louistraveler5

DH & I are turning the big 3-0 next year...DH on May 31 and I on October 4. We both want to take a trip to signify these bdays. For DH's bday we will be going to Kauai (next May will mark 4 years since our first trip to Kauai). For my bday I've chosen to Utah's National Parks. We will begin our trip from Austin, TX. I'm not sure how many days just yet but it will be no less than 7 and no more than 10.

Here is what I have put together so far: I would like to kick off my bday trip by starting at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Next year it begins on Saturday October 1.

1) Fly to Albuquerque from Austin on Friday September 30; balloon fiesta Sat Oct 1; check out of hotel Sun Oct 2
*I am looking at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque-it is $92 per night. I really like the Chocolate Turtle B&B but there is a 3 night minimum during the balloon fiesta and I don't want to use three days/nights at the balloon fiesta. What does everyone think of the balloon fiesta; is one day not enough/or just enough; is the Hyatt Regency convenient; anyone stayed at the Chocolate Turtle; should I stay 3 days?

2) Leaving Albuquerque, we will drive to Moab. If we stay one day at the balloon fiesta we will be on our way to Moab on Sunday October 2. Mapquest says the drive is 6 hours. I am looking at Cali Cochitta B&B: http://moabdreaminn.com/index.html
At Moab, I would like to see Arches & Canyonlands National Parks. How much time will be needed for these parks? Has anyone stayed at Cali Cochitta? Any other lodging suggestions?

3) From Moab, we want to make our way to Zion National Park. I was looking on the Utah forum before posting this and read a post: Moab to Springdale. There is a link from peterboy about the Highway 12 Scenic Byway. I clicked the link and watched the video on Utah.com and all I can say is WOW! http://www.utah.com/byways/highway_12.htm
Will this byway take us to Zion National Park or does it take you to Bryce? If we take this route, how long does it take to get to Bryce/should we stay somewhere along the way?

4) The park I want to see the most is Zion. About Zion...how much time should we give this park; where do you suggest we stay...I know Springdale but which lodging has anyone stayed at? I am really interested in hiking Angels Landing (we are not afraid of heights), The Narrows & The Subway. We are not extreme hikers but we do love hiking. We have hiked in Rocky Mtn NP, Olympic NP & Mt Rainier NP.

5) I don't know anything about Bryce NP...should we stop there & for how long?

I need help putting these puzzle pieces together to make this bday trip happen...
Should I cut out the balloon fiesta to maximize our time in Utah; what would be the best itinerary to see everything I want? I was planning for us to fly home from Las Vegas.
Help me leave my 20's in the Southwest dust!

DebitNM

Some fast answers -- one day for fiesta is not enough. We were lucky this year in that it was good weather every morning and balloons were able to launch. That is not always the case. It could be that they don't fly that one morning and then you are going to miss a truly spectacular event. Since you will overnight, you have a second chance on Sunday morning and still be on your way by 9 am [you have to be on the field at 6 am or so to see all the action]

The Hyatt is nice, in downtown area that will be pretty dead on weekend. You may have to pay for parking.

Getting into Balloon Fiesta is a bit tricky, I always recommend that out-of-towners use the park and ride service. You would have to either drive a P&R lot or to the fiesta and deal with UNBELIEVABLE traffic, especially on Sat since it's opening day.

You may be better trying to get a room in the "uptown" area. Nicer area, lots of restaurants, you won't need a car and there is a P&R nearby.

As to how long to stay - ABQ and Santa Fe are worth a few days, especially at that time of year. Lots to see and do.

I have stayed at Cali Cochita and LOVED it! Great inn, great owners, wonderful breakfasts, and good location.

If I can help with either ABQ info or a bit on Moab, let me know

Myer

You didn't say what your interest are but at that age I have to assume you're reasonably fit (not sure why I assumed that).

Two years ago I was in Moab for most of 4 days.

Arched NP should keep you busy for at least 2 full days.
Fiery Furnace ranger led hike
Delicate arch
Windows Section with Double Arch
Park Avenue
Part of Devil's Garden

Canyonlands & dead Horse Point State Park. Part of a day if you just tour and only go to Island in the Sky area. Otherwise much more driving and more time. The needles is a drive but I understand worth the day.

