out to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Reservations were required, which I didn’t know until I got to the entrance gate, but fortunately I was able to pull over, secure one on the spot using my phone, and gain entrance without delay.

The Calico Hills rock formations looked stunning in the morning light and I could hardly wait to be out there running trails. I planned to head to Death Valley National Park in the afternoon, and with an upcoming 50K I decided not to overdo it by running the full 11.8-mile Grand Circle Loop. Instead, I settled for a four-mile run along the very scenic Calico Hills area.

I drove a couple miles to the White Rock Hills area of the property and hiked a couple more miles. There, I checked out some pictographs, admired the foreign-to-me vegetation, and chatted with some retirees that were also on a National Parks road-trip. I wrapped up there by late morning and already it was getting uncomfortably warm under the desert sun. Surely, Death Valley National Park would be cooler. Yes, that statement was dripping with sarcasm (and sweat).

I grabbed some vegetarian tacos from a fast-food Mexican chain in a Vegas suburb before heading west to California. Death Valley National Park was a couple-hour drive away, so I turned up the air conditioning and the tunes and drove.

The temperature at Death Valley was in the mid-90s, and I had arrived during the heat of the early afternoon. My first stop was the amazing overlook at Zabriskie Point. This landscape was unlike anything I had seen before. My initial impression of the place, in five words, was: grotesque, Mordor, beautiful, alien, sweltering.

I checked out the Furnace Creek General Store and stocked up and highly-priced snacks and beverages before embarking on a hike. I chose to hike the Golden Canyon, which offered at least little bit of shade from the oppressive sun. The trail followed a wash, perpendicular to myriad side canyons beckoning to be explored. For the most part, I kept to the main trail, scurrying like a creature from shady spot to shady spot and drinking coconut water religiously. It was slow going in that heat and I only lasted a couple miles before retreating to my air conditioned rental car.

I wanted to check out Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below sea level and the start line of the Badwater 135 ultramarathon. But it was still really hot out and to kill some time before sunset I did another short hike at the Salt Creek boardwalk. The stream was packed full of Salt Creek Pupfish, an endangered fish species endemic to Death Valley National Park.

After completing the mile-long boardwalk loop I drove further west to Stovepipe Wells and to check out the sand dunes before backtracking to the Badwater Basin parking lot on “trailhead.” I arrived as the sun was setting over the mountains and the temperature was becoming perfect for a t-shirt and shorts hike into the salt flats. Posted 282′ high on the cliff behind me was a white marker indicating sea level. I passed a few other hikers and tourists as I walked into the basin. This was an old lake bed, the water long-since evaporated, consisting of mud and crusty white salt arranged in rings, plates, and little ridges where not trampled by foot traffic. In the dim orange glow of twilight it felt very alien.

Close to a mile into the basin the well-trampled white pathway of salt dissipated into a less traveled zone, and I relished having it all to myself. I took a few pictures of the salt flats and sunset and enjoyed the stillness and quiet. Soon, stars began shining through the darkening sky. I waited until it became very dark, and was treated to one of the most amazing night skies I’ve ever experienced. It was nice, on a warm night, to not be torn up by mosquitoes. I saw a couple of shooting stars and walked back in awe of this wonderful planet, and the universe, on and in which we live.

In the dark, physically and emotionally exhausted, my brain stopped me in my tracks a few times as I walked back to the car. I’ve done a lot of ice fishing, and to my subconscious mind the salt looked like snow and the darker mud areas resembled thin ice or open water. I had to remind myself it was 90 degrees and I was not actually walking on a frozen lake! I passed a few folks set up with fancy camera gear to capture the night sky. I’m sure they got some pretty amazing shots, as it happened to be a new moon and the stars shone as bright as I’ve ever seen them. It was such a good night for stargazing that I stopped at Zabriskie Point again and, with the steady push of the warm wind flowing over me, laid on my back on the paved walk to admire the night sky some more. I’d give the experience 10/10 stars, but in actuality there were about one billion trillion stars up there. It absolutely boggles my mind.

