Skiing plus Utah National Park

Old Aug 4th, 2010, 04:08 PM
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Skiing plus Utah National Park

We are planning a late March (spring break) ski trip to Canyons in Park City and would like to add a Utah National Park to our visit. Flying into SLC on Saturday and skiing 3 days. We are thinking of going to Arches or Zion and then flying out of Vegas the following saturday (3/25) Using FF miles so have some flexibility and free hotel stay at Waldorf Park City. 2 adults and kids 6&7 who have skiied a little already. Which park would be best for exploring/hiking? Concerned about steep, narrow trails with kids. Never been to UT, will be visiting from FL. I see Arches is not exactly along the way but looks like a "bucket list" destination. I look forward to hearing suggestions. Thanks
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Old Aug 4th, 2010, 06:15 PM
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I think Arches would be more doable at this time of year than Zion. Might still be a little cool in Zion. www.deserthighlights.com is great in Moab. Canyoneering is also available in Zion with Zion Adventure CO. I love both parks, either is great. If you go to Arches, be sure and see Goblin Valley State Park. One of my favorites in Utah.
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Old Aug 4th, 2010, 06:55 PM
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Hi bushwacker,

Spiro is a big UT fan and we are usually on the same page about things UT. I live in Park City and usually only visit southern UT during the spring and fall months when temps and conditions are prime.

First, do you have your res for the new Waldorf in PC already? Spring break times are very high demand.

Which park to choose, hard choice. If your kids' spring break is the week before Easter - DO NOT go to Arches! Moab will be jam-packed with thousands and thousands of off roaders for the annual Jeep Safari and trust me, you do not want to be anywhere there Moab then!

Arches Natl Park is actually higher in elevation that Zion Canyon floor, so March can be cold or pleasant for hiking, just depends on what you hit. But, Moab much is further out of your way for this very short trip. But, Arches and Canyonlands have better hiking conditions for cold weather than Zion does.

Zion will be warmer, but if you want to do the longer, more difficult hikes in Zion, the trails could be icy. Again, spring weather in UT can be ANYTHING!

I went to down to Moab this past mid-March when the first 60 degree weekend was predicted. It had been a mild winter in Park City. Saturday was tee shirt and sunscreen hiking weather. Late Sat night all hell broke loose, it hailed, then it snowed. I got up Sunday morn and had the wonderful treat of seeing Arches deserted and in the snow and fog! Awesome! Great photography, just not great hiking weather....

Whichever you choose, make your reservations now. Spring break is very busy.
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Old Aug 5th, 2010, 08:39 AM
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If you want to fly out of Vegas, Zion is the obvious choice. Arches to Vegas is almost an 8 hour drive, whereas it's only 2.5 hours from Zion to Vegas. If you wanted to do Arches, you would fly out of SLC--it's only 4 or 4.5 hours back to SLC from Arches.

You sound concerned about your kids on trails, but Zion has a number of trails that shouldn't be a problem. There are wide paved short trails (ie up to Emerald Pools or along the Virgin River) that kids won't have any problems with.
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Old Aug 5th, 2010, 11:11 AM
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I think OP is concerned about ski trails not hiking trails. ???
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Old Aug 5th, 2010, 04:25 PM
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Thank you for the responses. The jeep rally in Arches will start on Saturday and we would be visiting Thurs/Fri. Will it still be crowded? We are now leaning toward Zion and/or Bryce. Just trying to see something different after skiing but don't want too much driving. The question about trails is for hiking and not skiing. I have read that some parks have narrow steep trails which would not be conducive for our 6&7 year olds. Which park would you suggest? Is there a benefit of flying into Vegas and going north, instead of SLC south? Obviously flying to SLC would put skiing first on our agenda. Is the weather that much different on March 18 as opposed to March 23?
Thanks for the help.
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Old Aug 5th, 2010, 04:40 PM
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Oh gads, stay away from Moab at that time. I have a 5 and 7 yo. Arches is awesome for kids that age--but not anywhere near the Jeep Safari time!

Bryce is higher than Zion and will be quite cold in March. Shoot for Zion. With kids, you will want to stay in the Desert Pearl Inn. There are several simple hikes you can do with kids. Zion in March *should* be fine, but Dayle is right about spring weather here--you just never know!! The weather is not guaranteed to be different 5 days later--but then it could be blizzard vs. sun. I have been in sun, rain, snow, and hail all in one day!

I would make my reservations based on when you could get hotel rooms. Reserve Park City first, then Zion. That is high time for spring break skiing.

Are you going to ski with your kids or put them in ski school? I wasn't particularly thrilled with the Canyons ski school. I think Park City has a better program. I know plenty of people who looove Deer Valley for kids, but as much as I looooove my kids--I don't love them enough to pay those prices
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Old Aug 5th, 2010, 07:55 PM
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There are plenty of trails in the Arches/Canyonlands area that go steeply over slickrock, along narrow ledges, etc, that might not be great for kids. There are also easy, nature-type trails (and there are difficult trails in Zion, too) but on the whole I'd pick Zion for easy hiking with kids.
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Old Aug 5th, 2010, 08:00 PM
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Just returned from Zion/Bryce/Canyonlands/Arches -- must say the stuff I read before we left gave me pause --- We are from Chicago -- and have hiked all over the west with no trouble (beginning when the kids were very young) but I was concerned about the trails @ Zion & Bryce. Lots of warnings and really, we didn't encounter anything that concerned us (we did NOT do Angel's Landing, though, FYI). Even purchased new hiking boots due to what we read, but really, didn't need them on the main trails we pursued. (On the way down into the Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop @ Bryce, I saw someone coming out (up) in FLIP FLOPS and I thought, "That's just crazy!" BUT, I think I could have done it in flip-flops; it's an established trail, not a problem. I would NOT have done Fiery Furnace in Arches in flip-flops, BUT, I COULD have ... it wasn't that treacherous.

I believe the trails in the Southern UT parks are extremely family friendly. One can drive right up to the trailheads and the descriptions are accurate. These are very accessible parks!

We had a wonderful visit -- enjoy! We also hit Park City on the way home and flew out of SLC. Working on trip report now!

Linda
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