Bryce, Zion, Cap Reef - calling the Utah experts!
 

My husband and I are taking a week in mid September to hike Bryce, Zion and Cap Reef. I am debating between two different driving itenararies and need some help from those of you who have driven between all these parks.

Option 1
Day 1- leave Denver very early and drive to Goblin Valley State Park and spend a few hours exploring before heading into Torrey for the night.

Day2- Cap Reef all day and then drive towards Bryce- should we stay along the way in Boulder or just drive it all the way in?

Day 3- Bryce

Day 4 Bryce

Day 5 Drive to Zion, have the day in Zion

Day 6 Zion

Day 7 Zion until after lunch and then start the drive home- get as far as we can

Day 8 arrive back in Denver

Option 2 flips the order so that after Goblin Valley we drive straight to Zion on day 2 Explore Zion for days 3, 4 and then drive to Bryce for several days and then home to Denver from Bryce.

My questions are- How long/hard is the drive between Cap Reef and Bryce? How long/hard is the drive between Cap Reef to Zion? Is one way better than another?
Do I have too few or too many days in any one place?

I am trying to keep the order a bit flexible to book the lodge in Bryce Canyon- right now it is booked solid for those dates but I keep checking. By having two options for Bryce- I hope to be able to increase the chances of staying at the Lodge.

I have read all the previous posts and so appreciate all the insights! Have many of them saved for tips on hikes, lodging etc.. We have spent a lot of time in Moab and Arches on previous trips so am not stopping there this time.

You could double book at Zion and then cancel one of them if you get your Bryce. You could also go ahead and book at Rubys, just in case Bryce Lodge doesn't pan out(it probably will work out though).

on day 2, why not just stay at Torrey for 2 nights and then go to Bryce the next day? That would give you as much of a day as you want on HWY 12. Plus it will be easier to snag 1 night at Bryce Lodge than 2. What did you want to do along HWY 12 would be the question? Escalante/Devils Garden, several good drives, Calf Creek Falls, etc? The other option would be to stop in Boulder. I would stop or just stay at Torrey. Hwy 12 is worth having some extra time on and not rushing it.

Right near Goblin Valley is Little Wild Horse Canyon(not to be confused with Wild Horse Canyon). Its a great slot canyon and you can do it in an hour or two.

Don't miss the pies at The Gifford House in Cap Reef. They sell out of them early. I suggest going there and eating one for breakfast. It is right next to the picnic area and full of deer usually. You will probably be there for some sort of fruit season to pick.

Have you considered option 3, Denver to Zion (about 10 hours ) then Bryce, Capitol Reef, Goblin and up 24 to 70 back to Denver?

This lets you do a nice loop and make the time in Bryce even more flexible, but I would imagine that if you keep calling as time gets closer something will open up.

I really have no opinion on the direction.

I don't know what you time constraints are but Capitol Reef isn't one of my favorite places. A few nice hikes (Hickman Bridge and Chimney Rock). But. . .

There are several places in the area that are very worthy of your time.

spiro mentioned Little Wild Horse canyon. I've never been there but have been to Willis Creek slot canyon just south of Cannonville about 15 miles east of the Bryce Canyon turnoff.

Further east you have Hole-in-the-Rock Road. About 10 miles down the road is Devil's Garden (not the Devil's Garden in Arches). It's a grown up version of Goblin Valley.

A little further east is the Calf Creek Picnic area and Lower Calf Creek Falls.

I would pick these other site over Capitol Reef if I had to choose.

Bryce isn't very large. Just make sure you stay in or very close to the park so that you can get to Bryce Point for a spectacular sunrise.

One hike down into the hoodoos (such as navajo Loop / Queens Garden) will give you a taste of the park. Of course you could add on other such as Peek-a-Boo that goes up the other side.

Make sure that you hike the very scenic Canyon Overlook trail just at the east Entrance / Exit to Zion. Since it's not in the main part many people aren't aware of it.

I'm sure you've read about Angel's Landing and the Narrows, etc.

Is there a reason you must choose Denver? The rentals are more expensive there than Las Vegas and even SLC.
To go to Arches, Canyonlands, Goblin Valley and Cap Reef, I chose to use SLC for my rental point. Las Vegas has cheaper rental vehicles and is closer to Zion and Bryce. If you use LV you could also see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and some of the sites closer to Las Vegas.

Excellent suggestions- thanks so much!

meyer- I am looking into all the suggestions. That is what I needed-you never know just how much time to schedule for a place-and of course, we can adjust some in route but having those of you that can help us plan better up front is a huge plus. I have read about AL and the Narrows-now those are some hiking trails! The sunrise in Bryce I have read about on this board so that is why I want to be at the Lodge so much- will hope they have some rooms open up eventually.

spirobulldog- I am definetly up for pie for breakfast! We are there the third week of Sept.so should be good timing.

emalloy- option 3- that has some merit- thanks for shifting my focus.

tomfuller- we live north of Denver so are driving our own car from home. But for others who might be reading this- good info. for car rentals.
Thanks everyone for your time and expertise!

I have photos of most of these places. You can see them at:

www.travelwalks.com

There are 3 trips that include Utah: 2007, 2008 & 2010. That should give you an idea.

