Can We Do It?
 

My wife and I are going to Utah/Nevada for 7 days and this is our plan:

~Saturday: From Vegas, sleeping in Springdale
Valley Of Fire State Park
Zion National Park

~Sunday: Spingdale to Torrey
Zion Nationl Park
Bryce Canyon (maybe horseback ride)
Capitol Reef

~Monday: Torrey to Monticello
Capitol Reef (maybe horseback ride)
Natural Bridges National Monument

~Tuesday & Wednesday: Monticello to Moab
Possible Canyoning tour
Arches National Park

~Thursday: Moab to Cedar City
Cedar Breaks

~Friday: Cedar City to Las Vegas
Cathedral Gorge State Park
E.T. Highway

Leaving Saturday morning.

Keep in mind that we plan on doing some trails in each park and stopping on and off during our drives if needed.

Right now it seems like we are going to be pressed for time, especially between Zion-Bryce-Capitol Reef.

Jedi - this is a very bad plan. With only 7 days, you should limit it to Zion/Bryce/Capitol Reef AT THE VERY MOST.

You really need to check a map and look at the mileage, then add lots of time for narrow, twisty roads, slow motorhomes and photo ops......

No, you cannot do this.

I agree. You won't even be able to see any of Zion. Zion has such great hikes.

Zion to Bryce is about 90 mins.

I started to write a reply and then decided to let Dayle go first.

If the goal is to check places off a list or tell people you've been there, fine.

If you want to think back at all the great things you saw, no.

For instance, Bryce Canyon is 90 minutes from Zion. The horseback ride is something you sign up for and takes place at a specific time. Probably not just when you get there.

You have Bryce squeezed into one day between two other parks.

Don't treat this trip as if the sights are historic buildings in one area of a city. They are far apart and it's surpirising how long it could take to drive 85 mile from Zion to Bryce.

Myer's right - you cant' just drive 90 minutes and hop on a horse. Just driving a bit on the main road through Bryce and stopping at the look-outs takes time.

I'm a big believer that you need to really get out of the car to "see" our national parks. The hikes in Zion and Bryce are some of the best and most memorable we've ever done. You really don't want to miss them.

I know what it's like to see want to see a lot, but I truly don't think your itinerary is doable.

Mapquest your route and see what we mean.

I have used mapquest to estimate time from place to place and figured we could do it even though we would be using every minute of the day.

The part I was worried about the most was losing time in Bryce Canyon since we would be squeezing it between Zion and getting to Capitol Reef (Torrey) for the night.

Maybe we'll have to re-think things.

I was planning on booking a horseback tour, not just showing up looking for a horse :}. we haven't decided if we want to try and do it in Bryce or Reef.

Do yourself and your wife a favor and do NOT do this plan.

If you want to do some hiking, then keep it down to Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef. There are plenty of other activities and places to explore on Hwy 12 between Bryce and Torrey. You can also hit the Kolob section of Zion on your way back to Las Vegas and also add Snow Canyon State Park just outside of St. George (which is a much nicer state park than Catherdral Gorge...IMHO. The Moab area has so much to offer and one night just won't cut it...not if you want to do other activities too.

If you must, then forget about Catherdral Gorge State Park it's nothing compared to the National Parks of Utah. The sign on the ET highway is neat, but not worth the extra 3 1/2 hours in the car!!

Utahtea

got to agree with other posters. a Moab trip doesn't fit into the bryce/zion/capital reef trip. not in 7 days at least. IMO you should pick the moab area for your trip or the BZCR. the horseback ride at bryce, i believe is at 9 am and 1 pm they are trail rides only, no on your own horseback riding (that i recall) . byw the trail ride is wonderful. and best in the cool morning...

At Moab there are so many things to do, a week would be well, gone in a minute.

If you like to hike there are many places in zion you'll want to hike to,

please rethink and enjoy your trip. When you are out west it's always the same, there are so many things to see and do, and in relative terms they are "close" but travel chews up a lot of time. Also once you get to some of these places, you don't want to leave! have a great trip.

Man, everyone seems to be giving me the same advice. First I've ever encountered that, usually get mixed opinions.

