Utah and Colorado with the parks closed

[PeterAit]

Heading out in a week and of course many planned destinations may still be closed. I'd really appreciate any suggestions for other places. We are staying in St George for a few nights, then near Bryce and then in Moab. This is not a pure photo trip and we won't be doing any serious hiking - a few miles at most (durn these old knees!). THanks!

[David Eckels]

Hi Peter, if you were going to be up here in SLC I'd point you towards Antelope Island and the canyons of course, but down in St George, try to get over to the Virgin River valley gorge. If I am right, you head north, northwest through the indian reservation and then come back west. Gotta be less than an hour out of StG. Out of Moab, you can follow the Colorado, up or down stream, and hit some pretty spectacular red rock. Good luck and have fun!

[Peter McLennan]

Dead Horse State Park near Moab is superb.  Should be open since it's not federal.  The road continues down in to Canyonlands NP and as far as I can recall, there's no gate to keep you out.

[pluton]

There's an area called Red Canyon, in Dixie National Forest north of Kanab, along Utah 12, that has the same type and color rock formations as Bryce Canyon NP, but is less developed and may be accessible.  Local inquiries will be your friend, since in general the Fed offices and visitor centers will be closed.
In general, many BLM, USFWS, and USFS areas may be open, but just not staffed.  Permit areas(like Coyote Buttes) will not be "open", not because they are physically closed, but because the office where you have to go to get the permit is closed.  The NPS will be more aggressive in blocking entrance roads and preventing entry. 

[PeterAit]

Thanks to all for ideas. Some of these look like great destinations even when the national parks are open!

[bretedge]

Around Moab: Dead Horse Point State Park, Corona Arch, Fisher Towers, Castle Valley, Behind the Rocks Wilderness Area, Kane Creek Road, Potash Road, Hwy. 128, La Sal Mountains incl. the Loop Road.

Not far from Moab: Goblin Valley State Park, San Rafael Swell, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Monument Valley, Goosenecks State Park, Cedar Mesa, Kodachrome Basin State Park.

Trust me, there is no shortage of spectacular locations outside of the national parks in southern Utah.  I'm leading a private workshop next week with a couple clients and we're spending two full days together, photographing at least 8 locations, and not one of them is within the boundaries of a national park.

Good luck and have fun!