Andre

OK, perhaps not an epic adventure, but still... Back from an absolutely great trip to Utah's national parks, after my usual family/friends visit in NYC. In order to avoid a never ending trip report, I'll attempt to keep things quite concise this time, unlike my forever unfinished Sicily report ;-). Feel free to ask for additional details...

Itinerary:
April 18:
JetBlue flight from JFK to Salt Lake City
Hilton Salt Lake City Center

April 19:
Visit Temple Square
Lunch at Hotel Monaco
Rental car pickup at Alamo (airport branch)
Drive to Moab
Dinner at Miguel's
4 nights at Holiday Inn Express Moab

April 20
Visit Arches NP (including Park Avenue and Devil's Garden hikes)
Dinner at Center Café

April 21
Tag-a-long jeep and jetboat tour of Canyonlands NP
Dinner at Buck's Grillhouse

April 22
Rain...
Dinner at Slickrock Café

April 23
Dead Horse Point SP
Drive to Torrey
Capitol Reef Scenic Drive at sunset
Dinner at Diablo Café
2 nights at BW Capitol Reef Resort

April 24
Hikes in Capitol Reef NP: Hickman Bridge, Cohab Canyon and Grand Wash
Dinner at Rim Rock Inn

April 25
Drive to Bryce on Highway 12
Anasazi museum and ruins in Boulder
Calf Creek hike in Escalante NM
Sunset stroll along Bryce Canyon rim
Dinner at Bryce Canyon Lodge dining room
1 night in cabins at Bryce Canyon Lodge

April 26
Drive/walk to Bryce canyon viewpoints
Drive to Zion NP
Dinner at Flannigan's (Spotted Dog Caf&eacute
2 nights at Desert Pearl Inn in Springdale

April 27
Visit Zion Canyon: Riverside walk and Kayenta Trail to Emerald pools
Dinner at ?? (very casual mexican place)

April 28
Weeping Rock walk in Zion NP
Drive to Las Vegas
Visit Luxor & Mandalay Bay
Dinner at Lotus of Siam
Return rental car at airport
2 nights at Bellagio

April 29
Visit Bellagio, Caesar's Palace and The Venetian
Dinner at Prime
A little roulette...

April 30
AA flight to LAX
Pick up rental car at Dollar
Drive to Getty Center
Return car
LX flight home to Zurich

LaurenSKahn

You appear to have packed in a lot except for omitting my favorite activity: Whitewater rafting.

Of course, you do not have to like whitewater rafting but I love it (and I am a confirmed roller coaster chicken).

In Utah, a variety of whitewater trips are available out of Moab, UT--for anyone who is interested.

Andre

Part 1:

April 18
The JetBlue flight from JFK: on time, nice leather seats (and the middle one was free!), lots of TV channels to watch, so no complaints, especially since the fare was $107.60 all in!! Since we got in very late (around 1 a.m.), Alamo had already closed, so we took a cab into town to the Hilton. Clean, nondescript but quite large rooms and a good location. Again a steal, since I had gotten it on Priceline for $50!

April 19
Awoke to grey, threatening skies. Hotel gave us late checkout until 2 PM, so strolled down to Temple Square and took the "tour" offered by the missionaries... sort of interesting, but honestly I could have easily down without it - a little too much proselytizing for my taste and honestly the architecture ain't that special.
Anyway, after that we walked down to the Monaco hotel and had a GREAT lunch. Both of us took the blue plate special, which was skewers of beef with thai spices with rice and veggies. Starter was a delicious green salad and ice cream for desert was also included - a great deal.
After that, we went back out to the airport and picked up our rental car at Alamo. They're on airport with all the majors and I got a nice dark gray Trailblazer (with 4wd unlike my previous rental with them). I had reserved a normal full size and intended to upgrade, but the agent did not even try to force the issue and told me I would be getting a Monte Carlo or an Impala. So no complaints here.
Headed out to Moab and arrived at the Holiday Inn Express about 4 hours later. It's the 2nd motel as you head toward Moab from the North, just past the Aarchway Inn. It's quite new, spotless and has elevators, a decent breakfast and a nice indoor pool + hot tub. Pretty expensive at $85, but it looked like the nicest motel in town. Oh yes, one of the front desk staff (lady) was very friendly and gave us lots of advice on things to see and do, although unfortunately we didn't have time for even half of them

Drove into town for dinner at Miguel's Baja Grill, a Fodorite recommendation. VERY casual place, but wow! I have never had tortillas that good. I had the fish tacos, my mom had them with Portobello mushrooms. Both were excellent!

