Goodbye Arches, Hello… Snow?

Driving through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Camping in Moab, and visiting the beautiful Arches National Park, we had gorgeous weather. We slept well, and it got really hot during the day. We welcomed this beautiful weather, since it had rained and hailed on us in Grand Canyon and rained on us in Mesa Verde as well. We left Moab and looked forward to driving through small towns and isolated areas to get to Bryce Canyon. I was in shorts and a tank top as we hit the road that afternoon. 

Free-range cattle

After grabbing a bite to eat, we entered an area of free-range cattle as we climbed higher in elevation. As we drove, I started noticing small, white patches on the ground. And then it hit me- there was already snow up here! It was mid-September, and as I pulled over for some photos, I recalled how quickly weather can change in Utah. In Moab, it was sunny and above 80 degrees during the day; now we were heading to camping in below freezing temperatures.

Snow!
Mr. Cow on the side of the road says Hello

We stopped in a small town, where we saw the dinosaur statues and headed for rocky weather.

They weren't all dinosaurs...
Storms ahead

As we neared Bryce Canyon, it started to look sunny again and we were hopeful…

But as we set up camp in the cold in Bryce Canyon, we prepared ourselves for what was to be a long and miserable night of camping! Have you camped in cold weather? I welcome any tips for how you make it more comfortable.

3 thoughts on “Goodbye Arches, Hello… Snow?

  • I haven’t done much camping in general but I am jealous of your trips through Utah. I have wanted to visit Arches and other parks on the east side but a day trip from Vegas isn’t possible. Are you currently traveling through there or did I misread the mid-September part. Hopefully if you make it to Zion it is in the warmer months ahead so you can go to the Narrows. It is one of my favorite places on earth to run away to.

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