North Rim, Page, Bryce & Zion Advice

Old Apr 25th, 2017, 12:05 PM
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North Rim, Page, Bryce & Zion Advice

Hello! My husband, our 12-year-old son and I are very much looking forward to this trip in June. It will be our first tine in the area. I was hoping I could get your feedback on our itinerary. I want to make sure we don't miss anything. Also, we are vegetarians so any restaurant recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Day 1: Fly to Vegas. Drive to hotel in Kanab. It will probably be early evening when we get there so we won't have much time. Is there anything we should definitely do while in Kanab?

Day 2: Drive to North Rim. Hike (I was thinking Widforss if we feel up to it. I'm not sure if we'll have issues with the altitude.) Any other hike recommendations?

Day 3: Ride mules (my son says that this is a must.) Relax. Short hike.

Day 4: Drive to Page. Tour Antelope Canyon. Should we do upper or lower or both? See Horseshoe Bend. Tour the dam.

Day 5: This day is the biggest question. I really like being on the water so I was thinking of kayaking on the lake or doing the half-day float on the river. Which one would be best? I've heard that Lake Powell has a lot of boat traffic in the summertime. Would that make kayaking a bad idea?
Or should we just pass on the water activity and drive to Bryce in the morning instead of the afternoon? We could then take a long hike when we got there instead of a short one.

Day 6: Hike at Bryce. Drive to Zion.

Day 7: Check out emerald pools and other parts of Zion.

Day 8: Hike the Narrows.

Day 9; Head back to Vegas.

Thanks in advance for your help. Any advice will be much appreciated.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 03:56 PM
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itinerary looks pretty good to me. A few comments.

Check out how long the mule rides are at GC, and compare that to Bryce. You may want to opt for Bryce instead, as the mules there will take you out among the hoodoos in the canyon.

Comparing Lake Powell to a raft trip, this is a no brainer in my book. The canyon below the dam is amazing. What you'll see is in many ways very similar to what rafting through the Grand Canyon is like, except it only takes 1/2 day, not two weeks. The lake above the dam is just another big lake - covering up a spectacular canyon with water.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 05:16 PM
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I Think you need to squeeze in a little more time in Bryce.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 07:34 PM
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Check out my trip reports with kids for:
Kanab (includes Page)
Bryce
Zion

If you click on my user name, you will find these reports.
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Old Apr 26th, 2017, 07:18 AM
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Half day float on Colorado - was one of the highlights when we did a similar trip with our 12 and 13 yo a few years ago. Highly recommend!
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Old Apr 26th, 2017, 08:17 AM
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I agree with the others, the float trip on the Colorado was great. It gave me a little feel for what it would be like to continue on down into the NP.
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 10:20 PM
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Don't miss the rafting on the Colorado even if only a half day. Lower Antelope is easier to get to, no dusty dirt road. It's also far less crowded.
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 07:47 AM
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Thank you all for your responses! You all convinced me. The half-day rafting trip is booked!
I found a tour company that has a tour of Upper Antelope paired with a tour of Rattlesnake Canyon. This sounds good to me because we'd get to see Upper Antelope but also get to see a more secluded canyon. This tour leaves either at 9:30 in the morning or at 2:30 in the afternoon. I realize that neither one of these would probably put us in Upper Antelope during light shaft time. The afternoon tour would certainly give us plenty of time to get there so that would be more relaxing. But are the canyons prettier in the mornings? I just don't know. Please tell me if you have any experience with or thoughts on this.
Is there anything between any of our stops that we should stop to see or do?
We won't be in Kanab for long, but is there anything that shouldn't be missed in that area? People seem excited about the animal sanctuary there.
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 08:32 PM
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Widforss trail is mostly into the forest and away from the north rim of the GC so it won't be especially scenic except where it returns to the rim; just so you realize that... GC no. rim is only 7-8,000 ft. elevation so shouldn't cause altitude problems for you unless you are coming from sea level and even then Is generally not a concern. I have never taken one of the mule trips so I have no idea if this would be available but you might want to check into possibility of hiking Into the canyon and taking your mule ride on the return thus getting great views hiking down and avoiding the climb out by riding a mule out? Other activities between GC and Page are vermilion cliffs where the California Condors were reintroduced when on the brink of extinction about 35 years ago, Navajo Bridge which crosses the Colorado River, allows for a good pedestrian view up the Colorado and is often a site for nesting Condors, Water Holes Canyon and Secret Canyon are other slot canyons you might like. As far as Antelope Canyons' light, the light shaft is interesting but the canyons are so beautiful at any hour, you won't be disapointed if you aren't able to catch it. Personally, I think you will be more disappointed by the larger crowd at Upper which is very crowded even in off season let alone June
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 08:59 PM
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You can spend two weeks++ in the Kanab area touring. However, 4-wheel drive is recommended for many of the tours. At the top of Vermilion Cliff is a huge plateau offering incredible colorful geological chaos (e.g. White Pocket). And many abandoned cattle/sheep ranches.

Anyway, for your quick tour I highly recommend lunch at Cliff Dwellers Lodge in their patio. Past Cliff Dwellers is a fascinating House Rock area.
The other restaurant is Vermilion Cliffs and bar. The logs in their restaurant roof are original. The other restaurant is near Navajo Bridge named Marble Canyon lodge. For my taste, it is toooooo modern.

All these are within ten miles of the Navajo Bridge (where there is a visitor center that should be visited). Each offers motel rooms with Marble being the more modern (none are 3+ star level)

Just before the bridge, is a road north to Lees Ferry. One of my favorite desert areas, due to its history. Strenuous hike on Spencer Trail offers panoramic vies of the river and Grand Canyon gorge. Hiked that last October (again). Met two hikers from France! Google John Doyle Lee for history.


Vaga
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 09:24 PM
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Forgot to mention, the best time to view Horseshoe Bend is sunset.
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