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Trip To Southern Utah

WalnutBaron

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I've recently booked a week's stay at Cedar Breaks Lodge (a DRI property) in the town of Brian head, UT over the Labor Day week next year. My DW has never seen the spectacular Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, and I have never seen Arches, Capitol Reef, or Canyonlands.

I have several questions to those of you who are veteran travelers to this area:

  1. I'm thinking that seeing five national parks in one week is going to be overkill. I loved seeing the two most famous ones--Zion and Bryce--when I was a kid, so I definitely want to take DW to those two. If you could choose 2 or 3 from the 5 listed, which ones would you recommend and why?
  2. How hot does it get at the Parks in early September?
  3. Have the crowds diminished by that time?
  4. Has anyone stayed at Cedar Breaks? Anything we should be aware of, either good or bad, about the accommodations?
Thanks in advance for your help!
 

bbodb1

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FWIW: We spent a week at Zion in July and absolutely loved the time we had there. I want to go back to that area of the country during a cooler weather period and check out the other parks. We choose not to do Bryce during the time we had at Zion because we thought that might be too much. 5 in one week? Most assuredly overkill because of the distance between the 5 parks as well.

I'm going to tag along in this thread because we want to see the rest of these treasures as well and I'll be reading on advice too. As an aside, there is a new resort being built in Moab and that should make visiting Arches and Canyonlands much easier...
 

sue1947

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Canyonlands and Arches are too far for a base at Brian Head. Add on days before or after for those locations. Capitol Reef is stretching it as well; almost 3 hours via the non-scenic route. That doesn't leave too much time to do anything once you get there.
Focus on Zion (the lesser known Kolob Canyon section is just down the freeway), Bryce and Cedar Breaks NM which is just a few miles away.
Add to your list driving Highway 12 through Escalante to Torrey/Capitol Reef. The drive is spectacular, but slow. It would be worth it to spend a day driving it both ways as a trip of it's own. Google says the drive is 3.5 hours but add at least an hour for stops along the way.
My advice: Add on some days after the week at Brian Head. Drive from there via Highway 12 to Torrey giving yourself all day to see that spectacular scenery. Spend the next day or 2 at Capitol Reef and then over to Moab for Canyonland and Arches. Canyonlands has 3 sections, but one is difficult to get to. You should plan on seeing both the Island in the Sky section north of Moab and Needles to the south so several days in Moab. To do them all, you need at least 2 weeks or 2 trips. Always great to have a reason to come back.

Sue
 

Laurie

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Save Arches & Canyonlands for a future trip, too much time getting there and not enough time to explore them. From Brian Head you can take a beautiful drive along Scenic Byway 12, all the way up to Capitol Reef, and see everything along the way: Kodachrome State Park & Petfrified Forest State Park (not the same as the National Park of the same name).

Zion could be hot at Labor Day so get your weather report when you arrive and choose the coolest days to go there. We visited in early May and temps were over 100 several of those days, which made hiking not as much fun for me except when we were walking in the ice-cold water of the Narrows.

Edited to add: oh, I was writing this reply while Sue was writing hers above.
 

bbodb1

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The hike of the Narrows is spectacular.
But depending on the water level you may or may not get very far.
 

DaveNV

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My suggestion: Focus on Bryce and Zion, and add a side trip to Snow Canyon (near St. George, which is about 45 mins from Zion.) You can do plenty on your schedule, and enjoy the heck out of things without spending hours in the car. Look at Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Bryce. For this Brian Head trip, i think that'll be plenty to see and do. Labor Day is still warm, but less hot, and the Fall storms won't have started yet. If it's unseasonably cool, the Aspen trees may have started to change color already.

Capitol Reef is kind of in its own corner of things. Nice to drive through on the way to somewhere else, but not enough to keep you more than a day in the Torrey area. Maybe add it on the beginning or end of another trip?

Save Arches and Canyonlands for its own trip. Then you can add in Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, Four Corners, and Antelope Canyon on that trip, and make it a spectacular time on its own.

Dave
 

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From Brian Head it is going to be a good drive to any of these. Forget Arches and Canyonland. 12 is a gorgeous drive. In June 4 years ago we got stuck in a cattle drive - moving herd from winter pasture to summer pasture. You can spend days in Zion. Capital Reef is a day drive and hike. If you are not doing any hiking in Bryce it is only about a half day. Drive all the way in and spend some time at the end of the road. Then stop at all the View Points on the way back to the visitor center. Worldmark is building a new timeshare by Arches that will be open in 18 to 24 months.

Brian Head to Capitol Reef 3 hour drive each way.
Brian Head to Bryce 1.25 hour drive each way.
Brian Head to Zion depending on route 1.5 to 3 hours each way.
Brian Head to arches over 4 hours each way.
 

