[Travel] UT: One Trip, 5 National Parks

First things first. Who, What, When, Where, Why. 
Who: invite your travel buddies
What: Camping/Hiking Trip duh!
When: You getting work off or nah?
Where: Time to set your itinerary, including, which national parks you plan on hitting, how many days at each, where you plan to camp, what reservations or permits your will need ahead of time/which you can make at the site (Lexi has the National Parks Pass, which means not paying to enter each of the parks). We stayed on BLM campsites, which is basically public land- free camping for all.
Why: Just for fun.

Camping Essentials-
shelter: Tarp, sleeping bag, tent
warmth: fire starters (we used matches, you might consider bringing tinder/fire starter logs etc, accelerant… up to you and how confident you are in your fire starting skills). Extra clothing layers (think sweatshirt, long underwear, wool socks, face masks, your Comfy, etc.).
food: since you are car camping you have the luxury to pack heavier. This means, cooler, cookware, camping stove/propane+ cook stand, pots. You want to make sure you have camp foods (these are the things I need silverware for, or something that I heat up (soup), AS WELL AS hiking foods- the things you can pack and eat on the go. I made tuna wraps during the day while we hiked.

HERE IS THE FOOD I PACKED:

• SOUP! [Hearty Chicken with Vegetables, Garden Vegetable, Chicken & Wild Rice, Chicken & Rice Condensed Soup, Savory Chicken with White Meat Chicken & Wild Rice (x2)]
• 12 Hard Boiled Eggs – I LOVE EGGS
• 8 Light & Fit Greek Yogurt
• 1 Jar of Peanutbutter (to mix with the yogurt!)
• 680g of Shredded Chicken
• 16oz Turkey Breast
• 8 Mission Carb Balance Tortilla
• 4 4oz to-go servings cottage cheese
• 4 pkts tuna

This was enough food for about 1,400-1,500 calories per day.
(keep in mind your nutritional need for your body. Especially with excessive daily exercise (ie hiking) you will want to make sure you are adequately fueling your body. For me a 5’4′ female, this was a sufficient amount of food).
water: we packed one gallon per day for each of us to drink + about 2 gallons each extra for cooking, cleaning utensils, brushing teeth, etc.
Personal Hygiene:  Toothpaste, toothbrush, deo, SUNSCREEN, baby wipes, TP
The nice thing about car camping/national parks is that we had access to bathrooms during the day at the national parks.
Clothing etc: Good pair of hiking boots, camp shoes (we brought our hiking sandles to air out our feet at night), I brought 2 sweatshirts, 4 tank tops, 4 pairs of leggings,  4 underwear/bras. Since we were car camping we could pack extra clothes… since we were camping we were unable to wash clothes so I just brought enough to get through. I also packed face shield for each day (so I could tell the pictures apart, protect the back of my neck from the sun, and/or hold my hair back). Socks, lots of socks.

Time Spent: 1 Day
Must See Hike: Angel’s Landing (& I’ve heard that The Narrows is AMAZING, but the water levels were too high while we were at the park)
PROS: One of the Most photogenic parks
CONS: Most crowded, wait time for Angel’s Landing/ hike speed is limited to the speed of the groups in front of you

Time Spent: 15mins
Must See: Look out sites
PROS: Beautiful look out points, easy access from parking lot
CONS: Didn’t have enough time to hike, so the con was didn’t have enough street credit for us to warrant a longer stop

Time Spent: 1 Day
Must Do: Buy one of the homemade pies from the little shop
PROS: Not over-crowded, super diverse landscapes & hikes, lots of flowers! Small nooks to explore, as well as larger arches and stone structures. This was my favorite of the 5 parks!  11/10 would recommend and would tell others to visit.
CONS: We weren’t at the park while the orchards were producing fruits

Time Spent: 1 Day
Must See Arch: Delicate Arch
Must Do Hike: Devils Garden Loop, you should note that the Dark Angel loop has fallen
PROS: Close by to Canyon lands (easy to hit both parks in one stop!), a ton of quick hikes with fun final destinations (the ARCHES!)
CONS: Again, one of the more crowded parks

Time Spent: 3/4 Day
PROS: Another park without too many people, the canyons were breath-taking
CONS: Photos don’t do it justice, most of the hikes are flatter and less challenging (it was a great last stop), Last day of the trip and I was too grumpy to enjoy the scenic route

This is where Forrest Gump Finished his run and decides that it is time to go home. This is where pull off the highway and take a picture running down the middle of the road, exactly like your parents taught you not to do.