I just don't ever see us getting out that way again just to do Moab area if we only do Zion area this time. This sucks!!

Well, I thought I was making a one-time trip in June.

I went to Bryce canyon, Zion, made a pit stop in GC and then spent 2 days in Sedona hiking.

Now I'm planning on returning next May/June to go to the Moab area.

Things change.

Would we be missing anything if we took a left and went north on 24 to 70 and did Moab and skipped going further south along 95 and then up 163/191 (Naural Bridges NM, Blanding, etc.)?

This would allow us to stay overnight at Bryce and cut 2.5 hours off drive time when making our way to Moab.

When looking at the map after Cap Reef, you see Hanksville. There is when we could go north instead of south. I wanted to wind my way through that southern part of the state but if I wouldn't be missing that much, I don't need to do it.

Myer: My wife and I most likely will never be in these parts of Utah again. We hardly ever do things twice, especially if they are out of the way places. We like to go all over the place and already have a trip planned for Ireland later this year, she is going on a cruise next year and we have started planning a trip to Japan.

I think once you get there and see the wealth of things that must be experienced just in Zion and Bryce alone, you will understand what we are trying to tell you. If you attempt to make the trip as planned, you'll have been there, but have experienced so very, very, little of it, it'd be a real shame. We've been to Zion twice and still want to go back for more!

Of the places you have mentioned, I have only been to VOF, Bryce and Zion.

If I were doing it again, I would

*see VOF on way from Vegas to Zion area
*Overnight near Zion (St George?)
*One day in Zion (that was enough for me...enjoyed every minute of it!)
*Overnight near Bryce
*One day in Bryce.
*Overnight?????
*Continue trip

I think we are going to cut out Natural Bridges and head north after Cap Reef to cut on driving time to Moab. Out intention is to hit VOF on way to Zion. Do what we can in Zion until they kick us out that night. Go back to Zion in the morning and spend time there. Now, if are indeed changing our plans, we can spend more time in Zion and then head to Bryce where we will then stay overnight and do what we can in Bryce that evening. Wake up the next day and do more of Bryce then head to Cap Reef when we are done there and stay overnight in Cap Reef, doing the same thing. In Cap Reef that night and again the next day. Then we head to Moab via 24 and 70.

Off the topic: Does anyoe know a good bar/pub in Cedar City, Tropic/Ruby's Inn, Torrey areas?

We are micro/craft brew drinkers. Any place that has a good atmosphere and serves good beer would be great. If they serve cheap $$ beer, that is even better.

My husband and I were also in this area 3 weeks ago. We are not ones to let the grass grow under our feet and keep moving a lot--we hike/walk upwards of 10 miles per day--we could not attempt your plan. This trip sounds more like a driving tour. I know you have added some changes, but I still think you need to pick a "top 3 or 4" and keep it to that. If all you want to do is a drive-by, then you might want to go for it, but as with as many places as you have chosen, you certainly won't be able to get out and 'really' xplore the areas for what they have to offer.
If it were me:
3 nights minimum for Zion
1 night for Bryce
Add on according to your priorities. We actually had 9 days but spent 1 1/3 in Las Vegas. We didn't have time to go to Torrey as planned. We made it as far as Boulder.

If you keep on Cedar Breaks National Monument, that could be done in 1/2 day "if" you hike there. However, we went in this direction and missed hiking due to possible storms, but the scenic drive from Panguitch takes a little time (if that is the way you are going??) due to the mountainous road.

We stayed also stayed in Cedar City our last night before flying out of Vegas, but sorry I can't help on the pubs.

We plan on heading from Zion to Bryce to Reef, then up to Rt. 70 to Moab. The Moab back to Rt. 70 al the way to Cedar City. Cedar City to Vegas. We have been to Vegas before so we aren't worried about sight-seeing there.

This past year we were able to:

Hike at Grand Canyon and then drive towards Monument Valley. Stayed outside the Valley and toured the Valley the next day. In that same day we visited the Painted desert and Petrified Forest. Just an example (2 days). I know the roads are different.

You mentioned "until they throw us out in the evening".

