Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park

Three days, three states, three national parks: We used the long weekend due to Labour Day for our first real road trip!
So on Friday, there were five of us, with 12 liters of water, loads of canned ravioli, an outside temperature of 40 degrees, and a miserable air conditioning in our Fiat 500 that we had to endure for about 7 hours until we reached Grand Canyon Village. Once there, a roommate in our hostel gave us some helpful tips for the national parks so that we could start the next morning well-prepared for the Grand Canyon. We set off at around five in the morning to be able to watch the sunrise there. It wasn't until it was completely light that we realized how impressive and huge the Grand Canyon really is. Unfortunately, it was too hot that day to hike down into the canyon, so we could only wander around the South Rim Trail on the edge of the canyon - no question: still a view and impression that will stay in our memories!

On the same day, our tour continued to the next hostel towards Bryce Canyon. On the way, we made a detour to 'Horseshoe Bend' where we had a fascinating view of the Colorado River.

After spending a night in a hostel on the edge of Bryce Canyon, we inquired at the visitor center about possible hikes and decided on a four-hour hike down and across the canyon. The effort was definitely worth it and we were able to enjoy views and impressions that would never have been possible from the edge of the canyon. We all agreed: Bryce Canyon impressed us even more than the Grand Canyon!

The last day of our road trip took us to Zion National Park. Unfortunately, we only had about three hours because we had to drive back to University Village for over seven hours on the same day. A short hike to various waterfalls was enough for a brief impression of the beautiful Zion, but another whole day would have definitely been an advantage.

In the afternoon, we set off on the journey back, which took over 10 hours instead of 7 due to the holiday traffic: nerve-wracking, but definitely bearable with crackers, stops at Starbucks, good conversations, and the best music!