Rim of the World

Rim of the World Drive: Sunset & City Lights

Today, we drove part of the Rim of the World. Our plan was to go up and watch the sunset — and we heard that if you waited until it got dark, you could see the lights come alive down in the valley.

And they did not disappoint.

The city lights were stunning, stretching out far below us like a glowing carpet. It made the valley feel endless — tucked between these massive, ancient mountains. We pulled out our folding chairs, settled in with some chicken salad, and just watched. The sunset was beyond words — the kind you feel more than you can describe. Then slowly, the city below began to twinkle. The lights blinked on, like a million fireflies caught in the valley, flickering steadily with their little lights stuck on.

The city felt both huge and far away — like something out of a dream.

Some of the roads on the Rim of the World weren’t just carved into the mountains—they actually jutted out from them, like long, narrow bridges. At times, it almost felt like we were on a roller coaster, winding our way around the mountain to get to the top.

On the way back down, we were driving the speed limit, just taking it easy. But apparently, the guy in the pickup truck behind us didn’t share our appreciation for the rules. He was stuck behind us for a bit, clearly not thrilled, and when he finally had the chance to pass, he did it so aggressively that he nearly ran us off the road. It was tense—but we’re okay. We’re safe. We made it down the mountain just fine.

After all that, we went to unwind and watch the sunset. It was the perfect way to settle back down after the adrenaline rush.

And the temperature — wow. It dropped fast. It went from a sweltering 97 degrees earlier in the day, to a cool 64 degrees.

But even with the cold settling in, that view was worth every minute.