Grand Circle Trip report, Arizona and Utah
Mar 2nd, 2014, 12:33 PM
#1
Grand Circle Trip report, Arizona and Utah
In April 2013, my husband and I did a Utah and Arizona Grand Circle tour-covering the Grand Canyon, the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, The Needles and the Island in the Sky of the Canyonlands National Parks, Archers National Parks, Goblins State Park, the Little Wild Horse slot canyon, Capital Reef National Parks, the Devils Garden in the Grand Escalante National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Wahweap Hoodoos, Lake Powell National Recreation Area, Buckskin Gulch slot canyon, and finally back to Grand Canyon. Altogether spending fifteen days and fourteen nights for this amazing trip. By reading all the past Fodorites forums, helped me planned a very successful trip of a life time. I would like to thank everyone who has written all these detail reports that help others to plan their respective trips to all these wonder places. Life is beautiful- when we take time to appreciate what nature has given us to marvel.
The trip began at Grand Canyon and ended at Grand Canyon. We got a last minute opening for a night at Phantom Ranch, even though we did not prepare ourselves for this hike, but we decided to jump on this opportunity. Thinking that if we took our time, one step at a time, we would eventually reach the bottom of the canyon. We chose to hike down the Bright Angel trail, and up the South Kaibab trail, thinking that we would have enough time to drive to The View Hotel for the night.
Day 1 – Arriving GC around 3pm. Checked in Bright Angel lodge, and took the shuttle heading towards Hermit Rest. Stopping at various points to marvel at the grandeur of the canyon, and enjoying the leisure day for a beautiful sunset at GC.
Day 2 – After an early breakfast, we were ready to hike down the canyon. It was a gorgeous day for hiking, and the inner canyon is so beautiful. Even if you just do a short hike along the Bright Angel Trail, you will appreciate the canyon more than just on the rim. We went down the trail slowly, stopping now and then to see the surrounding sceneries. It took us nine hours to reach Phantom ranch, just enough time to take a short nap before dinner. After dinner, we joined the ranger night program before turning in for the night.
Day 3 – The breakfast call was 4:30am. We decided to leave before day break, so it had only amber night in the surroundings. It was so peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. By the time we reached the Black Bridge, day break had just began. South Kaibab Trail is very steep, but shorter than Bright Angel Trail. It was a very hard climb, but the scenery was spectacular. The last three miles seemed forever, but we would still do it all over again. It took eight hours for us to climb to the top. After some rest, we drove straight to the Monument Valley just in time for the beautiful sunset.
Will continue...........
The trip began at Grand Canyon and ended at Grand Canyon. We got a last minute opening for a night at Phantom Ranch, even though we did not prepare ourselves for this hike, but we decided to jump on this opportunity. Thinking that if we took our time, one step at a time, we would eventually reach the bottom of the canyon. We chose to hike down the Bright Angel trail, and up the South Kaibab trail, thinking that we would have enough time to drive to The View Hotel for the night.
Day 1 – Arriving GC around 3pm. Checked in Bright Angel lodge, and took the shuttle heading towards Hermit Rest. Stopping at various points to marvel at the grandeur of the canyon, and enjoying the leisure day for a beautiful sunset at GC.
Day 2 – After an early breakfast, we were ready to hike down the canyon. It was a gorgeous day for hiking, and the inner canyon is so beautiful. Even if you just do a short hike along the Bright Angel Trail, you will appreciate the canyon more than just on the rim. We went down the trail slowly, stopping now and then to see the surrounding sceneries. It took us nine hours to reach Phantom ranch, just enough time to take a short nap before dinner. After dinner, we joined the ranger night program before turning in for the night.
Day 3 – The breakfast call was 4:30am. We decided to leave before day break, so it had only amber night in the surroundings. It was so peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. By the time we reached the Black Bridge, day break had just began. South Kaibab Trail is very steep, but shorter than Bright Angel Trail. It was a very hard climb, but the scenery was spectacular. The last three miles seemed forever, but we would still do it all over again. It took eight hours for us to climb to the top. After some rest, we drove straight to the Monument Valley just in time for the beautiful sunset.