Friday, April 9

After the late night drive back to Las Vegas from Death Valley National Park I slept in until about 8am before fueling up and hitting I-15 north. My plan for the day was to hit up Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada before rendezvousing with Jessica and Jacob at an Airbnb in La Verkin, Utah. It was already warm when I reached Valley of Fire in mid-morning, but I drove all the roads in the park to see the sites and picked a couple of short trails to run. I was very impressed with the landscape and I got to see lots of bighorn sheep.

I started with the White Domes Trail, a quick one-mile loop through some impressive rock formations. Running was slow due to the sand, groups of other people, and heat. Next, I parked at the Wave of Fire trailhead and ran to the “Wave of Fire” before accidentally going off the established trail and eventually wandering back to it. I completed a 5K this time, and really enjoyed exploring the intimate slot canyons and seeing the multi-colored rock formations and wildlife (bighorn sheep, lizards, and hawks).

For whatever reason, I pushed myself for the last half mile of this loop and regretted it when I sat down in the car. The heat got to me and I felt a little nauseous for a while, so I sat with the air conditioning blasting and drank Gatorade until the feeling passed.

My plan was to beat Jessica and Jacob to La Verkin, pick up their packets for them, and meet at the Airbnb. But I failed to account for the time zone change, and then got stuck in a traffic jam for 70 minutes due to a bad car crash. So they ended up picking up my race packet and made it to the Airbnb first. I arrived in La Verkin before sunset and we went out for a round of beer and dinner at a Mexican restaurant before prepping our race kits for the next day. It was an early night.

Saturday, April 10

I ran the Zion Ultras 50K with Jessica and Jacob. See the full race recap here!

Sunday, April 11

The Zion Ultras 50K was actually outside the National Park boundaries, so I was really excited to spend some time in the park with Jessica and Jacob! Zion National Park was probably the part of the trip I had been most excited about experiencing, and it did not disappoint! The only downside was that the place was really crowded. Finding parking was really challenging and we had to wait until 2pm to get same-day, first-come-first-serve shuttle tickets, which did not leave much time in the canyon.

We started with a relatively flat and easy hike on the Pine Creek Waterfall Trail.

After our short riparian hike we drove through the Mount Carmel Tunnel and out-and-back to the East Entrance, with several quick stops along the way. We saw a few bighorn sheep and stopped at the Checkerboard Mesa overlook.

When we returned to the Visitor Center I dropped Jessica and Jacob off to try and secure shuttle tickets while I circled the parking lot looking for a spot. Unfortunately, I had to be present to get a shuttle ticket – they couldn’t secure one for me while I found parking, so things weren’t looking good. But just in time a spot opened up and I was able to park. We nabbed our shuttle tickets and hopped into line. By 3pm we were at the Grotto stop, near the Angel’s Landing trailhead. We needed to be back on the last shuttle out by about 6pm or we would be stuck walking back down, and a day after the 50k that was far from optimal. Jessica and Jacob felt like we didn’t have enough time to reach the top of Angel’s Landing, but that was the trail I looked forward to completing most. I decided I had enough time if I hurried and so we agreed to meet back at the shuttle stop. I pushed myself up the switchbacks at a fast hike, navigated the chains to the very top, took a quick moment to appreciate the view and snag some photos, and then I scrambled down the chains as quickly as I could before flying down the paved switchbacks at a 7 minute/mile pace. It was incredible.

The Angel’s Landing trail is a 4.4-mile out-and-back from the Grotto, starting with a gentle climb along the Virgin River Valley, up a series of switchbacks, through Refrigerator Canyon, up another series of 21 tight switchbacks called Walter’s Wiggles, and finally to the final ascent, which features dangerously steep drop-offs, epic views, and chains to hold on to for dear life.

I made it up and down Angel’s Landing in about an hour and forty-five minutes elapsed time, with a moving time of about an hour. Plenty of time to meet back up with Jessica and Jake for the return shuttle and another Mexican dinner.

