Diaries Of A Road Trip From Alberta To Utah

Cruising down the open road of adventure with the tunes blasting is one of the most soul-soothing places to be.

I have done one road trip in the United States prior to this one, and it was from Texas to Arizona. I had such an incredible time that I knew right then I would be embarking on some more adventures on the USA highways. There is a lot to see, and I really dislike missing out on things in life. It is kind of a pet peeve.

This time around the trip began in Calgary, Alberta and finished in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from the smoke from the forest fires, the conditions were pretty amazing.

Before even departing from Canada the sights were pretty pristine. First stop was at Lundbreck Falls near to Pincher Creek in Southern Alberta. The Crownest river flows right over into the canyon below to create these small but mighty falls.

It is a great opportunity to take a swim or simply kick your shoes off and dip your toes in for a nice refresher before hitting the highway again. There is also a campground in the area if you feel like sticking around for a while.

From there it is not a long drive before you reach the US/Canada border. Even though I am a world traveller, the excitement of crossing a border into a new country gets me every time. The appeal just never wears off.

So yes, I was excited! To say the least. It was as if I was off on my first adventure once again.

Hello Montana!

Now let me tell you about our initial experience with Montana.

It started off really exciting. Not long into our time there we came across this very interesting historical spot. It was a stunning spot. Minus the smoke.

Then, we drove, and drove, and drove some more. We saw plenty of prairie land. As the day was turning into night and we had driven for hours, plus we were hungry, we pulled into a place called Great Falls. It was about 9 pm, and everything was closed. There was barely any people or vehicles, yet there were loads of police patrolling around. It was a bit eery, so we left. Perhaps it is actually very amazing and we just arrived there at a quiet time. Something I am not sure I will ever be back figure out.

From there we drove on to Helen the capital of Montana. We figured surely it is the capital city so there would be lots going on there…. Alas, it was also deadsville. There was nobody around, most things were shut, there were not even lights on in houses and it was only 11pm. All we could find open was a Mcdonalds, so that is what we settled for as our stomachs were gnawing away at us.

Just outside of Helen we found a roadside turnout which is where we decided to sleep for the night. Thank goodness for having a jeep with a back seat that folds down.

Would have been a little more comfortable if I had of remembered a foamy.

We hit the road bright an early at 6 am and let me tell you, we were not in prairie land anymore.

Lining the highways were rocky hills, looking totally majestic and awe-inspiring. It was pitch black the night before and all we could see was the fluorescent markers on the road.

What a pleasant surprise in the morning to see what we were amidst. The landscape changed from the rocky hills to tree blanketed mountains.

Suddenly you could see people fly fishing in the river, and the magic of Montana was taking over. I was worried there for a bit.

The fact that Yellowstone National Park was so close, and the opportunity to enter yet another state on this adventure, we clearly had no choice yet to take another detour. So off to Wyoming it was!

I had never researched Yellowstone National Park or seen photos, or even knew what to expect what-so-ever. I knew I had definitely heard of it and I was totally looking forward to the spontaneous adventure.

Once again, I was blown away.

The best part is, is when you go into something with no expectations, then there is no room for a letdown, and only room to be amazed.

From the minute we entered the park, it was a smorgasbord of the mother natures finest offerings. My jaw had to be picked up off of the floor a few times.

The Paint Pots are especially memorable. Throughout the whole park there are several dispersed collections of geothermal features which is an expression of Yellowstone’s volcanism, of which the paint pots are most popular. They are like nothing I have ever seen before. I actually didn’t even know things like this existed prior to this visit.

No two features are exactly alike, and they range from those that have a lot of water(hot springs and geysers), and those that have a limited amount of water(mud pots and fumaroles).

There is a beautifully built path so you can walk along and take in all of the majestic power and incredible beauty of this amazing display.

We arrived early in the day and the parking lot was already full! It is a popular spot, which is something to keep in mind.

From there you can take another short drive to Yellowstone Lake, which is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park. It is a perfect location to just sit and take in the sights, or dip your toes in the water for a little refresher.

What a treat that little pit stop in Yellowstone National Park was!

From there it was a short cruise to Idaho, where you can take a moment to appreciate Idaho Falls.

Another very unique destination where there are waterfalls that were created by a diversion dam for a hydroelectric power project.

They are quite long and very different from any waterfalls I have ever seen.

The cherry on top of this spectacular road trip cake was cruising around Salt Lake City on scooters. Not only was I blown away at how clean and tranquil the city felt, but I was also super excited to see these little joy rides.

This seriously rocked my world. I had no idea I would have so much fun burning around on these.

The coolest part was that you use an app to rent them, and you just pick them up and leave them anywhere and everywhere. There are no particular spots for them. So if you are walking along and suddenly realize you need to get somewhere, or you no longer feel like walking, you just sign on on your app and take off.

Road tripping in the United States just continually proves to be epic time and time again. It is hard not to anticipate the next one.

Say yes to adventure! You never know where it will lead you.