Rte 12 has its parts. On the way you have Goblin valley State Park that has fields of fun rock sculptures. It's worth a couple of hours stop.

Then you come to Capitol Reef NP. Not one of my favorites considering everything else. You can stop for half a day and hike Chimney Rock and/or Hickman Bridge.

Many people suggest staying over either in Torrey just on the west side of capitol Reef or at Boulder Mountain Lodge in Boudler about an hour south of Torrey. The restaurant in the Lodge is famous but I thought it was ok and overpriced.

From there you have Lower Calf Creek Falls. A nice 2.5 miles each way (I've been there twice in the middle of hot days and found it about a half hour too long but you're there later when it should be cool). Beautiful waterfalls at the end. Very popular hike.

From there (continue west) about 10 miles south on Hole-in-the-Rock Road (dirt road) is devil's Garden Escalante. kind of similar to Goblin Valley but a bit more grown up. The formations are somewhat larger.

From there moving west, 10 miles down the dirt road south of Cannonville is a real slot canyon. Willis Creek. The drive is an adventure but the hike/walk is easy and by the 3 or 4th slots it's something to see.

You are now about 15-20 minutes from bryce Canyon. Try to stay in-park. Get up early to see the sun rise at Bryce Point. Absolutely spectacular as the sun starts to hit the Canyon and begins to turn orange.

Then do the classic Navajo Loop - Queen's Garden hike to see what it's like in the hoodoos below the rim.

Leave for Zion in mid-afternoon. It's about 80 miles from bryce but 4,000 feet lower in elevation. I wonder if Bryce would have snow by then. Dayle will no doubt wade in.

Bryce is one of a kind and Zion is beautiful. The hikes vary from very easy (Riverside Walk) to adventurous. Angel's Landing is really quite easy and mostly paved (elevation gain) until you reach Scout's Lookout. The rest is for the adventurous. Some people say it's nothing. Most won't continue.

I was there with my daughter in mid-September. I had no desire to attempt to continue. She wanted to and I told her I'd hold on to her ankle if she went. She sulked for a few minutes and got over it.

Several other hikes include the Emerald Pools. canyon Overlook is a very scenic hike at the east entrance (on the way from bryce). It's just at the tunnel. Very good hike.

I'd say Zion could keep you busy for 2 days.

You can see photos of my trips to Utah in 2007, 2008 and 2010 at:

www.travelwalks.com

Southern utah is beautiful.

emalloy

Since you are going to have to pay a drop off charge for your car, before you solidify your plans, see if it would be cheaper to fly into Vegas and out of ABQ when you add in the rental car. You could do the Utah loop first and then the Balloon fiesta. If they don't let the balloons fly, consider a day trip up to Bandelier NP , very interesting and different from other Native American sites.

louistraveler5

To get the most out of Utah for a week, I am going to eliminate the balloon fiesta.

I looked into flights and the best option would be to fly from Austin, TX to Grand Junction, CO then drive to Moab. According to Mapquest, Moab is a little under two hours from Grand Junction. When we finish the trip, we will fly home from Las Vegas.

I would like advice on an itinerary.

Dayle

So, louistraveler5,

You have decided against Italy for your Oct birthday?

I live in UT and love both places. You really need more than a week for the UT destinations alone!

Dayle

One important thing to know, regarding hiking the Subway. If you want to do it from the top down, you must have a permit and you MUST have some canyoneering experience and minimal equipment. You will probably need to swim in the slot sections where there is water. Water can be FREEZING in Oct if you do it after a storm or snowstorm. You cannot go if any rain is predicted in the area.

If you hike it in from the bottom and back out again the same way, you don't need a permit or climbing equip. HOWEVER, this part of the hike is quite strenuous and you miss 2/3 of the fun this way!

The hike down from the main parking area (if doing the non-permit hike) is very, very steep - very steep. Then you go thru the river bottom (usually dry) with basically no trail and lots and lots of up and down scrambling over boulders and rocks in the sand for quite a ways. I don't know exactly how far, but this section is over a mile. Major stairmaster workout on the gluts, etc. Then you reach the really amazing part, walking up a stone waterfall and finally peeking into the Subway. It's actually a much better view looking down into the Subway section on the permit hike.

