We Hit the Trifecta! Our trip to Bryce, Grand Canyon North Rim and Zion.

What does one wear to get a tacky vegas upgrade?

carryon!!!!!

Glad Bally's worked out for you. My husband booked Bally's a couple years ago (on our way to Zion) due to the rate, and I was fuming! I fumed right through check-in until we got to the room. Tacky, yes, but crisp and clean and full of amenities and wonderfully comfortable. Outrageous bargain and I'd do it again. (If you ask for non-smoking, you'll pretty much have an entire quiet floor all to yourself)! Cheers!

Froderick, M wore his most endearing smile for the clerk. The line at check in took about 30 minutes and I don't think she was expecting that. She was very nice and I gave her a nice little thank you piece of paper the next day.

Yes elnap, the room was actually wonderful, clean and crisp, as you said. It was just a little funny staying in a suite the size of ones home with velvet wall paper in the bathrooms. I loved it...for one night.

ahhh, I remember fondly staying at the original Bugsy Flamingo, all gold and green and wonderfully ugly!!! lucky you~ I don't think we had clean and crisp - just the real mccoy before they imploded it! Looking forward to many wonderful details from a very fine writer.

Oh wonderful! I have been waiting for this and so far....IT'S GREAT! Welcome home, Bill and M.

Lawsy ! it seems like you two have been gone forever !!
And now I hear you are lolling around on red velvet and gold divans ? No wonder you were hallucinating faces in the canyons! .
I wait eagerly for the rest ... it has started out so well, I know it will only get better ..
muchas besos, missed you

Looking forward to more!!

Hello iamq

"I saw the sandstone statues at Abu Simbal standing guard at the Amphitheater and I saw the the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian lined up to do battle."

Never before have I heard Bryce more perfectly described!

More, please!

Can't wait to hear about your trip. You've been so helpful already with your original post, I can't imaging how much so you'll be now. Glad you had an amazing time.

Our Virgin flight into Vegas arrived a little early, so we had some time to kill. We picked up our Alamo Hundai Accent and decided to head to out to Hoover Dam. The drive out there takes about 45 minutes and even at at 11am on a Wednesday it was fairly crowded. The concssionaire does a great a job of keping things organized and herding you in the right direction once you get there. One thing to note: Our guide told us that they are almost done with building the bypass bridge which goes up and over just before the damn, affording a nice view as you drive over. This will significantly speed up the transit across the dam, which now can take up to 3 to 4 hours according to our guide.

Once at the dam you are faced with three options of seeing what is there: Pay the entrance fee which gives you the opportunity to tour the museum and view the dam from the decks and other viewing points. Pay $11.00 which gives you a guided tour and the chance to go below and see the massive turbines/pumps that move the water, or pay $30 which gives you all the above, plus a pretty extensive guided tour into the dam itself and a chance to wander around the original pink tiled tourist corridors that were built when the damn was constructed.

We opted for the full tour and I would suggest you do too. It was worth the extra $$ as we got to see so much of the inside of the dam that I would have hated to have missed. One thing not to miss whichever option you choose is the mueseum. There is a viewing center built around several large bronze panels depeicting the building of the dam. They are beautiful works of art done in an art deco style. I took several photos of them and will post them as I get the photos together.

As awesome an engineering marvel the dam is, what interested me most on the tour was the fabulous original art deco artwork incorporated into the details of the dam. Amazing bronze handrails, doorknobs, lighting fixtures, steel and bronze elevator doors, even marble floor drains all add to the unique feeling of the dam and make it a truly unique and special place. The most impressive thing were the original Native American tile desgins set into the the turbine viewing area and the corridors leadng into the dam. Each one is unique and represents one of the elements. I took photos of them all, much to the consternation of the of folks behind me in the corridor who had to stop while I shot them.

The highlight of the tour was being taken down one of the corridors that actually ends in the wall the dam. I think at the this point we were 700 feet below the top of the dam. At the end of the corridor is a small window with a grate in it. Look through it and one gets an amasing view of the downriver view of the dam. Very cool. Afer the tour, we wandering around the dam and saw some more. All in all, I would say that this is worth the time, effort and money to set aside some time to see this. We were glad we did.

This is why I come to Fodors. Great report!

My word, that suite is bigger than my house! Good for you two for scoring such a great upgrade.

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Lee Ann

Time to end the Vegas portion of this show. Neither of us gamble and neither of us had any real interest in seeing one of the Cirque shows. I could have seen LOVE, but all M really wanted to do was walk the strip and zip in and out of some of the hotels on our way south along the strip to our destination...The Burger Bar at the Mandalay Bay. Hubert Keller is a local boy (Fluer de Lys is a local San Francisco institution, not getting the best reviews these days, I might add) and neither of us really felt like a snootie patootie dinner at one of the big name chef's high-end places. We love a good burger, fries and onion rings, so we thought we'd give it a try.

After a quick rest and refresh, we set out on our walk south. First stop was the Bellagio shopping "arcade". Wow! Who the hell goes to Vegas to shop at Fendi, Bottega Veneta, or Dior? I don't get the audience. Is it the high roller who just cashed out $20,000 who buys the wife a Chanel frock? Is it a foreign clientele who can get a favorable exhange rate? It was amazing to see absolutely every high-end retailer present...sometimes in multiple locations a mile apart. I have to be a little careful here because on my last trip to Vegas 20 years ago, I did buy a Lalique crystal goldfish for my collection, but why did I chose to buy it there? I could have bought it at Macy's at Stanford for less. Anyhow...It is an interesting dynamic to ponder...or not.

Onward we trudged. We got to see the fountains at the Bellagio do their thing, several times and the people watching as out of this world. Using a combination shopping malls, outdoor walkways and trams we finally made it to the Mandalay Bay and The Burger Bar.

The concept of the Burger Bar is high end (common Vegas thread?) burgers including a $60 foie gras burger, and a $25 kobe/lobster burger. They also specialize in milkshakes of every variety you can think of. Beerhshakes, boozeshakes, gin floats and yes, the regular old, garden variety MILKshake.

Ironically, the burgers were the weakest link in the whole deal. I can't remember which one I had, but it lacked flavor, was not cooked right and was just boring. M's lobster/kobe was pretty much the same thing. Overcooked and boring. The real stars were the fried foods and the milkshakes! The onion rings were the best onion rings we've ever had and we consider ourelves OR afficianados. The panko crust stayed on and didn't fall off when you bit into them and they were seasoned perfectly. The fries were equally as delicious. Perfect. M's chocolate malt and my vanilla milkshake were lucsious and creamy and just right. Next time we'll skip the burgers, go for the fried menu and the shakes again.

The strip was now lit up and hopping and we stopped and watched the people and Bellagio fountains some more before we ducked into the Paris which is connected to Bally's. Of all the casinos we saw, I liked the interior the best. Faux Paris is pretty awful, but they did a pretty good job of it and this one at least had a unifying theme.

So our one night in Vegas was fun, not my cup of tea, but it is the perfect launching off spot for the places we'd be visiting.

Next: Byrce

Lee Ann, the room was as big as our home, but I could never live in place with gold plated shower fixtures or a sunken bahtub big enough for MORE than two.

Enjoying your report, iamq, glad you had a great time!

Great trip report..."a snootie patootie dinner"...great stuff!

Thanks for the effort, I'm relly looking forward to your time in canyon country.

When deciding on the itinerary, I originally had planned on including two nights on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and a night in Page to the three listed destinations above, but the scope of the trip just seemed to be getting to big and doing a ten to eleven day road seemed a bit much to me. So I nixed the south rim and Page and just focused on the loop of Vegas-Bryce-Zion-Vegas in eight nights. This ended up being a fantastic itinerary and the time spent out on the road was just the right amount.

I am already planning a trip to include the south rim and some destinstions in Arizona.

Our first stop was Byrce Canyon. Much has been written here about it so I am not sure what I can add. We found it an intimate, quiet and low key place of incredible beauty. The number of visitors were low. Even the visitor center, while nice and new was small and not mobbed with information seekers. The scale was suprisingly small and comfortable. Instantly relaxing.

