I tried to do some version of this trip back in June - didn't work out too well. I ended up having a blowout and rolling my car a bunch of times. Here's the fun story on that.. So I was bound and determined to not let that deter me. I booked campsites in Zion and Bryce Canyon (in Southeastern Utah), booked a 2 day hike down the Virgin Narrows where I spend the night on the river (Zion), and left the rest of the trip open. Turns out Southern Utah has a huge concentration of national parks. So I wound doing about a park a day after Bryce canyon, moving east across Utah, then doing a loop around the Four Corners and heading back to LA through Arizona.

I hit the back roads to get from place to place. Seems like just about every highway in So. Utah is some insane scenic byway. Just when you think you've seen every bizarre formation the earth can make, a completely new one pops up. It's like some maniacal earth-sized Pee Wee's Playhouse. Anyway, the trip was a complete blast, and looking at these pictures I already wish I was back out there.

Grand Totals - 6 states + 1 Indian Nation, 2769 miles, 2,200 pictures, 7 National Parks, 2 National Monuments, 1 National Historical Site, 1 National Recreation Area, 1 State Park, and a few National Forests.

 (Matt's other online albums)

 Arches National Park (UT) - thumbnails

 Around the Valley of the Gods (UT) - thumbnails

 Bryce Canyon National Park (UT) - thumbnails

 Canyonlands National Park (UT) - Needles area - thumbnails
 Canyonlands National Park (UT) - Island in the Sky area - thumbnails

 Capitol Reef National Park (UT) - thumbnails

 Cedar Breaks National Monument (UT) - thumbnails

 Chaco Canyon National Park (NM) - thumbnails

 Grand Canyon National Park (AZ) - thumbnails

 Kodachrome Basin State Park (UT) - thumbnails

 Mesa Verde National Park (CO) - thumbnails

 Petrified Forest National Park (AZ) - thumbnails

 Zion National Park (UT) - inside the park - thumbnails
 Zion National Park (UT) - along the river - thumbnails
 Around Zion (UT) - thumbnails