OT? Googlemaps > I've got much better turn by turn stuff on my iPhone.
Its not that I need directions so much on a trip.
I use it for planning where to go, what to see, how much time to budget, where to camp... for free... I don't do much sitting around. I plan but I'm flexible.
I use terrain map to figure out where to camp for free. Streetview along with photos to see what I'm likely to see on different routes. For example due to Streetviews I decided to divert off the 191 at Blandings UT, sleep just outside Natural Bridges, down a dirt road on the 275, Spend the better part of a day at Natural Bridges, and then head south on the 261 where the entrance over the cliff to Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods and Goosenecks Point is spectacular. I think it was a good choice. I would have missed a lot if I'd simply taken the 191 to the 163.
And it turned out my sleeping area just before Natural Bridges, about a quarter mile in on a dirt road off the highway and then 50 yard off the dirt road, was very pleasant and quiet. No neighbors. Took a hot shower under a cedar tree in the morning and took off clean and refreshed. Camping at Natural Bridges is elbow to elbow, I don't believe they have showers, I don't think my neighbors would have appreciated me taking a shower under a tree there. In fact I regularly drive through camping areas to check them out. The ONLY one I thought was nice was in Lower Canyonlands, if I remember correctly, and though its not elbow to elbow you still have neighbors within a couple hundred feet. That means dogs barking and generators not to mention the lack of freedom to turn on the car stereo.
I did the same thing in Castle Valley outside Arches.
CANYONLAND - my #2 recommendation for Utah - this is the upper road area. (In the lower area, the road to the park is more impressive than the park itself, but both are amazing.)
Its maybe 3000 ft + to the bottom here. The color of the sandstone is amazing.
Canyonlands from Dead Horse overlook, probably the best view from the rim:
Vast place:
That's a dirt road on the top of the secondary cliff down there. Truck or 4WD. You could easily spend a week here, but you can see the best parts from the upper cliffs in a day. |