Will continue...........
Mar 2nd, 2014, 12:40 PM
#3
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Please do continue. These places are all on my "bucket list", I'm from California but have somehow missed a lot of the southwest National Parks and Monument areas. (Have only visited Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion). I'd like to include some cave dwellings as well; Mesa Verde et. al.
Mar 2nd, 2014, 02:33 PM
#4
Spiro,
You are one of the person who had given us so much information that made my trip successfully done. I have delayed quite a while to put up this report. I think it is my part to share, so that others can gain some ideas from my trip. Thank you so much, and I am also trying to put up pictures for everyone to enjoy. I will try. It took us longer to go down because my husband pull a leg muscle, so we tried to slow down and not to further aggravate the muscle. The best thing was we had more time to enjoy the scenery.
You are one of the person who had given us so much information that made my trip successfully done. I have delayed quite a while to put up this report. I think it is my part to share, so that others can gain some ideas from my trip. Thank you so much, and I am also trying to put up pictures for everyone to enjoy. I will try. It took us longer to go down because my husband pull a leg muscle, so we tried to slow down and not to further aggravate the muscle. The best thing was we had more time to enjoy the scenery.
Mar 2nd, 2014, 02:52 PM
#5
I think this the link to my pictures. It will take me some time to upload the rest of my pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/119161775@N05/sets/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/119161775@N05/sets/
Mar 3rd, 2014, 05:27 AM
#9
Day 4 – We woke up early for the beautiful sunrise at the View Hotel. The best thing was we could see it from our hotel room. After breakfast, checking out the hotel, and we did the 17 miles scenic drive ourselves. It was very beautiful in every direction. After that, we headed to Moki Dugway, passing the Mexican Hat. It was pretty cool driving up the Moki Dugway, but definitely not in the winter time. We reached the National Bridges National Monument before noon, and had fun doing some of the short hikes to see the bridges. We left the NBNM around 2pm, reaching the Needles at 3pm. It was good to see the Newspaper Rock. We did the scenic drive of the park, and our legs were refusing to do anymore hiking. The Needles is a beautiful place, and we will come back some day for the Chesler Park loop. After leaving the Needles, we headed straight to Moab. After a good dinner, turned in earlier for tomorrow’s sunrise at Mesa Arch.
Day 5 – Woke up early again for the sunrise at Mesa Arch. It was still dark when we reach Mesa Arch, and it was freezing cold. There were a dozen of people hanging around for the day break. It definitely worth the bitter cold as the sun slowly peeping through the horizon. The arch just glowed in golden yellow as the sun rose. It was absolutely stunning. We hung around for two hours, before leaving for the scenic drive to Grand View Point. Morning in Canyonlands NP was gorgeous. We also drove to the Upheaval Dome Overlook trail, and the Shafer Canyon Overlook. Just beautiful, and beautiful! We left Canyonlands NP around noon, and headed to the Arches NP. We had planned to see the sunset at the Delicate Arch. It was a very beautiful day, and nice temperature for all the short hikes we had planned to do. We covered the southern part of the park, thinking that we would do the northern part the next day. We were glad that we had done the Delicate Arch sunset, because the next two days were just washed out. The timing was just perfect for the climb to the beautiful Delicate Arch. The next day was a complete washed out day, but we still did some short hikes in the rain.
Day 6 – Rain! We planned to go to the northern part to do all the arches there. Even in the rain, we managed to cover all the main arches in the area, except failed to complete the Devil’s Garden loop. It was just too slippery to climb up the slick rock after the Landscape Arch. We were disappointed, but safety was more important. We will come back another time to complete the loop. Even in the rain, the arches were still amazingly beautiful. We just hope that tomorrow would be a better day for the Fiery Furnace hike. Later the afternoon, we drove to the Fisher Tower, and on the way visit that Red Cliff Resort museum. It was not that bad at all with the rain, as we got to rest our tired legs, and still managed to see a different view of the park on a rainy day. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.
