Driving THRU So. Utah in Nov.

Old Nov 4th, 2008, 07:40 PM
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Driving THRU So. Utah in Nov.

I may have a business trip to L.A. in a couple weeks. We homeschool our 3 kids & have flexibility that allows us to have the whole family along, and we’re planning to drive from VA to Las Vegas to spend time with family there. (From there, I’ll get to L.A. by myself for a week.) We have made this trip twice before & absolutely LOVE southern Utah and want to see some places we’ve never seen before. We’ve been to Arches, Bryce, Cedar Breaks & Zion.

Here’s what I’m thinking…

11/8 Depart VA to visit some family in Eastern OH.
11/10 Depart Steubenville, OH for about 11 hrs to around Columbia, MO.
11/11 Depart for Denver.
11/12 Drive the Rockies in the morning to enjoy their beauty on the way to Southern Utah.

This would give us two days to see Moab or Canyonlands or Capitol Reef, before perhaps having to be in Las Vegas on Sat. the 15th. Planning these trips is half the fun for me, but I’m currently on business travel and our schedule has been constantly changing, so I haven’t had a chance to really investigate whether this is reasonable. That’s where you all come in.

I’ve been enjoying others’ postings & learning a lot, but there are specifics I’ve not been able to ascertain. My preference is to skip Canyonlands since I think it’s more difficult to travel through, whereas Capitol Reef seems to offer the ability to drive through to Bryce and even Zion on the way to Las Vegas. But I know it’s a HUGE area, so maybe it’s not realistic on such a short itinerary. How would you tackle this? I don’t want to whip through and see stuff out our windows; we do enjoy short hikes and really learning about & experiencing things, so we should probably stop & focus on one or two areas. Please let me know how the weather might influence where we go (this is obviously all weather dependent; we may find ourselves forced into a more southerly route anyway). What about lodging, too? We’re on a budget (so hopefully we’ll have off-season rates in our favor).

One last thing… while visiting in Las Vegas, we are kidnapping my MIL, who’s never been to Zion, and taking her up there for Thanksgiving weekend, so we will get a couple days there, too. So I don’t mind just blowing thru there on our initial trip out.

Thanks much!!
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Old Nov 5th, 2008, 02:30 AM
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If you have a half a day or so check out www.deserthighlights.com in moab. If your kids are above age 6 they can probably handle it. It is fantastic and won't break the bank.
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Old Nov 5th, 2008, 02:30 AM
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This is in Moab.
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Old Nov 5th, 2008, 05:54 AM
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sweens,

For the time of year, I would visit Moab. It's the lowest elevation. Two days won't be enough, but a start. Kind of a shame to drive so far and only spend 2 days. Can you shorten time with the relatives?

Hwy 12 (between Capitol Reef and Bryce) goes up and over Boulder Mtn over 10,000 ft. No telling if that route would be open to drive on the day you need to. You might have to stick with I-70 the whole way.

Do you have reservations for Thanksgiving in Zion/Springdale? If not, better hurry. You may already be too late.

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Old Nov 5th, 2008, 09:38 AM
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Thanks, all. It's not the time with relatives, it's that I have to be in L.A. that Sunday for the business tripl (meeting Monday morning). We're only driving because we can leverage off the reimbursement I'd get for company travel (up to what my flight would have cost had I flown). I'm also restricted on the back end by getting even closer to winter. Ugh.

It may well be that we just stick with Moab; when we went to Arches six yrs ago, it was my kids' favorite park, and we really just blew thru it, so I'm sure they'd be very disappointed to have to go back there and maybe do some canyoneering. gt;)

Definitely a good thought, especially if the weather is too risky over in Capitol Reef, though I was really looking forward to another notch in my National Park belt. Oh well, it's helpful to be flexible like Gumby.

Yeah, I was shocked to find out that Zion was so popular at T'giving. (I just hadn't thought of it - I thought I was being clever going then when everyone else was carving turkey around the table.) I'm looking tonight for hotels; that too may have to wait.

My kids are two girls ages 15 & 10, and my son age 6 (turns 7 next month). All are very active and love challenges. Sounds like a Moab adventure could be just the ticket. I may also see about adding a half day & arriving in Las Vegas around mid-day Sunday, dropping everyone off at Grandma's and then going on to L.A. that evening.

Any other thoughts?
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Old Nov 5th, 2008, 01:20 PM
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Did you hike the Entire Devils Garden Loop. If you do the canyoneering, do it last, as everything else will seem to tame.

Did you see any of Canyonlands. We did a flyover in a small plane that was pretty good. Slickrock air. I think it was about $100pp. maybe less for kids. the canyoneering is about 75-125pp depending on which one you do. I am doing Medieval Canyon the next time I go.
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Old Nov 5th, 2008, 04:56 PM
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sweens,

Capitol Reef is just a bit higher than Moab, so it does get colder. Plus Torrey closes down more off season. It's a much smaller town.

I do think your kids would enjoy Moab much, much more. If it were just a little earlier in the year, like Oct, I'd say head for Escalante Staircase for a new adventure. Again, just a little late for that area too.

Save these both for another trip!
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 10:25 AM
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Thanks again. I did check out Desert Highlights' web site yesterday for Moab, and they list a half-day adventure for $95pp (minus 10% for more than 4 people), which sounds great. I will see what else they have.

One thing that was unclear based on what I'd read so far, is what should we bring for hiking/rock climbing clothes, versus what we can/should rent? Does the price for the trip typically include the equipment (helmets, etc.), and what does it NOT include (special rock climbing shoes, gloves, etc.)? The photos showed people wearing those things, but I just want to know more of what the "bottom line" price might be once you tack on all that other stuff.

