rjayanthi1

I am getting on a road trip from Atlanta to Portland, OR tomorrow (August 6th). I was planning on covering significant mileage every day while also stopping for short detours along the way. I am stuck at Arches. This one looks like it's worth a whole day. But then I see that Zion seems equally good. I can't do two whole days at both. Which one would you spend whole day at if you had to make that choice? Or should I do half at Arches and Half at Zion? I want to hike a little, not just drive by. If it helps, I am doing a lot of soul searching on this trip.

StantonHyde

I would go to Arches. Zion is crazy crowded right now. You will have an easier time getting lodging near Arches if that is a concern. Just know that for either park--get up EARLY to go. (for Zion, you want the 6 am shuttle). For Arches--as soon as the gates open or they let you in or whatever.

StantonHyde

If you want some time to think--skip both and go to Canyonlands.

elnap29

I absolutely love Zion, but if I were you, I'd just visit Arches. You are already there! Go early to the ranger station and sign up for a free guided hike in the Fiery Furnace. For safety reasons, you can only go with a forest service guide, and you will be so glad. I have a great sense of direction, but within 15 minutes i lost all sense of direction in that maze. It is an incredible experience. You will not regret spending your time in Arches.

You are more likely to get to Zion in the future, particularly because it is only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from a major airport - Las Vegas.

rjayanthi1

Thank you all so much!!!
Stanton: I will checkout Canyonlands also.

StantonHyde

If you click on my user name you will see a Moab trip report for 2016 or 2015 that included hiking in Canyonlands. Some nice places. The Chestler Park area is an amazing hike--but it is longer and you would have to start by 6 am to beat the heat. The hikes I listed are shorter so you could start early and do as many as you wanted without committing to a full day.

PaulRabe

I've been to Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, and Bryce -- twice for each of them. I usually consider Arches/Canyonlands and Zion/Bryce to be a pair you can visit together.

My choice?
You won't go wrong with either choice -- or any of the four (although Bryce is smaller). Don't agonize over a choice, just choose one and resolve to see the others at a later time.

rjayanthi1

Great advice all. I decided on Arches. Will stay through sunset and do that Fiery Furnace also for sure!
Just because I am so excited about this trip:
http://roadtrippers.com/trips/186890...utm_medium=ios

MRand

Can't go wrong with Arches/Canyonlands. Realize you don't have this much time, but here's an itinerary we took a few years ago:

• Monday morning — Hike the 7+ mile Devil’s Garden Trail (including the Primitive Loop) in Arches National Park, viewing all seven major arches — Landscape, Partition, Navajo, Double O, Private, Tunnel, and Pine Tree — on the trail. Fortunately, in view of the temperatures that approach 100º later in the day, we get a 6:00 a.m. start (fortified by some coffee and breakfast burritos from the drivethru at McDonald’s), take our time on the hike and side trails, and finish by 11:30 a.m. On our way out of the park, we take the short hike under spectacular Double Arch (not to be confused with the Double O we saw earlier in the morning).

• Monday afternoon — After a break out of the sun at our condo and a late afternoon lunch at the Moab Brewery, we drive to Dead Horse Point State Park to take in the sweeping views of the orange rock country in the setting sunlight.

• Tuesday morning and afternoon — An early full breakfast at Moab Diner fuels us for our rappelling excursion with Herb, a guide with Desert Highlights. My wife and I had a great day hiking and rappelling with Herb in Arches’s Firey Furnace a few years ago:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-and-moab.cfm

where I’d gained tremendous respect for his attention to detail and commitment to safety. This time, we drive to the nearby La Sal Mountains that overlook Moab and don drysuits to rope down the seven icy cold waterfalls in Pleiades Canyon. The giant boulders that have wedged at the top of the narrow walls give the canyon a cavern-like feel, and large ice chunks left over from winter hadn’t yet melted. This all-day trip is a welcome respite from the sweltering heat of the desert.

• Tuesday evening — We scarf Mexican food and margaritas at Miguel’s Baja Grill on North Main Street and tarry just a bit too long to catch the setting sun on Delicate Arch, the national symbol of Utah, back in Arches National Park. Nevertheless, we hike up to the arch in the twilight and miss most of the sunset crowd so that we have the arch almost to ourselves as night falls. Luckily, we remember to bring flashlights that make the hike back to the car less treacherous than it might have been.