The mind-blowing nature of the hoodoos and shocking uniqueness of them made this a perfect first stop of the trip.

We stayed at the Bryce Lodge in a Western Cabin, #516. What a location! The Western Cabins are duplexes, so be prepared to hear your neighbors next door. When you stay in accomodations in National Parks, you quickly learn to accept this sort of thing and frankly it is a worthy tradeoff for location. I'd rather been here than Ruby's anyday. The building that houses #515 and #516 is the last one before you get to the woods that precede the rim trail. Our deck had a peaceful view of the forest. #515 had a straight on front view of the rim trail and that would be the one to get next time. We lucked out in terms of our cabin's location. The cabins further back seem closer together and the decks look out onto each other and didn't have the privacy or the view that we had. I booked the cabin a year in advance.

We also lucked out on the inside, as well, as while we were there all the cabins got brand new beds! We spent one night on the old one and one night on the new one. What a difference! One of the complaints I read about these cabins were the old, smushy beds. Remove that complaint now! The cabins had a coffee maker, mini fridge, gas fireplace (it actually did produce ample heat), two sink areas, writing desk and a couple of chairs. These cabins have lots of charm, slanting and creaky floors and I couldn't imagine a better place to stay while in the park.

more about hiking Byrce...

Correction to above. Our intinerary did include the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as well.

A great start - can't wait to read the rest! BTW, that suite is bigger than my apartment too!

A word about service at the Lodge...Everyone we had dealings with were happy and very willing to help. From check-in to maid service to food service, we experienced attentive, friendly and casual, if low-key service. This was our experience at all three National Park Lodges we stayed at. These lodges are not for the high-maintenance, luxury seeking customer.

After getting settled in to our cabin, we hit the rim trail and started walking and gawking! The rim trail is a treasure as it gives you views into the hoodoos while still offering panoramic views of the edge of the canyon, and distant views of the valleys and plateaus off in the distance. We picked up the trail between Sunrise Point and Sunset Point and walked south to upper Inspiration Point and then back again. As I alluded to before, one's first views of the hoodoos are pretty shocking. It was like there was a community of sandstone people just standing out there looking back at you. I started personifying them and categorizing then into groups, which made it fun for me. As one walks the trail, perspectives and views change constantly. I was thinking that if I had one day in the park and limited time, this is the portion of the rim trail I would hike as it offers so much bang for the effort. It is mostly level, with some slight ups and downs, but remember...it is over 8,000 feet, so one needs to walk slowly, drink plenty of water and take rests if not acclimated yet to the altitude. Stopping frequently was not a problem for us as we stopped for photo ops every 30 or 40 feet!

I might add that the weather was perfect for walking. It was around 75 degrees and there was a fairly healthy breeze blowing to keep things comfortable. the sky was a perfect blue and not a cloud was to be seen.

Being in a place like this seems to bring out the best in people. As we walked along, everyone was all smiles and a "hello" or "good afternoon" was always repsonded to in kind. Some casual converstations were struck up about the beauty of the place, or to point out a particular feature and quick, short friendships were formed before moving on. We found this to be true at Zion and GCNR, but it was more apparent and genuine at Bryce for some reason.

<< Being in a place like this seems to bring out the best in people. As we walked along, everyone was all smiles and a "hello" or "good afternoon" was always repsonded to in kind.>>

That is so true - just like riding the subway (lol)!

Really enjoying this! We are headed on same itinerary in two weeks! Keep it coming!

Glad to hear about the "upgrade" at the Bryce cabins. A mini-fridge and coffee maker will be welcome additions. And hoo-ray for new mattresses! (Are they still double-sized instead of queen-sized?)

Hi elnap, yes they are double sized beds, but seemed large for a double, but not quite not large enough as a queen. Ours were arranged on either side the doorway to the bathroom area and queens would not have fit in the spaces on either side of that doorway. The housekeeping staff were quite excited about the new beds.

50HS, I should have this done in two weeks. LOL. I get long winded and then I get tired and then I loose interest, but eventually end up wrapping these things up rather quickly. Hang in there.

We had one full day to fill and the original plan was to get an early start and hike the Fairyland Loop Trial and then drive the park road and visit some viewpoints on the way back. Well, over dinner that night in the lodge we decided to change plans and take a somewhat shorter route through the amphitheater instead. We started at Sunset Point and decsended into the Canyon on the Navajo Loop Trail which connects with the Queens Garden Trail and took that back up to Sunrise Point. I think this ended up being about a 4 mile hike and it was perfectly spectacular. We stopped frequently to take it all in. We both agreed this was one of the nicest hikes we did on this trip. If you start on the Navajo Loop trail, the ascent out of the canyon isn't as steep and has more open and vista laden views. The ranger I spoke to suggested we do it this way and he was right on. It seems like most folks were starting on the Queen's Garden Trail and going in the opposite direction as us though. I am glad we did it the way we did. The Queen's Garden area is jam packed with all sorts of geological treasures and formations and is worth the visit. There are some side trails we took from the main trail that got us up close to some the formations and cliffs. A little scary, but worth it for the views. We had had the lodge pack us box lunches which we were now ready to eat, so once reaching the Rim Trail we continued north for about a mile towards Fairyland Point. We found a great place to sit and eat with a wonderful view of Chinese Wall. What a great day so far!

One thing to note about the the Navajo Loop Trail...there was trail construction going on in one part of it so the loop was actually closed. We descended into the Canyon on the the part that is usually used for coming back up that loop. They were building retaining walls to protect the trail from slides.

At the end of the park road is Rainbow Point where there is a trail that takes you to some old Bristlcone Pine trees that I really wanted to see before leaving the park. So after lunch, we walked back to the cabin, got the car keys and headed south on the park drive. Everyone suggests you drive to the end at Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point and then drive back up, stopping at the viewpoints along the way. This worked well for us.

For those of us that travel often, we know things don't always go as planned and I as about to experience one of those times. We got to Rainbow Point and walked around a bit, then started walking on the very FLAT, very EASY, and very WELL MAINTAINED Bristlecone Pine Trail. We were walking along when all of sudden out of the blue my toe caught hold of something, I tripped, lost my balance and took a flying spread eagle leap through the air, landing on my forearms, wrists and knees on a lovely patch of gravel headed slightly downhill and off trail. M was behind me when it happened and he said it looked like I was launched into air head first. Well... to say I had a bad case of road rash is putting it mildly. My left forearm took it the worst and when I looked at it I almost fainted. Yikes. Nothing appeared broken, but there was a huge hematoma amongst all the gouges, scrapes and embedded rocks, pebbles and dirt. It was ugly. I freaked out for a moment. M calmed me down, and I remembered that a good friend recently broke her wrist while vacationing in Kauai and I knew if she could get through THAT, I could do this. We walked back to the car where luckily we had a couple of gallons of water in the car as there is no running water here. As M flushed the wounds out with water, I picked out pebbles and other assorted debris. Long story short, we ended up at the Visitor Center where a ranger iced and further cleaned my arms and knees and dressed them nicely with bandages. She was actually impressed with the cleaning job we did. Oy!

It hurt like hell and did put a bit of a crimp on things for the next day or two, but the worst of it was over in a couple of days and I was determined not to be a drama queen and milk it as I have been known to do and got over it. Anyhow M got good at giving me sponge baths and changing the dressings!

Bryce is amazing. We both agree to return as I still need to see those damn Bristlecone Pines! LOL.

Right now the newly forming scabs itch like a mofo!

Onward to the Grand Canyon!

Oh man, iamq, I can't tell you the number of times I worried about a spill just like yours! Sorry about your fall, but it sounds like you weathered it well. At least you didn't pitch over a canyon wall, lol!

Hi smetz, Like you, my big worry has always been loosing my balance and tumbling over a cliff or ledge. The "funny" thing about this fall was that it was on the most benign and wimpy trail in the entire park and the nearest ledge was a half mile away! Go figure, you never know.

You're right, iamq. You never know. One reason I still haven't written a trip report on our April trip to Zion/Snow Canyon/ Valley of Fire was due to a shocking fall I took. (I'll get to that report eventually...) BUT I am so glad you are OK and weathered it well, even if it did take the fun out of a few of your adventure days. Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report, bandages and all!