Dollie

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We did this trip this September, staying at Cedar Breaks Lodge. There were 4 of us so we had a 2-bedroom unit. I did not like it. You can find my review of the lodge in the Tug review area. If you are in a 1-bedroom unit or a studio, things may be different. However, the location of the lodge was ideal for what we did.

Here are pictures of our trip. We had a good time. The itinerary I worked out is a Word document which I couldn't figure out how to attach here, so I'll try to send it separately. Please pay attention to the comments about the forest etc. roads. We had a mid-size SUV and it was needed on some of them. This type of touring and driving may not be something you enjoy and you do have to be careful when doing some of these roads.

It was a very enjoyable trip.

I can't find a way to send you the itinerary document. I found how to start a conversation with you but it didn't have a way to attach the itinerary document.
 
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DaveNV

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I can't find a way to send you the itinerary document. I found how to start a conversation with you but it didn't have a way to attach the itinerary document.

Dollie, can you use Word to convert and save the document as a .PDF file? It will preserve your formatting, but should make it "attachable" to a message.

Dave
 

Dollie

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Dollie, can you use Word to convert and save the document as a .PDF file? It will preserve your formatting, but should make it "attachable" to a message.

Dave

I was able to use Word to save the file as a .pdf and then I uploaded it. The format and links seem to be intact.

My husband takes the itinerary and sets up each day in our GPS before we go. You still should have maps but having everything set up to follow the roads I've chosen makes things easier. If you just put the destination in the GPS it may not take you the way I have things laid out. We like taking the scenic route which may not be the shortest route the GPS wants to take. We have also learned over the years to start the day with a full tank of gas, bring drinking water and a shack. We never know exactly what these routes are like until we drive them.
 

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WalnutBaron

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Wow, Dollie...thank you! That is a tremendous resource.
 

WinniWoman

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We just did this trip, though we stayed at Cable Mountain Lodge. We did Zion and Bryce, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Snow Canyon, Grafton Ghost town and the Mormon Temple in St. George. We went in early Sept.(7th -15th).

We actually chose not to stay in St. George, where I knew a Worldmark owner who could book us into a timeshare unit, because it was 45 minutes away and I felt that would cut too much into the time we needed to spend in the park. I am not a fan of being far from the National park entrances. I would rather pay for the convenience if being very close to the entrances.

I have a friend who is a veteran Utah traveler and she had told me that Zion and Bryce were the best, and also Arches. She also loves Monument Valley.

But Arches and Monument Valley (and the other parks- Canyonlands and Capital Reef ) are for another trip or two.

I will say that after visiting Zion and Bryce I feel very satisfied with what we have seen in terms of the southern Utah experience. The entire landscape is a feast for the eyes. And there are some "arches" in those parks as well as along the landscape in the surrounding areas, though certainly not like what you see in Arches National Park. But I can at least say I have seen some arches.

Early Sept. it was HOT! Got up near 95-100 degrees some days, though always dropped down into the 60's and even 50's in the evening. ( Bryce and Cedar Breaks are much cooler, especially in the morning. You need a jacket, hat and even gloves!). Best to get out into the parks as early as you can, as to avoid crowds and/or heat. Many people were in the parks by 6 or 7! We pretty much would go around 8:30 or so. Then we would go back to the resort like about 2 pm or 3pm the latest. Then go in the pool, hang out on the balcony with a drink, etc. Helped that the pool and our balcony were just under the "Watchman" since the resort is right outside the entrance to the park. Loved it. Can't help you re Cedar Breaks Lodge as never stayed there.

Zion gets crowded so going in early helps avoid that. You have to use the shuttle buses and there is a wait for those. But you can also drive through Zion ( a different part of the park) on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway- very awesome! Hope you like heights! Then you go through a tunnel to the other side of the mountain. That is how we went to Bryce. So we got to see that part of the Zion Park also on the way.

We spent 7 days on this vacation, plus two were traveling days as we live in NY and flew into Vegas. We stayed overnight in Vegas at the La Quinta South airport hotel and then drove the almost 3 hours to Springdale the next day through Nevada and Arizona into Utah, through the Virgin River Gorge, stopping in St. George to see the Mormon Temple and then Hurricane to food shop at the local Walmart before checking into Cable Mountain Lodge. We loved staying put in once place and than using it as a base for the sightseeing. Zion we could walk right into. We also drove to Kolob Canyon (part of Zion), had a picnic lunch and hiked one of the trails. Bryce was two hours from there. The Grafton Ghost town was 5 minutes from the resort. We spent one day browsing around Springdale, having lunch out ,etc. Springdale has free shuttle buses that take you around the town. Snow Canyon was about an hour and a half from Springdale.

The day before our flight back home to NY, we drove back to Vegas, returned the rental car and took the hotel shuttle back to the hotel and then to the airport the next morning.

