Bryce, Capitol Reef & Moab
 

We plan to drive from LV to Bryce(one night)then to Capitol Reef(one night)and on to Moab for 2 nights before returning to LV. We are not into hiking, is the Moab area worht it? Is it better to drive from Capitol Reef to overnight in Kayenta and see MV and then spend another night on the North Rim before returning to LV? Is there an alternate route to Hwy 12 from Bryce to Torrey? Wife is afraid of Hogsback.How long is the drive from Torrey to Kayenta? I would appreciate all your advice.

We spent three nights in Moab earlier this month and went to Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point and Arches along with a full day raft trip. We aren't into hiking much either, but the 3 mile round trip hike to Delicate Arch was the highlight of our two week vacation. You can see the best views in Canyonlands and DHP with short (less than .5 mile) hikes. You can also see several nice arches in Arches with short hikes. The raft trip was excellent also.

That being said, I would recommend a jeep tour of Monument Valley over Moab. This was one of the best experiences we've ever had.

There is not much of an alternative to Torrey except the long way around.
If sharp highway grades and declines are a worry, then every road out there is a potential problem. I have no answers.

Your alternatives are 6 of one and half a dozen of another. I think after you look at the distances from Moab to the Gc to Las Vegas, you may alter your route. That is a lot of driving in a very short period.

Having visited all of these places, I would not recommend trying to visit them in the time frame you are planning. I have no idea how far it is from Moab to LV, but think it is a long way. I believe it took us about 4 hours to drive from LV to Williams Arizona, which is about 45 miles south of the Grand Canyon South Rim. Moab is a long way from the South Rim.

We flew to LV last year and spent 3 days visiting Zion, Bryce & Capitol Reef.

We just returned from visiting Monument Valley and Moab. Due to the price of air fare, we flew into Phoenix. It's about 5 hours from Phoenix to Monument Valley. I'm not sure how far it is directly to Moab as we made several deters to see other sights. Moab is a neat town and has lots of places to visit nearby - Canyonlands, Arches, & Dead Horse Point State Park.

I think you will have to pick one area or the other to visit.

Your itinerary is definitely doable.

To the person who described driving from Williams, AZ, to Las Vegas, please note, Las Vegas is CLOSER to Moab than Williams, AZ, is by a long shot.

I recommend that you do at least a day rafting trip in Moab. You will see a lot of beautiful scenery (probably on the Green River) and it will be relaxing. The day rafting trips are fairly tame.

I just checked MapQuest. It is 456 miles from LV to Moab and 218 to Williams, Arizona (near GC South Rim). I believe the drive from LV to Zion was about 3-4 hours and then another 1 1/2-2 hours to Bryce.

Even if you are not hiker the Moab area of Utah is WELL worth it. You don't even have to leave you vehicle in Arches to see beautiful scenery but if your wife is afraid of the Hogsback, I wonder how she will do with the switch backs to get into Arches National Park. I really don't think you have enought time.

From Las Vegas to Bryce, to Capitol Reef via highways 89, 62 and 24 instead of scenic Hwy 12, to Moab and back to Las Vegas is well over 900 miles.

From Las Vegas to Bryce, Capitol Reef and then cutting down to Monument Valley and back to Las Vegas is just a little over 900 miles.

Both those routes are just to long for the short time you have. If you have more days then it would be worth it.

I would suggest a night or two in Zion National Park. One night in Byrce and a night at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before going back to Las Vegas. This route is only about 560 miles. Other nice stops if you have the time would be Snow Canyon State Park just outside of St. George, Utah and Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada just east of Las Vegas.

Zion is a beautiful park and you could spend a whole day just riding the shuttle buses and getting out at all the stops to enjoy the views. The Riverside walk is a very easy 2 mile round trip walk and you can turn around at any time to come back. You don't need to be a hiker to do this walk but it's so beautiful.

Utahtea

I'm guessing that Hogsback is a mountain or mountain range to be crossed. What hiway is it on? We'll be going through that area next year and I am curious. I'm also having a problem finding monument valley on the map.

To Ronkala,

The Hogsback is a section of scenic Hwy 12 in Utah between Esclante and Boulder, Utah. This link has a great picture from the air and wonderful descriptions.

http://www.so-utah.com/hwy12/hogsback/homepage.html

Monument Valley is on the Utah/Arizona border in the eastern part of those states. It is near Gouldings, Utah. Monument Valley is about 20 - 25 miles north of Kayenta, Arizona. Try this link:

http://www.so-utah.com/souteast/monument/homepage.html

Utahtea

Thankyou Utahtea, I found them and I appreciate your help.

ronk

Thanks to all for your great advice. I have a question for utahtea. We have been to Zion and loved it. We drove that wonderful road to Kanab. Is Hogsback the same or worse? How about the road you describe to enter Arches?
I had in mind 1 night in Bryce, 1 night in Torrey and 2 nights in Moab and then back to LV by Hwy.If we decide to go to the North Rim, do they have look outs as in the South Rim whre you can drive by and stop? Again, thanks to all.

Hi,

The road into Arches is more like the switch back road up to the Zion tunnel. If your wife didn't mind that road she won't mind the road into Arches.

The Hogsback has drop offs on both sides of the road but it is a fairly straight section. There is a section called the neck that is just a little wider than the road. This is really just a very short section of the scenic road and I hope you can convience your wife to try it. The drive is magnificant. I think it's one of the most scenic areas for driving. Part of it is now the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. If she decides against Hwy 12 it's not that much farther to take Hwy's 89, 62 & 24 to Capitol Reef.

If you have been to the S. Rim of the Grand Canyon and are trying to choose between Moab and the N. Rim then I would say go for Moab. The N. Rim only has a few view points and IMHO the view is not as "Grand" as the S. Rim. (forgive my pun).

Most of Capitol Reef can be seen from the car but there are two easy walks that are worth some time. Capitol Gorge or Grand Wash are nice level hikes. Go as far as you like and then turn around. Also on Hwy 24 in the park is a turn off to see petroglyphs. Take the short walk up to see them. In the summer the Fruita orchards have fresh fruit you can pick depending on what time of the summer you get there.

Highway 128 east out of Moab is a fantastic drive along the Colorado River with beautiful sandstone walls on both sides of you. This is the same route the day rafting trips take. Another scenic drive is call the Potash Road which follows the Colorado River to the west. Just ask in town where the road is.

On you way back to Las Vegas take I-70 and a little after you leave Green River, Utah you will go thought the San Rafeal Swell area. They are trying to make this our newest National Monument. It's also a scenic drive.

Utahtea

Richbutnot:

Which rafting company/trip did you do in Moab? We're heading out that way in mid July and are doing Tag-a-Long's full day Colorado River Westwater trip. Has anyone done this?

We went with Tag-a-Long on the Colorado River Whitewater Splash. This was our first raft trip so I went with the tamer trip. Your trip sounds more like what we should have done (although it is three times more cost). Tag-a-Along was great, I would definitely use them again. Bring suntan lotion, hats and a water bottle. A waterproof disposable camera works real good.

Richbutnot:

Thanks for the advice on what to bring. Will let you know how scary our trip is!