I haven't done the Narrows as my camera can't swim.

For Angel's Landing you have a choice. Going as far as Scout's Lookout which is what most people do or go right to the top.

We (daughter and I) went to Scout's Lookout although my she had to be convinced not to go on (I told her I wouldn't mind if she went if she didn't have parents, a husband and a daughter).

The hike to Scout's Lookout is very easy though could be strenuous due to the increasing altitude. The trail is mostly paved with some sand sprinkled on top.

It's wide so there's no problem stopping to rest along the way.

Definitely go to Goblin Valley, it's amazing and very unique. We enjoyed Capitol Reef, and learning about the history of the Mormon settlers there was interesting, too. You could drive on to Boulder, but since it's less than an hour's drive from Torrey, it hardly seems worthwhile to bother moving accommodations for such a short drive, IMO. I think one full day and two nights in Bryce is enough - it's amazing, but it's a pretty small park, comparatively. I would instead spend a full day exploring Highway 12 on your way there, making sure to spend some time driving on at least part of the Burr Trail - we loved that! We spent a full day doing highway 12, and still didn't get to do all that we wanted along the way - we didn't get to the Devil's Garden in Escalante, or do the hike to Calf Creek Falls or Mossy Cave - we're going to have to go back someday and do those. If you're anything like us, you'll want to stop frequently to take pictures.

The rest of your itinerary looks fine. When you leave Bryce, you might want to stop at Red Canyon, a few miles down the road, and take a short hike; you can get up close to some scenic hoodoos very close to the road without a lot of time and effort. I second Myer's suggestion of hiking the Canyon Overlook Trail on your way into Zion, the parking area and trailhead are just before you enter the tunnel. The round-trip, fairly easy hike is less than an hour, and the view at the far end will take your breath away.

I love traveling around this part of the country, as the scenery and geology are so varied; it seems to change every few miles! I can't wait to get back there someday.

Actually, if you plan carefully you don't even need 2 nights in Bryce.

When I went with my daughter we spent our first night (drove from LAS) in Escalente. The first full day we went to Devil's Garden (Escalante), then hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls (pretty warm in the middle of the day in mid-Sept), hiked Willis Creek slot canyon on the way to Bryce (just below Cannonvile not far from Bryce) and got to Bryce Canyon just before sunset.

The next morning (I kept calling until we got inpark lodging) we were up before sunrise and went to Bryce Point, then back to the room for a nap. We got up, had a snack and hiked Navajo Loop and Queens Garden. And we were on our way.

We wasted a couple of hours doing a hike near Cedar Breaks (sorry about that as my daughter didn't get to see Canyon Overlook (I had done it a few years before)) went to Zion and checked in and went to Springdale for dinner.

The next morning we left our room (also inpark) about 8AM and hiked Angel's Landing to Scouts Lookout. After sitting around and talking to others we hiked back down. By the time we got to the bottom it was around noon and people were still just starting their ascent in the heat.

After a snack we hiked the very easy and scenic Riverside Walk.

My daughter had enough so we skipped Emerald Pools, listened to a ranger talk on the lawn and left for LAS and our return home the next morning.

We probably spent more time at some sights than others would as we're both into photography.

For inpark lodging just keep calling until you get cancellations.

Unless you are avid hikers, a full day (2 nights) in Bryce should suffice, especially if you can do the rim overlook upon arrival and the day of departure.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623176227912

Your overall plan is good. I would stay the first two nights in Torrey, Capitol Reef is one of my favorite parks (probably second after Zion). Every time I go I find more nooks and crannies that are fantastic. (The Sulphur Creek trail there was fabulous. It would take most of the day, but lots of fun on a hot day, don't think I'd recommend it for your plans.)
Then as mentioned you'd have most of the day for hwy 12. Since you'll be driving your own vehicle you really need to head down both the Burr trail at least through Long Canyon (about 15 miles) as well as Hole in the Rock. You could do spooky and peekaboo slots with some advance preparation and knowledge, or just stop at Devil's Garden.

Then you'd have all day the next day for Bryce, though you'd need two nights.

If you skip most of Capitol Reef then you could drive as far as Escalante on day two and get to Bryce in time that you could have half a day on day 3 and then take half a day on day 4 before heading down to Zion, that way you'd only need one night at Bryce.

You could also take the long way around from Bryce to Zion (but you'd miss Red Canyon) if you wanted to head to Willis Creek slot, fun for half a day and then take the Glendale Bench road over to 89.

Lots of options. I'm not sure you need to decide ahead of time which ones you'll do. SOmetimes it is nice to have several choices on the table and then just pick those that seem to be best while there. Though you should have lodging planned in advance.

Yes- I am thinking after reading everyone's suggestions that we need to spend more time on Hyw 12 and some of the other sights along the way and move time around a bit to give time to places outside of the main parks. Great suggestions- thank you so much. The pictures people referenced were fantastic and whetted the appetite for the real thing!

InSandy- I think you are completely on the money when you said to have choices on the table and then pick as we go- we can adjust accordingly to our interest, weather, energy, mood etc.. I am going to have info. and directions for each of the above ideas and go with the flow- hard for me as an obsessive planner. Will post a trip report after our Sept.trip.