This is what its all about. The joy and discovery, and the sharing.

Great trip report, iamq. Hope your wounds are healing nicely. As I read about your fall, it sounded like I wrote the report since I am notorious for tripping, falling and general klutziness. My husband is constantly reminding me to be careful and pay attention while I'm hiking. I'm glad you didn't get injured too badly. Looking forward to reading the rest. Thanks for the report.

Your report is a real treasure, packed with such lovely descriptions and details. It's been several years since we've visited, and now I think we need to go back again, but this time stay in the cabins. We've always stayed at Ruby's Inn, and really it was fine, but I can so imagine staying right there at the rim would be awesome, especially in the early mornings and at sunset. Well done, iamq!

What a great report.

Thanks Sharondi and swissshiker.
Sharondi, in our house, M is considered the clutz with two left feet and hands. That was another thing where we found humor in this situation. "It wasn't suppossed to be me. You're the one who's always injuring yourself!" Ah well.

North Rim Grand Canyon
The drive from Bryce to NRGC was uneventful. We stopped in Kanab for medical supplies and food. We stopped at a market called Glaziers. For some reason, I really liked this market, maybe because we got everything we needed and they were so nice to us. They have a nice deli, bakery and fry counter too! It located at the intersection of 89A and 89 and would be a good place to stock up on supplies (we needed bandages, LOL).

The one real surprising thing about the long drive to the North Rim was the terrain on 89A through the Kaibab National Forest. Meadows! HUGE meadows for as long as one could see surrounded by forests that climbed up the hillsides. Meadows are my favorite mountain feature, so this was a real treat for me. It was amazing and unexpected. I guess I was expecting a high desert, dry terrain. Since it was still fairly early in the season on the north, the meadows were bright green and very mosit with small lakes dotting the expanses. Just beautiful. I imagine by now they are blooming with wild flowers.

Anticipation and excitment were our emotions as we approached the north entrance to the park. I am 51 and it was always a source of shame to me that I had never been to the Grand Canyon, especially since I live within easy access. M's only trip to the GC and been a drunken junket from LA in a private plane in the early 70s and he remembers nothing, so we won't count that.

The North Rim facilities area is very compact and nicely contained. We found parking easy and was pleasnantly surprised by the lack of the throngs of people I was expecting. We'd soon learn that the north gets only about 10% of the visitors to the park. Yay! Sure, there were some tour buses, but there was a wonderful lack of tourist chaos. It seemed quiet and peaceful. The weather was wondeful. 75 degrees with a farily strong breeze...similar to Bryce.

We stopped in at the Lodge to check on our room (I tried not to sneak a peak out the lounge window at the views, as I wanted my first viewing to be from the outside deck) and was told it would be ready in two hours. We had some time to wander around. We visited the Visitor Center and talked to a lovely ranger about what our options were for the next few hours and for the next few days. I love these rangers! They have to answer such a wide variety of questions. I'm not sure I could do it. This woman loved her job and broke into an impromptu lecture to the growing group of folks around her. She was genuinely interested that we get the most from our visit her information proved really helpful to us.

"The one real surprising thing about the long drive to the North Rim was the terrain on 89A through the Kaibab National Forest. Meadows! HUGE meadows for as long as one could see surrounded by forests that climbed up the hillsides. "

My wife and I had the same experience on exiting Zion at the east end of the park. As dry as Zion was, just after exiting the park on Route 9, the terrain turned to green rolling hills and forest. Take away the mountains in the background, and we could have been back in Maryland!

Keep it up, great TR iamq.

You mean you flew like an eagle into the gravel? Or was it more like iamq in flight, afternoon delight? Itchy gitchy owchie mama. Heal well

I'm loving your TR.

You are very lucky that you didn't break anything in that nasty fall - like your teeth, neck,etc.!

Yes cpg, I was very fortunate not to have broken anything or had my gorgeous mug mucked up. My forearms took the brunt of the fall.

On the advice of the ranger at the information center we decided to take the paved .5 mile walk out to Bright Angel Point for the views. The pathway literally skirts the edge of the rim as it leaves the Lodge and this is where I got my first real good look at the Grand Canyon. Since the drop off here is more gradual than the South Rim and is dominated by side canyons that reach out into the Valley you can't really see the bottom and I guess the effect might be a bit less dramatic as far as shear drop off goes than on the South Rim, but as I said in the beginning, my eyes felt like they were being tugged out of my head towards the other side of the canyon. Just below the lodge, before you get to Bright Angel Pont there are two lookouts built on rocks that just out into the Canyon. Wow. We spent some time standing there gripping the railing and gazing and taking pictures of course. The wind starting picking up to the point where people were starting to leave the lookouts. Then it really starting whipping! M retreated with the rest of the folks, but I stayed and clutched onto the railing, leaned into the wind and just let the wind blow! What an exhilirating ride!

I have not mentioned it yet, but M has a bit of a heights and ledges and drop off fear, and I can't get enough of looking down thousands of feet, so while I was standing at the very edge not getting enough, he was always a few step (yards) back the edge. He stayed within his comfort zone and I tried not to do anything stupid. We continued to walk down to Bright Angel Point and when we got there the views were of course amazing. What else can one say? It is unlike anything. The wind was still whipping up a storm, so we both retreated to a sheltered area and admired the view.

I'm so glad you did hike down into Bryce. I'm afraid most people miss this magical experience of hoodoos up close and very personal!

Just came across this report and am really enjoying it. One question on Bryce accommodations. Would it be better to get a cabin or to stay in the main lodge? Did you see those rooms at all (assuming there are rooms in the lodge).

Thanks for any guidance on this, as the last time I was there, many moons ago, all that was available was a cheap motel down the road made of doublewides.

susncrg, I can't speak to the lodge rooms as I didn't see them. I think there are four of them, but the Xanterra website would have that information.

I really liked the Western Cabins and if we go back, we'd stay in them. Like I said though, the location of ours made it perfect. I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I had stayed in one that overlooked the parking lot or the main access road. There are some that are in clusters of four units. Ours was a duplex. There are also to buildings that have motel units in them. Can't be much help there either as I didn't see the inside.

I got maps of the layouts of all the Lodges we stayed in and plan to convert them to pdf files and make them available. Once I do that, I can send one to you.

Dayle, I can't imagine not going into the hoodoos.

Thanks. I will check out that site and look into the possibility of getting a cabin for next year.

Bill--Wow, this sounds like a fantastic trip!!! Yes, pun intended I don't get the shopping in Vegas thing either, BTW. You know I love to hike, but haven't hit these spots yet so your report is making me salivate! BTW, I am a klutz so can relate to your fall. Broke my hand on vacation once, and of course fell in France last summer...so you are not alone But your description of it sure made me feel for you!

susn, I have a correction to make about Bryce Lodge. Xanterra no longer manages it. Forever Resorts handles it now.

mms, I haven't gotten to the Zion part yet, but I think you'd really like the hiking there. Can be a scary place for klutzs though. Lots of chains for holding onto and narrow sandstone ledges.

We were fortunate enough to score one of the 4 Rim Cabins at Grand Canyon Lodge for the two nights we were there. Like the other accomodations, I reserved this online a year ahead of time. These cabins are right on the rim and have amazing, if somewhat obstructed views of the Canyon from the front decks and from inside. Each deck has two rocking chairs strategically placed to take in the views. These log cabins are very similar to the ones we stayed at in Bryce. It had a gas fireplace, a small refrigerator and a coffee maker. Forever Resorts manages the Lodge and it looked like it recently upgraded these like it did the the Bryce cabins. This was also a duplex. Ours was #305. If I had the choice, #306 would be it as the deck was larger and faced the Canyon in a better orientation than ours did. #304 would also be a good choice. It is not on the front line, but is only one row back, raised up a bit and the deck had great views through the two rim duplexes. #309, #310 and #320 would also be nice choices as they face an open space area with the Canyon beyond it. The front desk manager told me that specific room requests are not automatically honored, but are noted. As with Bryce, I have a layout map of the lodge cabins and motel units that I will make available to you if you want it.

