Grand Circle - need to add 3 nights
 

I'm narrowing down on a 21 day trip to the Grand circle area and still have 3 nights to add. My husband and I are flying in from France, coming the last week of September, no children and we will not be camping.

Any suggestions? So far it looks like this:

3 nights in Vegas
- One night for jet lag and then Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, and Death Valley

2 nights Grand Canyon South Rim ( in the park)

1 night Peach Springs (prepare for early rise to Haivasupai Falls)

1 night Indian lodge at Haivasupai Falls canyon

2 nights Page - visit Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Horsehoe Bend

3 nights Moab - Arches National park etc

2 nights Bryce

3 nights Zion

1 night Las Vegas (prep for flight home)


I'm not sure what I might be missing or if there is some place I should consider staying longer. Really appreciate the help. So far another post and other threads have got me this far. Getting pretty excited!

If you don't already have your reservations for GC and Indian Lodge, I would switch the order as you will be backtracking if you go to GC first.

If you do rearrange the lodging, you will only need one night in Page. Antelope canyon and Horseshoe Bend can easily be done in half a day. Do Horseshoe Bend early in the morning.

Add the extra day for a drive through Monument Valley or to the Moab area to explore Canyonlands a bit.

Thank you emalloy,

We do already have our reservations so we're a bit stuck back tracking a few hours at each end ;-(

I will definitely consider adding a day to Moab area and will look into the Canyonlands. Would it be best to expore Canyonlands from Moab or make another stop before we reach Moab?

Janet

Canyonlands is huge and there are three main areas. The Maze district is very remote and is accessed from the west over fairly primitive roads and has very limited facilities visited by very few folks, mostly hard core hiker/climbers. The Needles district is accessed from south of Moab, down 191 then head west. The Island in the Sky district is accessed a short way north of Moab, then a road west.

We've gone to both Island in the Sky and Needles from Moab, but haven't made it to the Maze. The views from Island in the Sky are awesome and we've done some hiking there. In Needles we've done a little hiking, mostly to see some ancient sites.

I have some pictures of them in several of our trips out west. If you want to see some take a look at my flickr page, click on the albums and I'm sure there are some in the 2013 and 2010 trips and probably some of the others because we love the area.

www.flickr.com/photos/emalloy2009

There is lots of other to see in the Moab area like Fisher Towers, rock art along the Colorado river beside Kane Creek Rd and Potash Road etc.

Between Moab and Bryce see Goblin Valley and Capitol Reef NP.
Maybe spend a night in Torry UT followed by a leisurely drive with stops on Rt. 12 on the way to Bryce.

Delete everything at Page Arizona. Crowded and not a wise investment in time except for their BBQ restaurant. Antelope canyon is very crowded - just look at photos on the Internet.

Emalloy is correct on Canyonlands. Needles is primarily a hiking park - gorgeous. Maze is a 4-wheel drive vehicle and hiking and all camping - far more gorgeous. Camping reservation required about one year in advance.

By abandoning Page, you now have 2 or 3 days. Use those as Emalloy recommends. Island In the Sky- The most impressive is a 110 mile (177km) White Rim trail - need 4 wheel drive that can be rented at Moab. Unfortunately at least one night of camping required.

Moab is crowded - make all motel reservation as soon as possible. If full, Green River has motels, but a distance away.

Also Capitol Reef followed by Goblin Valley. Stay at Torrey area. Goblin valley at Torrey or Hanksville (not the best motels). Goblin Valley has two area - the valley and backcountry where any normal higher clearance vehicle can drive like a SUV.
It appears your skill in American English language surpasses mine, therefore I suggest this book since it is the only e-book that covers most of your trip. Receiving a printed book in France may be difficult although this book is also in print format
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00COBH45M. It is over 1,000 Kindle pages. Costs about $10 US - less than the cost of a bottle of wine.

Vaga

I would also suggest zero or 1 night in Page. The crowds of people packed into jeeps and buses headed to Antelope does not look like fun. Instead spend a night at Monument Valley - splurge on a room at The View.

3-4 nights in Moab is good - plenty to do. Arches and Canyonlands (Islands in the Sky) are beautiful parks. Great hiking in Arches - reserve the Fiery Furnace ranger-led hike - very fun. Hiking even a short distance will get you away from the crowds.

Head north from Moab through Green River and then south on Rte 24 with a few hour stop at Goblin Valley State Park, then on to Torrey for a night or two at Capitol Reef Nat'l Park - a quiet and incredibly scenic park with unique geological and historical interest.

Finish the grand circle leaving Torrey on Scenic Hwy 12 toward Bryce - lots of interesting stops along the way. Try a google search on Hwy 12 to check out some of the options - Devils Garden, Calf Creek, Hell's Backbone, to name a
few. Head to Bryce for 2 nights. Be sure to hike into the canyon - many wonderful hikes in Bryce.

From Bryce, head into Zion. The drive into the park through the east entrance is breathtaking. 3 nights in Zion will be very relaxing. If you need info on lodging, dining and activities, be sure to ask. Lots of knowledgeable, friendly people here to help. Enjoy the planning!

Excellent advice about Page...thank you thank you thank you! I thought we might be headed into tourist land at both Powell and Antelope!

emalloy your photos are getting me even more jazzed up!

Thinking instead to add 1 or 2 nights in Monument Valley (in the tipis) instead. Are two nights too much?

If I add a stop to Torrey is that a one night or two night destination?

I would suggest one night at Monument Valley. You can add the other night to Torrey or to a spot somewhere along Route 12. We love the Boulder Mountain Lodge in Boulder Utah but its not that far from Torrey. You could also spend a night in Escalante - that would give you some time to spend exploring Calf Creek, Devils Garden along your drive on Route 12.

Great thank you Sharondi!

Here is what I would do - if at all possible, add a second night at the Havasu Lodge. Two nights at the bottom really only gives you one full day and part of another. This might not be possible as the Lodge books up quickly but I would call and ask. I would subtract 1 night from Page and add one night to Moab. I would also consider adding a night or two in Torrey and a night in Monument Valley.