Monday, April 12

Jessica and Jacob had to leave really early to get back to Vegas for their flights. I slept in a little, wanting to see more of Zion but not sure where to start. Unfortunately, without shuttle tickets I couldn’t get into the Zion Canyon area so The Narrows were out. I ended up deciding to skip the crowded main entrance to instead visit the Kolob Canyon area of Zion National Park, which is a much more remote wilderness area with a completely separate park entrance off of I-15. I used the TrailRunProject App to identify a good route, a 14.5-mile out-and-back to Kolob Arch via the La Verkin Creek Trail. The trailhead signage with tips for dealing with mountain lion encounters made me a little nervous, as I would be running solo, but there were a few backcountry campers hiking out and it was broad daylight so I felt like the risk would be pretty minimal. The views, in the morning light, were rather incredible. I couldn’t stop taking photographs.

Because it was there, I also hiked the short Timber Creek Overlook Trail. See the panorama shot from that hike below.

My accommodation for the night was Bryce Canyon Resort. I hadn’t planned such a long run for this day, and my original itinerary had me driving all the way to Page, AZ and checking out Horseshoe Bend. I still had time to drive over there for a quick sunset experience, but it would have added a lot of extra driving. Next time, right? I opted to head straight to Bryce Canyon and I was able to fit in a magical hike amidst the hoodoos under a cotton-candy twilight sky.

My friend and former colleague Mark was on his own camping adventure and happened to be at Bryce Canyon, so I gave him a call after stocking up on groceries at the Bryce Canyon general store and checking into my hotel room. We arranged to meet at 7:30 the next morning for some hiking through the hoodoos.

Tuesday, April 13

Mark and I started down the Navajo Trail, followed that to a connector trail leading to the Peek-a-boo Trail loop, and then returned up the Queen’s Garden Trail for a pretty leisurely 10K morning hike. Bryce Canyon National Park is very photogenic. Here are a few highlights.

Somewhere along the Peek-a-boo Trail we stopped at an overlook to sit for a snack and chat. After a few minutes, and hawk came flying through the canyon, just feet to our right, carrying a struggling bird not much smaller than it. They careened, mid-air, into a pine bough but the hawk recovered, and flew off with its catch. Oh, the things you observe when you slow down and watch for a while…

After our hike we grabbed a vegetarian pizza for lunch and split off on our own for the afternoon. I went back to the hotel room for a shower and a nap, as my body needed the rest. Later that evening, Mark and I met up for a stroll along the rim of the canyon. The wind was wild, but the scenery was worth putting up with those sandy gusts.

We enjoyed dinner and beers around a fire at Mark’s campsite before I wished him well and headed back to my room.

Wednesday, April 14

I checked out of Bryce Canyon Resort and hit the road towards Moab, where I’d be staying the next two nights, without much of a plan other than to swing through Capitol Reef National Park on my way through. To get there, I opted to follow Highway 12 rather than Highway 62, which was longer by about a half hour. This route took me through the town of Escalante, to some worth-stopping scenic pullouts overlooking the Grand Staircase-Escalante region, and led me to stumble upon Kiva Koffeehouse, perched on a canyon overlook.

I bought a caffeinated beverage and continued just a bit down the road to a bridge over the Escalante River, where TrailRunProject App indicated a recommended trail leading to a large natural bridge. I could afford a couple of hours to explore this trail and still have time for a run or hike at Capitol Reef, so I grabbed my hydration vest and started a “hike” activity on my Coros. It was immediately apparent that this trail had a feature that I hadn’t yet encountered on this trip. Water crossings. I took my shoes and socks off to wade through the shin-deep Escalante River. If I knew there would be seven more river crossings I might have just gotten my shoes wet, as I had a backup pair of trail shoes, but I decided to keep my trusty Hoka Challengers dry (I did all 156 miles of running and hiking on this trip in them).

