We are beginning to plan a tour of the National Parks of Utah and the Grand Canyon. Would like any feedback on our tentative itinerary.

Some background: I will be making this trip with my wife and 15 y-o son. We will be flying into Las Vegas from NYC, renting a 30-ft RV and heading out for 15 days. We have never RV'd before, and come to think of it, I've never even camped with my wife (our vacations are usually to the Carribean lying on a quiet beach). My wife has Rheumatoid Arthritis (and the replacement parts associated with the disease), so while we are up for getting off the beaten path, more than a moderate hike may be out for us.

Anyway, here is my initial itinerary:

Friday 8/12: Arrive in Vegas, Drive to Zion NP
Saturday 8/13: Zion NP
Sunday 8/14: Drive to Grand Canyon NP - North Rim
Monday 8/15: Grand Canyon NP - North Rim
Tuesday 8/16: Bryce Canyon NP
Wednesday 8/17: Capital Reef NP
Thursday 8/18: Arches NP, Stay in Moab, UT
Friday 8/19: Canyonlands NP--Island in the Sky, Stay in Moab, UT
Saturday 8/20: Canyonlands NP--Needles, Natural Bridges NM, Monument Valley
Sunday 8/21: Glen Canyon NRA - Page
Monday 8/22: Glen Canyon NRA - Page
Tuesday 8/23: Grand Canyon NP - South Rim
Wednesday 8/24: Grand Canyon NP - South Rim
Thursday 8/25: Grand Canyon NP - South Rim
Friday 8/26: Grand Canyon NP - South Rim
Saturday 8/27: Las Vegas, NV
Sunday 8/28: Las Vegas, NV
Monday 8/29: Fly Home

Any feedback (feasibility, campgrounds/RV parks, sites to see along the way, routes to avoid, etc.) would be appreciated.

Seems like you will be spending an awful lot of time at the Grand Canyon, especially if you are limited in your hiking options. I would go Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Moab, perhaps adding an additional night each at Zion, Bryce and Moab. Then down to Monument Valley, on to Page, and then to one rim or another at the Grand Canyon for two or three nights.

If you decide to take Neil's advice and pick one rim of the GC, I have to suggest the North Rim! Although it is higher,(and as a novice RV driver you might think about that!)it is cooler and a lot less crowded! It has the beautiful North Rim Lodge where you can make reservations for dinner and overlook the Canyon. My family and I enjoyed the North Rim a lot more than the South which sometimes is like Disney for Hikers! The South Rim would be more comfortable for your wife to walk about and shop but the North has that rustic feel you really want when you visit all of these parks.

I agree with Neil that your time could be better spent at Zion and Bryce than at both rims of the Grand Canyon. IMHO, the views are just not as grand at the N. Rim. Yes, the N. Rim gets less people but we were at the S. Rim in early August a couple of years ago and the crowds were not bad at all! There is also less to do at the N. Rim so you only need two night there. The free shuttle bus service at the S. Rim makes it easy to get around to the many scenic overlooks and you can leave your RV at your campsite and not have to worry about finding parking places. Since you won't be doing any big hikes, then three nights at the S. Rim is plenty of time and that extra night would be better spent in Moab or Capitol Reef.

You have two nights at Page, AZ. That's a lot of time unless you plan to do either a boat tour on Lake Powell or the float trip on the Colorado River. Both are excellent choices.

We camp in this area all the time. You are going to want to make camping reservations as soon as you have decided on your itenerary.

Utahtea

Thanks for the feedback. We definitely want to hit both rims at GC. From what I have gathered on this forum and some of the guidebooks, the North & South Rims are like Maui & Waikiki. We definitely are looking for some serenity at the North Rim, but are looking to take addvantage of the accesibilty at the South Rim.

Also, for the four nights at the south rim, we are planning to arrive at sunset on the first, spend 2 nights at trailer village, a night at Kachina Lodge, and leave from trailer village before dawn on the last night.

As for Page, we are looking forward to spending some time in the water.

And yes, we have started making reservations Zion, North Rim, and South Rim so far. Thanks.

Mind you, it's just my personal opinion but I have to wonder why you are driving a 30-ft. RV...for the first time over strange roads in a part of America where you have never traveled before.