April 20:
Headed out to Arches after breakfast. WOW! Started out with the Park Avenue hike (thanks, Utahtea!), then drove along the road till Balanced Rock, where we stopped for a picnic lunch at the picnic area. Continued onwards to Devil's Garden, where we walked to Landscape arch. Then drove back and off to the Windows district, where we also stopped and enjoyed the various viewpoints.

I had intended to go back to see the sunset at Delicate Arch, but the weather was not that cooperative, so put it off for another day... big mistake!

Anyway, after a nice swim, we headed out to dinner at the Center Cafe, which looked very nice, but turned out to be only average and quite expensive... oh well.

April 21:
Got up early for our excursion to Canyonlands NP. The Tag-a-long guide picked us up at the motel and drove us to the office where we paid up and signed a long waiver (gotta love the US legal system). Then we were off on our combo jeep/jetboat tour. Normally, the day starts with the jetboat trip and ends with the drive up the white rim and Shafer trails, but in our case, the itinerary was reversed to accomodate a group of bikers, who were biking down and would meet up with us at the river so we could take the jetboat together. There were 6 of us on the Tag-A-Long SUV, which was a large Ford with 3 rows of seats, so quite comfortable, everyone had a window. It was a GREAT day! Just pack some extra lunch supplies - they ran out of food and it did not seem like an isolated incident. Here's the link to the trip we took:
http://www.tagalong.com/trips/combin...trips/jj0.html

Had dinner at Buck's Grill House just down the road and it was excellent! Prime rib for my mom and elk stew for me.

More to come...

Dayle

Hi Andre,

Sounds like you and your Mom had a wonderful trip! I'm glad you tried Bambara at the Hotel Monaco. Defintely one of the best restaurants in SLC. I agree completely with your comment on the Center Cafe in Moab. Considering their prices (which rival anything in my town, Park City) I expected a 5 star dining experience. Very sadly disappointed! My steak -- how can a good restaurant screw up a steak -- was ordered medium rare and I received a well done and "Yokon potatos were dry and cold. Cesear salad was stingy on the parmesan.

Anyway - can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip was. How was the jet boat????

Andre

Dayle,

Thanks for your encouragement! Sorry to hear you were also disappointed by the Center Cafe - win a few, lose a few I guess.

Anyway, the jetboat was great, if rather noisy. The captain/pilot/guide was excellent and we made 2 stops for short hikes to native american petroglyphs and granaries as well as a natural "cathedral" were concerts are held in the summer. Ok, here comes the next installment...

Grasshopper

Andre, After reading so much of your great advice on Switzerland, it's fun to read about your trip to the US. I'm wondering what you thought of the mountains near SLC, as compared to your fabulous Swiss mountains. I have a home in the Rockies and am constantly comparing and contrasting to the Alps.

Andre

Grasshopper,

Glad that I've been able to help you out on the Europe board - you also give great advice there though!

Re: the mountains around SLC, the weather wasn't very cooperative, but I must admit that the glimpses I got were not particularly inspiring. However, they were just that, glimpses and I have heard nothing but raves about the skiing there. Someday, perhaps...

Andre

April 22:
Awoke to pouring rain, which was to continue intermittently for the next 24 hours...

Tooled around "town" a bit - there's actually a pretty nice bookshop there - napped and went for an afternoon swim. It was actually nice to unwind a bit, although there were so many more things I wanted to do (especially Delicate Arch...)!

One thing I forgot to mention earlier: the snowcapped La Sal mountains provided an especially dramatic backdrop to the views from Arches and Moab itself - spring is a great time to visit! We were just a week or 2 early for the peak wildflower season though.

Had dinner at the Slickrock Cafe. Average mains (burger and chicken breast), but one of the all time great bread puddings for dessert - wow!

You can see the menus of these and all the other restaurants in town at:
http://www.moabhappenings.com/menuguide.htm#restaurants
We were handed a hard copy of this at the motel when we checked in.

April 23:
The rain stopped early in the morning, so after checking out we headed to Dead Horse Point State Park - that is one amazing view, and it was fun to see the route we had taken with the jetboat a few days before from a very different perspective. After that, drove to Torrey (about 3 hours). It's a great drive, especially the part through the desert near Goblin Valley State Park.

Arrived at the Best Western Capitol Reef just as the clouds were clearing. It's an older motel, but well maintained and the rooms in what they call the "main building" have sensational views and a large balcony to enjoy them from (there is a lower level of rooms which didn't look as nice). Great location just outside the NP and a short drive from Torrey.

Drove back out to the park and along the Scenic Drive in the park to enjoy the amazing sunset.