BTW- we rented a Nissan Rogue.
 
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TheHolleys87

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I was able to use Word to save the file as a .pdf and then I uploaded it. The format and links seem to be intact.

My husband takes the itinerary and sets up each day in our GPS before we go. You still should have maps but having everything set up to follow the roads I've chosen makes things easier. If you just put the destination in the GPS it may not take you the way I have things laid out. We like taking the scenic route which may not be the shortest route the GPS wants to take. We have also learned over the years to start the day with a full tank of gas, bring drinking water and a shack. We never know exactly what these routes are like until we drive them.

Thank you, Dollie! I'm printing this as a guide - hoping to do a similar trip in the next few years.

For all you experienced Utah visitors, is there any reasonable way to combine any part of the southern Utah national monuments/parks with Dinosaur National Monument up near Vernal? I've never been there despite being fascinated by dinosaurs for over 60 years, and DH has never been to Utah at all, so I'd like to take him there.
 

amycurl

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We had heard that the best way to view Zion was to tube down it, so we did--I was six, seven months pregnant at the time. This was *not* southern riving tubing, LOL (which usually involves a separate tube in which you bungee cord your cooler filled with adult bevvies!) After navigating what I am sure was at least Class 2 rapids, not losing my spouse (or the baby) I had a wonderful time and we actually met a fantastic couple on that trip.

And I ended up with a daughter who is big adrenaline junkie. But I am sure that is was just a coincidence. ;)

Loved Zion. On that same trip we did Zion, Painted Desert/Petrified Forest, and Arches. Had a great time!
 

DaveNV

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For all you experienced Utah visitors, is there any reasonable way to combine any part of the southern Utah national monuments/parks with Dinosaur National Monument up near Vernal? I've never been there despite being fascinated by dinosaurs for over 60 years, and DH has never been to Utah at all, so I'd like to take him there.


It is easily done, if you put Vernal at one end of things. A couple of years ago we did a two week fly-drive road trip that started by flying from Seattle to Denver, driving west on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, and working our way up to Vernal, Utah, specifically to see Dinosaur National Monument. (It'll knock the socks off the dinosaur geek in you.) Stayed two nights. Then we drove south to Moab, stayed for a few days to see Arches and Canyonlands, then we headed further south. We jumped over into Colorado to see Mesa Verde National Park, then back over to drive through Monument Valley, and points west. We did an impromptu drive through Grand Canyon, down through Sedona, through Jerome, to visit friends in Phoenix and Tucson, before flying home from Phoenix. Lots of driving that trip, but that was the whole point. it was spectacular.

So yes, Vernal is VERY doable, in conjunction with a Moab trip. Just consider that one or two days is about all you'll need to check it out. (Unless you add a side trip to Flaming Gorge National Rec Area, in Wyoming north of Vernal.)

Dave

Driving map attached. Roads are good, scenery is interesting. :)

Screen Shot 2019-10-27 at 11.28.26 AM.png
 
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sue1947

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For all you experienced Utah visitors, is there any reasonable way to combine any part of the southern Utah national monuments/parks with Dinosaur National Monument up near Vernal? I've never been there despite being fascinated by dinosaurs for over 60 years, and DH has never been to Utah at all, so I'd like to take him there.

Sure, but you are going to do some driving. It's about 4 hours from either Moab (Canyonlands or Arches) or Torrey (Capitol Reef). It's only a little over 2.5 hours from Park City and it's ton of timeshares. For the Zion/Bryce, it's more in the 6 hour range. It's all manageable, but not from one central spot.

I did Dinosaur as part of a loop. I'd revise as follows: Start in Park City out of Salt Lake; there are always cheap deals on timeshares there for that make sense for even a couple of days. Then Dinosaur, south to Moab with maybe a side trip over to Grand Junction for Colorado NM (which I really liked; it's only a day or even half day worth). At Moab, you need a day in Arches, another in Canyonland Island in the Sky and another in Needles (especially if you are a hiker; this is the best) plus Dead Horse Point SP. West to Torrey Ut via Goblin Valley State Park for Capitol Reef National Park. Down to Cedar City, etc for Zion/Bryce then back up to Salt Lake. Each of the day's drives are roughly half day or less allowing time to stop along the way. You would need 2 weeks. If you only have 1 week, then do either Zion/Bryce OR Moab Vernal but not both.

Sue
 

Laurie

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One more thing to mention about Brian Head is its elevation. I don't know the elevation of where you live, maybe not a big deal for you, but as an eastcoaster it takes me a few days to acclimate, = less energy and stamina. So you might want to start your days at Zion which is much lower than Bryce & Cedar Breaks, though warmer. During our trip in May when it was over 100 in Zion, there was still snow up there, and trails at Cedar Breaks National Monument were covered.