Well, Zion and Bryce don't close so they won't throw you out. On the other hand, when it's dark you can't see anything. These aren't "party towns".

If you can plan for almost a complete day in both Zion and Bryce you can get a good feel for those places.

In Zion you start in the Canyon. Unless you hike up, stopping at the shuttle stops will do nothing for you.

I would select from Riverside Walk, Canyon Overlook, Emerald Pools and the start of Angel's Landing. If you are really efficient you can do most of that. If you leave Canyon Overlook for the next morning on the way to Bryce you can do that. Just make sure you start early so that you cna plan on being in Bryce around noon time to hike down.

In Bryce you start at the top. Unfortunately, you can see quite a bit from the overlooks locations. I say unfortunately because you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don't at leat hike down Navajo Loop and up Queens Garden. You've got to get down among the rock formations.

Get up the next morning in time for sunrise at Bryce Point and you can then move on.

Not expecting or looking for a "party town". We always get up very early on vacation and get going to fit as much into one day as possible.

In case it got lost a few posts back:

Are we missing anything if we skip Natural Bridges NM?

You mentioned canyoneering in your original thread. We did some canyoneering in Arches with www.deserthighlights.com and really enjoyed it. We took 3 days to do Arches. There is canyoneering at and near other parks in Utah also.

Spiro,

On your conyon tour, was there a lot of water involved?

Well, if you skip Natural Bridges then you be missing seeing the natural bridges there. With the pace you're moving on this trip I'd skip it.

I'd also skip the Valley of Fire so you can arrive at Zion earlier and maybe have time to hike up to Scout's Overlook or Angel's Landing.

Also, unless you have some time for hiking, then Capitol Reef won't take much time to drive through.

Of all the wonders you'll see Zion, Bryce and Arches are the 'most wondrous' so anything you can do to to arrange more time in those places would be a good idea. This isn't to say that the other places aren't worthy of visiting but, given your time frame you shouldn't delude yourself into thinking that you can do justice to everything on your list

Like others who've responded I think you are going to have a sore backside from all the driving but it can be done.

Our new plan:

Saturday: Arriving early morning = From Vegas, sleeping in Springdale
Valley Of Fire State Park (just a stop, not hiking)
Zion National Park til dark

~Sunday: Spingdale to Bryce
Zion Nationl Park til afternoon
Bryce Canyon til dark

~Monday: Bryce to Torrey
Bryce until afternoon
Capitol Reef

~Tuesday: Torrey to Moab
Capitol Reef (horseback in morning)
Goblin Valley
Sightsee in and around Moab til dark

~Wednesday: Moab
Canyoneering tour
Arches National Park

~Thursday: Moab to Cedar City
In and around Moab early morning
Head to Cedar City
Cedar Breaks until dark

~Friday: Cedar City to Las Vegas
Cathedral Gorge State Park
E.T. Highway
Vegas until we pass out

Leaving Saturday morning.

I think this works much better than the first idea, it gives us more time in Bryce. A lot of driving but I don;t mind it on vacations. I hate driving when I am at home.

Thanks for all the suggestions and assistance. Keep brining them!

I'll post how the trip went when we get back.

I'm looking forward to your trip report.

Have lots of water handy.
It looks like temps in Sringdale will be around 100 F when you arrive. It might be cooler up at Bryce but Moab will be as hot or hotter than Springdale.

Anyone ever done this: www.utahcanyons.com/slots.htm

The company says they start at Hole in the Rock Road.

jedivader, I never have but will soon. Are you thinking of hiking to Peek-a-Boo slot with the guide? Save your self $160 and go without. From what I've read, Peek-a-Boo and Spooky are very popular and I plan to explore it late Sept. Link shows a description and directions: http://www.utahcanyons.com/hiking/peekaboospooky.htm

With your time table I would skip Valley of Fire, Gobblin Valley, Cedar Breaks and ET Highway (but I've already said that) and spend the time in Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. Even taking the time to drive though these parks takes time away from the more magnificent ones.

Utahtea

Any suggestions on good local places to eat (Utah food/local cuisine)in/around Bryce, Torrey, Cedar City?

