Utah

 

The Grotto, as seen from Angel's Landing Trail, Zion National Park

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

Utah Code Ann.  2019 §§77-41-101 through 77-41-112

Utah. Code Ann. §§77-27-21.7 through 77-27-21.9

U.A.C. §§R251-110-1 through R251-110-5

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Sex Offender” is defined to include any out-of-state SO who is in Utah for more than 10 days in any 12 month period. §77-41-102(17)(b).

Visitors must register “within 10 days of entering the state, regardless of the offender’s length of stay.”  §77-41-105. 

Updates required within 3 business days. §77-41-105.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Presence restriction: May not be on premises of a day care or preschool, public swimming pool, school, community park open to the public, playground that is open to the public.  Exceptions for access to schools when carrying out “necessary parental responsibilities” and day care center or preschool when in building for other purposes.

Residence restriction: w/in 1,000 ft. of victim, with exceptions. §77-27-21.7.

“Sex Offender in Presence of Child Law:”  Registrants w/ convictions involving minors under 14 years old cannot invite the minor to accompany him or her absent parental consent, with exceptions.  §77-27-21.8.

Because “Sex Offender” is defined to include only out-of-state SO’s in Utah for more than 10 days in a 12 month period (see Registration Triggers & Deadlines at left), visitors not meeting this definition would, in theory, not be required to register & thus not subject to these restrictions during their visit. However, this theory remains untested.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime. Petition 10 years.  Updates every 6 mo. §77-41-105.

 

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

Most recent visit: October 2023

Compared to other states, Utah’s restrictions on registered visitors shouldn’t be too tough to get along with.  Yes it does have presence restrictions, including the usual boogeymen such as day care centers, schools, public swimming pools, community parks & playgrounds. I assume that, like me, you have no interest in visiting any of these places on your visit to Utah. Notice that the list includes “public swimming pools” but not the pool at any hotel you may be staying at. 

Also, it says “community parks” but not state and national parks. That should be a relief since Utah’s national parks and monuments, national forests, and state parks are among the state’s biggest attractions.

Lastly, because the term “Sex Offender” is defined by statute to include only out-of-state registrants in Utah for more than 10 days in a 12 month period (see Registration Triggers & Deadlines), visitors not meeting this definition would, in theory, not be required to register & thus not subject to these restrictions during their visit. Admittedly, however, this theory remains untested.  Still, you get ten days in-state per calendar year without ever having to test it. Most registered visitors should have nothing to worry about.

Utah has some of the most stunningly beautiful natural wonders of any state in the union. I had been there two years ago, and also the year before I went to prison. That first time I went specifically because I had no idea whether I’d ever be able to come back. Now that I have my chance I can never resist the chance to go back.

Unfortunately I have not yet been able to make Utah my main travel destination. Instead I have twice “slowed down” on my way through here to see a few things on my way back home from somewhere else.  This time I was returning from the 2023 ACSOL Conference in Los Angeles. 

Also, both of these trips were in the second half of October when the weather in Utah can be pretty darned cold.  In 2021 I had just left Yosemite in California, where I got snowed on, and southern Nevada, where I had bailed out of a campground because the temperature that night was so cold. Did you know that in Spanish the word nevada literally means “snowy”? Be advised. But in 2023 the weather wasn’t quite as bad.

In 2023 my first stop was Zion National Park, which I love, and where I arrived as early in the morning as possible (even snagged a parking space in the Visitors Center parking lot!) and spent most of a day.  The weather was pretty good, the park was crowded, and the bus trams were still in operation until the end of the month.

On my 2021 trip I stopped to see Bryce Canyon which I knew from previous experience can be done in a couple of hours. The bus trams there stop running at the end of September, so it was a matter of driving all the way in, stopping at each canyon overlook, and driving out.  In 2023 I skipped Bryce Canyon because it was already mid-afternoon and I was trying to get as far east as possible to set myself up for Capital Reef and Arches National Parks the following day.

In 2023 I managed to find a well-priced RV Park to stay overnight. In 2021 I stayed overnight at a Utah state park. That was a mistake for three reasons: it was cold, the campground was crowded, and it was expensive. In fact the campground fee was almost as much as some of the motels I’d stayed at. So much for saving money!

Capital  Reef National Park

This year I had set aside a morning to visit Capital Reef National Park. I imagine you have not heard of Capital Reef – but you should have. It’s truly spectacular.  Then that afternoon I rushed over to Arches National Park, which is truly incredible. What I really regret is not spending more time there.

