# Another trip idea -- Utah Parks questions.



## Elan (Feb 13, 2013)

I posted a thread about possibly driving down the NorCal coast.  Still might do that, but another road trip idea I'm kicking around is seeing the Utah parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, etc).  

  I haven't been in that part of the country since I was a kid, so I don't know what a good itenerary would be.  Say that I had 4 or 5 days to get from Zion to SLC.  What would be the "must see" areas/landforms, and what would be a good itenerary?  Confined to staying in hotels.  In for hiking, but not ultra long hikes (3 or 4 miles max per hike).  

  Any suggestions for a good route?


----------



## vacationcrazy (Feb 13, 2013)

Elan said:


> I posted a thread about possibly driving down the NorCal coast.  Still might do that, but another road trip idea I'm kicking around is seeing the Utah parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, etc).
> 
> I haven't been in that part of the country since I was a kid, so I don't know what a good itenerary would be.  Say that I had 4 or 5 days to get from Zion to SLC.  What would be the "must see" areas/landforms, and what would be a good itenerary?  Confined to staying in hotels.  In for hiking, but not ultra long hikes (3 or 4 miles max per hike).
> 
> Any suggestions for a good route?



We went to Arches and Canyonlands the end of May 2012.  There is just so much to do there and the parks are spectacular.  We drove from Denver to Moab Utah and rented a condo from an owner for the week.  It was a wonderful trip.  Zion and Bryce are not too far from each other but they are quite a distance from Arches and Canyonlands.  I do not know how much time you have but if you only have a week I would do Bryce and Zion together for one week and Arches and Canyonlands together if you have another week. I am also planning another trip for 2014 where we will use our Las Vegas Grand Chateau as our home base and drive to the North rim of the Grand Canyon for one night and then hit Bryce for one night and Zion also for one night and then make our way back to Vegas.  It will be a busy week but well worth it.


----------



## Sandy VDH (Feb 13, 2013)

Also consider throwing in Grand Canyon North Rim, Capital Reef, Cedar Breaks.

Nearby Page, for Antelope Canyon and Navajo Monument Valley. 

I am planning a trip right now.  1 Week in Yellowstone area.  1 week with a few days in Moab, UT, Page, AZ and St George, UT.

I would spend longer if I could but that is all the time I can take.


----------



## sue1947 (Feb 13, 2013)

With only 4-5 days available, you will want to limit yourself to Zion and Bryce or Arches/Canyonlands but not both.  
Zion has the main canyon area, but also the Kolob Canyon portion.  The latter is north of St George just off of I-15.  It has a fairly easy hike up the canyon that fits into your criteria.
The main section of Zion is NE of St George about an hour.  You will want a day in the main canyon area and more time on the east side of the park.  Bryce is another day at least and a half a day at Cedar Breaks back near I-15 (which you might combine with Kolob). 
Try for one of the park cabins at Bryce at least and Zion if you can.  It's worth it to be able to walk to the rim for sunrise/sunsets.  
Half an hour NE of Bryce is Kodachrome Basin State Park with another short hike and some nifty little cabins to rent.  The cabins are fairly new with a micro/small refrig and a picnic table on the porch.  The hike through the formations is from the cabin so another good sunset opportunity.
If you can add a couple of days, head NE through Grand Staircase-Escalante to Torrey, UT and Capitol Reef National Park.  Personally, I like the latter better than Zion (Bryce is first on my list in that area) but Zion is more iconic if you haven't been for a long time.  The drive through Grand Staircase is spectacular (is it Hwy 12?).   We stayed in a motel in Escalante that was under construction at the time; lodging there is very limited.  In Torrey, we stayed at Austins Chuckwagon motel and it's the best in the area by far.  They have small cabins with a kitchen area (micro but large frig) as well as an apartment over the little store and regular motel rooms.   

The Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon are all long drives and with only 4-5 days, should be kept for a later trip.  In addition, there are lots of lesser know National Park sites in the Southern UT/northern AZ that are worth including:
Northern AZ:  Pipe Spring NM (on the way from St George to the north rim)
 Vermilion Cliffs NM (watch for condors here) and Lake Powell. 
 Navajo National Monument, Monument Valley (and Canyon de Chelly further east)
into SE Utah:  Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park, Natural Bridges NM and Edge of the Cedars (with a very good museum) and then Arches and Canyonlands along with Dead Horse Point STate Park. 
  Eastern CO:  Hovenweep NM just over the state line and Colorado National Monument at Grand Junction.  
  Between Moab and Capitol Reef is Goblin Valley sTate park with it's weird formations as well as the northern part of Lake Powell.  Further north is Dinosaur National Park.   and then all the stuff in SW Colorado and NW New Mexico.  

So if you are looking for week long road/easy hiking trips, there are quite a few options in the SW canyon country.  I'd focus on SW Utah, or SE Utah or Moab or NW New Mexico but not try to combine them.   

