We left Moab mid-late in the afternoon and spent a couple of hours in Gobblin Valley. It was dark a fair amount of the drive to Torrey.

We managed a pizza somewhere when we arrived.

I believe the 5.5 mile hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls is there and back.

Great info. I do have lodging at the Bryce Canyon Lodge Saturday night (Day 10, May 10). I'm trying to average $100-150/night lodging over the trip, so I don't think I will push toward an extra night there ($200 w/tax). It looks like there's enough in Torrey or Escalante should I tag my extra day on there. Maybe I'll even allow myself to sleep in one day!

Sounds like a great plan. Just make sure you are prepared for cold weather at Bryce. This past May 7 & 8 it snowed each night and there were snow squals during the day that chased a lot of unprepared people off of the trails.

Your most expensive lodging will be at Bryce inside the park. Lodging in Torrey and even Moab should be significantly less. Austins is around $75/night. We stayed at the Rustic Inn in Moab for around $100/night. In Zion, we stayed at Canyon Ranch Hotel - about $120/night. The rooms in Escalante are very inexpensive. So you'll balance out the higher cost of staying inside the park at Bryce.

At Zion, staying in the park is nice but I love the town of Springdale and usually choose to stay in town instead. There are lots of good lodging and dining choices and the town is very walkable with a great shuttle system to the park, which is very close to town.

FYI- there was a highway collapse on Route 89 near Horseshoe Bend in February which will force you to take a 115 mile detour through Tuba City when you are heading north to Page. That segment of Route 89 will be out of commission for quite a while.

If you go to Antelope Canyon, get reservations in advance. Elkis' tour is one of the better ones. For optimal light effects in the canyon, take a midday tour.

We just did Little Wild Horse Canyon/Bell Canyon (8 mile loop) near Goblin Valley SP a couple of weeks ago and loved it. It gets quite hot so start early if you go and bring plenty of water. Also check with park rangers or the BLM about flash flood risk before heading to any slot canyon.

I would skip Goblin Valley in an effort to get more than one day in Zion. I loved Little Wildhorse Canyon--really awesome. But the Goblins--not as amazing as I imagined.

In Torrey--stay at Austins--great place and inexpensive. Eat at either Cafe Diablo (good food, higher prices) or Slackers Burgers--cheap but amazing!!! Coffee at Robbers Roost bookstore!

You will be fine hiking in all of the major national parks. Go for the usual hikes--there is a reason they are so famous. You can always come back for the ones off the beaten path!

If you ever want to do a week backpacking in Southern Utah or Grand Canyon, check out the Sierra Club National Outings trips. I have been going on a trip a year for 20 years!! It is great as a single female. And all you have to do is show up with your own stuff and be willing to carry another 15-20 pounds of group food. No trip planning or permits etc etc. Awesome!

Stanton,

The Goblins are right up there with anything I've seen in Utah.

There is a photo and small bit on Little Wildhorse in this months Backpacker magazine.

I think you can get a nice feel for Goblin Valley in an hour. So a total two hour detour is well worth the time.

Same goes for Devil's Garden in Escalante. About the same amount of time. There are usually very few people here so decide since you're travelling solo.

Spiro--I was truly underwhelmed by the Goblins. Fisher towers is really cool and sort of like that. My kids thought there were ok. They liked Little Wildhorse better too. To each their own.

It's unfortunate that many people make their plans based on the national parks and then find out after that there are many very worthy sights not in the parks.

I think Fisher Towers (of Citibank Commercial fame) and Dead Horse Point both near Arches are worthy.

Goblin Valley between Arches and Capitol Reef as well.

Also, Lower Calf Creek Falls, Little Wild Horse (haven't been) , Devil's Garden Escalante and Willis Creek between Bolder and Bryce as well.

I could go back again to any of them.

Just to confirm that the tickets for Fiery Furnace are reservable online now. It is a good idea to pay attention to when they become available (maybe 4 months out?) because they do sell out almost immediately. The NPS.gov/arch website would have the link to the recreation.gov page in order to do that.


One thing about traveling solo is that you are on your own time schedule. The more people you have the longer it seems to take to get up and going in the morning, or waiting at the restrooms, or eating dinner. You will save a lot of time being as you can go when you are ready and not wait for anyone.


Day 3. No problem taking the time for the GC eastern viewpoints and Tusayan ruins, stopping at Cameron Trading Post, and still getting to Page in time for a tour and Horseshoe Bend. Hopefully by next May they will at least have the other road through the reservation paved which will save you the extra hour travel time it would take at the moment. You will drive by the Antelope Canyons on the way into Page. Just stop at the entrances and ask for the next tour- no need to take one from Page. Then after that head to Horseshoe Bend where the light should still be good.

Day 4. You'll definitely want to stop at Monument Valley. You don't have to take a valley tour in order to see the most iconic spot which is the Mittens viewable from the visitor center. From MV there are two ways to Moab. Either up 191 through Bluff where you could visit the old fort and the Twin Rocks trading post. Or up 261 up the Moki Dugway, going that way you'll also have the chance to see Natural Bridges NM (plan 2 hrs), and maybe take a short hike to the Butler Wash Ruins along 95. Either way you should take the short detour to Goosenecks State Park.
Depending on what time you arrive at the turnoff you could also take the time to drive into the Needles section of Canyonlands. Since you'll have other opportunities for Delicate Arch I wouldn't hurry to get there this day. Spend the time exploring the very different southern section of Canyonlands. You won't have time for any long hikes, but it is still beautiful, not to mention that you'll pass by Newspaper Rock on the way.

Day 8... or what ever you have decided at this point, I'm another who thinks Goblin Valley is not all that, just haven't quite figured out the attraction yet despite visiting several times. I keep trying, maybe I'll figure it out. One thing I thought was neat was one time we were visiting people were flying kites. Now it is a great place to fly a kite for sure. But I do think that because some people DO like it that it is good to add in to an itinerary just in case you are one of those who think it is fascinating. It doesn't take too much time. I think hiking Little Wild Horse would be a much better addition though would take longer as well.

There is so much to see and do between Capitol Reef and Bryce that a week will not cover it. So if you can take the time to stay a night either in Boulder or Escalante I don't think you will regret it. Easy places to see would the drive along the Burr Trail, the drive into Devil's Garden, a walk along the Escalante River from the hwy 12 bridge, Calf's Creek Falls, Kiva Kottage. I think of Willis Creek and Grosvenor Arch as closer to Bryce, but they could be included in a tour of this stretch of road.

You'll want an afternoon, an evening stay over and the next morning for Bryce. You could spend more time there, but that will allow you time for the most impressive stuff (scenic Drive and Navajo to Queen's Garden hike - with the Peekaboo add on if you are really in good shape and give yourself a little extra time).

Finally two and a half days in Zion will be nice. Adequate for a good intro.

Sounds lots of fun.

Thanks for the continued input- I didn't even realize this topic was still active. I am aware of the Rt 89 issues. I'll see how things are shaping up next year, and plan from there.

I've been debating the drive from Torrey to Bryce, and am pretty sure I'll stay an extra night in Escalante. That way I'm not worrying over driving time and can take my time exploring Hwy 12 and the surrounding area. I can still have much of the next day to explore Bryce, and however much time I want before making my way to Zion. If the weather is ok, the half day Bryce horseback ride is appealing for something different.

So, basically:
Day 1-7: Same as above

Day 8: Drive to Torrey & Capitol Reef

Day 9: Drive to Escalante

Day 10: To Bryce

Day 11: To Zion

Day 12-15: Same as above