After getting settled into the cabin, we we explored the Lodge a bit before our dinner reservation. There is a coffee bar/bar, a deli, a post office, a nice gift shop and two large stone decks wtih benches and chairs that have mesmerizing views of the Canyon below. These are very popular gathering places all day. They are quiet and low-key places. The view of the Canyon is king here and most folks seemed to be just quietly looking out or reading, sleeping or cuddling with their honey.

The inside of the Lodge reminds me a bit if a mini Ahwahnee in Yosemite. The original Lodge that burned down in 1932 was actually designed by the same archetict that desgined the Ahwahnee. The rebuilt lodge apparently is nowhere near as unique and more conventional, but it is lovely nonethless. Soaring ceilings, huge beams, unique chandeliers, large fireplaces, gigantic Native American rugs hanging everywhere, and of course the views, etc...all combine to give it a classic lodge feel. There is a lower level gathering room where there were large leather sofas and chairs. People played board games, read or just gazed out the windows to the Canyon beyond. Even though the Lodge is the hub of things here it still seemed farily quiet and mellow.

We ate in the dining room for two dinners and one breakfast. They were always able to accomodate our requests to sit at a table by the window for the sunset views. The food was nothing spectacular, but fine. One should not expect gourmet food from one of these lodges, but we were surprised and pleased with the attentive service. Reservations are essential and can be made well in advance.

After dinner, guests can gather on one of the decks for an astronomy talk and star gazing through a high powered telescope. The waxing moon made star gazing less intense, but the night sky was spectacular.

Weather on the North Rim is much cooler than on the South Rim. Daytime temps hovered around 75 degrees and it cooled way down to the low 40 or high 30s. The winds blew strong on and off all day. T-shirts and shorts were fine during the day, but make sure you bring a fleece pullover and a pair of long pants for the evenings. This is the only place I had to put on my jeans.

Next up...our day on the North Rim Drive and the hike to Cape Final.

THis is an awesome trip report, great details and very informative. We are leaving the end of July for same trip with 2 nights in Page, AZ... can't wait to hear about the rest of GCNR and Zion!

Hi iamq...I always enjoy travelling with you and M, and this time is no exception. Your wonderful way with words always makes me want to take the same vacation. That tumble was a might frightening. I'm glad I was finally able to sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy the time with you!

Hope you are healing well. Would love to see a picture or two when you get them sorted!

Hi Froddy. Yeah, I have been draggin my feet on this report and photos. I'll get to it! Time to wrap it up.

I forgot to mention a great Grand Canyon guide book I found while researching this trip. I bought it because it has a lot of info on the north rim and most books do not. It's called "Grand Canyon, the Complete Guide", by James Kaiser. Great book with some good photos and lots of detailed information about everything in the park. Highly recommended reading.

Waking up to a full-on view of the Grand Canyon outside your bedroom window is a pretty wonderful experience. I was up early. Made some coffee, put it in a cup, threw on some clothes and went out for a long walk along the rim as most people were still sleeping. M calls this my "morning constitutional" as I do this most everywhere we travel. I get up and explore things and take in whatever there is to take in early in the morning while things are quiet and most folks are not up. It is one of my true joys of traveling. The sun coming up over the canyon was jaw dropping, with shadows disappearing and new colors appearing in their place. I walked out to Bright Angel Point again, this time with no wind and no one else. I sipped my coffee and breathed deeply and looked. Wow.

There is a lot to do on the North Rim, most of it revolves around hiking to viewpoints, along the rim or down into the canyon. One of the great things the North Rim offers is an 18 mile long drive along the Wallhalla Plateau from Point Imperial on the north to Cape Royal on the south. We spent the better part of our day exploring this area. Our Ranger friend suggested we start at Cape Royal and work our way backwards from there. We parked at Cape Royal at the end of the road and walked to Angels Arch. This an amazing piece of rock that juts out into the canyon and has an arch under it. You can walk out onto it and get fabulous views of the Colorado River. It is one of the few places on the North Rim where you can actually see the bottom of the canyon. Standing acoss from the arch, the Colorado River, thousands of feet down is perfectly frmaed through the opening in the arch. Pretty neat stuff. From there it is a short walk to Cape Royal and more incredible views. You can see the Watchtower on the South Rim from here, as well as more views of the Colorado River many miles away. One of the wonderful things about the North Rim (at least in mid June) is the total lack of people. We had these viewpoints mostly to ourselves.

After spending some time exploring the area on foot. We drove back the road to the Cape Final Trail trailhead. I had already decided to do this hike when planning the trip as it sounded worthwhile and was moderate in ability level and our ranger confirmed that it was a must do.

The hike is a four mile round trip and we planned to have lunch at Cape Final. I love forest walks and this one was lovely as there were also generous meadows where large stands of newly blooming bright blue lupines competed with large clumps of newly blooming white and blue larkspur. It was nowhere near a full bloom and it was still quite impressive. I would imagine by now the forest floor is a tight carpet of bright blue.

Cape Final is really just a large rock that juts out into the canyon, but views are eye poppping and this makes it a worthy destination. There are no guard rails, so you are fully exposed. I crawled on my belly to the edge and looked down. What a rush! M just watched and winced. We sat on the rock, had lunch and were there for an hour at least and saw no one else. We had the whole place to ourselves! At this time there were a couple of fires in Flagstaff and from here you could see the huge billows of smoke like they were just a few miles away. We saw one or two people on the way back to the car. We continued to drive and stop at various viewpoints, the last one being Point Imperial. After so much beauty and awesomeness I felt myself getting jaded and saying, "Well this isn't THAT great." LOL. In total we spent about 6 or 7 hours exploring this area and it was the highlight of our time on the North Rim.

The weather on this day was a little warmer and not quite as windy as the day before, so when we got back to the lodge we grabbed some pillows, made our deck rocking chair comfy and settled in for a nice rest on our porch overlooking the canyon. M read while a I snoozed. It was blissful. We then joined the other guests on the lodge deck for more gazing and viewing before dinner. That night we got an even better table with an even better view. Dinner was great and since it was not as windy as the night before we went for a dusk walk and ended up back on the deck as it got dark and the stars came out. We were getting into bed when M had this crazy idea to get dressed again and go out to do some more stargazing. What the hell? Why not? So we got bundled up and walked out to a clearing and despite a fairly bright moon, had great success in picking out planets and stars. It was quite a night and a great way to end our time on the North Rim.

I could return here again and again as a destination of its own. There was so much we didn't get a chance to do this time. I could easily see spending three or four nights here and really get into the vibe. The timing of our trip here was perfect. Mid to late June is still early in their season, so the crowds were down and the weather was perfect. After this experience, I'm not sure I'll ever make it to the South Rim.

Next...And now for something completley different: Zion.

Our last stop was Zion Canyon. I planned 3 nights here. Again, I reserved a year ahead of time and got a motel unit in the Lodge located in the park. We really liked staying in the park and not having to deal with the shuttles from Sprindale or driving to the the Information center and then taking the shuttles everyday. For some, this seems not to be a problem. I would not have liked it. There are plenty of motels in Springdale and I know people like staying there as there are lower cost options, and some feel they get better value for their money by staying in Springdale, and many of the motels have pools (great if you have kids), but for us, staying at the Lodge was the right choice. Once in the park, we never left. Our upper floor motel room #228 in unit B was huge, clean, nicely equipped, if a bit dowdy. The only obvious ommission was a mini-fridge. Ssome might have lamented the fact there was no television, but I considered this a blessing. The air-conditioning unit worked well and the room stayed cool even with the a/c off. We had a nice deck with a small sitting area. The deck had a lovely view of the sandstone cliffs just above us where we could watch the sun disappear behind the cliffs at 5 pm everyday. Our unit faced the front and overlooked the cabins. The units in the back obviously have more privacy, but the veiw is a tighter up-the-side-of-the-canyon view and less open. Either one would be fine.