Sue


----------



## DaveNV (Feb 13, 2013)

*One of my favorite places in the USA!*

Sue has it figured out.  (Yes, that _IS_ "Scenic Highway 12." Quite an incredible drive in the Fall, too, when the leaves are changing.  Nothing compares with seeing miles of Aspen trees in full blazing Fall glory.)

With just 4-5 days to get from Zion to SLC, figure you'll want to spend at least a day at Zion, preferably the better part of two), and at least a day or two at Bryce. (You MUST see the sunrise over Bryce Canyon.  It's incredible!) Add in a few hours driving Kolob Canyon, since you're already driving right by it.  Kodachrome Basin is well worth the time to get there.  So figure the balance of your time will be spent driving the rest of the way to SLC.

The scenery in Southern Utah is so amazing, there is no way you should rush it.  Take your time, see less if need be, but don't rush the experience.  It can be unforgettable.

Dave


----------



## Lydlady (Feb 13, 2013)

I'm bookmarking this thread.  I have tentatively planned on a road trip for this fall that would include a couple nights in Zion and then take Highway 12 to the Canyonlands area and spend a couple nights there.  We have to been to Bryce previously.  

But in your case, going from Zion to SLC, Interstate 15 would be a direct route, and Canyonlands might be too far off track.  So I would concentrate on the Zion and Bryce area plus some other nearby attractions that aren't too far off I-15.


----------



## Karen G (Feb 13, 2013)

vacationcrazy said:


> I would do Bryce and Zion together for one week and Arches and Canyonlands together if you have another week.


I guess I'm just a "drive by" tourist because I don't care about long hikes in any of the places mentioned. Zion is not a big deal for me--it's beautiful and I enjoyed the drive through it, but I didn't need to spend more than a half day there.  When we went to Bryce, it was exciting for me just to drive through the park and get out at each scenic overlook. I didn't have to hike down into and through the hoodoos to enjoy looking at them.

At Arches we did stop at several of sites and walk up to them, but that was enough. Same thing with Canyonlands and Deadhorse State Park. I also didn't need to hike down into the Grand Canyon to enjoy looking at it.

Antelope Canyon is amazing and the walk through Upper Antelope was incredible at every turn. It's more like a long cave with holes along the top that let in light than a canyon and it's a level easy walk through it. But, it doesn't take very long to see it.

If I had just a week to spend I'd want to see as much as I could, and I could see all those things in a week.


----------



## Elan (Feb 13, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for the great info!

  I agree that going towards Arches is probably too much for one trip.  My idea is to drive down the interstate to Zion, and then work my way back up to SLC through the interior of the state, visiting Zion and Bryce Canyon at a minimum. 

  So, back to my itinerary.  If I were starting the first morning at Zion, and presuming we caught Kolob Canyon on the way down, would it be reasonable to see Zion, Bryce Canyon and finish up with the drive up 12 to Torrey in 4 to 5 days?  For those of you that have seen all of this area, how would you split your nightly stays if that was your agenda?


----------



## Sandy VDH (Feb 18, 2013)

If you have an iPad, there is a really great app called Canyon Country National Parks.  It is helpful at giving directions and info on hikes and location of items of interest.  I highly recommend it.


----------



## Elan (Feb 20, 2013)

Sandy VDH said:


> If you have an iPad, there is a really great app called Canyon Country National Parks.  It is helpful at giving directions and info on hikes and location of items of interest.  I highly recommend it.



No iPad, but I did find a number of Utah parks apps for my Android tablet. I would have never thought about looking for an app, so thanks for the tip.


----------



## Sandy VDH (Feb 20, 2013)

That is too bad, because that app that is really great with pictures and maps, etc, is only available on the ipad.  I have an android phone and did look for it on google pay. But to no avail.

The ipad app rocks.  And it is free.


----------



## Elan (Feb 22, 2013)

Sandy VDH said:


> That is too bad, because that app that is really great with pictures and maps, etc, is only available on the ipad.  I have an android phone and did look for it on google pay. But to no avail.
> 
> The ipad app rocks.  And it is free.



  No worries.  I found what I wanted at Google Play.  Thanks again for the suggestion.


----------



## BevL (Feb 22, 2013)

You will have a fantastic time.  No help with the itinerary but definitely go for this.  We went through that area on a road trip a few years back, more or less some side trips and wish we had spent way more time in that area.  I'm not a person who raves about mountains and natural beauty stuff - spoiled by where I live, I guess, but it is a fantastic part of the country.


----------



## talkamotta (Feb 23, 2013)

We got an exchange in  late May a couple of years ago for Monarch Grand Vacations in Cedar Breaks.   That was a good base for Zions, Bryce, and  Cedar Breaks.  For an easy  rest day we drove out to the Parowan Gap, if you are into petroglyphs that is one of the best places to visit.  Out in the middle of no where.   There are more things to see in the area so I will agree with the others if you only have one week make a choice between Zions or Moab.