Some people rent dry suits and other equip from the outfitters in Springdale. Does add a lot of weight to carry.

Greatest hike of my life, but you really need to know what you are doing and be up for a serious challenge.

louistraveler5

Dayle:
I did decide to forgo the trip to Italy. For DH's bday, May 31, we are going to Kauai for a week so it was too much to also go to Italy in the same year. We really want to go back to Kauai so I decided to pick a stateside destination. We love national parks so I chose Utah's national parks.

The following year, 2012, we are going to plan for only 1 trip which will be two weeks in Italy!

We will only have from 7-10 days for the trip to Utah so what do you suggest as an itinerary?

Myer

You may want to consider flying into and out of Salt Lake.

From SLC to Moab and then Zion back. Good drives on good roads.

louistraveler5

I don't see why we should fly in/out of Salt Lake City because we will use more of our time doing that. From SLC it is almost 4 hours to Moab and from Springdale to SLC is almost 5 hours.

Grand Junction to Moab is 1 hour 45 minutes and Springdale to Las Vegas is 2 hours 30 minutes.

I really enjoy reading posts on this board but I am a little disappointed that no one has given me any input on an itinerary. Our main goal is to see the national parks and do some hiking. I would really like to know how much time should be spent where.

emalloy

If you asked 10 people how much time to spend in each park you would get 10 answers. All the southern Utah parks are great and each has advantages. Some folks love Capitol Reef, others find it just so so.

If you go to the box up top that says view by state and scroll to Utah you will come to a page that has all the threads on Utah. The ones with flags give trip reports that others have shared. These should give you an idea about what others found fantastic, how long they spent in each area etc. We tend to do a quick trip the first time through and go back again and see other sites, do other hikes on our next trip DH needs to be on the move. Others, spend days in one place and keep going back to the same place.

bachslunch

Excellent advice above, especially from Myer.

These are wonderful parks to see. A bare minimum of one full day for each of these is a must -- and for Arches and Zion, 2 days is decidedly better. Haven't spent any significant time in Canyonlands (just briefly on a boat float-in/float-out via the Colorado from Moab) so I can't comment from experience, but a couple days seems reasonable there as well given the limited research I've done.

Myer

I thought I wrote a pretty decent itinerary from Moab to Zion.

Maybe not.

louistraveler5

My intention was not to offend anyone by my saying I didn't receive any itinerary suggestions. Thanks to everyone for all the replies.

Myer: Thank you for your reply & itinerary! I am a "day 1, day 2" and so on kind of planner. I hardly know anything about Utah & the national parks so I was really hoping for a direct "here is what you should do" approach in order to see what you want to.

Myer, I know you did in fact do that but would you mind expanding on what you offered?
For example, you stated that you were in Moab for 4 days two years ago and that Arches could keep me busy for 2 days.
1) Do you suggest us staying in Moab for 4 days?
As for Canyonlands, you state it would only be part of a day if we just tour and go to Island in the Sky.
2) What do you suggest we do to see Canyonlands?
Do you have any suggestions on where to stay in Moab?

As for Hwy 12, I watched this video: http://www.utah.com/byways/highway_12.htm
For this area,I want to hike Little Wildhorse Canyon; hike Lower Calf Creek Falls; Peek-a-Boo & Spooky Gulch slot canyons and Grand Staircase Escalante Monument.
3) For this area, how much time should be spent here to achieve this?
4) Where should we stay...Escalante, Torrey, other place?
I really like the look of: http://www.escalantebnb.com/

From the area above, I was thinking of after our last night (in the above area) we could get up really early to make the drive to Bryce Canyon and do Bryce for 1 day. From Bryce we will move on to Zion. I really didn't want to stay overnight in Bryce.
5) What do you think of arriving early at Bryce and only staying for 1 day?

Moving on to Zion...I really want to do the Angels Landing hike; the Narrows; Emerald Pools; I wanted to do the Subway but I read more information and it doesn't seem like we should attempt Subway. It is much more of a technical climb than I first realized. We do not have any repelling or technical climb experience. We really are not experienced hikers but I do love hiking from what I have experienced. I would love to do more or challenge myself while not being too risky.
6) Where do you suggest we stay in the Zion area?
7) Any other hikes I would be interested in while at Zion?

