Yellowstone to Arches, Bryce and Zion

Old Jun 2nd, 2016, 02:18 PM
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Yellowstone to Arches, Bryce and Zion

I'm planning a road trip from Salt Lake City with a planned itinerary as follows:
Home (Sacramento area) to Salt Lake City, overnight SLC - yes, a long day's drive!!
Drive SLC to Jackson, overnight there
Into Yellowstone, spend 3 nights in park
Drive back to SLC/Provo area, overnight
Next day drive to Arches/Moab, spend 3 nights Moab area
Drive to Bryce, overnight
Drive to Zion overnight 2 nights
Drive to Vegas, overnight
Drive to Lone Pine, CA via Death Valley, overnight Lone Pine
Lone Pine to home (Sacramento area)

Have I allotted enough time in these parks? More here? Less there? The time in the parks would be a combo of driving/viewing and some short half-day type hikes in each. Any ideas to change things around? I haven't yet booked hotels, etc. as I want to make sure my itinerary is set properly. We're planning for about 15-16 days total.

We are leaving the day after Labor Day, this September.

Thanks for any feedback!!
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Old Jun 2nd, 2016, 04:05 PM
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It sounds like a good basic plan. If you don't have lodging set yet, you need to get it asap. The parks are very popular at that time of year.

Arches to Bryce is a pretty long drive and you don't want to drive after dark in that area because the road are narrow and curvy and animals like deer and elk and antelope tend to use them too. This will cut into your time in Moab and I would want to spend some time in Canyonlands while there too, so one more day there would be nice.
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Old Jun 2nd, 2016, 08:18 PM
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Boy oh boy, you are right about getting lodging ASAP. I can't find anything inside YNP, was able to book outside of West entrance for 2 nights but now need the first 2 nights around Jackson/Grand Teton and am having a little trouble. I hope opting for the West entrance will be okay for exploring inside the park.

Will I have these same problems in the Utah NPs?
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Old Jun 3rd, 2016, 02:54 AM
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West Yellowstone is ok for exploring the park if you can't get in the park lodging.

You will find that most of the in park lodging for any of the parks is already taken, so make a reservation that can be cancelled and call back every day for in park lodging. People make reservations a year in advanced and then find they can't make the trip so places open up as you near travel dates.

There are no lodges in Arches or Canyonlands, so unless you camp look for lodging in Moab. It is about an hour to Arches from Green River, but we have done Arches and Canyonlands from there. We stayed at the River Terrace Inn which did have a great breakfast included in the rate. If you plan to go to Bryce on the I-70 route, it would be closer for the night before you go there in any case.

For Bryce if no in park look at Ruby's or the Best Western near the entrance.

For Zion if no in park look in Springdale.

I prefer being in the parks and not having to drive before sunrise or after sunset, but it is basic lodging and others like more perks for the price and dining options found in the towns nearby.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2016, 04:48 AM
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In my opinion, you will probably wish you had more time in all of the locations. I would personally focus on either the Yellowstone/Tetons area or Southern Utah. When you factor in driving time you will have much less time in the parks than it sounds like on paper. Is there any way you can add an extra day or two in Yellowstone or Moab? I would also consider adding a night between Moab and Bryce. Highway 12 is often considered the most beautiful part of Utah. Adding a night in Torrey would be my choice.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2016, 07:35 AM
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I could add one night, and would probably prefer to add it between Moab and Bryce, in Torrey, as we do plan to drive the 12.

I will start calling for rooms inside YNP about a month or so out and then increase the frequency as we get closer. I see that Xanterra "manages" a number of lodges - can I just call them to see availability in all of their lodges or do I need to call each one separately? It's kind of a unique situation that I haven't seen before.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2016, 10:32 AM
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We were in Moab for three nights in Arches. We flew into Colorado and drove. Then flew to Jackson WY for the Teton and Yellowstone portion of our trip.
Just a suggestion to perhaps fly.
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Old Jun 20th, 2016, 10:48 PM
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To see Yellowstone properly, you'd need at least 4-5 full, long days. The park is humongous and there will be traffic stops every time someone spots wildlife activities. You'd also need to walk a good distance from the parking lot to see certain things (e.g., Grand Prismatic, Norris Geyser, etc.). Since you're in the area already, you might as well check out the Grand Teton. It has breathtaking views and takes around 1-2 days to navigate. I'd recommend seeing Bryce/Zion/Vegas another time and include Page, Arizona as part of the trip. It has 3 of the most photographic spots in the world.
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Old Jun 21st, 2016, 09:19 AM
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You might find some useful information from my trip report from last fall, when we also visited Yellowstone and then the parks in Utah:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ellowstone.cfm
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