Backpacking in Utah

For a month, my girlfriend and I worked remotely from southern Utah and explored the state's national parks. Each weekend, we picked a park, packed our backpacks, and ventured into surreal landscapes. The parks are fairly close together, making it easy to stay in one place and take excursions. Our itinerary included Zion National Park,  Bryce Canyon, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The landscapes of each of these areas are truly breathtaking. The time of year was perfect as well: not too busy, not too hot, not too cold (well, Bryce was a little chilly), and beautiful fall foliage. Needless to say, by the end of the month, all of our shoes and gear were stained red from the rocks and clay. There are plenty of places we didn't make it to - Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, the list goes on... - but it's always better to leave wanting to come back for more (at least in my opinion).