8) How would you put all these pieces together in terms of days/nights in each area?
9) Any eliminations you would make?

Thanks!

peterboy

If you want to get a day--by-day itinerary then we really need to know how many days you aredevoting to the trip. Have you settled on 7 or 10 days?

Myer also asked what your interests are...hiking, photography or are you just looking to tour from a car and do the scenic overlooks? I don't see that you ever addressed these queries and they have considerable bearing on what folks experience with travel in the area might suggest.

If you want specific answers and for someone to take the time to write a detailed plan for your adventure then you need to provide specific information about how many days the trip will be and what your interests are.

louistraveler5

The trip will be 10 days. I am interested in seeing more through hiking. We have dabbled in some hiking in Rocky Mtn NP, Olympic & Mt Rainier NP so I want to do more hiking and experience the parks in that way.

Myer

On trips such as these, for me, lodging and meals are selected more for convenience than ambience.

I would select in-park lodging over a beautiful lodge outside the park anytime.

Having said that, I stayed at BW Canyonlands in Moab and thought it was fine. BW in Torrey (closest to Capitol Reef). Boulder Mountain Lodge in Boulder. Bryce inpark. Zion inpark although many prefer Springdale.

My style is that I don't do hard but I'm non-stop all day. Also, I plan a major itinerary with options in case I have to move things around. I almost always do my "A" and "B" lists.

I was in Utah this past Sept with my daughter and we stayed at Prospector Inn in Escalente and it was fine.

I'm a believer in working with what you have. If you have one day somewhere I would work with that. If you have 3 days I would work with that. You have to look at your time and the sights and divide it up.

I was in Moab for 4 days. I went to Delicate Arch (not the viewpoint but the hike to the Arch) twice for sunset (it was cloudy the first evening we got there so I planned a 2nd hike). The windows section. Fiery Furnace ranger-led hike, Park Avenue and a few other areas.

We went rafting on the Colorado one morning. Hike up Rt 128 to Fisher Towers and saw some rock climbers at the top, hiked on the way to Coron Arch and was defeated by the side-slope, drove over La Salle mountains and stopped to throw some snowballs (I live in South Florida but was born and grew up in snow country).

I spend a little over half a day in Canyonlands and Dea Horse point. DHP hase a very short hike to Mesa Arch. Very nice as it's the only arch I visited where you're at the top of the arch. Also has a very nice view of a bend in the Colorado River.

Canyonlands has 3 very distinct areas. Each has it's own entrance and they're quite far from each other. Island in the Sky is closed to the road to Moab, Dead Horse Point and Arches NP. That's the only area we went to.

You have to pick out the activities you want to do and budget your time accordingly. Also, it takes time to drive between places. We left Moab about (in mid-May) 4PM and spent an hour or two in Goblin Valley a couple of hours later. We got to Capitol Reef when it was dark.

We spend 1 day in Capitol Reef and did 3 hikes. Chimney Rock and Hickman Bridge were nice.

It's a short drive to Calf Creek Falls parking lot from Boulder Mountain Lodge. If you're there in hot weather I suggest getting there early. The hike is pretty flat but it's 2 1/2 miles each way mostly in the sun. Me thought it was a half hour too long for mid-day.

I would definitely plan on staying overnight in Bryce. To me there are two spectacular highlights; sunrise at Bryce Point and a hike (any hike) down into the hoodoos. The classic hike it Navajo Loop down and Queen's Garden back up. If you want to save time you can do Navajo Loop down and back up the other side of the loop. Both sides have different views.

In zion you don't have to do anything adventurous to see spectacular sights. I would definitely do the Canyon Overlook hike on the way in the east entrance coming from Bryce. I much preferred it to Emerald Pools. Riverside Walk has amazing scenery on the way to the Narrows. A river running through a canyon. Don't rush it even if you're doing the Narrows.

Angel's Landing has the reputation from Scout's Lookout to the end. I stopped there and didn't go to the end. I had no desire to go on.

On the way from Lower Calf Creek Falls to Bryce there are two others area. Hole in the Rock Road - you mentioned some of the hikes there. Also, stop in Devil's Garden (this is not Arches NP) for a fun hour on rock formations.

If you go to a slot canyon then skip Willis Creek. Otherwise this is an opportunity to see one. I think I'm the only one here who'se been there.

