curiousgirl964

DH and I are planning a 9 day trip the second week in Oct and will be flying in and out of Salt Lake City. We are both very active but don't expect to be hiking all day, every day.

Here is our possible itinerary.

Day 1: Fly to SLC drive to Moab
Day 2: Arches
Day 3: Canyonlands spend night in Moab
Day 4: Drive to Torrey - Capitol Reef - spend night in Torrey
Day 5: Route 12 toward Bryce (where to spend evening?)
Day 6: Bryce
Day 7: Travel Bryce to Zion
Day 8: Zion
Day 9: Return SLC

Any advice would be appreciated but I had a few questions.

1. Should we plan to spend a full day in the Moab area on Day 3 and spend the night or are we better starting the drive to Torrey? Also, what is the drive like between Moab and Torrey (70 to 24)--should this be done in daylight?

2. Any suggestions on a location to stop the evening of Day 5?

3. Day 6-8 itinerary is a little sketchy--help! Is there time to drop down to Kanab/Corral Pink Sands or is that biting off too much?

4. What will the weather be like?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

emalloy

1. I would want to do the trip to Torrey in daylight, because the drive is beautiful.

2. I'ld go for lodging in Bryce. Call and keep calling, they get cancellations all the time.

4. Hope for great weather, but only Mother Nature knows for sure. Bryce may be a bit chilly as it is at a very high elevation (~9000 ft)

bachslunch

Your itinerary looks good to me generally.

Bryce Canyon and Zion are not far from each other. You could easily spend a full day in Bryce and two in Zion. Have been to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, which is not far from Zion -- it's certainly nice enough, but I'd prefer more time in Zion or Bryce given the choice.

You can very easily spend a very full day in Arches alone, and two wouldn't be overdoing it.

Ruby's is a good option for lodging just outside of Bryce.

Expect the weather to be chilly, especially at night when it'll probably be downright cold. Not sure if it may snow in late October, but am guessing it's a possibility. And be sure to drink a lot of water, even if you're not thirsty, as this part of the country is extremely dry.

cloveridge

I agree on driving to Torrey in the day time.

Ditto on Bryce and Zion.

Ruby's is a good place to stay.

Think about Goblin Valley State park between Green River and Hanksville and, if you have a little time, a hike through part of Little Wild Horse Canyon slot canyon. It is gorgeous.

All in all you have bitten off a lot (over 1000 miles driving)so I think it is optimistic to think that you are going to be hiking very much (much less all day, every day).

Myer

I was just in parts of what your doing (writing the report and sifting thru photos) with my daughter for 3 days.

To budget your days I would pick the sights of interest in and between parks and see how they fit.

A minimum for Arches would be the Delicate Arch hike and be there in time for sunset (there's no comparison viewing from 100 miles away at the viewpoint) (allow a little over an hour each way and about an hour or so there), Fiery Furnace ranger-led hike (if it's still on by then) (3+ hours) and tour the arches in the Windows section (2 hours).

Depending upon how much time you want to spend in Canyonlands I would also stop in Dead Horse Point State Park. Other than Mesa Arch I actually enjoyed Dead Horse Point more.

Between Moab and Capitol Reef definitely consider Goblin Valley.

Capitol Reef is not one of my favorite places but has a couple of interesting hikes such as Chimney & Hickman Bridge.

Lower Calf Creek falls hike is a bit long (?) at 2.5 miles each way but at that time heat shouldn't be an issue. The falls are spectacular.

Devil's Garden Escalante is 10 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock-Road. Somewhat like Goblin Valley but a bit more grown up (formations a larger).

Unless you're going to hike The narrows in Zion you don't have a slot canyon in your intinerary. About 15 miles east of the bryce canyon turnoff is Cannonville. Check the visitors center there for instructions. Willis Creek is 10 miles south of Cannonville. It's a dirt road and there are a few hills (some moderate curves) with sand and ruts (I hope I'm not scaring you). The parking lot is now marked.

Willis Creek is a very easy walk/hike. It's a series of slot canyons. The first 2-3 are not very impressive but thwen they get narrow and deep (higher) and the next few are a lot of fun. make sure there's no rain as you don't want to get caught in a slot with rain.

For Bryce Canyon do as suggested. If they're booked up just keep calling until you get a cancellation. Get up very early and go to Bryce Point in time to see the sun come up and progressively light up the canyon.