The weather during our late June stay was perfect. It got into the mid 90s during the day, but cooled down quickly in the evenings and it was refreshingly cool in the mornings for my "morning constitutionals" here. There was always a breeze blowing through the Canyon which was welcome. We beat the daytime heat, but being up and on the trails hiking by 7:30 or 8:00. After returning and having lunch on the shady, grassy area in front of the lodge we'd go back to the room to cool down in afternoons and then venture out for dinner and evening excurions on foot or by shuttle bus as it cooled down. I am not sure I'd want to be there in late July or early August when the temps get above 100, but again, as we with at Bryce and GCRM, we were happy with the weather timing of our trip.

This was our first road trip like this. We normally pick one location and base there, preferrring not to move around every 2 or 3 nights, but that approach seemed impractical for this trip as our destinations were so far flung from each other. I worked out well and we'd do it again the next time we this sort of trip (Yellowstone, perhaps?) I am happy that we planned a 3 night stay at the end of the trip however. It was great having another full day to do whatever we wanted. It just felt more relaxing and less rushed. In the future I think I will plan an extra night at our last destination, wherever that might be. For this trip an extra night in any of the places would have been great, but having a one more night in Zion at the end proved to be a good thing as there is so much to see and do and it offerend us a nice chill-down period before having to slog back to Vegas and reality.

If Bryce was about looking down into the hoodoos, and he NRGC was about looking out, across and down. Zion was initially about looking UP! Up at those marvelous sandstone cliffs and walls with all those faces (I was not hallucinating Scarlett!) carved in them. The walls with those amazing arches created by some ancient (and not so ancient?) rockfalls. The Canyon appeared sublime and "eh?" at first, but after venturing into it further and spending more time there, it really is a mind-blower on so many levels. The changes in color alone leave one breathless. Then there are the unending designs and patterns of the rocks themselves. When we were in Fiji a few years ago I saw in the sea life's and plant life's colors and patterns where the local artists got their inspiration for desgins in tapa cloth and other products. Here at Zion one could plainly see multiple examples on the walls that msut have inspired artists over the years with regards to color, texture and style. One example that stands out in my memory is one of the beautiful hanging gardens found along the Riverwalk Trail. Where the seeping water meets the shale and drains out it has left large, alternating white and black vertical stripes that span the arched opening. I just found it unique to anything I had seen before.

We had two full days to do some hiking and high on our list was of course Angels Landing. Neither of us intended on going all the way out to the point, but we had conditioned ourselves to stop at Scout Lookout and be satisfied with that. M was a bit apprehensive about the hike up in general due to his drop-off and height issues. We talked to one of the rangers who takes people on guided hikes on that trail and she suggested something very simple. Look at the wall. You can look ahead as far as is comfortable and safe, but look at the wall as you head up and down. This really helped him to have a great, low anxiety hike that day. I would also alert him with cues like "you don't want to look out or down now", or "this one you can handle". That also seemed to help. Turns out he spent most of the time going up, worrying about what it was going to be like going down!

This is truly one of the most enjoyable hikes I've gone on irregardless of whether we braved the chains and made it to the end or not. There are so many spectacular parts and features, it is one of those hikes that doesn't need to be completed to the end to leave one satisfied. I have hiked all over Yosemite for years and this trail rivals many of my favorites there.

Daily duties call...will finish this up later. Thanks for reading and being patient with the sporadic nature of the posting. Photos on the way...soon!

Your report brings back great memories. The
patterns in the canyon walls at Zion are inspiring.
Here's one of my favorite photos from our last trip.
I call it 'Stone Sky'

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/86651663

Thanks for the effort on the report...I know how easy
they are to start and how hard to finish...thanks for
sharing.

A truly inspirational report that makes me think it's time to visit the other side!
That's what it's all about!!!!

nice pics pb

Great TR iamq, sounds like an excellent trip.

What a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for sharing. I am sorry to hear about the fall. I hope you are fully recovered.

You are a terrific story teller, iamq. This has been a highly enjoyable trip report. I'm from Utah originally, but it's been many years since I've visited Bryce or Zion (and even longer since I've been to the Grand Canyon). You make me want to see them again. Looking forward to your photos.

Thanks for the kind words folks! I am glad you are enjoying it.

We got an early start that first morning and were on the trail at "7:23" according to M. The shuttle bus drops you at the Grotto stop and you take off from there. If you do this hike, please start early, especially in the summer months. The heat and the crowds later in the day would have spoiled it for me. I won't detail the complete hike, but some the highpoints are how steeply the trail the ascends the side of the wall almost immediately. The first set of switchbacks literally snake their way up and after a while you come around a corner are faced with this knarly cutout in the canyon wall where trail continues around the edge of a point that juts (I've been using that word a lot) out into the canyon. The views from here are very nice and you start to get sense of high you've climbed already. One of my favorite parts of this hike is the lovely canyon that comes next. The trail turns a corner and you start ascending this narrow canyon that was breezy, cool and idyllic. Loved that part of the hike. Next comes the famous Walters Wiggles, a series of 21 walled switchbacks carved into a cervice in the canyon wall that takes you up to Scout Landing. WW are a true work of art. Neer seen anything like it. The stone work is amazing and in the middle of one wall is placed a large piece of what looked like lava rock. Does anyone know the origins of that rock? We saw another piece of it at Scout Lookout and it sure doesn't look like sandstone. Anyhow, it is quite a slog up those Wiggles, but once up, you're at Scout Lookout, which for us was the our final desination. Turning around and looking down at the Wiggles from the top is quite an experience. From here the trail turns into a chain holding affair around steep, narrow trails and up a narrow saddle before getting to the top. I am sure it is gorgeous from up there, but M and I will never see it. The view for Scout Lookout was not too shabby and I did another one of my belly shimmies to the edge for a look down the back wall of Angels Landing to the river below. Nice. This was a fun place to hang out for an hour or so. We met some other nice and friendly wimps and we all pumped each other up and rationalized away for not making the final ascent. LOL! After some snacks and a nice rest we headed down and M did his best to stay calm as we came around those corners with steep dropoffs. "Watch the damn wall.!". We made it down to the bottom by around 11:30, just as an endless stream of late sleepers were headed up. I understand that it can get pretty crowded up there, so we were glad to be going down. All in all it was a worthy and totally unique hike that I'd do again in a heartbeat.

After coming back down, we rested for a few minutes and then took the Kayenta Trail that skirts the canyon wall in the direction of the Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. the Kayenta Trail offers some nice up and down canyon views and is only about a mile long. We spent some time walking about the Emerald Pools area and then headed back to the lodge for a much needed lucnch of Nathan's hotdogs, french fries and soft serve ice cream! We ate out on the broad, grassy area in front of the Lodge in the shade of the huge tree there. Even though is was approaching hot, a nice breeze blew through the canyon and kept things comfortable...in the shade.

We had been at Zion not even a full day yet and the one thing that really impressed me amongst so many things and was starting to make me a life-long fan of this park was the wide diversity in plant life here. I didn't know the names of many of the plants, but I could recognize that there were many different kinds in large numbers. I hadn't really expected that. I had thought that since this was basically the dessert, threre wouldn't be much in the way plant life. Boy was I wrong! On the hike up to Angels Lnading alone I had stopped numerous time to take photos of wildflowers and plants I had never seen before. I wanted to get a plant book on plant life in Zion and figured the Visitor Center was a good place to start, os afer we ate lunch, we took the shuttle back to the Visitor Center and I went in search of either a wildflower card or a book. I found a great one in the gift shop. It is s small, gorgeous, glossy covered softcover book called "Wildflowers of Zion national Park" by Dr. Stanley Welsh. It is a treasure of a book and was only $6! A real bargain and a must for anyone with an interest in plants and wildflowers in this park. In no time I had indentified at least 10 or 12 things I had seen on the trail this morning alone. Everything from huge Yucca plants to Prickly Pear Cactus to Yellow Columbine, to Butterfly Weed to Boxelder. I'd love to return here a little earlier in the year when the wildflowers are really going gangbusters. Things like lupine and paintbrusch were mostly non-existent this late. When I put together the photo albums from the trip I will have one just for flowers, most of them taken here.

Once back at the lodge we sat on the deck, M reading his mystery, me reading all about plants!

Dinner was at the Lodge dining room and was good. The place fashions itself an alternative sort of place with moe "healthy" eating choices than one would imagine, with some vegan things on the menu and notes by items when "sustainable" ingredients or local products are used in a dish. The portions were smaller here than at the other lodges (a good thing), so it was a refreshing change from the heavier dinners we encountered at Bryce and GCNR.