Why don't you check with a nearby RV rental place and take one of the same size out for a drive for a few hours. Remember, you are going to be going most if not all the driving.

That way, you at least get a "feel" for handling one of those big rigs.

You may decide to travel light, stay in comfortable motels/hotels and leave the RV driving to others.

Otherwise, as suggested by others, you are going to have a great time. Remember, mid-August is monsoon time in the Southwest -- strong winds (no fun driving in a big rig), heavy and spotty rains, and big changes in temperature depending on the locale and the altitude.

Justicemoney -
I have several questions about your trip. IMHO it seems that you have taken on a lot on for this vacation. You have never RV’d before and your first time is a 15 day trip. Let alone you have never gone camping before. A vacation should be relaxing not stressful. It seems your trip has a lot of built in stress. Have you thought about doing a weekend RV trip beforehand and determine if this is something you really want to do? If not, just rent a car and carry on!

My husband and I are in our mid 40’s we did weekend tent camping and cabin camping in our young days. It is work. Also have you taken into consideration the difficulty of driving an RV in mountains that have steep grades?

We are seasonal national park travelers and have always stayed in a hotel or lodge. It did not take away from the experience. It was relaxing after a hard day of play - we could go back to our hotel and truly relax.

About your itinerary -

You arrive in Las Vegas, pick up the camper and head for Zion National Park all in one day. Seems like a long day even if your flight is early in the day. Vegas traffic can be heavy at times. I would assume you would have to stop to pick up groceries and have lunch. Why not spend the first night in Las Vegas and pick up the RV the next morning? A quick side trip to Hoover Dam might be to your liking.

Zion is beautiful. They are a lot of great hiking trails both strenuous and light.

We went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last summer. It was very pretty but not as spectacular as the South Rim. You see, at the south rim, the canyon is much more open and accessible for both viewing and hiking. There are more places of historical interest, such as the Hopi House, Hermit’s Rest, and others should you decide to take a worthwhile rim tour bus. The rim walk at the north rim was a lot more difficult than at the south rim – steeper and woodsier. Also, there are may more dining choices at the South Rim. IMHO I think two nights would be way too much at the North Rim. You could spend the morning at the North Rim then move on to your next destination.

I would spend two nights at Bryce Canyon. It will take an entire day to explore the park if you plan on doing any hiking. We took a tour of the park in the morning and then went back in the afternoon for hikes. We then went to Sunset Point to watch the sunset. The sunrise is even said to be even more spectacular.

We have not been to the Canyon Lands, Arches, or Capitol Reef.

Lake Powell is absolutely breathtaking. Consider doing a cruise on the lake. We took and all day cruise to Rainbow Bridge. Total relaxation.

Consider Antelope Canyon in Page. It is located on Indian land and you cannot drive to it directly. Only approved Indian guides can take you to the canyon. You can arrange to take a tour - and it would take about 3 hours. Well worth the experience. Excellent photo opportunities inside the canyon. http://www.antelopecanyon.com/

Also, you seemed to be doing a lot in one day on the Saturday the 20th. It will take easily ½ day to drive through Monument Valley. If you plan to take a tour of the lower scenic drive with one of the Indian tour groups, plan on adding a few more hours.

Having been to the South Rim three times, I feel four nights are too many, especially if you are limited in hiking options. I would recommend a bus tour of the canyon to get an overview. A very nice lunch is included with some tours. Also, a final night dinner at the EL Tovar is a must. Dinner Reservations are required in advanced of arriving.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

Hi Justicemoney,

I have to agree with the others. I think you are spending far more time than needed at Grand Canyon. I would add a day each at Bryce, Zion and Moab instead - especially Zion and Moab.

If your hiking options are limited, Zion and Arches offer many easy, level, paved walks to major views and sights. I was just in Zion with my elderly parents, just in time for the first really hot weather at the end of May. They were SO glad they had unintentionally reserved an electrical hookup camp site for their motorhome!

We took an easy hikes in the mornings, then returned for lunch and a air conditioned nap until late afternoon.

I would also re-think going to the Needles District of Canyonlands, unless you are willing to drive that far and not really hike. Nearly all the hikes at Needles are exposed, no shade, and I don't remember any that are paved. If your wife can't hike with you, she will have to stay in the motorhome with the air cond running......and you might not want to hike either. It will be over 100.