I only have experience with Torrey.

Cafe Diablo...I'll be dining there myself in a couple of weeks :>)

I planned on stopping by Diablo, I found that online and it seemed kinda cool.

I'm going to try the rattlesnake cakes.

We are back, got back late last night. Had a good time and did almost everything we set out to do. I'll post my entire trip report within the next day or two. Thanks for all the help!!

Trip Report:

Saturday: Arrived Vegas, drove to Springdale. Before entering Zion, had a couple of beers at Zion Brewing Company. Went to Zion and walked a few miles in the Virgin River narrows. Had dinner at Zion Noodle Company. Good pizza and lot's of Utah beer on tap. Only complaint is they only take cash.

Sunday: went back into Zion and did some of the overlooks and hiked to the Lower Emerald Pool (waste of time). We found Zion to be a major let-down. After doing the Lower Emerald we decided to move on. Headed to Bryce. Got to Bryce...not much in that town! Drove the entire scenic drive and stopped at some of the overlooks. It started to storm so we got some dinner and went back to the hotel to wait it out. The storm cleared and we headed back to Bryce. We did a 3.5 mile hike into the ampitheater, that was awesome. Bryce was very cool, nothing I have ever seen looked like it. After we finished Bryce, went back to the Ruby's area and looked around. Didn't like this area too much, very touristy.

Monday: Left Bryce for Torrey. Stopped a few places along the way to take pictures. Hiked the Calf Creek Falls trail, well worth the three miles it took to get to it. I was hoping to take a dip but since there had been so much rain on and off the past few days, the water was very murky. Well, as we headed back, the sky opened up with a thunderstorm. We walked, jogged and ran back three miles to our car in 45 minutes. Pretty scary with lightening flying around. Made it to Torrey and the weather there was perfect. We tried to get lunch but most places did not open until 5pm. I wanted to try the rattlesnake cakes at Cafe Diablo, instead my wife almost stepped on a snake. since they were not open, we went to Brink's Burgers. Kinda pricey but food was good. headed to Capital Reef and did a scenic drive and then hiked about 2 miles or so in Grand Wash into the narrows. Guess what??....the sky looked like it was going to open again. It didn't thankfully. Got back to the car and did some more scenic driving and stops. We really liked Cap Reef.

Tuesday: We had done everything we wated to do in Cap Reef, so we left for Moab. We stopped in Hanksville to see the gas station in a rock, we went to Goblin Valley (awesome) and continued to Moab. Got to Moab and went into Arches. Did a few trails and overlooks. very, very major let-down with Arches. neither of us were impressed with this park. After you've seen one arch/bridge, you've seen them all. After a few hours in the park, headed into town. Went to Moab Brewing for happy hour ($2.50 beer and 15 cent wings). Went back into the park for sunset at the delicate arch but were turned away by multiple park rangers with lights flashing. They said there was flooding but we think someone got hurt. There hadn't been rain in a day or two, plus, earlier people were talking about how they had hiked that area. So we did sunset in another part of the park.

Wednesday: Went on a canyoneering trip from 8am-2pm. We went into the Lasal Mountains and rappelled waterfalls. After the trip, got lunch at Zax Pizza. Good food and good people. Spent the rest of the afternoon in Canyonlands. Had a few beers before bed at Eddie McStiff's. Sad to find out that they no longer brew onsite.

Thursday: Left Moab. Stoped at the Copper Ridge dinosaur tracks then headed to Cedar City. Got to Cedar City and had lunch at The Pizza Factory. The pizza was great. Not much to do in Cedar City. Of course, it started to rain again. We went to Cedar Breaks and took what pictures we could through the rain and fog. Crashed at the hotel because we were exhausted from the driving.

Friday: Left Cedar City. Stopped by the Old Irontown Ruins and headed towards the E.T. Highway. Well, as some of you know, I never found the E.T. sign. Onward to Vegas. Got to Vegas and since we could not check in until 3pm, we went to Ellis Island Casino & Brewery which was on the same block and had $1 beers. Had lunch at the hotel mexican place and then checked and and crashed for a bit. That night, went to a show called "Dirty". It sucked....don't see it. Then, to hit one more brewery, we went to Main Street Casino & Brewery at 2am for a beer and also a cheese steak. Again, the food was good. Also, before the show we went to find Hart & Huntington tattoo parlor...smaller than it seems on TV.