A walk along the river and up to Lower Emerald Pools finished us off for the day and we crashed hard.
more later...

Since Zion is my absolute FAVORITE "spa vacation," I am hanging on every word. I'm so glad you took the river walk after dinner. This is the hike (stroll) I begin and end every day with when I am there. Did you look up the canyon from the lodge at night and see all the moving flashlights? A number of people will hike past darkness as the shuttle runs until 11PM in the summer. From the lodge, you can easily see the light parade of hikers heading down the trail from Angel's Landing with their flashlights.

Hope you managed an evening walk along the Pa'rus Trail. This is a paved trail that is especially lovely at dusk and really spectacular in the moonlight.

Hi elnap, Wow, no we missed the light parade of flashlights coming down Angels Landng! That sounds so cool! Something to look for next time I guess. People actually descend in the dark? Not sure I could M to do that! Not sure I get could me to do that!

We did take a walk in the Pa'rus Trail in evening as suggested. It was a nice walk. We missed the full moon by a few days. Zion would be wonderful during a full moon.

We had one day at Zion left and there was some debate as to which hike to do. While I wanted to do the Riverwalk Trail after dinner that night, I really didn't want to do the Narrows. I had heard that the water levels were still pretty high due to the heavy spring run-off and I am not a tall person. Even though, I know it is a unique experience, I had no interest in walking for a mile or two in cold, chest high water. Call me a putz.

M would've done it in a heartbeat, in fact he did once before about 40 years ago before there was any trail or designated put-in like there is now. He said folks just started walking in the river wherever they could and just kept walking. He did it in his "Keds" tennis shoes. LOL.

I was lobbying for the shorter Hidden Canyon hike and M was in the mood the Observation Point Trail. Being the putz that I am, and still recovering from a chronic illness, I just wasn't in the mood to do a 2200 elevation gain hike that day. M being the saint he is agreed that we would do the Hidden Canyon hike. I promised him that when we return (and we will) we will do both the Narrows and the Observation Point hike.

We set off early again and started up the side of the canyon by Weeping Rock. The trail climbs steeply and as it got narrower and steeper,M started feeling like he didn't want to go on. In the end, M's drop off thing got the better of him and after the first set of chains and sight of the next set of chains that skirts a steep drop off, he decided to sit the the rest of the hike out. I wish he could've gone on as the rest of the hike, while scary in those last few minutes hangning onto the chains and scrambling a bit before you actually get to the opening of the Canyon has a great payoff. Hidden Canyon is a sandy bottomed canyon with steep walls that winds its way up into what I thought was an idyllic setting. I walked up the Canyon for about a half a mile or so marveling at the lush foilage and the amazing patterns on the canyon walls. There were some hanging gardens with columbine and ferns in areas where there was some water seepage. It started getting narrower and and I didn't want to keep M waiting too much longer so I turned to go back. While I was happy to have the chains to hang onto on the way over.I was THRILLED to have them on the way back as I needed to use them to haul myself up and around the ledges, etc. This hike underscores while I liked Zion so much. It is moderatey challenging while being totally unique and unlike anything I've done before. It pushed me a bit to my limit, which was good.

I found M calmly waiting for me. I did feel bad that he wasn't able to see the Canyon. He was relieved and gratified of his decision not to continue when I told him that he would not have been a happy camper on the last part of the trail before the canyon. On the way down we enjoyed the views and at the bottom, spent some time exploring Weeping Rock and takiing picturesof the lush surroundings.

We decided to take the shuttle bus back to the lodge where we had our customary pincic lunch of Nathan's hotdogs, fries and softserve ice cream. M felt like doing some more hiking, so we went off to explore the uppper Emerald Pool area and a portion of that hike we hadn't done yet and I headed back the room, cranked up the a/c and took a nap.

We had a an early dinner and aferwards took the shuttle up the Riverwalk Trail for a dusk/evening walk and exploration of the area. Wow! What a gorgeous spot and what a perfect time to see it. Parts of the canyon was still bathed in sun and parts were in shade which created some lovely contrasts and good photo opportunities. We walked to the end where there were still plenty of folks coming out of the water from doing the narrows hike. We talked to one guy that was around 6 feet tall who said that there were some areas in the beginning where he was chest deep and had both of his kids on his shoulders, but after a while it became shallower and the canyone became beautiful. He said it was worth the effort...eh...next time. The warm evenings, the effect of light on the Canyon walls and the lovely plant life left me with feeling that Zion is truly a magical place in so many ways. If I lived closer it would probably turn into my Yosemite with frequent visits being a regular thing. We will be back. As we were checking out the next morning,, the clerk encouraged us to return in early to mid November. He said the foilage changing, he lack of visitors and peace and calm make it his favorite time to come. He also said the prices at the Lodge are reduced significantly..."Name your price..." It is hard for us to travel at that time of the year, but I can envision a long 4 day weekend perhaps...

Final thoughts on the trip next...

Here is a thread that a started about the construction going around Zion this summer.
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/for-those-traveling-to-zion-national-park-this-summer.cfm

Becasue of the constuction we were not able access the park from the east using Mt. Carmel Highway during our stay. A few days later they changed the construction schudle and the road was opened during the day and closed at night. Anyhow, there is a phone numer on that thread that you should call to check on the progress and to find out when the closures are.

Our route to Zion from the North Rim took us from the park to 89 to Fredonia to 389 to 59 as it 389 crosses the Utah border and then take the dirt Smithsonian Butte Road as a shortcut to Rockville and then on to Springdale and the park. We did take this route and it proved to cut some significant time off. One thing to note though is that if you are coming from the east as we were, Smithsonian Butte Road is not marked and easy to miss. About 9 miles from Apple Valley to the right you will see an arrow straight red dirt road break away from the main road. That's it. It cuts through some gorgeous canyons and the views of the surrounding buttes were nice. The condition varied from okay to dreadfully rough and rocky. We were in a Hundai and it made it fine, but we did have to negotiate some large gaps and rough spots. As you descend the swithbacks the road gets alternatively smooth and rough with washboard sections. It was adventure, but worked out fine. BTW... we almost had a collision with a tour van on this road! Apparently people pay good money for a "Utah Backroads Tour" on this road! Not sure I'd pay or the pleasure, but it was nice to save some time for free. Our car was covered in red dirt when we were done.

A word about road trips and entertainment. We'd never taken a road trip together like this and everytime I would mention it to someone that we were going on a week long road trip, they would blurt out "get books on tape!" or something like, ""you'll need to listen to something to keep from getting bored." Now, I hadn't even thought of that. I thought we'd just drive and take in the scenery and zip on through, whether we could get radio reception or not. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a nice fall back to have just in case. We love a lot of the radio programs on NPR, so I downloaded several "Car Talk", "Fresh Air", "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" and "Science Friday" podcasts from itunes onto my ipod. We did listen to few of the shows as we drove from place to place. We listened to a great interview with Joan Rivers on Fresh Air and an illuminating program on Facebook security on Science Friday. In the end, though, the scenery proved to be more interesting and entertaining than Click and Clack on Car Talk and most of the podcasts went unlistened. LOL.

As mentioned earlier, this trip ended up being one of our best trips we've taken. The variety of the landscape, the time of year we went and the weather contributed to make this a very satisfying and reasonably affordable trip. Lots of bang for the buck! We'd return to each place again, but there are some many possibilites for road trips in Arizona and Utah, it will be difficult to decide which comes next. I can tell you though that Zion and NRGC could easily become perennaial multi day destinations on their own right as the years go on.

I will post some photos over the next few days. Please feel free to ask any questions. I often leave off information as I write these things, so may periodically add to it as time goes by and my memory returns.

Enjoy.

iamq - I'm so glad you had this wonderful trip! Zion is really great in the spring and fall. Usually you can't do the Narrows in the spring due to runoff, but the wildflowers are the payoff! Fall colors there are later due to the low elevation, but they usually start end of Oct at the higher parts of the park - Kolob Canyon Reservoir Rd and later in the canyon bottom. Gorgeous!

