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My parents visited over President’s Day weekend and as they had already visited once before, they decided they wanted to see some parts of Utah besides just Salt Lake City and Park City. Therefore we decided to take a weekend trip from Salt Lake City to the National Parks. We planned a nice little loop from Salt Lake City with the first stop being the closest national park – Capitol Reef.

As a side note, you could spend a week in each national park in Utah and not see everything. This was more of a “let’s hit the highlights” type of trip – and one that my parents really enjoyed.

Capitol Reef is a little under 3.5 hours south of Salt Lake City. It is the least famous of the Utah National Parks making it extremely enjoyable all year around, even during “busy” season. The hiking trail we visited, Hickman Bridge, is one of the more popular choices. However we still only encountered 2 other groups while we were hiking – much less than during the spring, summer, and fall but it doesn’t seem to ever get really crowded.

The Hickman Bridge trail is about 2 miles long and 500 ft of elevation gain. Not much, but if you aren’t adjusted to the elevation it can be a little challenging. Be sure to bring water.

So to summarize, it is totally doable to take a weekend trip from Salt Lake City to the National Parks and Capitol Reef will likely be your very first stop. Be on the lookout for the next two posts from the rest of our trip!

Currently reading: “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne

Currently listening to: “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

Andrea

Andrea Cannon is a pharmacist, triathlete, gratitude practicer, and avid traveler. For both business and pleasure, she has taken more than 250 flights yearly for the past 3 years. In addition to being a travel hacking enthusiast, Andrea enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband (Austin) and dog (Dex). You can connect with her via her blog www.beaUTAHfulworld.com or on Instagram @andreafcannon .

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