Just some additional thoughts for you.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I definitely am looking into familiarizing myself with the rv before august. I have, however, driven large trucks on long hauls before (NY to Lousiana). We plan on taking advantage of the shuttles at Zion, Bryce and South Rim. We are considering renting a 4WD or maybe taking a tour in Moab for visiting Canyonlands. Also, our itinerary tries to limit driving to 140 miles in a day

My family has done plenty of camping (our son did 14 days in Yellowstone 2 summers ago), just not together. We are only planning on roughing it (no hookup) at the North Rim. The rest of the time we are looking at hookups at the following:

Zion - Watchman Riverside (Electric only)
Bryce - Ruby's RV Park
Capital Reef - Thousand Lakes CG
Moab - Portal RV Park
Monument Valley - Goulding's
Lake Powell - Wahweap RV CG
North Rim - Trailer Village (one night at Kachina Lodge)

A few questions:

Are there any sites between the South Rim and Las Vegas (other than Hoover Dam) that would justify leaving GC a day early?

Is an RV possible/advisable on Rt. 12, Islands in the Sky, Needles?

Any feedback on the RV camps above? any alternatives?

Should I trade a night at Page for a night at Moab?

Hi Justice,

Zion Watchman campground - nice and best choice

Bryce - because of the elevation 8,000 ft., you probably won't need ac in the motorhome and your motorhome will come with it's own generator anyway. If you can get a res inside the park, stay there. Much better than Ruby's.

Moab, Portal- not sure which commercial cg this is, but it's probably ok for the time you have.

A 30 ft. motor home will be ok, but slow going on Hwy 12. Fine on the drive in Islands in the Sky and Needles. Parking the beast is another thing in Canyonlands and Arches especially. There will be lots of other motorhomes trying to do the same thing.

YES - you should add a day to Moab or Zion, if you are not doing a float trip or canyon visit in Page.

Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL is you go to Antelope Canyon because of the danger of flash flooding at that time of year. The storm may be miles away, but floods race across the high desert land and whip through Antelope Canyon. You are going in the midst of the monsoon season. Ask local people of the deaths that occurred there in recent years from these floods.

PS, the commercial RV "resort" in Capital Reef is ok if you like that type of thing. However, the national park campground at Capital Reef is one of the very best! If you get there early, you could get a spot.

I, too, echo the thoughts of those who feel you are devoting too much time to the Grand Cayon and not enough to the other parks. I would add another night to Zion, drop a night from the North Rim, consider adding another night to Bryce, add a night to Moab and drop at least one night at the Grand Canyon's South Rim. I haven't been to Capital Reef or Natural Bridges so cannot comment on your time there.

Have a great trip -- you will be, IMHO, in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

If you drive a big rig, then you shouldn't have any problem driving a 30 ft motorhome.

Watchman is an excellent choice for campgrounds. Ruby's Inn and Gouldings are good if you want the electrical hook ups.

I agree with Dayle on the Capitol Reef Campground. I've never stayed at the Thousand Lakes Campround but the Fruita Campground in the park has big shade trees and it's at a high enough elevation that the nights cool off and you don't need to run the air conditioner. We were there last year in August too. The location of the campground is so scenic!

We've rented a jeep in Moab and it's so much fun! Even if you don't do any serious off road travel it makes getting around the area so easy and we only have a 23 1/2 foot motorhome. If you rent a motorhome, consider driving the Potash Road to the Shafer Trail into Canyonlands Island in the Sky District, tour the park, see Dead Horse State Park and then take Long Canyon back to the Potash Road and Moab. It can easily be done in one day.

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/pages...shafer2001.htm

We drive Hwy 12 between Torrey and Bryce all the time. I don't know about a 30 ft. motorhome on that road. You might want to ask over on the RV.net forum.

http://www.rv.net/forum/

Utahtea

We are a couple of reasonably Acient Brits planning a very similar itiniary to yours. We are really interested in hearing how things panned out for you, especially the RV Campgrounds. We are planning for May2006, and have taken the other advice given to you

I would add at least one more day in Zion. They have a cute town with nice restaurants too.

BAR,

It doesn't look like justicemoney has posted since August 2005. You might post your itinerary and questions on a separate thread. We camp all the time in Utah so I'd be more than happy to help.

Utahtea