I don't think your husband would be a happy camper on the Observation Trail either. It's the only one I haven't done yet, but I understand there are lots of drop offs!

Another note for a future trip for you - DON'T go during Thanksgiving weekend. It's a zoo!

Thanks Dayle. You're help and input on this area on this forum helped make this a successful trip for us.

I'd love to be in the Canyon during wildflower season. It must be be amazing. I will pass your Observation Trail comments to M! It will make him feel better.

Good idea on the radio shows via ipod, iamq, those drives can get pretty long. I enjoyed reading your report, & glad you had a great time.

Thanks for your report. You had me checking the boards on a daily basis in anticipation of your next log!! Good to know that tour vans make their way on the Smithsonian Butte Road. I have it as a back up incase we don't make it back to Springdale before the tunnel closes at 8:00, but was a little worried, as we will be in a 12 passenger van. I too would love to hike the hidden canyon, but am having doubts after reading your review and some others. We have young ones.... a 6 years old and two 8 years old. Did you see any children on the trail? We leave in 10 days and I'll probrably shoot some quesdtions your way as the time draws nearer. Thanks again for all your help.

mabella, I would strongly encourage you to get through the Mt Carmel Road before it closes at 8 pm. Negoitiating the dirt road in a 12 passenger is not something I'd want to do, especially at night. As I said there are parts that are rough and steep, not ideal for a large van. The tour van we saw was more like a truck with seats in the back with canopy over the top, driven by someone who obviously knows the road. Get through the road before it closes for sure.

I don't think the Hidden Canyon trail would be a good one for young ones. There are parts that can be pretty scary. There was a family with younger children, but I'm not sure how far they made it. There are plenty of other hikes at Zion that would be more appropriate for a 6 year old.

Hope this helps.

Lovely trip report that brings back wonderful memories. I was so surprised we were even allowed to hike down into the hoodoos at Bryce!
Thanks also for reminding me about the soggy mattresses in the cabins. We stayed one night in June 2005 and lo and behold new mattresses were delivered on the morning we were leaving!

This link should get you Vegas/HooverDam and Bryce photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamq59?feat=email

Great photos. I love the saturated colours at Bryce.

Amazing Bryce photos, iamq. Will definitely have to make it there the next time.

wow! to the natural beauty
I was hoping the vegas suite was more over the top tacky! You have a different tacky meter, or I have an over the top tacky meter! I was thinking more dragqueen tacky vegas - LOL!

RE Smithsonian Butte Road -- we'll be going to Zion from GCNR and I was wondering how long this road was. I would LOVE to cut some time off the drive thereby allowing more time in the park. Thanks

I am interested in the pdf of the cabin layouts of Zion, Bryce and GC when you get a chance.

P.S. - I've really enjoyed your trip report!

Hi jillh, I think it is about 8 to 10 miles long. The only reason we considered it in the first place is at the time the Mt. Carmel road was closed from 9 am - 4 pm. I believe the road closure now is at night from 8 pm to 8 am allowing daytime transit. That could change though. If that had been the case when we were traveling, we would have taken the Mt. Carmel Road into the park for sure.

Froderick, regarding my tacky meter, the photos don't do the place justice. I would believe that your tacky meter and mine aren't perfectly calibrated, but they aren't that far off either. The size was the most outrageous part I suppose.

Yes smetz, Bryce is definitely worth a visit.

Here are the photos from the North Rim.

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamq59/NorthRimGrandCanyon?feat=email#

Nice picture of GCNR's Lodge...I suppose we all have one LOL.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/35115489

Loved this guy with his 'drink at the brink' at sunset...

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/35115482

Glad to hear you made it up Angels's Landing...I chickened out
but have no regrets other than I wish we'd gone further on the
West Rim Trail...It goes without saying that I have plenty
of 'missed opportunities' to use as an excuse for the next trip.

Oh no, peteroy, I chickened out too. We made it as far Scout Landing. You're condusing me with nerves-of-steel smetz! He's the one that made it.

Yeah, the Lodge is very photogenic. Loved it there and could go back again and again.

LOL too many trip reports all of a sudden!!

iamq, thanks for posting your photos. I love them all! (especially since I've been to all these places). Great shots of Bryce, and I am especially fond of North Rim #16 and #17. I could feel your pain in the wound/bandage photos. I have similar shots captured on my phone from my fall at Hidden Canyon in April - needed it documented somehow. All our other photos and the camera are at the bottom of a deep water-filled pothole.

Grabbed a cup of coffee and am settling in for the read! Glad to find this!

Hidden Canyon is not an easy stroll in the woods. I bet the trail was slippery in April. Not sure I'd want to negotiate those steps around the pools when there was water in them. The holes were dry when I walked around them. There was very little water in the canyon at all. I am glad that you survived your tumble as I did mine so we can keep slogging on.

Really enjoying your report Iamq - you have a knack for the written word.

I have to say in Paris, I bought a Hermes scarf that I could have purchased for less money back here in the USA - something about buying it there was special - maybe that is why you bought your Lalique crystal goldfish? Loved the suite and the details - made me think of Scar Face with the big sunken tub .

My husband is 53 and has never been to the Grand Canyon either in all his world travels -so we keep talking about planning a trip - your TR inspires me!

Sorry about your fall - I skipped down to your photos and you look no worse for the wear. M is SO cute! Love the photo of him with his hands over his heart with the Grand Canyon behind him.

Looking forward to finishing my read.

Scarface indeed, momdd! Perfect.

Will be posting photos of Zion and wildflowers later.

jillh, I am working on scanning the lodge room layouts and will let you know when I am done.

Here is a link to an album that has all three Lodge maps. You will need to open each one, use the magnifying lense to see the images more clearly.

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamq59/BryceLodgeGrandCanyonLodgeAndZionLodgeMaps?feat=email#

Zion photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamq59/ZionCanyon?feat=email#

Two words

It's Wonderful
my baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Ce0NhehAk

a wonderful truly inspiring journey, it's wonderful its wonderful its wonderful
chips chips chips. . . .

Loved your pictures of Zion, especially Hidden Canyon - makes me wish we had time to do it. Well, next time!

Thanks for sharing your photos, iamq. Unfortunate bumps and scrape aside, it sounds like you had a really wonderful time. I'm glad I stumbled upon your very entertaining trip report.

Hi iamq---just back from Italy, I check into Fodors and find this terrific trip report! Great photos too.

I can tell you about the Observation Point trail---we did that hike in the morning and then the Narrows in the afternoon. It is a really fun hike, but . . . one section goes right along the edge of a vertical drop of oh, several thousand feet. However, the trail is wide enough and level and you don't have to look over the edge. I didn't even realize we were that close to the edge while walking it. Then I looked back from Observation Point and saw where the trail was and OMG. I had a bit of trouble on that section on the return, but just tried not to think about all that empty space below us.

Hidden Canyon looks cool---we might have to try that next time.

iamq, great, great report as always. Enjoyed the pics. We were in Bryce and Zion at the end of April and enjoyed reliving the experience. Magical places.

Since you enjoyed all these parks and are looking for next year's road trip, I think you'd also enjoy Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley and Page. They're all different, too. After our 12 nite adventure hitting all of these as well as Bryce and Zion, we weren't bored or "rocked out". But I could imagine some would be. I likened it to going to a bunch of art museums with different styles in a relatively short period of time. If you really like art and the museums are sufficiently different from one another, you won't get bored. Same with the western parks and monuments.

I've been too busy at work to post a trip report which probably means I won't get around to it. But when folks have reports like yours, I'm not sure I'd be able to add much.

Thanks again for your efforts in putting together a marvelous read.

Thanks cmerrell, enzian and dcd!

Oh enzian, I thought of you on this trip whenever I saw some wildflowers. Especially at Zion. I need to post the photos of some of them. Just lovely plant life at Zion! I can't wait to hear about your Italian journey!

dcd, the trip you describe is the something similar to what I've been thinking about for next time. I really want to see Monument Valley, Mesa Verde and Canyon de Chelly. We almost added Capitol Reef to this trip, but I wanted to keep this trip to 7 or 8 nights long.

iamq,

Great report! I have read many reports on this general itinerary (more or less) and this just gives the right amount of useful information. I also hope to follow in your footsteps soon.

