{"id":713,"date":"2011-06-21T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2011-06-21T14:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=713"},"modified":"2015-06-11T10:19:35","modified_gmt":"2015-06-11T14:19:35","slug":"bow-to-america%e2%80%99s-canyonlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/bow-to-america%e2%80%99s-canyonlands","title":{"rendered":"Bow to America\u2019s Canyonlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"zion-national-park-utah\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Heaven on Earth may sound trite until you actually glimpse Angel\u2019s Landing in Zion National Park<\/a>, the stone spires and graceful arches of Bryce Canyon<\/a> and tiers of uplifted cliffs in the Grand Canyon\u2019s<\/a> Kaibab Plateau. But glimpsing hardly does it justice. And the sweeping landscape of ever-changing reds, purples, oranges and ochers make visiting America\u2019s canyonlands nothing short of mesmerizing. And that\u2019s probably even an understatement. So how do you navigate these majestic formations? How do you soak in 2000 million years of the Earth\u2019s history in six days? Lucky for you, there\u2019s a guide in paradise. Explorica will show you the way\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Getting into the game<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be doing some major time traveling on this trip so it\u2019s good to come at it with a little perspective. Turn back the clock as you explore museums and visitor centers like the Lost City Museum<\/a> that boasts Anasazi excavations and artifacts over 1000 years old. Wrap your brain around this: when you hike into the canyons, with each step down you\u2019ll descend backward chronologically through 4.65 billon years of geologic time. (That\u2019s deep.) You\u2019ll be passing through the last major ice age, the extinction of dinosaurs, maybe pass by a few T. Rex skeletons while you\u2019re at it. Just think, you\u2019ll be stepping into land before time. And the nearly 40 layers of major sedimentary rock is hardcore proof.<\/p>\n

What to bring in a daypack<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before you head out to the hoodoos\u2014these awesome spires of tall thin rock that can rise as high as a 10-story building\u2014keep yourself grounded and focus on the practical. Yes, there will be guides leading the way at Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon National Parks<\/a>. They\u2019ll get you oriented, but they won\u2019t be there to pack your bags. So here are some things to think about when planning your daypack. First, count the hours you\u2019ll be carrying your pack and fill it with just what you need. Every pound feels heavier the longer you\u2019re hoofing it around. Wear a brimmed hat and carry a camera, water bottle, snacks, sun screen and a rain poncho just in case. You might also want to bring a walking stick and small journal or sketchpad. A word about water\u2014drink water frequently all day BEFORE you feel thirsty. (If you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated.) And lastly, don\u2019t forget binoculars to scope out elusive mountain lions paroling the high cliffs in Zion<\/a> or the Kaibab squirrel native to the North Rim in the Grand Canyon<\/a>. The wide-open scenery is amazing but the right close-up can take your breath away, too.<\/p>\n

How to dress comfortably<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that we have our daypack all squared away let\u2019s talk about practical items to wear. (To a teen, \u201cpractical\u201d clothes may sound like mom-jeans or dad\u2019s Bermuda shorts with black socks and sneakers.) We can\u2019t stress enough here\u2019s one time where sacrificing style for comfort will pay off in spades. Non-cotton athletic wear that wicks away sweat is important for safety in the sun. Whether you prefer shorts, long pants, long or short sleeve shirts, just remember that the more skin you cover with light fabric the more protection you\u2019ll have from the sun. (Nothing ruins a trip faster than getting any part of your body baked lobster red.) Besides clothing, since your feet will be doing most of the work on this trip, treat them well and they\u2019ll take care of you. Trim your nails and wear comfortable sturdy hiking shoes or boots with special hiking socks you can find in sporting goods stores. Take along some moleskin or blister bandages just in case your shoes start to rub, and you can stop the blister before it forms. With the right hiking outfits, you should be feeling nothing but the awe of the surroundings. Who knows you may start a badlands fashion trend after this.<\/p>\n

Have fun and don\u2019t be camera shy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plan well so all you\u2019ll have to worry about on the trip is how frame your photos. After all, a trip to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World must have endless photo ops\u2014like catching an endangered California Condor flying on the thermals off Navajo Bridge in the Grand Canyon<\/a>. What a better memory than a Nevada-sized blister caused by the wrong kind of socks in your boots. What other image might make it to your Facebook wall? Tell us in the comments what you\u2019d most like to see and post a picture on our Facebook page when you get there. We\u2019d love to see how you and your group rocked Red Rock country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heaven on Earth may sound trite until you actually glimpse Angel\u2019s Landing in Zion National Park, the stone spires and graceful arches of Bryce Canyon and tiers of uplifted cliffs in the Grand Canyon\u2019s Kaibab Plateau. But glimpsing hardly does it justice. And the sweeping landscape of ever-changing reds, purples, oranges and ochers make visiting Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,63,172],"tags":[117,58,100,118,119],"class_list":["post-713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","hentry","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers","tag-canyonlands","tag-educational-travel","tag-north-american-tours","tag-what-to-bring-in-a-daypack","tag-what-to-wear-on-tour","post_format-post-format-aside"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5736,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713\/revisions\/5736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}