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Grand Canyon / Bryce / Zion in August with Teens

Grand Canyon / Bryce / Zion in August with Teens

Old Nov 5th, 2016, 06:46 PM
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Grand Canyon / Bryce / Zion in August with Teens

Hi All,

I am starting to plan a trips with my 2 daughters who will be 13 and 15 to visit some of the national parks in the southwest this coming summer.  I'm thinking 9 nights the beginning of August with flying in/out of Las Vegas as that may be cheaper,  Hoping to get a non-stop from Boston to arrive before noon.  

At first I was hoping to do the "Mighty 5" parks and really wanted to see the Moab area but it seems to be too many nights, money, stops and driving time for us.  So this is what I came up with instead#160; Does this seem like a reasonable plan?

1 Night Las Vegas - thinking NY NY ? any other family friendly hotels?  MGM Grand had no availability
1 Night Grand Canyon South Rim - Booked Thunder Bridge Lodge
2 Nights Page - Lodging not set - ideas?  Thinking sleep Inn Suites
2 nights Bryce - booked Bryce Canyon Lodge
3 nights Zion - Booked Flannigan's

Originally I had it the other direction but I think the longer drives and shorter stays at the beginning will work better.

Day 1 - Arrive Las Vegas and stay night
- Checkout Hotels / Ride Rollercoasters / Pool time

Day 2 - Drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim ~5.5 hours
- stop at Hoover Dam on way -- Any other must see stops on the way?
Stay in Grand Canyon

Day 3  - Explore Grand Canyon for most of day then drive to Page, AZ late afternoon ~ 2.5 hr
- We will not be doing any hiking down Grand canyon
- suggestions for stops on way to Page?
Stay in Page - 1st night
 
Day 4 - Page - possibly do Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry raft trip, slot canyon hummer tour?
Stay in Page - 2nd night 

Day 5 - Drive from Page to Bryce Canyon ~ 2.5 hour drive
- While In Bryce - Light hikes, star gazing ranger program; possibly 2 or 3 hour Horseback ride
Stay in Bryce Canyon - 1st night

Day 6 - Explore Bryce Canyon
Stay in Bryce Canyon - 2nd night

Day 7 -  Drive Bryce to Zion ~1.5 hr
- In Zion - explore, like hikes
Stay in Zion - 1st night

Day 8 - Zion
Stay in Zion - 2nd Night

Day 9
Stay in Zion - 3rd Night

Day 10
Drive to Las Vegas Airport for home

A few more questions
1. Are all roads pretty well driven and safe trip driving with Mom and girls?
2. How is cell service - we have T-Mobile.  Would it be worth renting a satellite phone?
3. Will we hit some of the Scenic 12 highway or should we take a detour to drive it?

Any suggestions are appreciated!
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Old Nov 5th, 2016, 07:08 PM
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I'm not going to address the full itinerary just now . . . but a quick comment. Does it have to be in August. It will be VERY <red>HOT</red> most of the places on your route. Most of your activities will have to be in the early morning.
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Old Nov 5th, 2016, 08:08 PM
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Unfortunately we are limited to summer vacation (July/Aug) with school. I realize it will be hot but we have done Disney World Florida in July a couple years ago and Italy (Rome/Siena) in August last year and were able to deal with it. The plan will be to do things early and when possible get near water/pools or A/C at the hottest times of the day. Hoping that what other people on the site have said about the dry heat being more bearable is true. And sounds like Bryce is a bit cooler with the elevation.
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Old Nov 6th, 2016, 02:52 AM
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Your plan sounds quite good in general.

I hope you mean Thunderbird Lodge at Grand Canyon. Do hike down into the Canyon at least a little way. Bright Angel trail is not steep and is fairly wide and gives you a different look at the area.

In Page we enjoyed the half day smooth water raft trip and if it is hot, splash a little water on yourself to keep cool.

For Bryce and Zion, I love staying in the parks, but with kids I would want to have lodging with a pool so that we could explore the parks early in the day and in the early evening and cool off during the hottest hours. Both have lodging very close, look at Ruby's or the Best Western for Bryce and look in Springdale for Zion.
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Old Nov 6th, 2016, 07:17 AM
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I think it's the right amount of travel for the amount of time that you have.

If the weather is unseasonably cool, or you can get there very early, this is a nice little hike: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand...oadstools.html


And also for Page area there's Antelope Canyon.

If you and/or you daughters like animals then Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, near Kanab, is worth a stop. They also have a few cottages but will probably be booked solid in August.

Personally, I've found the drive from Las Vegas to the South Rim to be pretty boring.

The roads are fine. I don't remember having trouble with cell service anywhere but can't swear that there aren't any spots without service.

