theatrelover

We just came back from our trip to Utah and I want to thank everyone on this board. I've read all the posts here and the information I got was invaluable and helped make our trip perfect.
We flew to Las Vegas, rented a car (next time I'll rent a SUV for all those gravel roads we drove on) and drove to the Desert Pearl. You were all correct. The hotel was wonderful. And the muffins they sell at the coffee bar were so moist and light. (I tried to get them to part with the recipe without success.) They were doing a prescribed burn in Zion while we were there. The only time it interfered with us was when we hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail. Although the hike was fun and worth it in and of itself, our views were hazy and smoke covered. However, the smoke didn't interfere with our hikes to the Emerald Pools and Weeping Rocks. We did the River Walk up to Wall Street and then back and this was definitely a highlight of our trip. We were so happy we rented the shoes, socks, sticks, waterproof backpacks and fleeces (the latter two came in handy when my husband took a spill in the river) since the equipment made the hike much easier. Thanks to the posters who made that suggestion. We ate our dinners at Zion Pizza and The Spotted Dog and they were enjoyable.
After 2 days/3 nights in Zion, we drove to Bryce. We arrived too late to sign up for the moonlight hike but, since it ended up raining that night, it didn't matter much. I also learned that each time they do the hike on a different trail and this time they were doing one of the strenuous trails which might have been beyond my capabilities. We drove all the overlooks and then, because the weather looked threatening, we went to our B&B, the Buffalo Sage in Tropic. This was a lovely place (only 16 minutes from the park) and Alice and David were wonderful hosts. We ate a very late lunch/early dinner at the pizza place in Tropic which was surprisingly good. There was a big storm but we were rewarded with a double rainbow outside the door of our room. We went back to Inspiration Point to see the sunset but it wasn't great because of all the clouds. I was really glad I wore my silk underwear pants, layers, gloves and hat. It was so windy and cold. We hiked the Bristlecone Trail which was very interesting and hiked down Navajo and up Queen's Garden. It was fabulous being down among the hoodoos. That night a ranger gave a very interesting and humorous talk about fire and fire fighting.
After two nights at Bryce, we left and drove Rt. 12 to Capitol Reef. What can I say that hasn't already been said here. WOW! And we caught the aspens at the height of color. It took us most of the day to do the drive because of all the stops we made. We had planned on doing at least part of the Calf Creek hike but couldn't find a parking space in the lot. It was a blessing in disguise since we would have had to rush the rest of the drive. We'll save the hike for the next trip. We also drove the paved part of the Burr Trail into the canyon before turning around. We stayed at the Skyridge B&B in Torrey. It was wonderful. Our room was large and beautifully decorated. We never got a chance to use the hot tub on our terrace. We especially enjoyed when all the guests got together in the afternoon for snacks and conversation. We ate at Cafe Diablo the two nights we were in Torrey. Thanks to those who mentioned that the portions were large. The first night we shared the ribs and a dessert and the second night we had two appetizers (the empanadas and rattlesnake cakes) and two desserts. The food we had was tasty and enjoyable. The Capitol Gorge was closed because of damage from a flash flood the day before we got there. We drove the scenic drive, hiked part of the Grand Wash (up to the Narrows) and hiked to Hickman Bridge. If you do the latter hike, be sure to go past the bridge to the end of the trail for a very nice view. It started to rain so that was the end of our hiking for the day.
After 2 nights/1 day, we drove to Moab. The drive out of Torrey was really interesting and looked more like a science fiction movie set. On the way we stopped at Goblin Valley State Park. By the way, the entrance road is now paved making the drive in very easy. We were glad we stopped off since walking around the formations was fun but we were glad we hadn't made a separate trip just to go there. We drove Scenic 128 to get to our hotel, the Red Cliffs Lodge. The hotel was very nice and the service was excellent. But, since we didn't take advantage of any of the activities, I wish we had stayed in Moab. After a day of hiking in the parks, it was too long a drive back to the hotel to take a shower before going back to Moab to dinner. I apologize to any fellow diners we offended. Two nights we ate at Center Cafe. The food was very good (especially the salmon and mushroom appetizers). One night we had very good service. The second night the service was way below what it should have been. One night we ate at Buck's. We had the duck tamales and buffalo meatloaf which were very good. My pork chop was tough, however. The last two nights we ate at Desert Bistro which was wonderful. Excellent, inventive food and attentive service. I recommend it highly. We had breakfast every day at the Knave of Hearts Bakery on 200 North which had good coffee, baked goods and sandwiches on homemade bread. One day we went up to Dead Horse State Park (what a great, great view) and Island in the Sky. We hiked Upheaval Dome (I'm afraid of heights so I only made it part way to the second overlook), went to all the overlooks, hiked the rim trail and Mesa Arch. We decided that the view at Dead Horse was the best and went back there for the sunset. We spent another day at Arches which was wonderful. I didn't realize how many different types of formations there were in the park. The hikes to Sand Arch and Broken Arch were particularly nice (and easy). The next day we drove the La Sal Mountain Loop which would probably have been more beautiful if it hadn't been raining. We drove out to the Needles Overlook and felt like we were the only people left in the world. We took a great jeep tour with Dan Mick up Hell's Revenge. Since we were in a real jeep, he was able to take us places the Hummers and other large vehicles can't go. And since it was just my husband and me (his vehicle only holds 3 passengers), he tailored the trip to what we wanted to do. My husband was able to take his fill of pictures up on the trail. Dan was full of interesting stories having lived in the area for over 30 years. He only charged $69/person for what turned out to be over 4 hours.
After 5 nights in Moab, we drove to Park City. We took 70 to Route 6 to I-15 to 80 to Park City. We were lucky to get a room at the Stein Ericksen Lodge for only $175 a night which, in the winter goes for $695! The place was beautiful and the service perfect. We ate at Snake River Grill which was ok. The next day we had lunch at Cafe Terigo in Park City and that was very good. We spent the morning at the Utah Olympic Park taking the tour, watching the athletes training (we were lucky because that was the last day before they close to get ready for winter) and my husband rode the zip ride.
It was a great trip to a beautiful state. I planned the trip using this message board and I again thank all of you for the information you graciously shared.

emd

theaterlover: Great report. I am leaving this Wed. for Zion and Bryce for the first time. Staying at Flanigan's to get a 2 bedroom suite, we need the space. I never thought about the controlled burns this time of year, and I really hope we don't run into that! We do have an SUV rented. It is supposed to be in the low 80s high and low 50s for the low and sunny Wed. thru Sat. a.m. while we are at Zion, but at Bryce on Sat. who knows, it could be different.
Thanks again.

maj

Thanks for posting this trip report. I really enjoyed reading it.

Dayle

Hi Theatrelover,

Your trip sounds wonderful! Glad you had such a good time and saw so much, especially my little corner of Utah, Park City! The aspen leaves are pretty much gone now, but they sure are beautiful, usually the last week of September/first week of October.

For other who haven't been there, the Utah Olympic Park is a real treat. You will see things you have never seen before and can even ride the bobsled track if you want. Who hooo!

Thanks for the great report and come back again!

sharondi

Thanks for the great report. We may have been out there at the same time! I wish we had tried the Desert Bistro in Moab. Next time.