Look for other phoitos of any other sights. Pick out what you want and the amount of time you might want to spend in each place. Then we can help you tweak it.

Have fun.

5OHS

You have a lot of nice replies already.

We were in UT Nat'l Parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands) in August.

We flew into VEGAS (and spent some days hotel/pool/show hopping -- no excuse here -- we just did it because we could -- then did PARKS and drove to Park City for final week) and flew out of SLC.

We stayed

Zion = In Park Lodge CABIN
Hiked via tram system
Did NOT do Angel's Landing
LOVED the hiking.
Stayed 2 nights.
Dined one night in Lodge (fine)
Breakfast @ Lodge on 2nd floor patio/porch overlooking awesome scenery
Dinner other night in town -- nice relaxed vibe.

Bryce = In Park in CABINS ON RIM
GREAT ACCESS to Sunrise/Sunset RIM VIEWS & Ranger Programs in Lodge
DO Navajo Loop/Queen's Garden. Please don't wear flip flops! (Really?! Could you? YES. But WHY???)
Drove North to Add'l Vista and HIKING/PICNIC Points
Great ASTRONOMY Ranger Program @ Main Gate Visitor Center
Enjoyed Dinner in Lodge.
Nice to WALK to Lodge, Rim, etc. Front porch on cabin. Relaxing.
Stayed one night

MOAB
Stayed @ Best Western 2 nights (but THREE full days in MOAB area)
Certainly worst housing of entire trip (including the OLD and DATED FLAMINGO (1 night for pool) in Vegas ... BUT it was FINE. I even used the laundry area.

ARCHES = for SURE 2 DAYS.
DON'T MISS RANGER-LED FIERY FURNACE TOUR (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - BOOK IMMEDIATELY UPON ARRIVAL IN AREA - SELLS OUT QUICKLY!)
OR
SUNSET HIKE TO DELICATE ARCH (SO WORTH IT!)
So many great hikes from vista/pullout points. We loved SPECTACLES loop.

From MOAB, drove to CANYONLANDS for a "day trip" -- Drove to various vistas. Less hiking here (3.5 miles total?) but enjoyed MESA ARCH (in all the brochures), AZTEC BUTTE (with cool grainery), UPHEAVAL DOME (WHAT cause this? Chat w/Rangers and decide for yourself!) and GRANDVIEW for picnic lunch.

ALSO LOVED Canyoneering! Cut and pasted details below. It was truly great.

"Starting amongst ancient petrified sand dunes we hike our way downhill to a dry sand and rock wash. Quickly the wash disappears over an edge, plunging into the depths of a hidden chasm. "We go down there?" is the usual question after peering over the edge, and indeed we do! This exquisite rappel is the first obstacle in reaching the entrance to the amazing Grotto. Now, almost totally enclosed in a small stone room, we exit to find our next challenge; an incredible rappel into an alluring green canyon below via an enormous natural stone bridge! Detailed rappelling instruction and a back-up safety system allows even the first-time canyoneer a chance to experience this exciting activity. Insights into the geology, plant life and natural history provide a depth to your adventure. A cool spring-fed stream accompanies us for the rest of this outstanding and informational hike.

Canyoneering trips meet at the Moab Adventure Center, 15 minutes prior to schedule departure. Trip is about 5 hours total.
Snacks and drinks provided
Descents: 2 rappels (95' and 120') and easy downhill hike (2.5 miles)
Gear and safety equipment provided"

Enjoy your trip!

Myer

Sorry for all the typos in my post (two posts up).

I was in a hurry.

We all have different interests, age, physical condition, etc.

5OHS did canyoneering. I would never do that. I'm sure it was a lot of fun. I didn't miss it.

Dayle

louistraveler5,

So many, many visitors to the Utah Natl Parks do this trip that you can learn a lot if you go back further in date under Utah and read trip reports.

You will find different styles of travel, people with different interests and trip emphasis (some photography, some hiking, others something else with kids!), and lots of different lodging recommendations and hike descriptions.

I will say that the hikes you want to do in just the Escalante area would need about 3 days. Unless you are superfit, superhiker.

You also need to account for drive times, weather, etc.

You might invest in the Fodor's Utah guide. A good place to start.