Saturday: Before we left town, we wanted to try and add one more brewery to our list, the Monte Carlo. Got to the hotel and a bartender told me that they are no longer in business and have yet to remove signs. Crap!

Went to the airport to head home.

We had a good time and did everything we wanted to do. We didn't feel rushed and were actually ahead of schedule. I am glad that we didn't go with the original plan to head down towards Natural Bridges/Blanding area. That would have been cutting it tight.

Everyone we met in Utah was nice. We saw wild turkey, tons of deer, jackrabbits and elk.

I think we've had enough of rock, sandstone and arches for a while.

Off to ireland!

I am going to post reviews of the hotels on Tripadvisor if anyone is interested. Almost all of the hotels we stayed in were outstanding.

Could you please post this trip report under a different heading that titles it as a Trip Report? Thanks.

I tend to agree with you about Lower Emerald Pools in Zion. After getting to the Loawer Pools I continued on up to the Middle and upper Pools. Much nicer.

Also, too bad you didn't stop near the East Entrance and do the Canyon Overlook.

Do you remember which hike you did at Bryce. I was there for 2 days (since it was the cause of the trip in the first place). The first day I hiked down Navajo Loop and up Queen's garden. Then I drove to a few lookouts and off to find Grosvenor Arch.

The second day I did the same thing but tacked the beginning of the closed side (upper) of Navajo Loop, Peek-A-Boo Train and the closed side (loower) of Navajo Loop into the middle. That was a very full day of hiking.

Do you have any photos you could post somewhere? I'm interested in seeing Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonland.

Thanks for the report. Looks like this is rain time.

Myer,

Posted a seperate trip report, accidently did it twice.

I thinkg the hike we did in Bryce was the Navajo/Queen. I know we walked through Wall Street which had just opened back up after a rock fall. and ended up seeing the Queen at the end of the hike.

OH my goodness my jaw just dropped when I read that Zion was a major letdown for you :0, we couldn't get enough of it--
but travelling is a very personal thing I guess!
Your mention of the 'cash only' at Zion Noodle made me laugh (altho at the time it wasn't funny as we were tired and hungry).. I waited a very LONG time in the line to order and unfortunately did not notice/know the no credit card policy until was pretty much at the counter :(

Glad you enjoyed Bryce and also Capitol Reef which a lot of ppl miss but was one of our absolute favorites, and so uncrowded too.

I'll be posting some picks on my webshots soon, I'll let you know when they are up.

There was hardly anyone at Cap Reef and we actually were not looking forward to this park too much. I think it is very underrated!

http://goodtimes.webshots.com/album/560552126AoIOIh

webshots link to my Utah pics, only have a few so far.

Am I the only one having trouble with the photo link?

Sorry, it was working yesterday.

Try this one:
http://community.webshots.com/user/jedivader13

Haven't put too many up yet.

The thing visitors need to remember is that our national parks are all about nature. Weather, conditions, etc. can - and usually do - vary hugely between season and even year-to year!

Visiting the southern UT area in the suumer will be a completely different experience than visiting in the other seasons. If you have the opportunity, the best times to visit are May and October. Nicest temps, less precip, wildflowers in May and some parks have fall colors in October.

This last year, was a year of EXTREME dought, especially in southern UT. So, the walk to Emerald Pools in Zion could be disappointing. If you do this same walk in April, you will not only have large, clear pools of water and a waterfall off the upper pools, but you can also have waterfalls coming off the canyon walls at several points throughout the canyon. Awesome!

Summer visitors (July - early Sept) need to expect thunderstorms, lightening and possible flash floods. After all, these are some of the major forces that formed these parks. June has fewer thunderstorms.

Winter means bare trees, snow on the red rocks at higher elevations like Bryce. Very beautiful, not so great for hiking. Zion is cold but usually no snow in the canyon, just at the higher parts of the park. It's actually a very popular place for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.