I spent 10 days solo road-tripping through Utah and Arizona. It was gorgeous, but I wish I’d known a few things before I left.
October 14, 20240
There were some remote stops during my road trip.
Eibhlis Gale-Coleman
I expected patchy cell signal on trails and far-flung corners of the national parks, but it was often shaky on entire stretches of road.
The worst part was staying in the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. There was no WiFi at my accommodations, and I could only muster a bar of service while sitting on one specific rock.
I definitely wish I’d downloaded more maps and movies in advance and had been more diligent about warning my friends and family when I was likely about to become unreachable.
Having a car with four-wheel drive would’ve been ideal, but I made do.
The America the Beautiful was definitely worth it for me.
Unfortunately, that meant I missed out on purchasing the America the Beautiful pass, which grants annual access to all the national parks for $80.
I was kicking myself since I knew I’d be visiting multiple parks on my trip. But luckily, when I went to buy my next pass at North Rim, a lovely park ranger asked if I’d visited any other parks recently.
They were able to knock the $35 I already paid off the $80 annual pass so I could use it for the rest of my trip.
Waking up early is essential for Zion National Park.
Mount Carmel Tunnel is a big attraction in Zion National Park.
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I knew Mount Carmel Tunnel in Zion was essentially just a road blasted through a mountain pass, but it was even scarier than I expected.
Driving through the first miniature tunnel, I wondered what the fuss was about. But the big tunnel was a genuine beast, and I found the road a bit slippery and hard to navigate in my smaller car.
The narrow lanes were also a bit harrowing. I’d be wary of driving it again, especially since the precarious road usually has two-way traffic.
Altitude sickness is not to be trifled with.
I typically like to have at least half a tank of gas at all times.
Eibhlis Gale-Coleman
After a couple of years living in Australia, I’d heard horror stories of naive travelers stranding themselves in the outback. Because of this, the prospect of spaced-out gas stations made me uneasy about driving through Utah and Arizona.
Luckily, it was easy to manage. Some national parks even had fuel stations by their entrances.
I still swear by the rule of treating anything near the half-tank mark as empty, but I’m glad refueling wasn’t a big concern throughout my trip.