The other potential good news - if the business trip doesn't get cancelled altogether - is that we will likely be having it starting Tues., so that would give us an additional day of fun!

If we took 3 days in Moab, what all would you recommend we do aside from a day or half-day of canyoneering? (I've read many posts of what there is to do - I don't expect to be bored! - but again I'm thinking of mid-November and what is available/practical to do.)

Thanks!
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 10:32 AM
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Oh, to answer spirobulldog's questions, no - we didn't do much hiking at all, and I don't think we went to Devil's Garden. (Is that part of Arches or its own thing?) And no, we didn't go to Canyonlands, either. I was originally thinking of driving through these areas on the way to Vegas, but now you have me thinking of including these in the 3 days at Moab. I'd very much like to see Dead Horse Overlook and maybe Goblin Valley. Is this do-able?
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 01:09 PM
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sweens,

There is plenty to keep you busy in Moab for 3 full days, especially if you want to include some climbing.

Read some of the trip report for Utah and Moab here using the search function and you'll get lots of ideas.

Haven't done canyoneering in Moab yet myself, but I would recommend contacting the Desert Highlights folks directly for detailed answers.

Have fun
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 03:26 PM
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The 2 "must do" hikes in Arches are-all the way to Delicate Arch and Devils Garden. Be sure and see Balanced Rock and Double Arch(not Double O, it is on Devils Garden hike). The Windows section is nice as well. Devils Garden is about a 4 hour hike. Delicate Arch is about 3 hours, depending on how long you stay at the Arch. On Devils Garden you will see 7 or 8 arches, one of them being Landscape Arch. Balanced Rock, Double Arch, and Windows are pretty much right on the road. You could also see Firey Furnace Hike with a park ranger. But, some of Desert Highlights tours are in the furnace area, so you will want to check with them where your canyoneering experience will be. Everything you will need is included in the price. I think they might include a little snack. I think you have to bring your own drink. You will want to tip probably about $40-50 for a group of 4 for a half day trip. The Medieval Canyon is cool because two people rappel at the same time. Some of the other canyons are nice, because they have more rappels. We did Krill Canyon when my daughter was 12 and she did fine. It is their hardest canyon. It had 3 rappels, but only one big one. The rappels are so much fun after you get over the first 10 seconds of being scared.

You might consider renting bicycles or even doing a guided tour at Moab. Also the 4 wheel military Hummer with Moab Adventure Company is fun, but pretty darn scary. Do see Dead Horse Pt. It reminds me of the Grand Canyon with the Colorado river horseshoeing around a corner. Very Scenic! Of course, there is much hiking there. One hike that I haven't done is to see the Huge Petroglyph Panel that is near Goblin Valley in a seperate little section of Canyonlands. I think it is about 2.5 miles to the panel. It is considered probably the best petroglyph in the world by a lot of people. Maybe, someone has hiked this and could comment on it, I don't remember reading much about it here. Dayle have you done this one? At Dead Horse, take a snack, there is not much there. We like Hogi Yogi in Moab for lunch, they had good sandwiches, oriental rice bowls, and smoothies. Moab Brewery was a pretty good place at night. There is some restaurant there open for just breakfast that was good. The name escapes me right now.
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 03:28 PM
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Do get the details from Desert Highlights, I don't remember them providing gloves. All I remember was hard hats, and knee pads. They did take a ton of pictures, which they gave to us on a disk at the end, all for no charge. It is really a good tour company. Moab Adventure Center also does canyoneering, but they just act as a middleman. You won't be sorry with Desert Highlights.
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 03:30 PM
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You will want to see Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. I thought I had mentioned that, but after a quick reread, I didn't see it. Do that one at sunrise.
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Old Nov 6th, 2008, 05:40 PM
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spirobulldog,

I haven't hiked to the Great Gallery yet! It's actually at the very top of my list. I think I'll get there with some friends this spring. It's just a little tricky because weather is everything. It's a 30 mi 4x4 road in to the starting point of the canyon rim and you can't go out (or get back) if the road turns to mud.
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Old Nov 7th, 2008, 03:41 AM
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It is one thing I will for sure do if I get to go back to Moab sometime. Have you rafted the Cateract? I didn't get to see much of Canyonlands, so I would want to do that as well.
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Old Nov 7th, 2008, 04:16 PM
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spirobulldog,

No, I haven't done Cataract. I know lots who have and it's INTENSE, especially in April at peak runoff.

I've done a 5 day (100 mi.) oar powered trip in Desolation Canyon (Green River) an dit was one of the greatest trips ever. Highly recommend this trip. I went with Moki Mac River Expeditions, a very long extablished UT river company. They also do the Grand and Cataract, plus others of varying length and rating.

The Grand Canyon is also very high on my list. Have to get some of these done before I get "old".
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Old Nov 11th, 2008, 09:27 AM
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Thank you all so much for your valuable information. Sadly, as I mentioned early-on in my post, the business trip was a bit in doubt, and now we got so much done at our prior meetings, that this one is no longer necessary. That, in addition to the potential difficulty of being in the mountains in Nov. & Dec., and we are not going to go thru Utah - THIS TIME. However, I am printing out this thread & sticking it into a folder for next year should we get another such opportunity. My kids went ga-ga over the Desert Highlights web site and are definitely up for doing that. My wife's a different story, but I have a year or more to work on her.

Anyway, we are planning to drive out to Vegas anyway but are going a more southerly route thru northern LA, TX, NM & AZ. I'll start a new thread on that, so if you have any suggestions for that, we are committed to going on that trip.

Thank you again for your kind, enthusiastic advice, and I apologize for the unfortunate change of plans, but I am hanging onto your words for the future!
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