Even on a weeknight in late October all the campgrounds at Arches were full.  However my Arches park map showed several campgrounds on State Road 128 just across the Colorado River from the national park, and although they were crowded I did manage to squeeze myself into a legal campsite that night.

Next time, I think I’m not going to try to race across a state like Utah and bang out so many natural wonders in the shortest possible time. Instead, I think I’d rather choose Utah as my primary destination, spend as many days there as the law allows (which as I said above is ten days in Utah) and really soak it in.

Nevertheless, on this trip it was on to Colorado. **Sigh**

  Southern California

Palm Springs as seen from Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

Cal. Penal Code 2019 Effective July 1, 2021  §§290 through 294

Cal. Penal Code §§ 3003, 3003.5.   Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 6608.5

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

All registrants must register within 5 working days of coming into the state. §290.011; updates also within 5 working days.  §§290(b), 290.013.  Those working in the state for 14 days or for more than 30 days in a calendar year must register. §290.002.  Those who “regularly reside” at a temporary or permanent residence must register “regardless of the number of days or nights spent here.” §290.010.

Transients must reregister every 30 days. §290.011.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Presence restriction:  Registrants may not enter schools without permission.  §626.81. Parolees with convictions involving minors under 14 may not enter parks without permission. §3053.8.  May not enter daycare or place for dependent adult if conviction involved dependent adult. §653c. 

Residence restriction: 2,000 ft. of schools and parks.  §3003.5(b).  NOTE: this statute was declared unconstitutional as applied to certain parolees by In re Taylor, 60 Cal. 4th 1019 (2015) and is no longer being enforced by the state.  However, local governments may enforce this statute or local ordinances.

Few local governments have more restrictive requirements, not because there is a state pre-emption but because ACSOL aggressively sues & overturns them.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime. Petition to remove: T1 – 10 yrs. T2 – 20 yrs. SVPs update every 90 days; all others update annually. §290.012.

NOTE:  Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants are placed on state’s website and not removed. However, per ACSOL staff, procedure available for removal from registry after departure.

 

Sand dune field in Mojave National Preserve

Most recent visit: October 2023

For registered visitors, California is better than some states but worse than others. All registrants must register within five working days of coming into the state. §290.011. Notice the statute says “within five working days,” so it’s clear that your fifth working day in California will trigger their registration requirement. So in reality you only get four working days. Also, as with most states, you should always assume that partial days count – so enter California in the morning and leave four working days later in the evening.

The good news is that weekends and holidays don’t count, so if you include a weekend you can extend your stay. Also, there appears to be no limit per month or year, so if you do include a weekend, and leave California for one day (and two nights) in mid-week, you can re-start the clock.

One piece of good news is that California has very few local ordinances or regulations more restrictive than state law. However, in this case that’s not because they have any state pre-emption. Rather, it’s because ACSOL aggressively sues & overturns them. Therefore, like Arizona and New Mexico which I had just passed through on my October 2023 road trip, you can travel in California mostly without fear of unknowingly tripping over some local land mine.

In October 2023 I came to Southern California to attend the annual ACSOL conference.  Since this conference always takes place on a weekend those days didn’t count towards my California total and I could enter the state on Thursday and stay as long as the following Tuesday.  As it happened I left on Monday.

Mojave National Preserve

Upon entering California from Bullhead City, AZ at about 8:30 am I spent the morning of Day 1 exploring the south half of Mojave National Preserve.  A think many people’s first impression might be, this is a desert so it must be pretty much the same everywhere, but that’s not true.  Unfortunately Mitchell Caverns was closed for the season, but other areas such as Kelso Depot and Hole in the Wall Visitors Center were open. 

Four days later I visited the north half of Mojave Reserve on the return leg of my California trip when I passed by on I-15.  In this area there are cinder cones and a large sand dune field.  A rail line also passes through Mojave, and I saw a long train bristling with tanks and other military equipment traveling southwest, presumably towards the Port of Los Angeles on its way to Ukraine.

 

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

I devoted the afternoon of Day 1 to Joshua Tree National Park, which is very beautiful and diverse.  I also camped there overnight (Belle Campground) and spent a little of the next morning taking in the southern half of this great park.

But I spent the remainder of Day 2 trying to get to Los Angeles and the ACSOL conference which would take place on Saturday and Sunday, days which did not count toward my total allowable days in California because it was a weekend.

