After driving the main highway to Bryce Canyon we were craving some adventure. There is something very exciting about looking at a map, seeing the grey slashed lines (usually unpaved road) and not knowing what condition the road will be in, where you will end up or even what it will look like. All you know is you will be away from civilization and more than likely surrounded by nature. If you are in Southern Utah, you will almost be guaranteed to be seeing some of the most beautiful country on the planet.
Road through the canyons. Beautiful fall colors.
XP glamour shot before we turned onto the dirt road.
This is how we ended up spending a few days off roading and free camping through Grand Staircase Escalante. We followed an unnamed road on our very undetailed road atlas and ended up seeing some stunning and remote places. The roads were really fun and were actually in fairly good condition, but looked like they had areas where it would be difficult to pass with rain. During this part of our trip I got to practice using four wheel drive (my first time in the Dodge). It was great! Driving in four wheel drive really gave me a better feeling about where the tires were and how they reacted to the bumpy road. I loved it even though Sam kept telling me to slow down. =)
Sam airing down the tires getting ready for some off road fun.
Our camp spot on the BLM land, it was just us and the coyotes. We did not see another car the entire day.
Sunrise from our campsite. It was really cold, around 40 degrees.
I wish every morning had this view.
Look at the mountains in the back, I saw them through the side mirrors and jumped out to take a picture.
It looked like this everywhere, so stunning.
After a few days of exploration, Sam and I made a pack that one day we would come back and spend two to three months just exploring all the dirt roads and BLM land of Southern Utah in our XP. We have traveled all over the world, and I think that this is some of the most stunning natural scenery I have ever seen.
Every time we decide to take the back roads we don’t know anything about, we often have our best experiences. I am glad we are taking the roads less traveled both in our current adventure and in our life choices, because sometimes without risk, there really is very little reward.