As I sift thru my photos I'm having trouble eliminating any that show the canyon becomming more and more lit up. Don't miss this.

Then you can either get a bit more sleep and hike the classic Navajo Loop - Queens Garden hike. Remember to take it easy and drink lots of water as the elevation is over 8,000 ft.

You don't need a day to travel from Bryce to Zion. I think the construction will be over by then. We didn't have a problem. On the way in to Zion from the east side consider stopping just before the tunnel and hike Canyon Overlook. Relatively short and not difficult. Zion is several thousand feet lower than Bryce so while you're still in elevation, it's not as high as Bryce.

There are several hikes here of interest depending upon your interests, stamina and how daring you are. Riverside Walk is very easy and scenic. Emerald Pools. Angel's Landing to Scouts Lookout or all the way to the top.

owlwoman

For Day 5, I recommend the Boulder Mountain Lodge, between Torrey and Bryce - http://www.boulder-utah.com/, we did a day trip to Bryce from there as I am not a fan of Ruby's, just too family oriented for us....BML has a nice restaurant, the views are great and is more of a "couples" place. I'd also add a day to Moab, we liked this town a lot and there's so much to do.

We did this same trip two years ago, except we flew home from Vegas, which is only about two hours from Zion. I didn't think it was to much. We flew into SLC and also went directly to Moab for 3 nights, 1 night Torrey - two nights Boulder Mt. Lodge then 2 nights Zion.

sassy_cat

We've stayed at Boulder Mountain Lodge too and loved it especially the hot tub (great after hiking!).

I wouldn't add anything to your itinerary as you're already covering a lot of miles. Bryce to Zion is a short drive. Bryce is beautiful at sunrise and sunset and you should be able to see both if you can get up early on day 7.

bachslunch

Was not able to do the hikes Myer recommends when I was in Arches -- all reports I've seen support the idea that these walks are all excellent to do. The hike I did there was the Devil's Garden trail from the parking lot out to Double-O Arch with side jaunts to Partition Arch and Navajo Arch, and it's terrific -- can't recommend it enough -- saw Landscape Arch and (before it collapsed) Wall Arch as well. Also did drive-up/drive-bys to viewpoints for Delicate Arch, The Windows section (includes Double Arch, Turret Arch, etc.), Balanced Rock, and the Courthouse Towers area (Three Gossips, Sheep Rock, etc.).

There are also several smaller trails (to Broken Arch, Sand Dune Arch, and Skyline Arch, for three) one can take.

There's a lot to see out in Arches, and as I suggested above, two days wouldn't be overdoing it.

spirobulldog

Bachslunch and Myer have great suggestions. Only other thing I want to mention is- Picking fruit in the orchard at Cap Reef and eating homemade pie there. Eat you pie right in the orchard with the deer. Frankly, I would skip the hiking, it is better everywhere else you are going to be(as Myer hints at-the hikes he mentions are pretty good if you have a couple of extra hours). There is a great slot canyon near Goblin Valley called Little Wildhorse Canyon. I have seen Myer's photos from a previous trip of his to Willis Creek Canyon. I think either place would be great, just which ever place you had 3 hours or so. The slot canyons are nice midday because they don't get hot(lots of shade). Sounds like you have a pretty good Iten. just decide on your hikes and then you will have an idea of how much time to spend at each place. Capitol Reef is very pretty in Oct for fall folliage.

Myer

If I remember correctly the hike to Double-O-Arch that bachslunch mentions is longer and more strenuous than anything I mentioned. It's a matter of what you want to do/see.

As far as I'm concerned, Delicate Arch at sunset is not a sight or hike. It's an event. The people who hike there (very easy but uphill all the way so drink water and take your time) don't just come and go.

They sit around, talk and take photos as the sun lowers in the sky and the Arch turns golden.

The reason I mentioned the Windows area is that with minimal walking (all of the arches more or less surround the parking area) you can see quite a few arches. And Double Arch (being double) is a real treat.

bachslunch

Hi Myer--

I brought up the Devil's Garden hike to Double-O Arch because I was under the impression it is less strenuous than Fiery Furnace. Not having been on the latter hike, I can't actually compare them -- just my impression from reading about it.

