5 days in Zion (end July) and Bryce . Family with 2 teenage boys
 

Hi All:

We have the California portion of our trip taken care of now - so on to Utah.

Coming to Zion and staying at Desert Pearl. We have 14 and 16 yr old boys and are fairly active. I've heard of The Narrows hike -- are there others we should not miss? I was thinking the sky must be stunning out there and if we could do ranger-led programs, think it would be really beneficial. Our kids love to learn and the landscape so different from SE Virginia and if there are educational hikes, that could be really interesting.

Next 2 nights in Bryce so really a day or 1 1/2 days. Same questions.

Will drive from Bryce to SLC area to stay one night before heading into Jackson for our next stop. Is it worth stopping in SLC or keep on moving? Any other stops that are "must sees" from Bruce to SLC?

I've heard you all say --- hike early, drink water, watch out for storms

Thanks for any tips and suggestions!

I'd cut 1 day from Zion and visit Arches NP. The boys might enjoy the pre-history museum in Price. Instead of SLC try for a stay in the Spanish Fork area.

Arches will be a big detour. Park City is a possible overnight stopover on the way to Jackson if you don't want to stay in Salt Lake.

The boys will like Angels Landing in Zion. Need good shoes. For me, it was the hike of a lifetime.
You might not need two days in Bryce -- one was fine for me, and it would a shame IMO to miss Arches when you are that close. Route 12 through central Utah is one of America's great drives.

The Narrows can be closed if there are thunderheads(flash floods). I have too much fear of exposed edges to out on Angels' Landing, but I can at least include walk up the wiggles to the beginning of the chained part. Go early in the morning as it can get hot.

The Riverside and Emerald Pools walks have more shade.
Emerald Pools ( all the way to the top) and the short trail to Weeping Rock are also 'dont miss' walks.

Note..sometimes if you go early enough you can park at the Visitor Center and then you only have to deal with one shuttle.

I also like the Canyon Overlook hike which is off of the road going to Bryce. That is a beautiful road and worth pulling over where you can and walking a bit on the rocks.

Remember it will take a while to get to Bryce and you do want to get there an hour or more before sunset so you can either hunt for parking or take the shuttle. Be sure to check the park website for alerts re road construction and weather/fire issues. Also be aware that if you stay outside the park the shuttle hours are limited. Your full Bryce day I hope you will hike into the canyon.

There may be some Brian Head fire related road closures affecting your drive to SLC. Check for updates about your routes.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5253/

We just spent 2 nights at Bryce; had a great time. If you get up to watch the sunrise, be aware it can be very chilly and windy. We had blankets wrapped around us. The Mossy Cave trail is a nice short hike; wear sandals or water shoes and you can walk/play in the fast-flowing shallow creek. Gorgeous scenery.

Highway 12 between Bryce and Torrey is awesome! Capitol Reef has some good hikes, too.

Enjoy!

I think given the summer temps at Zion, you will find 3 or 4 days more than enough. If you family is really active, there isn't a better place to be active than Park City. Stay 2 nights and take your pick of the activities at the Olympic Park, ziplines, rope courses, extreme tubing (google it, it's AWESOME). Hot air ballooning, golf, mountain biking, fly fishing, hiking, SUP at one of our lakes, road cycling, outdoor converts at Deer Valley, and more....there is even an interesting guided historical walk of Park City, a silver mining town where the Hearst and Aster fortunes were made.

The altitude provides 10 - 15 degrees cooler than SLC valley.

Don't stay in Spanish Fork!

Between Bryce and SLC--not much!! But you could stop at the Museum of Ancient Life in Lehi to check it out--lots of dinosaurs. If your kids are interested in all kinds of Natural History--human and dines etc, then the Natural History Museum in SLC is really fantastic!! Staying in Park City would be a little cooler and you could do some nice hikes. If you are looking at more of a stop over, then go for SLC. Stay in the city and have a nice dinner.

Between SLC and Jackson Hole I like to stop in Idaho Falls. There is a great little Museum-the Museum of Eastern Idaho I think, that has fantastic traveling exhibits. Check out the website to see if they have one you will like when you are there. Then we hop back in the car and drive the next 3 hours. to Jackson.

Yes, Park City is worth more than one night. I wasn't sure how many nights you're staying in Springdale and how many nights you have left over. You reach Springdale on the 30th and need to be in Jackson by the 6th, right?

Patty - that's correct. Right now we have 3 nights at Desert Pearl (a treat) and then 2 nights in Bryce and one night free between Bryce and Jackson.

What do you think?

A nice little break in the drive between Southern Utah and SLC is Cove Fort at the intersection of I-15 and I-70. It is worth an hour if you like history and want to stretch your legs. I just stopped with my two little boys and they enjoyed it. It is free.

Park City is active and cooler than SLC. There is nothing special about Spanish Fork other than it is smaller and quieter than SLC. I'd stay in SLC or Park City.

If you want something unique, definitely hit Temple Square in SLC.

Re: travelinsanity recommendation to visit Temple Square in SLC is valid.

The Mormon religion has about 10,000,000 members. Temple Square is the soul of that religion. ALL tours are free.

Can not miss visiting the Mormon Tabernacle where great musical performances are conducted. Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSiVjlknuSw

If English language is a problem, they have at least 40 translators. We were there last year with friends from Switzerland. For amusement, we introduced our friends to a Mormon host and asked if they had someone who spoke Switzerland's German (different from German-German).
The answer was yes!

Vaga

2 teens at Temple Square--nope. I have been once. The Tabernacle is an interesting building. Getting a chance to watch the MoTabs would be awesome if your kids like music/church hymns. (their Christmas programs are something I would love to get a tix to--by lottery only!) The gardens are nice. But otherwise, this is a total skip. Go see the Natural History Museum or go to Park City and hike and enjoy amazing trails and the mountains.

Thanks for the suggestions! I think we will skip SLC now and go through Park City.

As far as driving up and into WY, google maps has us going pretty much straight north but we've heard that entering via Idaho is amazing. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks everyone!!!

Living in Park City, I usually go thru Evanston on Hwy 89 and on up thru the gorgeous Star Valley of WY. If you go this route you will cross the UT, ID, and WY borders multiple times. Its the quickest from Park City.

I just drove the ID route thru Swan Valley last weekend. Its nice but not any better in my opinion.

Driving up thru SLC to Logan Canyon and along Bear Lake is very pretty but will definitely be the longest and slowest due to RV traffic on a steep two lane road.