Thanks to everyone's great advice on this site, we just returned from a great trip that started at the North Rim, GC. We stayed in a Frontier cabin. Accomodations were clean, but cramped.We were told that the larger cabins require over a 1 yr advance reservation. Fires prevented us from seeing the other trails accessible via road from the Lodge. It would be a good idea to call ahead and check if you are planning a visit soon. The main trails near the lodge were open, but we missed several others. The Lodge dining room serves first class meals..a real treat at the end of the day. While at Bryce, we stayed in Tropic at the Bryce Canyon Inn cabins. They are new and roomy and reasonable. A warning: stay away from Hoodoos restaurant. It was terrible and service was nonexistant. Not a lot of dining choices in Tropic. The Inn has a good pizza restaurant..which may end up being the best choice in Tropic. Capital Reef and Escalante are wonderful. Very few people and both very different. We stayed at the Boulder Mt Lodge as a central location. What a wonderful place!!Again, everyone's raves put us there. The Hells Backbone Kitchen is Zagat rated and featured in Oprah magazine. Meals to die for! Open for Bkfst and dinner. The Desert Pearl in Springdale was everything that you promised!! They are in the process of building a restaurant. This is definitely the place to stay. Oscars and Bit and Spur had great food. The Spotted Dog at Flanigans was also wonderful. Had a great breakfast there.We couldnt add to our reservation at the Desert Pearl and we stayed an additional night at Flanigans. It is also very nice! Ended the trip at Paris, Las Vegas. Again, a good choice with a Central location on the strip and a manageable sized property. Thanks for all of advice and happy travels!

Thanks for the trip report texasrover, and glad you had a good time.

Can you give me more information about Boulder Mountain Lodge? Are there specific floors or rooms to request for better views? And can you tell me more about the restaurant, in terms of price, menu choices, kid friendly? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all the great info! We're leaving in about a week for a very similar trip starting in Zion - ending at the North Rim 12 days later - via Boulder, Torrey and Moab. Staying at the Desert Pearl and Boulder Mtn Lodge. We ate breakfast and dinner at Hells Backbone Grill last year and it was unbelievable. So glad you had a great trip.

I wouldn't really consider any of the rooms at Boulder Mtn Lodge "view" rooms. However, they do have one building that overlooks the bird sanctuary. They will accept pets in ground floor rooms, but there is an additional charge. Very nice place!

In response to the Boulder Mt. Lodge question: The second floor of the middle lodge overlooks the pond and sanctuary. Every room has one outside entrance to a common porch with Adirondack chairs by the room door.There are tastefully decorated common rooms in the middle of each floor. They have a web site for you to get a better idea. Also, the menu for the restaurant is posted. I did not notice a kids menu. We were there after school began,so there were no children. The reason we chose Boulder is the alpine setting vs. the desert setting.

Thanks for your report Texasrover. We'll be leaving for Canyon, Bryce, and Zion next Thursday. When I saw your posting, I called Canyon info to learn more abt those closed roads; they claimed not to know what I was talking about-- said no roads or trails have been closed. I'm trying to decide whether to cancel our north rim plans and do Capitol Reef instead. Can you give me more info abt those fires and road and trail closings (is it trails or roads that are closed? Do you remember which ones?) Also: can you tell me, please, abt how long a drive it is between Bryce and Capitol Reef/Boulder Mt Lodge? Thanks so much!