The part of Devil's Garden I hiked didn't strike me as especially strenuous, though the part between Landscape Arch and Double-O Arch is modestly more demanding than the first part of the trail. The first part struck me as easy, the second part a little more challenging but not overly so.

spirobulldog

Devils Garden is a 7 miles loop. Hiking to Double O arch and back(not on the loop) wouldn't be strenuous at all. Even less strenuous than Delicate Arch. The last 2 miles, if you do the entire loop(instead of an up and back), is in sand and is very slow going(not really strenuous though). The last 2 miles of the loop is not very scenic either. I think Devils Garden is just as great a hike as Furnace and Delicate. I didn't take the Ranger led tour in Furnace, I did some canyoneering with a guide. He said that we saw a lot of the trail that the rangers lead on. I think the park descibes all three hikes as strenuous. What is strenuous to people can vary. I didn't think any of them were hard at all. Didn't find any of them scary. I will say, it would be very easy to get lost in Furnace.

spirobulldog

curiousgirl,
Just for your info, There are Two Double Arches. Double O is one and then just Double Arch. Double Arch is probably my favorite arch that I have ever seen. It is a 5 minute walk from your car to stand underneath it. They look a lot different up close, than from a 1/4 mile away.

Myer,
I am going to be in Arches with my parents in May. I was going to hike Deicate Arch with them, my wife, and daughter very early morning(like 5;30amish). Do you think I am making a mistake as only my daughter and I have seen it at sunset. My wife, daughter, and parents have never seen it. I was going to try and avoid the crowds, plus it will be cooler.

Myer

Fiery Furnace is a misnomer. It implies very hot. It isn't. When I went on the hike it lasted about 3 hours and started around 4PM. It wasn't very hot at all. It's not difficult. They warn you about shoes, etc just to make sure you're ok. Several families were there with kids.

The hardest part was going thru some very narrow places where there wasn't room for shoes to touch the ground. But you can easily manage it. I don't do "hard".

You can see my photos of the trip, Fiery Furnace and Delicate Arch at:

www.travelwalks.com

select the Utah 2008 trip

spiro,

I imagine the sun would in front of you at sunrise. Probably in your eyes. Also, to get there for sunrise you'd be hiking in the dark.

For sunset, if you leave while it's still light you'll be back at the car before dark.

I would definitely go for sunset over sunrise. Like I wrote. It's an event and I would go back again.

Dayle

I've done all the hikes above and I would put the Devil's Garden loop (with the sand finish) as the hardest. Still, not very difficult but that sand at the end is a slog. Some people might be bothered by walking on the fins.

Firey Furnace is not strenuous, but you do walk on the fins, jump across a couple places and squeeze thru a couple of other. It's a good hike to do mid-day in hot weather because you are in the shade of the fins most of the time and the rocks stay cool. Just like "Refrigerator Canyon" on the Angel's Landing hike in Zion.

I've done the Delicate Arch hike many, many times, but have never been there at sunset! I have done it once when we got caught in a heavy downpour with hail. Really cool to see the water pouring off the slickrock in waterfalls. The slickrock glinted like silver in the sun and we got a double rainbow. Hard to beat!

Myer

Dayle,
That's interesting that you've never been to Delicate Arch for sunset. When I was there we hiked it the first day as we arrived and it was cloudy. I had it in my mind to return.

Two days later the schedule worked and not a cloud in the sky.

When I think back at highlights that's definitely one.

Have you been there for sunrise? I'm interested in opinions.

Dayle

Nope, not for sunrise either. I've been to many other spots at dawn and sunset for photography though.

Last time I was in Arches - it was in the snow! Now that was a real treat! Especially since the day before I hiked to Corona Arch in a tee shirt.

Myer

Oh yes, Corona Arch.

One of my defeats.

curiousgirl964

Thanks, everyone. This is really helpful. How long a drive is it from Boulder Mountain Lodge to Bryce? How long is the drive from Bryce to Zion?
Also, any suggestions on places to stay near Zion?

Myer

It's close to 2 hours from Boulder, UT to Bryce NP.

It's about 1.5 hours from Bryce to Zion.

I would always try to stay inpark for Zion.

There are many motels in Springdale that's just outside the park.

The Pearl seems to be popular on this sight.

We were in Bryce in mid_Sept and stayed inpark. We got to Bryce Point for a spectacular sunrise.

I posted a progressive sunrise on my web site.

www.travelwalks.com

Select SW Utah 2010.

I went with my daughter and we sqaw much of what you can.