jodmaree

We're an Aussie family of 4 visiting in April and needing assistance with planning the national parks section of our trip. We will have already visited LA, Aneheim and Las Vegas prior to this. We love national parks, are fit and able but probably won't do too many long hikes given our time constraints. We have 13 year old twins so are conscious of not having too many days with massive drive times, although they do travel well.

Any advice on the best hikes / nights in each park / best accommodation options would be appreciated (only ask for clean accom, that will sleep four of us in one room - 2 double beds is fine). It has occurred to me we will be in Yosemite around Easter so I'm rushing to get my nights planned out in order to book accommodation in Yosemite!!

Currently we are thinking the following:
8 April - leave Vegas for Zion (options Narrows - not sure how much water to expect at this time)

9 April - Zion (various hikes? Jeep tour? Haven't had time to investigate yet)

10 April - Zion to Bryce Canyon (Queens Garden / Navajo loop) suggestions for sunset photos?

11 April - Bryce (sunrise over Hoodoos) then early start to Antelope Canyon (tour), Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley. (suggestions for Monument for afternoon?) This seems rushed.......

12 April - Monument Valley(sunrise) then to Grand Canyon South Rim (helicopter over GC?) Do we need another day here to get some hiking in or if we do the helicopter can we get away with it?

13 April - GC (Sunrise) to Hoover Dam to ???? in Death Valley (suggestions please - I know this is a big day)

I know very little about Death Valley but hear it is an unusual place worth seeing. It appears that it needs to be traveled to get to Yosemite. Advice gratefully accepted regarding an overnight location here?

14 / 15 / 16 April - Yosemite (we think 3 nights to give us 2 full days) Where is the best place to stay?

We then move on to San Francisco 3 nights / Coast road back to LA 5 nights - I'll ask all those questions in another post!

Thanks!

emalloy

I don't think they do jeep tours in Zion. You take the park service bus from the VC into the valley.

Hiking the Narrows in April will depend on water levels from the winter snow pack. If it is too high you won't be able to do it. If you can go, rent dry suits and proper footwear in Springdale as it will be very cold, think melted ice water.

For Grand Canyon, make sure you go to the National Park, not the west rim. I do not think they allow helicopter tours in the NP, but some may go from other parts of the canyon.

Do hike down into GC at least a short way on Bright Angel trail or South Kaibab trail. Also hike along the rim trail from Bright Angel towards Hermits rest. If they are running the shuttle to HR, you can hop on at one of the stops if you get tired, otherwise turn around before you get tired.

I love Death Valley and would plan to visit if you can fit it in.

janisj

No possible way you can be at the GC on April 13 and in Yosemite Valley on the 14the and you've allowed no time at all for Death Valley.

The GC > DV > Bakersfield (the route you will have to take in April) > Yosemite is a 15 hour drive w/o a single stop.

So really 2 FULL days which leaves you one day in Yosemite.

A much better idea would be: After the GC fly from either Las Vegas or Phoenix to Sacramento or Fresno, visit Yosemite, drive to SF and finish your trip there.

Dayle

You also need to hustle getting reservations for Utah. Our parks are very popular.

MidwestHiker

2 nights in Zion is OK.

Sunset in Bryce is a non-event, don't worry too much about finding a good spot to watch. Sunrise is much more interesting. It might still be cold/snowy at Bryce.

Bryce --> Page --> Monument Valley in a day is rushed but doable. Think about skipping Monument Valley to slow your pace a bit.

Grand Canyon - I would hike the South Kaibab trail for at least a mile, you'll get great views without spending too much time on the trail. You may still run into snow/ice on the upper part of the trail.

As mentioned, Grand Canyon to Yosemite via Death Valley in a day is not reasonable. I believe you are thinking you will drive from Death Valley over the mountains (Tioga Pass) and into Yosemite, but that road will be closed due to snow in mid-April. You will have to take the long way around.

Can you visit Death Valley prior to Las Vegas? That would at least eliminate the extra mileage on the way from Grand Canyon to Yosemite (which will still be a long drive).

Also, since you say you will have already visited Los Angeles and Anaheim prior to all these national parks, why are you then allotting an additional 5 days to Los Angeles at the end of the trip? Use some of those days to give yourself more time in the parks.

If you're having trouble booking acommodations due to Easter, keep calling every day until you find a vacancy. Also, be creative with your route and direction - you might find it makes more sense to go from Los Angeles up the coast to San Francisco, then Yosemite and around to Death Valley/Vegas etc. Then fly home from either Vegas or Phoenix rather than going back to Los Angeles....or start in San Francisco/Yosemite, drive down the coast to LA, then head to Vegas, etc. and again, finish in Vegas or Phoenix and fly home. Either of those options would be less driving than a huge loop beginning and ending in Los Angeles.