----------



## slum808 (Feb 23, 2013)

I 





Elan said:


> No worries.  I found what I wanted at Google Play.  Thanks again for the suggestion.



What's the name of the app you found? I have been a following this thread and getting the bug to go in 2015.

Thanks
Steve


----------



## Elan (Feb 23, 2013)

slum808 said:


> I
> 
> What's the name of the app you found? I have been a following this thread and getting the bug to go in 2015.
> 
> ...



WRT apps, I was primarily interested in two things -- hiking around Zion and sights to see on highway 12. I found a nice description of trails and topo maps in the Chimani Zion app, and I found a decent highway 12 guide in Garfield County. I didn't download all of them to check out, so there may be better ones, but these sufficed.


----------



## slum808 (Feb 23, 2013)

Thanks, I'll have to check those out.


----------



## VegasBella (Mar 21, 2013)

Zion is nice, Bryce is fabulous, Grand Canyon is a must see. 
I'm going to Arches this Summer, never been. I'm excited!

If you go to Zion, check out Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It's the largest animal sanctuary in the nation and it just happens to be in a gorgeous canyon. If you take the tour you'll see the animals AND the canyon. 
http://bestfriends.org/common/pages/SectionwMenu.aspx?id=332

Personally, I really loved Bryce. I keep meaning to go back but haven't yet. Nearby is Cedar City and they have an excellent Shakespeare Festival in the Summer: http://www.bard.org/


----------



## Elan (Apr 1, 2013)

So we just completed this trip.  Here's a quick account:

Day 1:  Drive from Idaho to SLC

Day 2:  Drive from SLC south on I-15.  We stopped for a couple hours at Kolob Canyon.  Hiked out to the viewpoint at the end of the main road.  Continued on to Zion and checked into hotel.

Day 3:  Took shuttle into Zion and spent the whole day there.  Did quite a few hikes (all relatively short).  Saw most everything there is to see in the canyon.  Back to hotel.

Day 4: Drove from Zion to Bryce stopping numerous times along the way.  It was low 50's and moderately windy with lots of snow on the ground when we got to Bryce.  So we mostly went from viewpoint to viewpoint starting at Rainbow Point and working our way back.  Did minimal hiking around Thor's Hammer.  Checked into hotel.

Day 5:  Hit the road for Capitol Reef.  Stopped at Kodachrome Basin and did a short hike there.  Also stopped at Petrified Forest State Park and stopped for a couple of hours at Anasazi Museum in Boulder.  Continued on to Torrey and checked into hotel.

Day 6: Drove to Capitol Reef, listened to geologist at the visitor center and then headed out to the Narrows.  Hiked into the Narrows and back out.  Then drove to view petroglyphs off hwy 24.  Unfortunately, the trail to Hickman Bridge had been closed by a rock slide.  Continued on to SLC.

  All in all, a great trip.  Turned out that I had allocated near the right amount of time to spend at each area given that we weren't going to do any serious hiking.  My basic impression is that you can spend as much or as little time at each place as you desire, with a half day being the absolute minimum.  If we'd had more time, we certainly would have done more hiking, but as it was we got in a good mix of hiking and viewpoints.

  Had we been a day later the weather would have been better, but it was still quite nice as we hiked Zion and Capitol Reef in shorts and t-shirts (high 60's to low 70's).   

  My kids all preferred Zion.  My wife preferred BC, and I actually liked the hike into the Narrows at CR the best, so there's something for everyone.  I'd love to go back and hike for a few weeks or longer.  We are already talking about visiting other sites in the area for future vacations.


----------



## andex (Apr 2, 2013)

Lots of great tips, we are leaving next month and are taking 4 days to go visit outside vegas! thanks for the info!


----------



## DaveNV (Apr 3, 2013)

Glad you had a good time.  It's such a beautiful part of the country!

Dave


----------



## Rent_Share (Apr 3, 2013)

In Los Angeles they gave been running a 5 National Parks ad Campaign

http://washingtonexaminer.com/touri...l-utah-parks-ad-campaign/article/feed/2083218



> Tourism officials say the spring and summer campaign will include TV commercials in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. It'll also feature digital billboards, wall art, online ads, and social media promotion


 
Looks like they are targeting markets that a drive to distance away, a parallel to TrendWest's original vision (predecessor to Worldmark)


----------



## Elan (Apr 3, 2013)

Rent_Share said:


> In Los Angeles they gave been running a 5 National Parks ad Campaign
> 
> http://washingtonexaminer.com/touri...l-utah-parks-ad-campaign/article/feed/2083218
> 
> ...



  This was on the local news when we were in Utah; the launch of the "Mighty 5" ad campaign highlighting Utah's 5 national parks.  I definitely plan on going back, but at least now I've seen 3 of the 5 if I don't make it.  Truly a unique area.


----------