Upon leaving the conference on Sunday evening I thought I could head into nearby San Gabriel Mountains National Monument to find a campground, but this proved impossible partly because some of the internal park roads were already closed for the season (!) and partly because there were a lot of other people who apparently had the same idea I did.  In the end I found a little “informal” place to park for the night.

The next morning was Monday and therefore counted as Day 3 of my four allowable days in California.  My goal for this day was simple – get out of California and as close to Zion National Park in Utah as possible.  Even with a little side trip into the north half of Mohave National Preserve (see above) I accomplished this goal easily.  I was in Nevada by 4:00 pm.

Previous visit: October 2021

On my previous visit I entered California as early as possible on a Thursday morning. I wanted to have as much time as possible that day to take in Joshua Tree National Park – which I did and thoroughly enjoyed – before proceeding as far west and north as I could that day, finding an inexpensive motel to set myself up to visit Sequoia National Park the next day.

That’s when my trip began to go badly.  That part of California had suffered major forest fires only weeks earlier. Perhaps you’ll recall seeing news reports about firefighters wrapping the General Sherman in aluminum foil. The skies hung with stale smoke and both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were still closed, as was Giant Sequoia National Monument. It was sad.

However, it turns out that most of the Giant Sequoias in California aren’t even in these parks and monuments. Of course, if you’re from California you already know this and consider me to be a complete idiot for not knowing, but I was happy to find that Sierra National Forest was undamaged by fire and still open for business, and has its own Sequoia groves for tourist to take pictures of.

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

From there I proceeded further north and found a National Forest campground with plenty of sites available about 40 miles from the Yosemite south entrance. My plan was to spend the next two days (Sat. & Sun.) there. Little did I know that even in mid-October the weather was starting to deteriorate rapidly.

Also, even though the park was crowded the tram busses had stopped operating at the end of September, which meant that I couldn’t go see Mariposa Giant Sequoia Grove unless I felt like hiking six miles each way. That would’ve meant devoting most of that first day to just that one hike, so it was out of the question.

Instead I devoted both of my two days to Yosemite Valley, the park’s main draw. Spectacular, of course, and there were plenty of Giant Sequoias, but no bus trolleys operating there either. My plan was to leave by the east entrance on the afternoon of my second day, which I did although I was surprised to see signs announcing that entire road would be closed for the season by Wednesday of the coming week! Then by the time I got to Tioga Pass there was snow on the ground.

Again, if you know California you’ll call me an idiot for not realizing that mid-October is already too late in the season. I stayed at a little motel in the town of Lee Vining, and the next morning it was 19 degrees and my car had two inches of snow on it! Oh well, this is how we learn. All the local campgrounds were closed for the season.

My plan for that Monday was to cruise down U.S. 395 and drive through Death Valley National Park before leaving the state. That much I accomplished successfully. Next time I’ll know better than to leave only two days for Yosemite, and certainly not in October.

 Grand Canyon National Park

Desert View

From the 50 state visitor guide (Arizona):

A.R.S. 2019  §§ 13-3821 through 13-3829, 13-3727

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Visitors must register if staying for more than 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays. §13-3821(A). SOR office refused to answer whether return visits allowed per month or year. “That’s determined by local sheriff.” Updated Aug 2022.

Initial reg. required “within 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays of entering and remaining in any county.”  §13-3821. Updated 8/2022.  Registrants working in state must report in any county where present for 14 consecutive days or an aggregate of 30 days/yr.  Address change etc. required w/in 72 hours (business days only).  §13-3822.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  1,000 ft. restriction applies to Level 3 offenders. §13-3727. Local governments are pre-empted from adopting more restrictive requirements. §13-3727.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Transients report every 90 days.  All others annually.

 

Grandview

Most recent visit: October 2023

Grand Canyon visitors beware – Arizona has recently revised its statutes to be much tougher on visiting registrants. Visitors now must register if staying for more than 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). This requirement can be found in A.R.S.§13-3821(A). Arizona’s SOR office refused to answer whether return visits allowed per month or year, saying, “That’s determined by local sheriff.”

One silver lining is that not only does Arizona’s 1000 foot residency restriction apply only to Level 3 offenders, it is also one of seven states that statutorily pre-empt local governments from adopting any ordinance or regulation more restrictive than state law. So like New Mexico which I had just left on my trip to attend the October 2023 ACSOL Conference, you can travel in Arizona without fear of unknowingly tripping over some local land mine.