Michael

I would stick to the Arizona and Utah parks rather than go to Yosemite. Do a grand loop starting and ending in Las Vegas. You could include the Moab area (Arches NP and Canyonlands NP) in the loop.

db6040

I agree with Michael above 100%. I think you are trying to do too much in your time frame and I would leave off the California parts for another trip. The plan starts off just fine but becomes problematic toward the end.

As noted above, you will need to secure your lodging very quickly. For Bryce, the Bryce Lodge can't be beat. It is priceless to wake up mere steps from the rim for sunrise over the canyon. Alternatively, Ruby's is right outside the entrance and is a fine back up plan. I wouldn't want to stay any further away than that though. For Zion, there is a range of lodging options in Springdale. You should be able to find something to suit your tastes and budget. For Monument Valley, you really only have two good choices. The View (MUCH preferable) and Goulding's (just fine if the View is booked). For the Grand Canyon, anywhere in the park (south rim) is fine. This lodging is in high demand and you will want to call as soon as possible to make reservations.

At the Grand Canyon, a helicopter ride is not necessary. You can see a lot from just walking along the rim and hiking down a short bit into the canyon. Remember, it will be MUCH harder walking out than it was walking down. I know you mention doing a jeep tour when at Zion. I believe there are outfitters in Springdale who can take you on a jeep tour but - unless i am mistaken - they are taking you to places outside the park. It may be fun, but with limited time, I would focus on the actual national park.

You ask for sunset suggestions at Bryce. I would really just find any nice spot on the rim and settle in to watch and photograph. There is a sunset point that is a popular spot (hence the name). Believe it or not, sunrise point is great for sunset too.

Enjoy!

MidwestHiker

Since the OP is planning on going to San Francisco, I don't see how dropping Yosemite but adding Moab makes this trip more doable. That's even more driving, not less.

Michael

Since the OP is planning on going to San Francisco,

Oops, I overlooked that. But since the trip really starts in Las Vegas with the implied international arrival in Los Angeles, the OP might want to change arrival and departure from the U.S. to Las Vegas and have a more leisurely trip.

janisj

Since the dates seem semi firm I assumed the flights in/out have already been booked. in to Vegas and home from LAX. That's why I suggested flying from Phoenix or Las Vegas to northern California and visiting Yosemite from the west side.



Driving all the way from the Grand Canyon to YNP to SF will eat up three full days in the car w/o seeing anything, so adding 2 full days/3 nights in YNP means easily 6 days for that leg. Day tripping to Death Valley from Vegas makes sense.

jodmaree

Thank you all for your information! Lots of notes taken. To clarify, we booked direct flights as they were an awesome price from Brisbane, in and out of LAX (Travel Expo weekend deal). Flying anxiety is a problem for my husband so we agreed to do driving trip only. The LA, Aneheim and Vegas accommodation is booked but advice on timing was needed before moving on. The five days I mentioned after San Francisco is time spent heading back down the coast (not LA again).

Midwesthiker and janisj - We had planned on entering Yosemite via Tioga pass (I asked a travel professional about travel via this route and was given poor advice obviously). This changes everything now!! I'm so glad I posted this and you all have helped!!

I will now need to pause and consider our options as car hire is now booked!! We do have 3 extra days up our sleeve we were keeping just in case. I'm surprised going via Bakersfield only adds a couple of extra hours (according to google maps!).

If we stay overnight nearby to Death Valley on the 13th, spend a few hours in the morning of 14th at Death Valley, then drive on to somewhere between Bakersfield and Fresno (this could be a late one)? We can then reduce the drive on the 15th to around 3 hours and be in Yosemite by lunch time. Does that sound manageable? I know these are big days - bribery of children will be necessary!

We did a motorhome trip in New Zealand last year and did a couple of 6 hour drives, stopping at little places along the way so I know the kids will manage.

Please continue to offer any extra advice.......

Michael

http://www.liveuptehachapi.com/index.aspx?nid=4 might be OK for an overnight stop, or just a rest stop on your way to Yosemite. It has a nice Bakery/café/restaurant on its main street near the parklet dedicated to railroading.

janisj

>>then drive on to somewhere between Bakersfield and Fresno (this could be a late one

jodmaree

Thank you again for your advice! Will check out Tehachapi link now. I'll get there eventually!! ��

ElendilPickle

Fresno's not horrible (I grew up nearby). You could spend a night there no problem.

Lee Ann

janisj

Yes - Fresno is definitely better than Bakersfield. But they only have 2 days to drive from the GC to Yosemite. They could drive to Tehachapi day 1 and arrive in YNP day 2. Building in an unneeded night night in Fresno would be a waste IMO.