11 days to see the 5 NPS in utah need itineray
 

I need help in planing a fly into salt lake city and renting a car and the best way to go to see the NPS and get back to salt lake city in 12 days

If you can't see the link to "trip reports" you may want to click here and read a few.

Sorry, the link: I know when I am on certain devices I can't see it.

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

When are you planning to go?

Which 5 parks are you planning on going to? Dinosaur, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Grand Staircase Escalante, Zion? Will you drop down to Grand Canyon?

Do you want to hike a lot or a little, drive through or spend time in the VC and at the wonderful view points?

We've done several trips from Vegas and gone to Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands and Grand Canyon in that time frame, but have done mostly easy hikes and photo ops. We have made other trips to them from Albuquerque, Denver, and Phoenix also so have visited all of them several times.

The "best" way often depends on where there is snow, and where we can get a car rental and motel room at a reasonable rate.

The loop from SLC isn't too different time wise from the loop from Vegas, and if you plan a loop, you can go in either direction depending on the above.

What Month?


Day 1--4 hour drive to Moab
Day 2- Arches National Park-Hike to Delicate Arch at Sunrise. Most people see it at Sunset, I will always argue the point that Sunrise is actually better. No people and much cooler. At night expect 200 people there. And all 200 of them stand under the arch to take pictures.
Also see Landscape Arch, better yet hike the entire Devils Garden.
Don't miss Double Arch, Turret Arch/Windows Section, and Balanced Rock. These are all a 10 minute walk from your car.

My very favorite thing at Moab is www.deserthighlights.com

Day 3--Canyonlands

Day 4--Head towards Torrey, UT. On your way stop at Goblin Valley State Park. Allow an hour or two there. Right near Goblin Valley is Little Wildhorse Canyon. Not to be confused with Wildhorse. You want Little Wildhorse. It's a great slot canyon. it is 8 miles, but most people just hike in a mile or two and turn around. So allow 2-3 hours there. This is one of the few hikes that can be done in the middle of the day, because there is so much shade you are never in the sun. It is maybe 10 minutes from Goblins. Ask park rangers in Goblin Valley about finding the trailhead. You must have water and food in this area. There is absolutely nothing here. Drive on to Torrey Utah that night and overnight in Ausin's Chuckwagon. Diablo Cafe for upscale dining or Slacker for a burger are some options. If get a burger in Utah, be sure and try the Pink Fry Sauce. Unique to Utah.

Day 5 Get Homemade Pie for breakfast at The Gifford House, which is inside Capitol Reef. Eat your pie right next door in the picnic area with the huge trees. Deer are almost always present. I like Cassidy Arch and Hickman Bridge hikes in Cap Reef. Have dinner and overnght @ Boulder Mountain Lodge

Day 6 HWY 12 and hike Calf Creek Falls. See Devils Garden in Escalante(yes, this is a different Devils Garden than the one in Arches Overnight @ Bryce Canyon Lodge

Day 7 Bryce Hike Queens Garden/Navajo Loop, considering doing a horse ride trip.
Overnight Bryce Canyon Lodge

Day 8 drive to Zion Overnight Zion Canyon Lodge
Day 9 Zion--Hike Angels Landing, Rent gear from Zion Adventure Company and Hike The Narrows

Day 10---this is an extra day. I might be tempted to hike a fairly untraveled section of Canyonlands. This is right near Goblin Valley, but the road could be very bad if it has rained. This hike is to The Great Gallery. Sometimes referred to as Horseshoe Canyon. This is a detached section of Canyonlands. This is where Aaron Ralston was found(he was actually in Bluejohn Canyon). This is the hiker that amputated is own arm(perhaps you've seen the move). This is a great petroglyph/pictograph area. Maybe not the very best in the world, but that is certainly what most websites say about is. You might want to do Goblin, this hike, and Little Wildhorse all in a single day and stay at Hanksville.
You could also use this day for www.deserthighlights.com in Moab.
You could head down toward Monument Valley. You could see it along with Moki Dugway and Natural Bridges National Monument. I think one of the best things in Utah is Sipapu Bridge there. It is as good as any Arch in Arches. It's massive! Also you could see Goosenecks of the San Juan River in this area.

Day 11--Head back to SLC

Spiro did it! There are only 5 NPs in Utah right?

we are going in may and want to see Arches and canyonland and capitol reef bryce and Zion

I would do Arches, Canyonlands and Cap Reef first. Bryce will be cooler so, save it for the last.