Cedar Breaks Nat'l Monument with Bryce and Zion Canyons?
 

Hey fodorites, we've been to both Zion and Bryce two times, LOVE them, and will be stopping this summer too as we make our way back home.

We also want to explore Cedar Breaks NM, which will be for the FIRST time. So, in what order would you suggest we do this? We have ressies at Bryce Lodge, but have stayed there before (also stayed at Ruby's) and are open to finding something else if necessary.

Any advice? Thanks, all!

Anybody? Utahtea? :)

Cedar Breaks is cut from the same soft limestone as Bryce. It is a huge amphitheater but without the trails doen into the bowl that you find in Bryce.
I think the monument is very nice and you get some fantastic views.

I think you could go by Cedar Breaks on your way from Bryce to Zion. The most interesting route is to take the road from Panguitch to Brian Head. The area between Panguitch and Cedar Breaks is capped with lava flows, thus making for some interesting terrain.

You will enjoy the trip.

I agree with bob_brown!

Utahtea

Thanks Bob and tea!

Question: We're going the other direction, hitting zion first....so after we see zion, should we go back to I 15, then to SR 14, explore Cedar Breaks, and then continue on to 89N to Bryce?

Also, approx how long will it take from Cedar Breaks to Bryce? We'll definitely pull off for Kodak moments, but with limited time there this trip, i need a more specific plan. We're just thrilled we get to re-visit this stunningly beautiful area once again!

TIA!

Where are you going from Bryce? It might make more sense to see Cedar Breaks on the way out of Bryce rather than on the way in.

I was wondering that too, dwooddon.... From Bryce, we're headed to I70 and the trek towards home. :(

But going N on 15 to 70 we'd be backtracking then, right?

Or is this a case of "six of one", "half dozen" of another? ;)

TIA!

It will be a little bactracking (maybe 20-30 miles total) but, IMHO, well worth it. If you do, as you descend out of the Bryce Canyon area thru Red Canyon, turn right on Hwy-89 toward Panguitch.

In the center of Panguitch, Hwy-89 makes a 90 degree right turn. At that instersection, you turn left on U-143. Follow the signs toward Panguitch Lake and, once past it, the signs for Cedar Breaks.

Once you are ready to leave CB, you can head north toward Parowan where you'll get on I-15 north or you can head south for a couple of miles to U-14 and descend into Cedar City to pick up I-15. The first route is a bit shorter and quicker but Parowan has very little in the way of tourist services. Cedar City has a variety of choices for food as well as a Wal-Mart if you need to restock. Both routes are scenic.

If you go by way of Cedar City, be sure to make a quick stop at the Navajo Lake overlook soon after you turn onto U-14. It's magnificent!

For the most scenic route, take Utah route 143 from Cedar Breaks to Panguitch.
It is really not any longer, and the scenery is interesting. You will see the lava outcrops all along.

Given that I70 originates/terminates north of Brcye, let me suggest that you leave the Bryce area on Utah 12. From Torrey, take Utal 24 to I 70. It will not take you much longer and it is a most spectacular route! In fact, I think it is the prettiest route I have driven outside of the Icefields Parkway in Canada. That is of course subjective because they are very different.
This route takes you through Capitol Reef which is worth more time than Zion by about a day.
I frankly would skip Zion (and I have) in favor of Capitol Reef.
But route 12 is a unique experience.

Wow guys, thanks for the replies!

Altho... i'm a lil confused... Clark will help me figure this out. :)

Both routes will be a first; as i said, we've never been to Cedar Breaks or taken 24 out of Bryce.

Bob, the last time at Bryce, we continued on to Capitol Reef, which was at the time just a Monument. (Best thing Clinton did was make it a Nat'l Park!) ;)

And btw, we explored Banff, Jasper, and the Icefields as part of our 2002 Wild West Adventure (plus the Olympic Penninsula). Which is a MAJOR reason why we're returning to the Southwest and Calif again.....we FROZE our butts off up there in JULY!!! We do that all winter living in the upper midwest.

I must agree though, the scenery was spectacutlar....BREATHTAKING, almost UNBELIEVABLE, especially the Icefields Pkwy. Did you take a sno-coach? Couldn't talk the fam into doing that one, altho we took the gondola in Banff.

Thanks again, guys!!!!

From Zion, I would go via Cedar City. The ascent up that escapment, which is the fault line of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, is dramatic. The rate of ascent can be hard on the ears.
The turn to Cedar Brakes is marked, so you turn north at that point.
From Cedar Breaks on over to Panguitch, take route 123, and then head south a short distance before turning east to Bryce on route 12.
As part of your exploration, you will want to drive up to Brian Head itself for the great view. That puts you north of Cedar Brakes and on the road to Panguitch.