• Wednesday morning — We sleep in and then eat a delicious mid-morning breakfast at the local institution known as Eklecticafe. We then take the 30 minute drive up to the magnificent high desert plateau that is the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. We hike short trails to the mysterious Upheaval Dome (is it a volcano? is it a meteor crater?), to Green River overlook, and along the dizzing edge of the 2,000 foot plateau wall to the Grandview point overlook. The 360º at Grandview is flat out one of the most spectacular views we’ve ever seen (and that includes the Grand Canyon and Yosemite).

• Wednesday afternoon — As we gawk over the precipice, staring down at the famous Shafer (jeep) Trail, a lively debate ensues whether we should take this or the safer main highway back to Moab. It’s a 2-1 vote to take the Shafer’s thrilling hairpin switchbacks down the canyon palisade to the White Rim, then continue to pick our way over and around large rocks for a two hour, 25 mile trip to Moab. “Trail” is a generous description of this goat path, which should absolutely not be attempted in anything other than a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle.

• Wednesday evening — We make it back to Moab, but to catch our early morning flight home, we have to return to Salt Lake City this evening. We decide to cap our trip off by taking the longer route — Utah highway 138, the “River Road” that winds alongside the broad Colorado River canyon past the Fisher Tower stone spires — back to Interstate 70 then on to Green River, Price, Provo, and Salt Lake City.

rjayanthi1

MRand and StantonHyde - Great itineraries!! I am safely at my destination (Portland) as of Monday evening. I will write a detail trip in next few days, but my highlights were hiking in Maroon Bells to Crater Lake, in Utah and the Grand Teton.
Utah is the place I want to go back to again. On my way to Arches (from a hotel near Colorado National Monument after a brief drive around Rim Rock Drive and short hike to view the Independence monument there) I decided to take the scenic route 128 as someone suggested. It was an absolutely stunning drive. Then came across a sign for the Fisher Towers and took a detour to check it out. Ended up doing the 5.2 mile route there. Only thing I would do differently is NOT start the hike at 1:30 on a summer afternoon in the desert. It was a cathartic experience being the only one on the trail for a majority of it. It may be an 'easy' hike early morning or late evening but in the hot sun on west facing canyons, with not enough water, and hiking alone, and the 10 people I ran into were on their way back in the first 2 miles, I was tested to my limits. Blisters on feet, dehydrated and euphoric when i got back to my car. I am going to go back. Anyway, didn't make it to Arches or Zion or anywhere else. But no regrets. Will go back on a focussed trip again with kids this time. I will check out your suggestions at that time again.

Thank you for your kind advice and time!

Regards
Ragni

StantonHyde

Glad you had a good trip. Fisher Towers are otherworldly and lots of fun--but I wouldn't have wanted to hike when you did either!!! Moab is a great place for families of all ages--there is something for every ability.

rjayanthi1

It indeed was other-worldly. I wanted time to think and did I get that hiking Fisher Towers and then more!!! I think that hike cured my anxiety: as stunning as the landscape was, it was more that, given the factors I listed above, I could not afford to lose focus or panic or it would have been Trouble. Just kept putting a foot in front of the other, take a few steps back if needed to re-assess (the cairns weren't placed all that frequently and the heat and dehydration were messing with me) and just forcing myself to stay calm. There were so many parallels in that experience to the stuff in my head. It was Day 6 of my trip and the one I hoped to have. Big turning point. There was a campsite there (Hittle Bottom) that looked just perfect to me. That's where I want to bring kids again. And LITRES of water this time, regardless of time of year or day.

StantonHyde

Glad it turned out well. The trail is so well defined there, I never worried about cairns. And yes, I drink about a liter per hour in hot weather. The hot air just wicks it right out of you Best times to visit are March-May and then October (especially for kid visits)

Dianedancer

We were in Arches at the end of Sept
It was 92 degrees. No shade. Beautiful but crazy hot. I can't imagine hiking.