Highway 12 is stunning but that would be a different itinerary.

And bring tons of water. It's a dry heat but then so is an oven. Don't mean to be flippant but you have to respect what the heat can do to you.
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Old Nov 6th, 2016, 09:24 AM
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I drive all those roads as a solo female and have never had a problem. And I travel most of them with just me and my kids and have never had an issue. You don't need to rent a satellite phone. If something happens and you don't have cell service, pull over and flag somebody down. If you click on my user name you will see my trip reports with kids to: Page, Kanab, Bryce, Zion.

The places you are talking about are humid and hot. This is a different kind of hot. You will need to drink at least 2 QUARTS of water a day if you do nothing but sit around. If you hike--aim for a quart an hour. And bring Gatorade or something to replace electrolytes. This heat just sucks all of the water out our body. A Camelbak is a must. So are hats. And early morning hikes.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 08:04 PM
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Thanks for all the responses - I have been booking the lodging but am now thinking of switching our travel dates to leave mid-August instead of early August so reworking with a few changes.

- Switched Zion lodging from Flannigan's to Cable Mountain to get closer to the park
- Bryce Canyon Lodge booked for new dates right now so I am planning on booking Ruby's Inn and keep checking back. Is it worth staying in park or would pool be better option for this time of year for a 2 night visit?

Page, Az, Wondering if Lake Powell Resort is worth it or if anyone has alternative lodging recommendations. I am also starting to question if Page warrants 2 nights or is there a better area to spend the time on the way from GC South Rim to Bryce/Zion. The lodging in Page seems a little high for what you get. For activities I think we would try to rent kayaks, go to antelope canyon, horse shoe bend and maybe do the float trip although I have read some mixed reviews about it. Anyone know how crowded the lake is in the Summer and if kayaking would be enjoyable with the amount of lake traffic?

Thanks again for all your suggestions.

Shanti - Thanks for the idea about Best Friends animal sanctuary - my girls love animals and I know that would be fun for them. We went to the cat sanctuary in Rome last August and my daughter couldn't get enough of it. It was close to where we stayed and went there 2 times (and she wanted to go again). We even found a cat we would have loved to take home with us.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 04:20 AM
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For Bryce Canyon, your kids might like to have a dip in the pool in the hottest part of the day so staying at Ruby's would be fine.

I haven't been to Page in the summer, but when we went there we walked out to view Horseshoe bend in the afternoon (one hour total), did the float trip which goes by Horseshoe Bend the next morning, did an Antelope Canyon tour in the afternoon then headed to our next site and so spent one night there. We didn't kayak there so could have been in Kanab the second night. I think you can stay at or very near to Best Friends, but there are several motels in Kanab and lots of movies were made in the area and there are plaques with stars and their films along the streets.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 07:30 PM
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Have you considered route LV > Zion > Kanab > North Rim Grand Canyon > Bryce. Stay at the Lodge in the park or Kaibab Lodge that is outside the park's border. Alternate is Jacobs Lake or Kanab itself. South Rim is a zoo at that time of the year. Also, NR is 300 meters higher = cooler.

I am not a fan of Page unless you have excess vacation time.
However, if you go - yes, raft down the river to Lees Ferry.
Dam tour is very interesting as you go down and down into the dam itself.

Antelope Canyon is a crowed mess operated by Navajo Indian Reservation. Money, not convenience is the goal.

The first time I went there, it was difficult to find directions. When I arrived, was one Navajo woman at the entrance selling jewelry. Entry was free. About 2 of us were in that slot. Now it is a busy shopping mall hallway.

Vaga
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 03:18 AM
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I think being in the park at Bryce is well worth giving up the pool (but then again we don't travel with teenagers or in the heat of the summer). It is amazing to wake up just a few steps away from the canyon edge so you can see it at sunrise and sunset when it is the most beautiful. Don't count on the dry heat making it bearable - it will be brutal but some people are better able to handle heat than others and it sounds like you guys are up for it. I have also been to Italy in the summer months and that is seriously hot as well. Keep in mind that you will be in the desert in many of these places - drink water BEFORE you feel thirsty. Drink more than you think you need. Also, expect some very serious crowds in the parks at that time of year.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 07:36 AM
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At Grand Canyon, hike a little way down Bright Angel Trail very early in the morning, which is a beautiful time and will be cooler. Bring plenty of water even for a short hike.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 08:52 AM
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A small note about Bryce: summer temperatures seldom get very high. The average high in August is in the upper seventies, so a pool isn't critical.

Grand Canyon is slightly warmer: average August highs in the low eighties. On the other hand, Zion tends to be very hot: average August highs in the upper nineties.
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