Utah Nat. Park info

[Jack J]

Howdy,

In 3 weeks we will be taking a trip to Arizona, with the teardrop of course, and plan to drive thru Utah. There seems to be more parks to see than what we have time for so we needed to shorten the itenerary to visit Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. Any recommendations to specific areas of those parks to see? Looks like there are quite a number of mtn passes in the southern area of Utah.
We plan on stopping at Grand Canyon while in Arizona and planning on driving on Rt 66 from Saligman to the west. Still deciding if we will take the '51 Chev or the newer car. I know what one I would like but the wife has some influence. We should work it to be able to stop at the Dam Gathering in Shasta on the way home.


Any information on any specifics to watch for or avoid would be appreciated. Last time I was in Utah was going to ITG 2 in 2007. Actually stayed at Willow Creek Campground. Nice campground.

Thanks in advance,
Jack

[Yogi Bear]

http://utah.com/

[jmtk]

Hi Jack,

Sounds like you have a great trip planned! April is a very nice time to visit southern Utah before the heat of summer sets in. Just be prepared for possible cool, unsettled weather. Do you have a route planned yet?

Bryce Canyon is very high, 8000 to 9000', so will be much cooler than Zion, especially at night. Ruby's Inn is just outside the Bryce Canyon boundary and is a full service resort. Its RV park/campground opens on April 1. The campground in the park itself is very nice, too. In either place you're camping in pine trees. This picture is from Red Canyon just outside of Bryce:


Zion's campground is at about 4000', just inside the park boundary by the town of Springdale. Very pretty with huge red rock cliffs and a river running along the edge of the campground. To be on the safe side, you should look into reservations. This is a site we had at Zion:


If you're heading to Arches, there is a Jeep Safari in Moab that runs from April 4-12 this year. Given your three-week time frame, I think you'll miss it, but just in case, it gets pretty crowded down there during that time. Arches campground is great and surrounded by slickrock formations. It's also very popular and hard to get a spot unless you have reservations. We camped there last April and had some rainy, cool weather:


If you've gone all the way to Moab and Arches, you may as well hit Canyonlands, too, since it's so close. The entrance to the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands is just a few miles before you get to the Arches entrance as you head south toward Moab. Arches and Canyonlands have very different characters, and both are spectacular.

Check out this thread for more related info on the Bryce/Zion area:
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=28097&highlight=

If you'd like recommendations on activities, tell me what kind of things you like to do - hike, bike, scenic drives?

Have fun!

Jeanette

[Jack J]

Yogi Bear,
That Utah link is where the places to see vs time alloted on this trip were not equaling out. I need to retire so I can spend more time on the road.

Jeanette,
Thanks for the info and the link. The photos of scenery from the parks are going to make the next couple of weeks seem really slow until we start the trip. My plan was to see Arches and Canyonlands, jump over to Hwy 24 south to Hwy 12 to Bryce Canyon. Then into Zion. We will mainly do scenic drives with a few short hikes. We also would like to see the Grand Canyon probably from the Grand Canyon Village side as we will continue onto Phoenix to visit relatives. Anything more you might add to specific areas to see would be appreciated.

Like other roadtrips we have done, I would like to see it all,but time doesn't seem to allow it. It keeps the longing for a return trip from fading. We have been thru many of the states on our previous trips and so we have found every state has something unique to offer and see. From the small towns in the midwest with the no hurry lifestyle, small eastern towns with town squares and friendly folks, the picturesque Rocky Mountains and vast grasslands of the western prairie, the Great Lakes region and the green rolling hills of New England, I have yet to be bored with the diverse scenery this county has to offer. I should stop now and just erase my camera's memory card and finish the final plans.

Jack

[jmtk]

Hi Jack,

I assume you'll be coming down through Salt Lake on I15. If so, take highway 6 out of Provo, through Price then down to Moab. If you're looking to stretch your legs in Price, they have a great dinosaur museum at the College of Eastern Utah. In Arches, do the out-and-back drive to the end of the road at Devil's Garden. Along the way, stop at the Windows section for some short hikes to nice arches. I highly recommend the hike up to Delicate Arch; it's the iconic arch of Utah. This picture shows the big slickrock bowl below it:


In Devil's Garden, it's not too far to see Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the park. If you're up for a bit more adventure, sign up for the Fiery Furnace hike. It's a ranger-guided hike, not really all that long distance-wise, but may be a bit more strenuous because you're scrambling between slickrock fins.

The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands has dramatic overlooks. Drive out to the Grand View Point Overlook. Along the way, stop to check out the Shafer Canyon overlook and see the switchbacking road going down into the canyon (and think about crazy people like me riding my mountain bike UP it). Mesa Arch is a short hike that ends at a very scenic arch along the canyon cliff edge.

As you drive through Capitol Reef, stop to see the petroglyphs along the road. The trailhead to Hickman Bridge is also right along the road and a nice hike.

Highway 12 is incredibly scenic and has a lot of variety, climbing high onto Boulder Mountain, then dropping into deep red rock canyons. There are some pretty steep grades in a few places, so gear down, take your time, and enjoy the view.

Sunrise, Sunset and Bryce Points at Bryce Canyon are all great (these are scenic overlooks). If you want to try a hike down amongst the hoodoos (rock spires), the Wall Street/Navajo loop trail is way cool.

If you're heading to Zion from Bryce, go into Zion on the east entrance. I love the slickrock domes on the east side. The Canyon Overlook trail just before the mile-long tunnel is a nice hike that leads to a great view of Zion Canyon. In Zion Canyon itself, the Emerald Pools hike takes you to waterfalls cascading off the cliffs into pools. The Riverside walk trail at the end of the Zion Canyon road takes you up to the start of the Narrows, where sheer red-rock cliffs rise about 1000' up.

There are so many great things to see and do in southern Utah! Have fun!

Jeanette

[ssrjim]

As close as you will be go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. A lot less people and it is fantastic.

Zion:







More:

http://gallery.me.com/ramjim#100224&bgcolor=black&view=grid









More:


http://gallery.me.com/ramjim#100277&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=66

[jmtk]

As close as you will be go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. A lot less people and it is fantastic.

Just make sure it's open before you travel there. Here's off-season info:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/directions_n_rim.htm

Jeanette

[Jack J]

Well after a difficult week at work, layoffs started tho not affecting me, I am ready for a vacation. I have the camera batteries charged, memory cards formatted, and a map of what we would like to see. We will see if I get to visit all that I would like. Tomorrow morning with the alarm set early, the road beckons. It will be great to get away for the next couple of weeks. Sue is ready to escape also. That ties in with the tow vehicle. I voted to take the '51 Chev but after Sue cast her ballot, the majority of the popular vote overwhelmingly elected to take the new car. A Ford Escape. I wanted a recount but was told that after the two previous cross country trips in the Chev, I was out of luck this time.



So on the road we go. Looking forward to the scenery that awaits us.

Jack