Grand Canyon National Park comprised days 2 & 3 (hours 13-60) of my travel through Arizona.  I should point out here that actually, you can see as much as you want of this national park in two business days and be out of Arizona before your 72 hours expire, as I did on this particular trip.  Unlike parks like Yellowstone and Great Smokey Mountains that have a wide variety of different things to see, the Grand Canyon is, after all, just one thing.  It’s huge and stunningly beautiful, and there are many different viewpoints to visit, but they are all views of the same geological feature. 

What you can’t do unless you time your trip to include a weekend and/or holiday is see anything else in the Grand Canyon region, like Antelope Canyon on the Navajo Nation or Grand Canyon West which I will discuss in more detail below.  You’ll have to leave them for a future trip, or take your chances on leaving Arizona for at least one hour (and document that with receipts and date & time stamped photos) and returning to re-state the 72 hour clock, even though I told you (above) that the Arizona SOR office refused to tell me whether return visits are allowed per month or year. 

Sunrise over the Grand Canyon

Last point – this national park is actually not very close to any state line, so you’ll be wasting hours of time schlepping to Utah or California just to get out of Arizona for an hour.  You might as well figure on an overnight stay out of state.

I entered the national park from the east on U.S. 64.  The first major viewpoint you come to is Desert View, which is where the Colorado River makes a 90 degree turn so you can look up the canyon to the north and down the canyon to the west.  This was also where my campsite was for the coming night.  Although it was off-season and midweek, it was a good thing I’d made a reservation because the “campground full” sign was up. 

From Desert View it’s about 20 miles to Grand Canyon Village.  At that point you have to park in the main lot and get on one of three different shuttle busses to see everything else.  That’s going to take some time – in my case most of my first afternoon and my entire second morning.  But the views are stunning and you’ll want to see them all.

You may have heard that you can also take a donkey tour to the bottom of the canyon or a rafting trip down the river.  That’s all true and I’m sure they are amazing experiences – but – each one of those will take at least two days, so you’ll definitely have to plan your trip carefully to include a weekend and if possible a holiday (Indigenous Peoples Day?) so you’ll have enough time to do it all.  And make your reservations well ahead of time.

 

Grand Canyon West

Grand Canyon West

Most people who visit Las Vegas and want to spend some of their winnings to visit the Grand Canyon don’t go to the national park.  That’s because the park entrance is over four hours each way by car or tour bus from Las Vegas, which blows an entire day all by itself.  Instead most Vegas tourists go to Grand Canyon West, which is “only” 1 1/2 hours each way.  That way you can get there, take the tour and get back to your hotel, all in one day.

So what is Grand Canyon West?  It’s actually a part of the Hualapai Nation Reservation which the tribe has ingeniously rebranded and built as a complete canyon attraction and tour to separate Las Vegas tourists from their money.  The entire tour is great but the crown jewel of Grand Canyon West is the Skywalk, a clear plexiglas walkway that literally takes you out over the canyon so you feel like you’re in midair.

I didn’t go to Grand Canyon West on my trip to attend the October 2023 ACSOL Conference but I have been there once, long before I flushed my life down the toilet and landed on my state’s registry.  I really liked it, but get ready to pay through the nose!  The Hualapai Nation has something you really want to see and they know it.  They’re making money the old fashioned way, and there’s no casino on their reservation.

When you enter the reservation your first stop will be “The Terminal.”  That’s a building where they herd everyone in to pay for a really expensive “One Day Passport” to be on their land.  The passport includes one of those hours-long bus shuttle tours where you can get off and on at each tour stop, and while you’re on the bus the native tour host tells you native lore and fun facts about the canyon.

However, this very expensive “One Day Passport” DOES NOT include the Skywalk.  That requires an extra ticket, also very expensive.  And the native tour host keeps telling you that you are welcome to take all the photos you want – EXCEPT no pictures on the Skywalk “out of respect for the spirits of the canyon.” 

Grand Canyon West - Skywalk

Then, after much anticipation, you get on the Skywalk only to discover that there are native photographers out there only too ready to take photos of you suspended in the sky above the canyon.  I guess those guys are blessed by the spirits of the canyon or something?!  Then at the end of Skywalk you walk straight into – what else? – a gift shop where they will be happy to sell you very expensive photo packages like what you might be suckered into buying after a leaving a thrill ride at Six Flags.