And about the heat at Zion: those buses were sweltering. We could drive most places in the park at the time, we chose to take a bus on one of the days, but I think they are mandatory at this point. I dealt with the heat by stepping barefoot into various creeks (not just at the Narrows) at every opportunity, so if those are the temps and you are heat-sensitive, you might carry a scarf or little towel to dry off your feet if you plan on hiking, it was my antidote to heatstroke!
 

TheHolleys87

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It is easily done, if you put Vernal at one end of things. A couple of years ago we did a two week fly-drive road trip that started by flying from Seattle to Denver, driving west on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, and working our way up to Vernal, Utah, specifically to see Dinosaur National Monument. (It'll knock the socks off the dinosaur geek in you.) Stayed two nights. Then we drove south to Moab, stayed for a few days to see Arches and Canyonlands, then we headed further south. We jumped over into Colorado to see Mesa Verde National Park, then back over to drive through Monument Valley, and points west. We did an impromptu drove through Grand Canyon, down through Sedona, through Jerome, to visit friends in Phoenix and Tucson, before flying home from Phoenix. Lots of driving that trip, but that was the whole point. it was spectacular.

So yes, Vernal is VERY doable, in conjunction with a Moab trip. Just consider that one or two days is about all you'll need to check it out. (Unless you add a side trip to Flaming Gorge National Rec Area, in Wyoming north of Vernal.)

Dave

Driving map attached. Roads are good, scenery is interesting. :)

View attachment 14800

Sure, but you are going to do some driving. It's about 4 hours from either Moab (Canyonlands or Arches) or Torrey (Capitol Reef). It's only a little over 2.5 hours from Park City and it's ton of timeshares. For the Zion/Bryce, it's more in the 6 hour range. It's all manageable, but not from one central spot.

I did Dinosaur as part of a loop. I'd revise as follows: Start in Park City out of Salt Lake; there are always cheap deals on timeshares there for that make sense for even a couple of days. Then Dinosaur, south to Moab with maybe a side trip over to Grand Junction for Colorado NM (which I really liked; it's only a day or even half day worth). At Moab, you need a day in Arches, another in Canyonland Island in the Sky and another in Needles (especially if you are a hiker; this is the best) plus Dead Horse Point SP. West to Torrey Ut via Goblin Valley State Park for Capitol Reef National Park. Down to Cedar City, etc for Zion/Bryce then back up to Salt Lake. Each of the day's drives are roughly half day or less allowing time to stop along the way. You would need 2 weeks. If you only have 1 week, then do either Zion/Bryce OR Moab Vernal but not both.

Sue

Thank you both! So very helpful!
 

WalnutBaron

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One more thing to mention about Brian Head is its elevation. I don't know the elevation of where you live, maybe not a big deal for you, but as an eastcoaster it takes me a few days to acclimate, = less energy and stamina. So you might want to start your days at Zion which is much lower than Bryce & Cedar Breaks, though warmer. During our trip in May when it was over 100 in Zion, there was still snow up there, and trails at Cedar Breaks National Monument were covered.

And about the heat at Zion: those buses were sweltering. We could drive most places in the park at the time, we chose to take a bus on one of the days, but I think they are mandatory at this point. I dealt with the heat by stepping barefoot into various creeks (not just at the Narrows) at every opportunity, so if those are the temps and you are heat-sensitive, you might carry a scarf or little towel to dry off your feet if you plan on hiking, it was my antidote to heatstroke!
Thanks, Laurie. I am okay with the altitude, but DW is more sensitive to it, so yes--we will try to acclimate before heading up to 10,000 feet at Brian Head. As for the heat, I'm the one who melts in it, so I will definitely plan for it during our visit. If we can avoid the buses, we will.
 

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We toured Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP and Grand Canyon North Rim in mid-May from Mesquite TS. A lot of driving, but worth the effort. Crossing multiple time lines made it double fun.
We also liked driving thru lava fields near Duck Creek in Dixie National Forest.
 

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Add to your list driving Highway 12 through Escalante to Torrey/Capitol Reef. The drive is spectacular, but slow. It would be worth it to spend a day driving it both ways as a trip of it's own. Google says the drive is 3.5 hours but add at least an hour for stops along the way.

Sue

Can anyone comment on the road terrain on Highway 12? We are planning to drive it on the way to Colorado but we have one passenger that has issues with carsickness and I want to decide on the best route.
 

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Can anyone comment on the road terrain on Highway 12? We are planning to drive it on the way to Colorado but we have one passenger that has issues with carsickness and I want to decide on the best route.

Yes, they will get carsick, and yes, it will be worth it. I get carsick so understand fully. If possible, they should do the driving. Otherwise, take it slow and make lots of stops and especially avoid braking and sharp turns at the same time. The alternatives also have curves so you can't avoid it all.

Sue
 
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