Day 7 – It was still drizzling in the morning, but not as bad as yesterday. We decided to do a final grand tour of the park, covering areas that we missed, and our Fiery Furnace Hike was at 3pm. The day went on and the sky did clear up just before our hike. It was an interesting, as well as informative hike. We met interesting people, and enjoyed the group hike a lot. We had a good time at the Arches NP, the rain did not dampened the spirit, and we made use of the opportunity to recuperate from the hike (down and up the Grand Canyon).
That's all for now....
Day 5 – Woke up early again for the sunrise at Mesa Arch. It was still dark when we reach Mesa Arch, and it was freezing cold. There were a dozen of people hanging around for the day break. It definitely worth the bitter cold as the sun slowly peeping through the horizon. The arch just glowed in golden yellow as the sun rose. It was absolutely stunning. We hung around for two hours, before leaving for the scenic drive to Grand View Point. Morning in Canyonlands NP was gorgeous. We also drove to the Upheaval Dome Overlook trail, and the Shafer Canyon Overlook. Just beautiful, and beautiful! We left Canyonlands NP around noon, and headed to the Arches NP. We had planned to see the sunset at the Delicate Arch. It was a very beautiful day, and nice temperature for all the short hikes we had planned to do. We covered the southern part of the park, thinking that we would do the northern part the next day. We were glad that we had done the Delicate Arch sunset, because the next two days were just washed out. The timing was just perfect for the climb to the beautiful Delicate Arch. The next day was a complete washed out day, but we still did some short hikes in the rain.
Day 6 – Rain! We planned to go to the northern part to do all the arches there. Even in the rain, we managed to cover all the main arches in the area, except failed to complete the Devil’s Garden loop. It was just too slippery to climb up the slick rock after the Landscape Arch. We were disappointed, but safety was more important. We will come back another time to complete the loop. Even in the rain, the arches were still amazingly beautiful. We just hope that tomorrow would be a better day for the Fiery Furnace hike. Later the afternoon, we drove to the Fisher Tower, and on the way visit that Red Cliff Resort museum. It was not that bad at all with the rain, as we got to rest our tired legs, and still managed to see a different view of the park on a rainy day. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.
Day 7 – It was still drizzling in the morning, but not as bad as yesterday. We decided to do a final grand tour of the park, covering areas that we missed, and our Fiery Furnace Hike was at 3pm. The day went on and the sky did clear up just before our hike. It was an interesting, as well as informative hike. We met interesting people, and enjoyed the group hike a lot. We had a good time at the Arches NP, the rain did not dampened the spirit, and we made use of the opportunity to recuperate from the hike (down and up the Grand Canyon).
That's all for now....
Mar 4th, 2014, 04:17 AM
#12
Here goes the story......
Day 8 – We were leaving Moab, and heading to Goblin State Park today. It was pretty amazing that we had all the weather in just driving through this part of the country. First, it was rain, then sleet, snow, and before reaching Goblin SP, the sun shining through the sky. We had a lot of fun in the park, feeling like a kid again in a big play ground. Nature has this power to make such beautiful places for us to enjoy. Leaving the park before noon, and visited the nearby The Little Wild Horse slot canyon just as Fodorites had suggested. Oh, my gosh, we just love that slot canyon, beautiful and with a lot of fun. Little kids will sure love these two playgrounds. It just made you feel young again visiting these two places. We continued on to Capital Reef NP. Highway 24 is absolutely stunning in my opinion. We did the scenic drive and bought the apple pie from the store, and love the barn house at Gifford Homestead. We would return some day to do the hiking. For now, we just enjoyed the leisure drive and the movie at the visitor center was good. At the end of the movie, the screen was pulled back, revealing the window overlooking the mountain. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we wished our home would have a window like this. We stayed overnight at Torrey, and would continue the journey to Bryce NP tomorrow, on the way stopping for the Devil’s Garden.