So at this point you’ve spent hundreds of dollars (per person!) and you haven’t bought the first refrigerator magnet or souvenir mug at the gift shop.  You haven’t bought your expensive lunch at the Indian barbeque restaurant across the street.  You have, however, had a well worth it tour of the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai Nation has cleaned you out of all your Las Vegas winnings.  This is capitalism at its best.  I love America!

 Arizona

Saguaro National Park, Tucson

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

A.R.S. 2019  §§ 13-3821 through 13-3829, 13-3727

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Visitors must register if staying for more than 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays. §13-3821(A). SOR office refused to answer whether return visits allowed per month or year. “That’s determined by local sheriff.” Updated Aug 2022.

Initial reg. required “within 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays of entering and remaining in any county.”  §13-3821. Updated 8/2022.  Registrants working in state must report in any county where present for 14 consecutive days or an aggregate of 30 days/yr.  Address change etc. required w/in 72 hours (business days only).  §13-3822.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  1,000 ft. restriction applies to Level 3 offenders. §13-3727. Local governments are pre-empted from adopting more restrictive requirements. §13-3727.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Transients report every 90 days.  All others annually.

 

Petrified Forest National Park

Most recent visit: October 2023

Grand Canyon visitors beware – Arizona has recently revised its statutes to be much tougher on visiting registrants. Visitors now must register if staying for more than 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). This requirement can be found in A.R.S.§13-3821(A). Arizona’s SOR office refused to answer whether return visits allowed per month or year, saying, “That’s determined by local sheriff.”

One silver lining is that not only does Arizona’s 1000 foot residency restriction apply only to Level 3 offenders, it is also one of seven states that statutorily pre-empt local governments from adopting any ordinance or regulation more restrictive than state law. So like New Mexico which I had just left on my trip to attend the October 2023 ACSOL Conference, you can travel in Arizona without fear of unknowingly tripping over some local land mine.

It so happened that I entered Arizona from the Zuni Nation at about 12:00 noon on Indigenous Peoples Day.  Question: Is that a “holiday” in Arizona as it pertains to the registry?  I don’t know yet, but since I planned to be in this state just short of 72 hours in any case I could safely err on the side of caution and count my first 12 hours here towards the total.  I’ll need to call the SOR office anyway when I update all my research in 2024, so I’ll ask them then and let you know.

That first day I was able to squeeze in both Petrified Forest, which is a national park with its own exit on I-40, and Meteor Crater which is a private attraction.  With the Petrified Forest you also get the Painted Desert all on the same auto tour.  Meteor Crater also has its own I-40 exit so it’s easy to get to.

Days 2 & 3 in Arizona (hours 13-60) consisted of a brief side trip into the Navaho and Hopi reservations (see my Navaho, Hopi & Zuni Nations blog post) and the Grand Canyon (which I will also describe in a separate post).  At the end of Day 3 I camped at Lake Mead National Recreation Area – specifically Katherine Campground just outside Bullhead City, which was nearly empty, it being off-season and mid-week.

Bullhead City is also right on Arizona’s western state line, so when I got started the next morning, drove thru breakfast and crossed into California it was about 8:30 am.  I had spent exactly 68.5 hours in this state if you include Indigenous Peoples Day, or 56.5 hours if you don’t.

Meteor Crater

Previous visit: October 2021

In October 2021 I entered Arizona on I-10 in early afternoon, which left plenty of time that day to see Saguaro National Park, which is quite literally in Tucson. One minute you’re driving through the city’s eastern suburbs, the next minute you’re entering a national park – so in that way it’s a bit like entering Great Smokey Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg, TN.   Saguaro has an auto loop road, so it’s pretty easy to go tour the whole park, enjoy all the saguaro cactus trees, and be on your way. 

But Saguaro has no campgrounds. I thought I would overnight at a state park, but even though it was midweek and slightly off-season I was met with a “campground full” sign. So I found an inexpensive motel in town.

My main objective for the next day was to get as close to California as possible so I could enter the following morning. I got to Buckskin Mountain State Park, which is right on the Colorado River, early in the afternoon which left enough time for a side trip to Lake Havasu City to get my car serviced (it was due for an oil change & tire rotation).

London Bridge, Lake Havasu City

While there I visited the town’s big tourist attraction – London Bridge! I vaguely remembered that some town in Arizona had bought London Bridge some years ago, but didn’t know it was right there! Due to the stupidity of the International Megan’s Law, Great Britain refuses to let registered Americans in. I suppose this was as close to London as I’ll ever get.