Bear Lake – June 2020
With scheduled events cancelled thanks to 
, we decided to give a big 
to the tyranny and go road-tripping to places we had never been. In looking at the atlas,
and taking into consideration which states were still "locked down", we pointed our vans north to the tip of Utah.
Prescott, AZ to Goosenecks, UT:
Left from Mom & Dad's place and ventured to our usual southeast Utah camp spot at Goosenecks State Park via Monument Valley.
Goosenecks to San Rafael Swell via Hite Overlook:
From Goosenecks, we headed north via the Moki Dugway and highway 95, stopping at the Hite Overlook. Continuing on, our plan was to stay at Goblin Valley, but arriving at the quasi-entrance,
a sign had been posted stating that the campground was full. No problem, as there is a large "overflow" BLM right there at the intersection. The south end was virtually empty, so we parked
there, which is actually a neat location being right there at the Swell.
San Rafael Swell to Strawberry Reservoir:
Driving north on highway 191, we stopped at Horse Canyon View Rest Area where we pondered where our final destination of the day should be. We considered Starvation State Park, but
upon arrival we found the campground full. Plan B was Strawberry Reservoir. Turned out there were lots of sites available and, with it so green, and having a lake-front site, Plan
B was perfect!
Strawberry Reservoir to Bear Lake:
Woke up to a gorgeous view! We thought about staying another night so that we could thoroughly enjoy the beauty and serenity, but decided to press on instead, making a
pitstop at the scenic Echo Canyon Rest Area. While no photos were taken, the drive up to Bear Lake was gorgeous. Upon arriving at Bear Lake, the campground we chose had just
a few sites available, but because we were staying for just one night, we snagged a lake-front spot.
Bear Lake to Flaming Gorge Reservoir:
Woke up to a windy & rainy morning, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because this lake is known for its beautiful turquoise water that only appears when the sun shines upon it. We caught
brief glimses when the sun peaked out from behind the clouds, but those moments occurred while driving, with no opportunities to pull over. Thus, I've included a few of photos of
Bear Lake from others.
Driving north around Bear Lake along the west shore and into Wyoming, it rained periodically, but the views were incredible!
After stopping for lunch and fuel in Green River, Wyoming, we headed south to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, stopping at Buckboard Crossing Campground & Marina for the night.
Flaming Gorge to Steinaker State Park:
After breakfast, we drove down to the marina store, then onward south via the Sheep Creek Scenic Byway… and scenic it was!
Once at the crest of the mountain, we turned at the Red Canyon overlook. While the campgrounds were open, amazingly, they were full, so no chance of staying overnight. En route to the overlook, we stopped at the West Greens Lake.
After viewing Red Canyon, we then drove down the somewhat steep road to the dam (much like up at Red Canyon, the dam visitor center was closed for COVID BS 
) and marina.
Nice to see Flaming Gorge, like Havasu and Mohave below it, brim full… while Lakes Powell and Mead are left to suffer.
On US 191, towards the end of Cottonwood Canyon's switchbacks, we pulled over at a large pull-out to take in the grand vistas and to determine where we should try to spend the night. Seeing lakes in the distance, we ventured off to Red Fleet Reservoir (State Park).
Beautiful lake, tucked into limestone & sandstone, but the campground left a bit to be desired, so we pressed on to Steinaker State Park - just down the highway a short way - with our fingers crossed. We were in luck - camp sites available!
Steinaker State Park to Moab:
After packing up, we drove down to small Steinaker Reservoir to see what it looks like then ventured down to Moab via highway 128, where we found the campgrounds full. Fortunately, Big Bend has overflow space across the highway, which also filled up as the
night went on, including a group of young adults who pulled in right next to Old Blue at about 1am, and proceeded to noisily set up camp. Needless to say, not much sleep. 
Moab to Sand Island, UT:
Always sites available at Sand Island along the San Juan River near Bluff, Utah. However, this time all of the river-front sites were taken.
Sand Island to home:
Arriving in Kayenta, we found the place a veritable ghost town. No people out and about, parking lots empty, and all businesses closed. The Chevron had yellow caution tape around the
entire station. At the Speedway gas station were a bunch of vehicles, so we pulled in there to find the pumps' computer system down. Come to find out, the reservation was in
total quarantine lockdown for 3 days, but for some unexplained reason, Kayenta shuttered even their electronic self-service gas pumps, leaving travelers stranded. Fortunately, our
vans were not on "empty", so we pressed on to Tuba City, with hopes that they weren't as locked down as Kayenta.
Approaching Tuba City, things weren't looking too good. It, too, was vacant. Pulling into the Chevron, which was, of course, closed (including chains on the doors 
) and no one around,
we were rather concerned. Luckily, the pumps and network were on 
so we were able to fill the tanks, which enabled us to continue on to home.
Total miles: 2,081
Average MPG: 19.26
Updated: 1-Jan-2024