Day 9 – We continued the journey from Torrey on Scenic Byway 12. It is extensive and vast for Byway 12, Highway 24 is more stunning and beautiful with the mountains. We passed the Lower Calf Creek Falls, as we would not have enough time to do the hike. We did stop at the Kiva Koffeehouse for coffee and pastry. It is definitely a good place to stop there, just as others had suggested - beautiful views from the Koffeehouse. We reached the Hole in the Rock Road in mid-morning, and drove on the bumpy 12 miles to Devil’s Garden – absolutely worth the detour. We had a lot of fun exploring, climbing on the rocks. That is a place for your imagination runs wild. Go check my pictures and hopefully you will agree with me, and not say that it is just a pile of rocks. After Devil’s Garden, we continued to Bryce Canyon NP. We did the Mossy Cave Trail to stretch our legs. It was a beautiful easy trail, before the grandeur of the hoodoos inside the park. We made very good time reaching the park, just a nice gorgeous afternoon for the good hike to the Queens Garden, and back up on the Navajo Trail. Oh……It is so beautiful! Your heart just flutters with the beautiful surrounding. Sunset and dinner at the Bryce Canyon lodge was absolutely wonderful.
Day 10 – The next 3 days’ mornings were crazy for us. I insisted on trying to get the lottery for The Wave for the next 3 mornings. Of course we did not get it, the chance was less than 10% each morning. We stayed at the East Zion Best Western Thunderbird Lodge for two nights, and traveled back and forth between Zion NP and Kanab each morning, just to try our luck on the lottery. The days were not lost, we still had a very good time at Zion NP, even though we did not get to do the Angel’s Landing climb. Our legs were just too tire to climb after the 10 miles hike to the Hidden Canyon combined with Observation Point on Day 10.
Day 11 – The day started with trying the lottery. After that, we went to Zion NP for the Canyon Overlook Trail. It indeed is a very good trail, gorgeous and not hard on a pair of tired legs. We took the parks shuttle to do the Riverside Walk. It was an easy and relax day.
Day 12 – Same thing, try our luck again but failed. So, our plan was to drive to Page, stopping on the way to do Wahweap Hoodoos Trail. It was not easy to find the bumpy road to the trail head, but we managed to figure it out. These hoodoos are white in colors, and very beautiful. Hiking in the sand and wash was very hard, and getting lost was in our mind since the trail was not well marked. We found the first group of hoodoos, but missed the second group. It was still very cool thing to see these elegant and fascinating hoodoos, even though the sun was beating down hard on us. Definitely not a summer hike to hoodoos, can be deadly. It was an 8 miles hike RT. After the hike, we drove to Page. We checked in our hotel and took a nap. We wanted to see the sunset at Horseshoe Bend later in the evening. What a beautiful sunset again!
Day 13 – We drove back to Kanab since 89 south was closed due to landslide. We had Buckskin Gulch slot canyon in mind since we could not go to The Wave. It proved to be a very good choice, and an amazing experience of a life time for us. Of course we checked with the visitor center, and knew ahead of time that there was no flashing flood warning. Hiking in this part of the country has to be aware of the weather at all time. We waded through knee deep cold water (about 18 of them), but absolutely worthwhile. It was so beautiful, and we met two young kids with their parents doing the same trail with us. We knew we would not get lost and had met other hikers along the way. We had good weather, beautiful day for this hike. The slot canyon is absolutely amazing. We stay overnight at Kanab, and would drive to Grand Canyon again next Day.
The pictures are posted in this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/119161775@N05/sets/
Day 14 will have to wait a little........
Day 8 – We were leaving Moab, and heading to Goblin State Park today. It was pretty amazing that we had all the weather in just driving through this part of the country. First, it was rain, then sleet, snow, and before reaching Goblin SP, the sun shining through the sky. We had a lot of fun in the park, feeling like a kid again in a big play ground. Nature has this power to make such beautiful places for us to enjoy. Leaving the park before noon, and visited the nearby The Little Wild Horse slot canyon just as Fodorites had suggested. Oh, my gosh, we just love that slot canyon, beautiful and with a lot of fun. Little kids will sure love these two playgrounds. It just made you feel young again visiting these two places. We continued on to Capital Reef NP. Highway 24 is absolutely stunning in my opinion. We did the scenic drive and bought the apple pie from the store, and love the barn house at Gifford Homestead. We would return some day to do the hiking. For now, we just enjoyed the leisure drive and the movie at the visitor center was good. At the end of the movie, the screen was pulled back, revealing the window overlooking the mountain. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we wished our home would have a window like this. We stayed overnight at Torrey, and would continue the journey to Bryce NP tomorrow, on the way stopping for the Devil’s Garden.