Had dinner at Cafe Diablo, another fodorite favourite and an absolute winner. Everything was delicious, but the pork ribs were a standout, the best ribs I have ever eaten - period. Portions are huge though, so you may want to share an appetizer (we didn't ;-) ). The dining room is very casual and there was a country singer/guitar player - we were able to get a table at the back that was somewhat quieter though, just ask.

April 24:
After breakfast at the motel diner (pancakes - quite good and they also make OK packed lunches), we headed into the park and first hiked up to Hickman bridge, then had a picnic lunch before heading up to Cohab canyon on the other side of the road. Both hikes were great - you need to get some elevation to appreciate that part of the park. Next, we drove the Grand Wash dirt road to the parking lot and walked for a while on the trail - so beautiful again (I'm running out of superlatives).

Wanted to have dinner at Diablo again, but they were closed for a private function - the waitress recommended the Rim Rock Inn right across from our motel, so we headed there and had excellent steak, but I must say the atmosphere was not the greatest, even though the dining room was quite attractive. We should probably have tried the Capitol Reef Inn, which had tons of cars parked in front of it.

April 25:
After breakfast, we headed off along Highway 12 to Bryce. We had read that this would be a very scenic drive and weren't disappointed!
The road first rises from Torrey, leading through mixed birch/pine forests - the ground was still snowcovered in places. There were several turnoffs to admire the views. The road then leads down to Boulder, where we stopped at the unpreposessing visitor center & anasazi museum. This turned out to be a very pleasant stop. Aside from good advice to take the Calf Creek hike (more about that later), the small museum and archeological site out back where very interesting. The gift shop also had some very attractive native american items.
After Boulder, the road enters the Escalante / Grand Staircase NM and the scenery gets very dramatic in a desert canyon landscape, as it rises to a ridge with jaw-dropping views on BOTH sides! After that high point (no pun intended), it heads down to Calf Creek. We parked ($2 fee not covered by the NP pass) and set off on the trail. It's quite easy but long and tiring because you are walking on sand for a good part of the way. We didn't make to the waterfalls at the end, but it was very worthwhile all the same.
After that, we drove on to Bryce, with a brief snack stop in Escalante. The scenery was definitely best between Escalante and Torrey.
We checked in to the Lodge, where we had reserved 2 "cabins". This worked out great, as they were actually 2 halves of the same house, with connecting doors, so we had a huge spread. Very atmospheric, though the bathrooms could use some serious updating. Still, an absolute must-do, far nicer than the El Tovar at Grand Canyon IMO. Dinner was at the lodge dining room. Nice room (but why the ugly salad/soup buffet??), food and service were unremarkable. Slept like a log... until the alarm woke me at 6 am...

More to come...

Andre

April 26:
Early morning wake up to see the sunrise. Freezing cold (literally), but beautiful - although sunrise at Grand Canyon was even more amazing IMO. Had breakfast after a short snooze and headed out on the road through the park, stopping at almost all the viewpoints. There is currently construction between the lodge and Inspiration Point, which leads to delays as traffic is one way at a time and led through the construction site by a "pilot car" travelling at a snail's pace. The road itself, while pretty, only affords occasional glimpses of the rock formation, so you need to stop at the viewpoints to get a good look at the amazing scenery.
After a short lunch at the snack shop / market, we headed out towards Springdale. The descent into Zion Canyon is quite amazing, but not really any opportunities to stop and admire the views.
Headed into Springdale and checked in to the Desert Pearl Inn - our second floor rooms overlooking the creek were very close to perfect! Be aware that there are no elevators though. Headed to their very nice pool/spa area before dinner at the Spotted Dog cafe at Flannigan's - good food but service and decor were just OK.

April 27:
Our last full day in a National Park... First, breakfast - delicious freshly baked lemon poppy muffin for me - from the gift/coffee shop at the inn. Took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the visitor's center (would not have been necessary as there was ample parking available), got sandwiches to go at the cafeteria there (so-so) and took the shuttle bus all the way up the canyon to the Temple of Sinawa stop. Took the beautiful and very easy (paved) Riverside Walk to the start of the Narrows hike. Afterwards, took the shuttle bus to The Grotto, where we had our lunch at the picnic tables. Then, we walked the Kayenta trail to the Emerald Pools. This is moderate and HIGHLY recommended! Do note though that there is little shade. We then walked down the main Emerald Pools trail to the lodge, from which we headed back to the Desert Pearl Inn - enyoyed the pool again. Had dinner at a very casual mexican place (can't remember the name) - quite good.

