Editor’s note: we are so lucky to have Utah resident Sam Spector to give us some insights into his home beyond the “Big 5” national parks. Make sure to click here to visit his index page and read all of his wonderful articles from Utah and all over the world! As anyone who talks to…
Utah’s Goblin Valley
Editor’s note: like Sam, I have been to Utah’s Mighty Five. However, I haven’t had many opportunities to explore the rest of the natural beauty of the state. This is a place I’d never heard of, and am grateful to be able to add to a future itinerary. For more of Sam Spector’s writing, click…
Moab, Utah
Editor’s note: I have been to Moab once, to spend a single day in each of the two local national parks. Sam, however, has spent more time, and has some wonderful recommendations for the area that make sense given his status as a Utah resident. For more of Sam’s amazing writing, click here. I am…
How Travel Saved My Paternity Leave
Editor’s note: what a wonderful story of bonding with a newborn through travel! Sam’s adventures may be changing, but I have no doubt that his stories, while a bit different, will be just as inspiring to all of us. For more of Sam’s incredible writing, click here to visit his index page. As everyone knows,…
The Ultimate Guide to Page and the Arizona Strip
Page, Arizona sits at the northern border of the state, just a couple miles south of Utah, where Glen Canyon Dam (and bridge) allows passage over the Colorado River. To the east lies Lake Powell. To the west is a mysterious area called the Arizona Strip, the northwest corner of the state that is separated…
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Horseshoe Bend
It is one of the most iconic photos on Instagram, seeming to come right out of a Windows background. Horseshoe Bend, where the mighty Colorado River makes a perfect U-turn, is a bucket list destination for so many people, myself included. But it is just one part of a much larger system, defined by the…
What’s the Story with Grand Staircase – Escalante?
In 1996, President Clinton set aside nearly 1.9 million acres of remote land in southern Utah, land so remote it was the last to be mapped in the country. In 2017, President Trump reduced those protections, cutting the size of the land set aside in half. But what is the story of Grand Staircase -…
Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake
Editor’s note: Thank you to Sam for another amazing story from his Utah home. For more tales of Sam’s travels, near and far, click here to visit his index page. The Great Salt Lake is the largest lake in the United States outside of the Great Lakes and it is from this lake that Utah’s…
The Utah State Capitol
Editor’s note: I have been pressuring Sam for a while to write more about his home as a break from his amazing worldwide adventures. Today, he indulged me, and I’m so glad he did! To read more from this incredible writer - and person - click here to visit his index. For three years, I…
Cedar Breaks: Hoodoos, Fossils, and My Favorite Two-Star Motel
Editor's note: Our resident national parks expert takes us to a less traveled one in Utah. For all of Christian's posts here on The Royal Tour, click here. When I travel alone, I have a habit of showing up at dusk to a town I’ve only known existed for the last few hours, and parking…