Day 9 – We continued the journey from Torrey on Scenic Byway 12. It is extensive and vast for Byway 12, Highway 24 is more stunning and beautiful with the mountains. We passed the Lower Calf Creek Falls, as we would not have enough time to do the hike. We did stop at the Kiva Koffeehouse for coffee and pastry. It is definitely a good place to stop there, just as others had suggested - beautiful views from the Koffeehouse. We reached the Hole in the Rock Road in mid-morning, and drove on the bumpy 12 miles to Devil’s Garden – absolutely worth the detour. We had a lot of fun exploring, climbing on the rocks. That is a place for your imagination runs wild. Go check my pictures and hopefully you will agree with me, and not say that it is just a pile of rocks. After Devil’s Garden, we continued to Bryce Canyon NP. We did the Mossy Cave Trail to stretch our legs. It was a beautiful easy trail, before the grandeur of the hoodoos inside the park. We made very good time reaching the park, just a nice gorgeous afternoon for the good hike to the Queens Garden, and back up on the Navajo Trail. Oh……It is so beautiful! Your heart just flutters with the beautiful surrounding. Sunset and dinner at the Bryce Canyon lodge was absolutely wonderful.
Day 10 – The next 3 days’ mornings were crazy for us. I insisted on trying to get the lottery for The Wave for the next 3 mornings. Of course we did not get it, the chance was less than 10% each morning. We stayed at the East Zion Best Western Thunderbird Lodge for two nights, and traveled back and forth between Zion NP and Kanab each morning, just to try our luck on the lottery. The days were not lost, we still had a very good time at Zion NP, even though we did not get to do the Angel’s Landing climb. Our legs were just too tire to climb after the 10 miles hike to the Hidden Canyon combined with Observation Point on Day 10.
Day 11 – The day started with trying the lottery. After that, we went to Zion NP for the Canyon Overlook Trail. It indeed is a very good trail, gorgeous and not hard on a pair of tired legs. We took the parks shuttle to do the Riverside Walk. It was an easy and relax day.
Day 12 – Same thing, try our luck again but failed. So, our plan was to drive to Page, stopping on the way to do Wahweap Hoodoos Trail. It was not easy to find the bumpy road to the trail head, but we managed to figure it out. These hoodoos are white in colors, and very beautiful. Hiking in the sand and wash was very hard, and getting lost was in our mind since the trail was not well marked. We found the first group of hoodoos, but missed the second group. It was still very cool thing to see these elegant and fascinating hoodoos, even though the sun was beating down hard on us. Definitely not a summer hike to hoodoos, can be deadly. It was an 8 miles hike RT. After the hike, we drove to Page. We checked in our hotel and took a nap. We wanted to see the sunset at Horseshoe Bend later in the evening. What a beautiful sunset again!
Day 13 – We drove back to Kanab since 89 south was closed due to landslide. We had Buckskin Gulch slot canyon in mind since we could not go to The Wave. It proved to be a very good choice, and an amazing experience of a life time for us. Of course we checked with the visitor center, and knew ahead of time that there was no flashing flood warning. Hiking in this part of the country has to be aware of the weather at all time. We waded through knee deep cold water (about 18 of them), but absolutely worthwhile. It was so beautiful, and we met two young kids with their parents doing the same trail with us. We knew we would not get lost and had met other hikers along the way. We had good weather, beautiful day for this hike. The slot canyon is absolutely amazing. We stay overnight at Kanab, and would drive to Grand Canyon again next Day.
The pictures are posted in this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/119161775@N05/sets/
Day 14 will have to wait a little........
