Well…almost. We took our shot at the lottery for Coyote Buttes and The Grand Canyon and came up empty on both counts. The drawing for the overnight in the Grand Canyon was supposed to be submitted during the last 10 days of December for trips planning to hike in May. We were well outside that window but decided to try anyway on the off-chance there might still be openings. Who am I kidding, right? The most famous national park in America…in May…sure there’s going to be openings left. No. But since we’re gambling anyway, why not give it a shot?

Photo credit: national-park.com

Coyote Buttes, on the other hand, we were on time for the lottery. You see, this is why I don’t play the lottery with money. The way I figure it, I had a shot at this. For this lottery you can select three days. The days I had chosen each had about 400 other entries—that’s 1 in 400! Those odds are a whole lot better than any Powerball you’ll ever play. But, no. No dice. No permit. Justin tells me that anything higher that 1 in 72 is a statistical improbability. There may be a 1 in 1 chance he’s right.

There is still a possibility for getting drawn for The Subway in Zion National Park. The drawing for May hikes will be on March 5th for requests submitted in February. We’ll keep our fingers crossed but we won’t hold our breath. I’ll let you know.

Photo credit: nps.com

These lotteries all have second and third chances which involve showing up at a given location for possibly two or three days in a row for the chance to get a last minute permit. We may try if the opportunity presents itself, but it looks like our focus will be on other locations in the area that are not so popular as to warrant limiting traffic on a daily basis. The places I’ve mentioned are attractive, but there are places just as spectacular slightly off the beaten path. I’m looking forward to revisiting some places I’ve already been as well as discovering a whole new list of places to explore with my family and share with you.

Well, have a great week. Let the wind be at your back and the sun on your face.

Mike

Featured image credit: utah.com