GC, Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell
 

I've asked a few questions and gotten great answers. Thank you. Planning is almost complete. We're traveling in April - 3 nts in LV, 2 in GC, then three nights probably in Zion with day trip to Bryce (hopefully staying at Desert Pearl) then back to LV. Would we be missing a lot by not taking a raft/float trip on Lake Powell?? Or should we do a trail ride of some sort in Zion? I've read enough posts that Bryce will be cooler than Zion, so I'm keeping that in mind. Me, husband, 15 & 10 yo.

I live 30 minutes from Zion and think you are missing out by not doing a few trails. There is a really cool one called the Narrows. You just walk along but the end of it you can walk through the water and the canyons are so big. Do not go if it is raining a major flash flood probelm there. Been to Bryce a few times but no trails (i was pregnant). Either way you cannot go wrong. Lake Powell is lovely. We go there 3 or 4 times during the summer and stay on friends houseboats. So much prettier then Lake mead in Vegas.

Good luck!

We are definitely interested in doing some hiking wherever we go. We are really looking forward to this trip. Any other info is greatly appreciated.

I've never done a horse back ride in Bryce or Zion. I prefer to hike myself.

I have done a few tours on Lake Powell and just last year did the raft float trip on the Colorado River out of Page, AZ. The tour on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge is excellent when the lake is high. I haven't read if the lake will be low again this year.

The raft float trip is excellent and was the highlight of our trip last year. You float down 14 miles of the Colorado River with red cliffs on either side of you most of the time.

The tour of Lake Powell and the float trip on the Colorado River are both places you can get to easily on your own, while you can take many great hikes in Bryce and Zion.

I'm not sure with your tight schedule, if you will be able to squeeze in a boat tour or float trip. Both take 1/2 a day or more.

Pictures of the float trip:

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacation2003/float.htm
Utahtea

If you are crunched for time, you can take a 2 hour boat trip on Lake Powell that cruises up the lake side up Antelope Canyon. Very scenic.
Also, if you are in the Page/lake Powell area, don't miss the short walk out to Horse Shoe Bend overlook - it was one of the most spectacular sights on our entire southwest trip. It is not well marked so you will need directions, but it's a 10 minute walk from the highway just outside Page.

The boat trip to Rainbow Bridge National Monument at Lake Powell is worth the effort, but it is a little more than half a day.

Bryce may be some cooler, but if the sun is out, solar radiation is a big compensator. The air is cool, but the sun can be very warm.

And it can burn!

I have a question to ask about the suggestion to hike the narrows that time of year. I am going in late March and I have read and heard that early spring is not a good time to hike the narrows as it is the time of snow melts and one of the worst times for unexpected flash flods due to runoff. Comments?

emd - can't comment on flash flood possibility i March but I suspect that the water would be too cold to hike in. You are in the water most of the time in the summer, and if the river level is higher due to snowmelt, you'd be even more submerged in cold water. We went in June and had excellent conditions - water was not uncomfortable and the hike is AWESOME.

karens: i've done some research and there is lined waterproof gear you can rent to hike the narrows (sounds almost like a wetsuit) in March and when water is cold to prevent hypothermia (you can rent it separate from paying for the guided hikes) but my main concern remains the flash floods.