Hi, I am looking at what smaller parks and monuments there are in between all of the national parks. I was interested in Goblin Valley and a few people said Little Wildhorse. Between Arches and Grand Canyon I am deciding between Natural Bridges and Goosenecks. I cut out Monument Valley because it was very small and the same views are visible from the road. I do not want to have to spend an extra night, just something to take a break from while driving. I will be going in the end of March for 10 nights. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.
Utah State Parks Help
Recent Activity
View all United States activity »
- 1 Yellowstone Hiking Suggestions for a 7 1/2 Year Old
- 2 Advice for 2 night intro trip to Moab in early June (1-3)
- 3 Moab Condo Rental Possibilities
- 4 Pine Barrens- where to stay ?
- 5
6 nights go in a blink of an eye! A quick trip to Waikiki
- 6 Disneyworld Stay January 2014
- 7 3 week Holiday Late December/January
- 8 Priceline, WARNING
- 9 Less commercial beach?
- 10 Trip Itinerary Advice Needed - 1wk Yellowstone & Tetons
- 11 French Broad Market in Ashville, NC
- 12 Rehoboth to Wilmington to Cape May - scenic route suggestions please
- 13 J-ville airport ground transportation
- 14 Manzanita Or restaurants
- 15 Hudson Valley to Stockbridge, MA/Berkshires
- 16 Carmel, California where to stay??
- 17 East coast tour - Part3: Florida
- 18 Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opens today
- 19 stay near newark or nyc
- 20 New York City Parking
- 21 JFK to Upper West Side by subway
- 22 Can You Typically See Mt St Helens on the train from Seattle to Portland?
- 23 South Tahoe around July 4 - GTG?
- 24 Maine - July 5th to July 14
- 25 Washington Wineries
Deadhorse Point is close to Arches. On your way to GC you should definitely check out Escalante. Beautiful, beautiful place and so many cool hikes that are unique.
That seems like a waste of time, we would have to spend an extra 4 hours for terrain that I would already be seeing between Bryce, and Capitol Reef. The google maps route makes you go back all the way to bryce before going south. If you have a faster route then I would be glad to go because I have heard good reviews but it seems kind of pointless to back track all the way back to the fourth day.
Good decision to cut out Monument Valley - you'll get some nice views on your way from Moab to GC. Goosenecks is more of an overlook that is worthy of some pictures, for sure.
At Goblins, you can walk amongst the strange formations - no formal trails really. Goblins is about 20 miles north of Hanksville on Rte 24.
Natural Bridges is pretty cool - have only done the overlooks on past trips but we're hoping to camp there or nearby on our upcoming trip and do some hiking. Its very remote and has some of the best night sky viewing anywhere. Can't wait to get out there!
You are not going to be wasting 4 hours driving thru terrain you saw between Bryce and GC. It is considered at Top Ten drive in the US, by about everyone and is easily the best in the Southwest. I love love Sipapu Bridge at Natural Bridges, but it is very similar to things you will see in Arches(many outstanding arches and other features there).
Goosenecks and Moki Dugway are right by each other and really they don't take anytime to do. You are also right by Valley of the God(you could do a quick 30 minute drive thru there). This is a mini version of Monument Valley. Road could be rough if it had just rained though.
I really like Horseshoe Canyon/Great Gallery hike in Canyonlands-detached section. This is near(well kinda)Goblin Valley too. The road is a long dirt road that is normally ok, but again-it might not be if recent rain.
If you do decide to go thru Escalante, you might as well stop at Capitol Reef. Get pie at The Gifford House and eat right in the picnic area.
Also see Devils Garden(not to be confused with the Devils Garden that is in Arches). Stop at Kiva Koffeehouse. Dine at Hell's Backbone Grill.
If you want to see some dinosaur tracks north of Moab, try Copper Ridge. http://www.climb-utah.com/Moab/moabdino.htm
I visited the site to find a couple of geocaches.
This is up off a dirt road that could be a problem if it has rained recently.
spirobulldog, I said that driving to Escalante on the way between Arches and Grand Canyon would be a waste of time because I am doing a loop from zion to bryce, capitol reef, arches, and then GC. It just seemed counterproductive to back track all the way. Thanks for the idea of pie at Capitol Reef. Thanks tom fuller for the idea of dinosaur tracks in Moab. I hope the route kind of helps with the ideas. Keep them coming if you have anything. Do you guys think I could do Natural Bridges (just overlooks) and quickly take a break at Goosenecks?
I wouldn't do Natural Bridges unless you can take the time to allow an hour to actually hike to Sipapu Bridge. It is really an awesome span to stand under. Just looking from the overlooks isn't much, IMOP.
Goosenecks can easily be done as a very quick 5 minute look(that's about all you can do).
It might sound like I was downplaying Goosenecks. I think they are really cool to see. By all means, see them if you get the chance.
I would also recommend Kodachrome Basin. We didn't plan to go originally but some roads in the area were impassable because of rain, so we went there instead. Spent much of the day doing short hikes but it could be visited in less time.
Since polly mentioned Kodachrome park which is just below Cannonvile just east of Bryce, I'll mention Willis Creek slot canyon that also just below Cannonville.
This is a beautiful slot canyon and is an easy walk. The more slots you walk the taller they get.
The challenge is driving there. I've gone twice using an ordinary car. The road is sandy with a few hills and a few curves. On some of them you have to get some speed to go up.
The good part is that I only saw one car on the road on my two visits so you can use both sides of the road if need be.
I'm not sure I understand about Escalante being out of the way. It would be out of the way from Moab to GC but not out of the way from Bryce to Capitol Reef. You'd be going right through it. In fact Willis Creek mentioned by Myer is in the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM. Plenty along hwy 12 to enjoy. One of those places would be Escalante State Park which has a short hike worth taking. Also Devil's Garden down Hole in the rock road. (not to be confused with the place in Arches with the same name).
Between Moab and GC I like the Edge of the Cedar State Park, it is the tip of the iceberg in the area and well done. Natural Bridges will take at least 2 hrs and Gooseneck maybe 1/2 hr detour. Do them both. And I personally don't feel you need to spend much time at Monument Valley, but I would recommend you pay your $5 each and go into the park and take a look at the valley. You cannot see it from the road. I've done it in about 1/2 an hour as well. No need to take a tour or anything, just take a look from the viewpoint by the visitors center. The view is worth it.