April 28:
After breakfast (more muffins ;-) ) and check out, we headed back to Zion and took the Weeping Rock trail. We then drove off to Vegas...

To be continued...

bayareamama

Enjoying your report! More please.

Andre

April 28, continued

Arrived at the Bellagio and was overwhelmed by the CROWDS - the lobby was a complete zoo, with lots of gawkers and more than a handful of guests.

After checking in and finally getting our second room (at first no nonsmoking lakeview was available) we headed down the strip by car to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay. They were EMPTY (this was a Wednesday evening). The Luxor atrium is impressive but is not exactly upscale and the shopping passage between the 2 hotels is not bad, but not in the same league as Caesar's or the Venetian (great wine bar which also sells amazing wine glasses though). The lobby of the Hotel at Mandalay Bay was truly beautiful (I do prefer modern, clean lines to over the top à la Bellagio/Caesars/Venetian)... If it weren't for the somewhat out of the way location, this would clearly be my top hotel choice for a return visit and if they do finally open the monorail, that might not be such an issue anymore.

After our quick visit, we headed for Lotus of Siam, a thai restaurant in an ugly strip mall which has received numerous rave reviews in guidebooks, on chowhound.com and egullet.com. Food was excellent, especially the fried catfish and the mango with sticky rice dessert. They also have a great selection of German wines (go figure), which you can order by the glass. The waiter even offered me a mini-tasting of 3 wines (all poured in the same glass though ) so I could make up my mind! This was a really weird day: starting off with a hike in Zion, quick immersion into the Vegas strip and then dinner in a VERY casual restaurant decorated like it could be in any not-so-wealthy area of a large US city... very disorienting!

Anyway, after dinner it was time to bid farewell to our trusty rental car, so we set of for the airport. The National/Alamo dropoff is NOT well signposted - it was a good thing we had printed out directions on Mapquest. Return was uneventful and there's even a courtesy phone for a cab service inside (cab took about 20 min. to come though).

April 29
Today was "explore the strip" day! But first, breakfast - had read on this board that the Palio pastry shop was very good, but the selection did not look impressive at all (the gelato place just across the hall looked great though). So instead, we headed down to the pool area and had breakfast at the cafe there. It was quite good, actually, but very expensive. It was nice to be in a quieter part of the hotel, since only guests may access the pool area.

Afterwards, we walked through the Bellagio arcade, over to Caesar's and finally ended up at the Venetian. The center strip is basically a succession of malls interrupted by huge casinos. Caesar's is building a large extension to their Forum Shops (though they are already huge) - it will probably be finished late this year by the look of things. The shopping in these places is quite good, suffice it to say we did not return empty handed! Went for a short swim in the pool, just before it closed (at 6 PM or something crazy like that).

For our last night in the US, I had reserved at Prime. We were given a table all the way at the back of the room, which was actually a good vantage point. The place is HUGE and was bustling! Food was excellent - superb steaks in particular (I had the peppercorn crusted NY strip), but the appetizers and dessert were noteworthy as well. The service however, was quite bad - I had to request a wine list, the appetizers arrived almost immediately (I hadn't even placed the wine order yet) and then there was a looong wait for the steaks. After that our waiter changed, and things improved for dessert. It was still an excellent meal all in all.

Afterwards, it was time to gamble - my first try at roulette was reasonably successful - got $50 in chips and and ended up cashing in $111, but honestly, I found it quite boring. Perhaps I should have tried card games or craps?

So, off to bed with a 5 am wake up call


Before continuing, I would like to offer some thoughts on our experience at the Bellagio.

First, the bad:
- The front desk staff were generally not that competent or helpful
- My mom's room turned out to be infested by moths
- The public areas, especially the Conservatory, get overrun by gawkers

Now the good:
- The rooms are clean, newly refurbished and very attractive - not gaudy at all
- The beds are the most comfortable I have every slept in
- The lake view is phenomenal, especially when the fountains are on
- The roulette dealer at the casino was very friendly even though I was playing for the first time and wasn't too sure how to get chips, what the minimum bet was etc.

Would I stay there again? Probably not. I would either try The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, the new Wynn Las Vegas when it opens or if those are too expensive the Paris, which we didn't get to visit and looks like a very good deal. However, I think that a lakeview room at the Bellagio offered the quintessential Vegas experience to the first-timers that we were. Should also add that after having seen LV, I would never return unless it was on business or I was passing through - just not my scene.

To be continued...

utahtea

Great trip report!

Utahtea

Andre

Thanks, Utahtea!

Your advice was a major factor in making this trip such a success!!

Andre