The trail I was following along the river edged up against a cliff and eventually degraded into a pile of jagged boulders, where I encountered another off-the-path runner. Using the GPS tracking inherent on the TrailRunProject App, we cut across the river and through some scrub until we regained the actual trail. It had turned for a river crossing a while back but somehow we’d both missed it. Her name was Cait, and we decided to finish the hike together, which helped us from getting lost again and allowed us to trade off as each others’ personal photographer for the rest of the hike.

We hiked back to the trailhead after seeing the arch, ending the hike at close to 4.5 miles. I continued along Highway 12, which was pretty scenic (see photos below, all from highway pull-offs) all the way to Capitol Reef National Park.

The partly cloudy sky cast an enthralling web of light and shadow over the colorful rock formations of Capitol Reef National Park. I drove in from the west and selected the Chimney Rock Trail loop for my first adventure there.

My favorite part of the hike was sitting on the cliff edge and feeling the updraft of air as I gazed out onto the valley. After completing the hiking loop I hopped back in the Camaro and drove the scenic drive and took a quick peek at the the orchards before leaving out the east end of the Park on my way to Moab.

I was treated to a beautiful sunset on my drive through the desert, and reached Moab at dusk. I checked in at River Canyon Lodge before grabbing a quick dinner. I had another big hike planned for the morning, so I headed to bed.

Thursday, April 15

My friend Laura talked up the Druid Arch hike, so I allocated a day on my itinerary to head to the Needles District of Canyonland National Park. It was a 90-minute drive south, then west, from Moab and I admired the scenery as I passed through on-and-off rain showers. After a quick stop at the Visitor Center, I followed the narrow, unpaved road to the Elephant Hill parking area and trailhead.

Part of the appeal, for me, of seeing Druid Arch is that there are no roads leading up to it. Far from the crowds, the only other people out there were other adventurous hikers. The remoteness carries risks, of course, and the dark skies and thunder rolling in the distance made me a little nervous. But after a quick climb and flat stretch along Elephant Rock the trail winds through a narrow crack and down to the canyon floor. From there it follows a sandy wash for several miles until the final climb to Druid Arch. The canyon floor was surrounded by plenty of rock ledges and giant boulders offering shelter from lightning and heavy rain, so I felt comfortable pushing forward despite the sketchy weather.

I dealt with the hot sun and wind for the first mile or two and at about four miles into the hike the storm was on me. It started snowing. Then lighting flashed overhead, thunder booming nearly simultaneously. There was a waist-high ledge close, offering a dry little cave. I did a quick visual sweep for rattlesnakes, scorpions, black widows, and mountain lions and, finding none of the above, occupied the space. The snow turned to rain. I ate a snack, used my hydration bladder as a pillow, and took a short rest. The mercurial weather seemed appropriate for a hike to see something with such a mystical name as “Druid Arch,” as if some magic-wielding Celtic priest was directing the elements as a test of my resolve.

Within ten minutes, the storm had blown over and I was beckoned forth with birdsong and patches of blue sky. I missed a left turn, where the trail starts climbing the side of the canyon wall, and continued to follow the canyon floor until it dead-ended in a pool of standing water surrounding on three sides by steep rock walls. I turned back and found a place to scramble up to the proper trail.

The canyon valley leads to Druid Arch, but the first view of this magnificent structure is from its side. To really experience it, the final climb up a steep sand and rocky slide, with a metal ladder installed in one of the steepest spots, is 100% worth the effort. The result is a full-frontal view of Druid Arch that left me thinking “Wow”!

I took twenty minutes to soak in the view and eat a snack before turning around and heading back to the trailhead. I ran most of the return, because it felt good to go fast but also because the sky remained somewhat dark and the threat of thunderstorms remained.

Canyonlands National Park is enormous, and I would love to spend more time exploring the myriad trails and sights that park has to offer. But for this trip the Druid Arch hike would have to suffice, for the next day was devoted to Arches National Park.

When I got back to Moab I grabbed a delicious dinner at a middle eastern restaurant, then a beer at Moab Brewery.