Yes I took the snow coach from the Icefields Parkway. Great fun.
My wife and adult son were with me and everybody fell on their dignity on the ice. Funny. We still laugh about it. It was shortly after that my son chased a moose halfway to Jasper trying to get a picture.

Our ice slide excursion sure proved in a big hurry that you need ice axes and crampons for that stuff.

ellen,

Capitol Reef has been a National Park since 1971. Clinton made Escalante - Grand Staircase a National Monument while president.

If you are really limited on time you might want to skip Cedar Breaks and spend the time driving Hwy 12 which goes thought Escalante - Grand Staircase NM and visiting Capitol Reef National Park.

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

Utahtea

HELP!!! I'm even MORE confused now than ever, in terms of routes etc.

UTAHTEA..as soon as i posted that about clinton and capitol reef, i knew i was wrong! And i've done that before!?! (brain cramps?!) ;)

We LOVED Grand Escalante, and had a great LONG convo with the people at the Wonderland Inn (where we stayed), about Clinton etc. Must have been a brain cramp! ;)

Back to my original question....while studying the map, i'm wondering if we shouldn't skip Cedar Breaks again (we've never been there) and take rt 9 thru zion, to bryce (ressies at ruby's this time), then rt. 12 to rt. 24 thru Grand Escalante and Capitol Reef....to our next stop, arches and moab.

But we've explored EACH of these parks at least once, which is why i wanted to see Cedar Breaks for the first time. However, if the cedar breaks is still somewhat similar. i'm wondering if we should once again just skip it???

Please give me your thoughts!!! utahtea, bob, dwooddon, zootsi, ANYONE! And thank you sooo much! This board is the BEST!

PS: BOB...I LOL at your icefields experience and am so envious! But we were there two weeks after a german physician fell thru one of the crevices, so needless to say, we wimped out! Next time.....!!!!!

I'm a little confused. I thought you had not been on Hwy 12 from Bryce to Torrey or to Capitol Reef before.

If you haven't been to these places then I would skip Cedar Breaks. If you have been there before and you really liked Bryce then I would go to Cedar Breaks. I think of Cedar Breaks as a mini Bryce.

I like the drive on Hwy 143 by Panquitch Lake.

Utahtea

Oh yes, rt 12 rivals california's coastal rt 1 for our favorite drives!! Stunning and breathtaking!

We combined capitol reef and grand escalante, staying at the wonderland inn the adjoinging night. I think we've been to all the utah nat'l parks ('color country') EXCEPT Cedar Breaks Nat'l Monument.

And this trip, we're trying to see some of the smaller, less known monuments, such as Montezuma NM, Walnut Creek NM, etc. which is why i wanted to add cedar breaks.

Its sounding more and more like we should once again skip it, since as in the past, it doesn't allow us to maximize our time.

Also Utahtea, i've been hearing about Green River State Park....thoughts? Is it worth a stop, maybe for a picnic lunch?

Thanks again!!!

Ellen - I'm confused by your route now also. If you are going to Moab from Bryce, then my advice to see Cedar breaks after leaving Bryce makes no sense. Somehow, I got the idea you were headed to I-70 and I-15 from Bryce.

If you want to make a detour to see Cedar Breaks and parts of Cedar Mountain coming from Zion to Bryce, you can get onto U-14 from either I-15 on the west side or US-89 on the east side, climb to the summit and turn north on U-148 to Cedar Breaks. When you are ready to leave, continue north very briefly then turn east on U-143 to Panguitch then on to Bryce.

Like Utahtea, the drive across Cedar Mountain and past Panguitch Lake is one of my favorites.

Oooo gosh, sorry to be confusing....??

Here's my original plan....
1)Zion
2)Possible stop at Cedar Breaks
3)Bryce Canyon
4)Arches & Moab

But NOW, if we SKIP Cedar Breaks, when we leave Bryce, we'd go thru Grand Esc. and Capitol Reef, continuing on 24 north to 70, to Arches, right?

Or are you thinking we should go thru Canyonlands? We've explored Canyonlands and weren't particularly thrilled with it, altho we can't wait to get back to Arches!

Hope that makes more sense? Thanks!

Hope that makes more sense??

PS: From Moab, we take I70 EAST towards home :( ....was that the confusing part?

You could still do Cedar Breaks without going too much out of the way. You'd just do it on the way to Bryce from Zion as outlined in my last previous post.

we stopped at Cedar Breaks on the way to Bryce from Zion. I really enjoyed it. You go up to about 10,000 feet and then just as you get to the visitor center, you can see the 'breaks' It is just like a giant sliced off half the mountain. Quite impressive. It is also an alpine ecosystem at the top, so there is some different vegetation