Mar 4th, 2014, 02:17 PM
#14
Hi Spiro,
You do not need to backpacking for Buckskin Gulch slot canyon, just turn back after 3 or 4 miles of hiking. It is not a place to be when there is a flash flood warning. If you google flash flood in Buckskin Gulch, you will see some scary moments on You tube on this slot canyon. We checked with the visitor center and they told us it would be a good day to go in. Some day I will return there to do The Wave and The White Pocket. I just love that place. Utah is a very pretty place.
For Grand Canyon's rim to rim, check out this link:http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/RimtoRim/RimtoRim.htm
You do not need to backpacking for Buckskin Gulch slot canyon, just turn back after 3 or 4 miles of hiking. It is not a place to be when there is a flash flood warning. If you google flash flood in Buckskin Gulch, you will see some scary moments on You tube on this slot canyon. We checked with the visitor center and they told us it would be a good day to go in. Some day I will return there to do The Wave and The White Pocket. I just love that place. Utah is a very pretty place.
For Grand Canyon's rim to rim, check out this link:http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/RimtoRim/RimtoRim.htm
Mar 4th, 2014, 05:12 PM
#16
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Cherthor,
I don't normally do this, but you might want to email me.
[email protected]
It's fine if you don't want to, because I probably wouldn't on here to many people either. I have some info for you though.
I don't normally do this, but you might want to email me.
[email protected]
It's fine if you don't want to, because I probably wouldn't on here to many people either. I have some info for you though.
Mar 5th, 2014, 06:31 AM
#17
Day 14 – We said goodbye to Utah with all the good memories, and we will be back again someday. We drove on the old 89A, passed the entrance of North Rim-(we will be back to visit the North Rim). On the way, we stopped at the Visitor center of Lees Ferry National Park. It is a beautiful place with the Colorado River above the two bridges. Rafting down the river would be nice, but just too expensive for the cost………may be someday. From there we drove all the way back to the East entrance, we decided to cover all the vista points along the rim. It was such a beautiful day, and we had a gorgeous sunset at Yaki Point. It was so beautiful and magnificent, a great way to end this trip. We even get a night stay at the historic Buckeye cabin for the night.
So long, until we meet again………
So long, until we meet again………
Mar 9th, 2014, 08:49 PM
#19
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Buckskin Gulch
There is a Middle Trail where you can enter/exit. Location is
GPS N37 01.875 W111 55.327. A visual confirmation of this location are a set of petroglyphs on the north canyon about 100 feet up the canyon wall. They consist of a man, two Rams, a concentric circle and a lightening bolt. How they were imprinted there is a mystery, but they could have signaled Indians in the Gorge of this is an exit point.
It is a bewildering maze or roads to drive to that Middle Trailhead, but the entry is at MP 21.5 off highway 89. Then use GPS coordinates to get there.
Note: This is a waypoint where the dry creek empties into the gulch is N37 01.883 W111 55.494.
If there is ANY hint of rain, do NOT enter.
Vaga.
There is a Middle Trail where you can enter/exit. Location is
GPS N37 01.875 W111 55.327. A visual confirmation of this location are a set of petroglyphs on the north canyon about 100 feet up the canyon wall. They consist of a man, two Rams, a concentric circle and a lightening bolt. How they were imprinted there is a mystery, but they could have signaled Indians in the Gorge of this is an exit point.
It is a bewildering maze or roads to drive to that Middle Trailhead, but the entry is at MP 21.5 off highway 89. Then use GPS coordinates to get there.
Note: This is a waypoint where the dry creek empties into the gulch is N37 01.883 W111 55.494.
If there is ANY hint of rain, do NOT enter.
Vaga.
Mar 10th, 2014, 01:34 AM
#20
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What an amazing report as are Sprio's trip reports and also contributions by others such as Vega.
Will definitely print this out for the next time we do this drive/trip.
And thanks for the tip about the lottery for hiking the Wave. Did know you have to enter it.
Will definitely print this out for the next time we do this drive/trip.
And thanks for the tip about the lottery for hiking the Wave. Did know you have to enter it.