Friday, April 16

After eight straight days of running and hiking, totaling about 100 miles, and another 50K on deck for the next day, I probably should have tapered. At least for one day. But nope. I ended up running and hiking another 14 miles of tough terrain in Arches National Park, included the Double Arch, Devils Garden, and Delicate Arch trails.

Driving into Arches National Park in the morning light was pretty spectacular. I started with a short run-hike to Double Arch, where I met a couple of fellow University of Minnesota-Duluth alumni that, coincidentally, got engaged atop Barn Bluff in my hometown of Red Wing, MN. I actually saw a lot of Minnesota license plates in Arches National Park (Delicate Arch definitely doesn’t look like those license plates).

My next stop was the Devils Garden loop, which was recommended to me by the Amazing Aly Adkisson. I did it clockwise to see the most impressive arches in the magical glow of the early light.

I did the spur trails to Navajo Arch and to the Dark Angel, a very phallic 150-foot tall sandstone tower, and added some extra time and mileage to my run-hike by getting a little off-track.

It was a scenic loop and definitely worth completing, tired legs and all. I had one more thing high on my list of things to see before I left the park: the iconic Delicate Arch. I didn’t have a lot of time. I was planning to drop off my rental car in Grand Junction, CO at 3:30pm, where Aly would pick me up to head to packet picket for our Desert RATS 50K.

To my dismay, the main parking area at Delicate Arch was full and a ranger was directing traffic to the overflow lot a mile and a half down the road. I had just enough time to squeeze in the 5K hike up to and back from Delicate Arch. It would be a 10K from the lower parking lot. So, I hiked up to the lower overlooks and gazed up at Delicate Arch from a distance. It was hard to appreciate, because I had been excited to see it up close. I walked back to the car, crestfallen.

I did the math in my head. The only way I could make it was if I ran. It would be a steep climb up and down slickrock, and my legs were dead tired. I should be taking it easy, I thought, with an ultramarathon looming the following day. So, what do you think I did?

As it turned out, Aly had to deal with a tire repair on her drive to Grand Junction and I ended up with enough time to clean up with a gas-station shower, which was another new experience. Thanks Laura for a delicious vegan dinner! 🙂

Saturday, April 17

I ran the Gemini Adventures! Desert RATS Trail Running Festival 50K with Aly and Laura. See that race recap here!

Sunday, April 18

I rode back to Colorado Springs with Aly on Sunday, but my National Parks adventures weren’t over yet. We made a quick stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado.

We grabbed beer and vegan pizza at Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub in Salida and stopped for a picture of the Sawatch Range before continuing on to Colorado Springs.

My flight back to Michigan was 4:22pm on Monday, but rather than sit around at the airport all day waiting for my departure (Aly had to work) I rented a car and planned an early morning adventure to squeeze in one more National Park.

Monday, April 19

I got up at 3am and hit the road in my rental car in order to reach Great Sand Dunes National Park in time for sunrise. It was about a three-hour drive, fueled by copious coffee and some of my favorite music. It was a chilly 28-degrees F when I arrived at my eighth National Park of the road-trip. I bundled up in hat, jacket, and gloves and set off, on still-tired legs, into the sand dunes. I traced a wandering 3.5-mile loop, including a climb to the top of High Dune. It was so different than any of the other places I had visited. Uniquely beautiful, in its own way.

I had just enough time to follow Aly’s recommendation to see the nearby Zapata Falls. It was a good finale to the trip. I white-knuckled the low-clearance rental car up the cobble-strewn switchback road to the trailhead. After a short, easy hike, I reached South Zapata Creek and followed the partially frozen river into a rocky crevasse. I could hear the stream flowing beneath a thick sheet of slick ice, that allowed me to walk in far enough to see the beautiful frozen waterfall. It was a special, hidden away place and something I’m glad I got to experience. Thank you, Aly, for suggesting this! 🙂

From there it was just a matter of driving back to Colorado Springs and flying home. My wild wild west adventure had come to conclusion. It’s always hard when something good comes to an end, but I’m so very happy that it happened at all!