Do you think a week or two earlier could have made a big difference in the weather? 90s sounds a little hot to me but then the cooler windy days may be colder. I guess it's all a crapshoot.

Wildflower photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamq59/ZionWildflowers?feat=email#

You said you made all your reservations a year in advance. Do you think that was necessary?

Thanks again for the great report.

To get rooms at the park Lodges at GC, Zion and Bryce they start taking reservations a full 12 months in advance. On June 1 they start taking ressies for the entire month of June and so on. The best room categories go first. I would have never gotten the rim cabin at the GCNR had I waited another day or two. I knew we were going to go and had decided on the itinerary, I wanted to be IN the parks at the Lodges and wanted the best choice of cabin category at Bryce and GC, so for me IMHO, while it might not have been "necessary" at all three parks to get SOME lodging, to get what I wanted, I felt it was necessary. In fact it would have been crazy for me to have waited. I guess some think it is crazy to reserve that far in advance or pay relatively more to be in the park, or perhaps can't commit that far out, but that was not the case with me. I can only travel during school holidays mostly, so that can make it challenging as well.

It also depends on the time of year I suppose too. Summer has the highest demand and things get snatched up quickly.

Great report and beautiful pictures! I would love to do a trip like this sometime. Thanks for sharing such a well written, informative and easy to read report.

This trip or some variation of is a trip that should be experienced by all who have any interest in seeing more of our fabulous country. It really ticks off a lot of boxes. History, nature, and adventure.

Have you read Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins? It was my inspiration to visiting that area for our honeymoon rather then head out to some exotic place. It was a time for us to celebrate our union and see our country.

No Froderick I have not read that one. Will look it up.

My inspiration for this trip was the PBS series on the National Parks by Ken Burns. It made me realize how few of the parks I have visited. I also learned about gems like Acadia that I had never heard of before. There are some like Yosemite and Point Reyes that I have visited over and over becasue of geographics, but then there's Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Acadia and Mesa Verde, all of which I've not been to...yet.

Awesome reporting bbq!! I'll sit with your photos with coffee this week and savor the views. Can't wait. This sound like the perfect roadtrip for you two. Mahalo buddy!

What a pleasant surprise makai!

I LOVED Walk Across America - and all the subsequent books Jenkins wrote. Walk was my favorite. I named my dog Cooper after his dog.

Wonderful wildflower photos - thanks again for sharing your time with us.

iamq - what happened to the pics of the lodge maps? I can no longer open the link.

Somehow it got locked. Try this now:

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamq59/BryceLodgeGrandCanyonLodgeAndZionLodgeMaps#

that works, thanks!

iamq,

I'm so glad you were inspired to visit more of the Natl Parks! Now, get yourself out here to visit Yellowstone and the Tetons, just as great, but in completely different ways.

Happy Travels!

That's the plan. Could much be seen in Yellowstone/Tetons in a week? I imagine a scratching of the service at least?

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I love the North Rim! IMO it's how a National Park should look and feel.

One of my favorite memories was the Night Walk out to Bright Angel Point. It's a bit scary until your eyes get adjusted to the darkness, but absolutely amazing to be out on the point at night. I sat for a while to let most of the folks head back to really soak up the silence and the stars.

Yellowstone and the Tetons can easily be done in a week.

Hey Froderick and jill_h, I just picked up "Walk Across America" and I'm really enjoying it. Thanks for rec.

Dayle, I also want to thank you for your older, but somewhat recently topped solo Italy trip report! We will be staying in Spello next June and visiting many of the places you did and loved reading about your experiences. This trip has been a long time in coming since our 2007 trip to Rome and reading about your time there is getting me more and more excited. Thanks.

Excellent information, thank you!
My husband & I are going in September to celebrate his 50th. We love to hike & explore our National Parks. It will be our first time to Zion / Bryce / GC. I have a much better idea of which trails we might do after reading through your journey. I also clicked the link to your photos. They are beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to go!

I haven't read that book in years! Glad people still find it to be a classic. Amazon here I come.

rbs360, You will have a wonderful time. What a great way to celebrate a milestone birthday. Be sure to stop in at the Visitor Centers in each park as a first stop and get the map and the newspaper thing they give you. It is also a good idea to talk to ranger. They are so useful in helping you plan out what you can do depending on trail conditions.

iamq.... OUTSTANDING,enjoyable,and very helpful description of your visit to Utah. We, my husband, two daughters (ages 8&11) and two sisters are planning a trip to these parks in August of 2011. Your detailed dialog set the perfect foundation for our trip. THANK YOU. We also plan on renting a houseboat on Lake Powell at the end of the trip. One with a waterslide for sure......a necessity for August weather.
Thank you again. It was truly a treat to read your posts.

What a great trip report, really enjoyed it. I would have been with M, my heart stopped a little just looking at some of the photos! The views looked worth a little heart seizure though

Toucan and Utley, I am glad you enjoyed reading.

Toucan, the hiking in Zion is unique to say the least. I knew M was toast when I looked back and saw that his eyes had nearly doubled in size with look of mild terror on his face.

He wants to go back and give the Observation Point trail a try though with zero arm twising from me.

iamq ~ Is there a particular reason you visited the parks in that order? I spent the afternoon researching our trip for next year & not sure what order to do the parks in??? I know that Lake Powell will be at the end to cool off & relax but not sure about the others....Zion, Bryce, NRGC?? If we spend an extra day in Bryce, we could head up to Capitol Reef for a day?? Is two days enough time in the other parks? Would really love to check out arches as well. OH MY! Love the fact that there are people like you who take the time to assist others in planning.

Hi Utley, it seemed to make sense to me in that it was sort of a high road to low road loop with not a lot of backtracking. Another reason was that I wanted to enter Zion from the east on the Mt. Carmel Road as it is supposed to be a spectacular way to enter the park. In the end we couldn't do that because of the road construction. Oh well.

Two nights was a good amount of time at Bryce for us. We could have stayed longer of course. I would've liked another night at GC though.

Some have posted that one night or seeing them as days trips is enough, so it just depends on your traveling style. I like to have at least one full day wherever I am, preferably two full days. It all depends on how much time you have and how much money you want to spend.

Some friends of ours just spent 4 nights here and did day trips to GCNR and Zion. Not my style, but it worked for them. http://www.amanresorts.com/amangiri/home.aspx

aaahhhhh Bbq! Your pics were wonderful. Again excellent reporting. Thanks for all the effort put into a report like this. gRaNd MaHaLo!!

You're welcome makai! You and mauka planning a trip to the desert southwest? More likely the north shore of Kauai, no?

iamq,

Thanks for the compliment on the old Italy report. I'm so glad it was helpful! I would return to Spello in a heartbeat.

Your UT trip report is just great. I know Fodorites appreciate you taking the time. So many ask advice, but don't pay back.

A week would really be the bare minimum for Yellowstone and the Tetons/Jackson area. 1.5 weeks would be much better. Yellowstone is HUGE and offers SO much to see and do. Lots of variety.

Buon viaggio!

Thanks Dayle.

No trips on the books for the desert southwest, sorry to say. But I'll sure be in touch when the time comes!

I'm off to Molokai with a couple friends next month, then on to Hana and the last few nights in Kihei. Very excited to explore some spots I've missed on the last few trips to Maui. Can you believe I've never been to the top of Haleakala? or the bamboo forest... Pipiwai Trail? sheesh. Have never been to Molokai either, so I'm pretty excited to explore some new areas.

Mauka & I are headed to north shore O'ahu for my 50th b-day the day after Thanksgiving. Hope to catch some of the Triple Crown. Then to P'ville after. Bravo to you for breaking away from the islands to do some big scale travel. I just can't seem to stay away.

Excited to hear about Italy... my dream trip... someday. I'll have to look up Dayle's report. I'll be looking forward to your reporting of that trip for sure!

Aloha buddy. xoxo to you and M.

Maui, Molokai, Oahu, AND Kaua'i all in a matter of months! That's big scale travel in my book!

Aloha flows in those veins of yours.