Byllb

Wow, you certainly have given me lots to consider. I'm not sure about our ability to make some of those hikes though.

I should have mentioned at the outset, that both myself and my wife are into photography as a hobby. This may impact our timing for sunrise and sunset views. I suspect it will also take us more time on the drives as we will be stopping with our cameras out and snapping. The hikes will also be tougher with tripods and camera equipment.

We want to make sure we are not cramming too much in this time frame so we can explore the areas at a reasonable pace.

I have heard great things about Lake Powell and am wondering if we should try to put this in the itinerary?
Here is the proposed route for now.....

Fly into Las Vegas 2nts (never been here and would like to at least see it)

Zion National Parks 3nts Desert Pearl booked.

Bryce Canyon 2nts Bryce Canyon Best Western Grand booked.

Capitol Reef Nat Pk 1 nt Torrey
Driving from Bryce to Torrey on hwy 12 and 24 then up to Moab.Possible side routes down to the Glen Canyon area while enroute to Torrey or Torrey to Moab? If so, what route and time frame.

Moab 3 nts
Should we shorten this to 2 nts to include Lake Powell, maybe driving from Moab for an overnight stay in Kayenta which would be closer to Lake Powell? What things can we fit into the driving between Moab and Kayenta?

Monument Valley 1 nt
Delete this in favor of an overnight at Lake Powell?

Grand Canyon 2 nts Bright Angel Lodge rim cabin booked.

Sedona 2 nts (possible stay at Hilton Resort to kick back and wind down after all the exploring)

Fly out of Phoenix..last night near airport due to 6am flt.

We would love to see Mesa Verde, but I am not sure we could do it justice on this schedule. Thinking of saving it for another trip, possibly through Colorado and New Mexico?

I'm looking forward to feedback on my latest schedule.

Thanks again for all the suggestions so far.
Bill

emalloy

If you do decide to stop by Lake Powell, there are some great photo ops in the Page area. I have some (not professional) pictures on www.flickr/photos/emalloy2009/sets in the 2008 trip that will give you an idea.

Byllb

After spending the morning investigating the Lake Powell area, I am seriously considering a night or two there. The photography tour into Antelope Canyon sounds just up our alley, and the Float tour on the Colorado River sounds great too. Does anyone have personal experience with either of these? Will we miss too much along the way if we drive straight through from Moab to Lake Powell? How long a drive would it be from Moab to Powell?

spirobulldog

When you say Float the Colorado, from where do you mean. You can do this in many places Moab, Grand Canyon, and I imagine around Lake Powell. Give Goblin Valley a look. It isn't far from Cap Reef and is good at Sunrise or Sunset as the goblins cast their shadows. It is also good at night, because it is one of the darkest places(a lot of Utah is like this). This place sometimes does astronomy stuff at night. Bryce has ranger-led astronomy about every night. They do a full moon walk the two nights every 28(?) days when the moon is full.

Only two or three of my hikes are really that wild or off the charts strenuous. You could do most of them with a tripod.. The rewards are fantastic. I go at a very fast pace. If you are the type that is slower, you probably do have to much. I'm not sure if I would like to see the whole state at one time anyway. It is different, but it does look a lot alike. There is only so much one can look at rocks and say wow. My very first thought when I firsted looked at your post, was that I thought it was too much. However, if you aren't doing much hiking, it would probably work out about right. On the longer hikes that I mention, just go at a slower pace. We always pack snacks and stop several times along the way. You must must must have plenty of water if you do much hiking at all. Since you mention photography, do google "the wave" and see what you think about that. I think it is a 2-3 to reach the area. It is not shaded and there is no trail to it.

Myer

As spiro mentioned, I was in Bryce and the Page area 2 years ago and have trip photos. You can see them at:

www.travelwalks.com

You can select the 2007 & 2008 trips to the SW.

JulieSteal

I hope you have a great time, but be sure to plan for trail closures. It happens.

Byllb

Myer, fantastic photos!!! Spiro, the float on the Colorado was from Lake Powell. I was also wondering about spending so much time in Utah on one trip. I'm not sure how diverse the scenery will be and if we will be "rocked" out after a week. This is one reason the Lake Powell river float appealed to me. At least there would be water added to the rock scenery. It looks like we will be in Captitol Reef for the full moon on our trip. Anything there we should make sure to see during the full moon?

emalloy

Bylb, we did both the half day smooth water float trip and upper Antelope Canyon on the same day. We just lucked out with the float trip, I made DH stop near a cell tower and called them when we were on our way to Page and they had room for us for the early trip the next day. After that we had lunch and then went to Antelope. I think you can stay longer in lower Antelope canyon but haven't tried that. We were about an hour or so in upper and we just went to the parking lot and got on a tour at about 3 ish and there was only one other couple in our group although the group ahead of us was quite large and I didn't always wait for them to get out of the way before shooting pictures.

Myer

Look at my post above from Oct 29th at 1:55 where I describe a few sights just outside of Page.

Also, about Bryce Canyon. The park is pretty small. If you time it right you can get a lot done in a short period of time.

Try to get in-park lodging. Get to Bryce Point for sunrise. You can visit the viewpoints by car. However, the only ones that are different and worth stopping at are Natural Bridge, Bryce Point & Inspiration Point. If you are not a real hiker but want to get a good feel for the park, you can hike down Navajo Loop and then either come back up the other side of the loop or join Queen's Garden at the bottom and go up that way. Navajo Loop start/end is at Sunset Point and Queen's Garden at Sunrise Point.

If you want to do something that I thought was great but absolutely nobody else that I know of has done try this. Upon exiting Bryce turn right (east) on Rt 12 and after about 15-20 miles you get to Canonville. Stop at the Visitors Center and get instructions on how to get to Willis Creek. It's in the same direction as Grosvenor Arch but you take a right at the fork instead of a left.

It's a 10 mile dirt road drive. Once in the parking lot it's a very short and easy walk to the start of a series of real slot canyons. There are even a few very small waterfalls.

I have some photos on my web site on the Utah 2008 trip.

This is a couple of hours well spent.

As far as Antelope Canyon is concerned. I didn't take an organized tour or anything like that. I pulled into the parking lot, paid for parking and then bought a "guide" ticket. There were about 6 of us in the back of the truck (I brought a plastic bag for my camera because of the dust). We spent an hour in the Canyon and I had more than enough time to take as many photos as I wanted. There were some other people there at the same time but everybody cooperates and tries to get out of the way of your photo. Of course, the odd person didn't realize everybody was yelling at them but eventually they new.

spiro mentioned Lower Calf Creek Falls. It's a 2.5 mile hike each way with little shade. It's pretty level so that's good. The 126 ft falls at the end are just spectacular. Again, there are photos on my Utah 2008 trip.

It's kind of tough to do anything with the full moon. You don't want to stand on a highway and it's really too dark to be hiking at night. Somebody mentioned rattlesnakes but I never saw or heard anything.

spirobulldog

I don't think Cap Reef does anything with Ranger Led Full Moon Hikes, but I know they do in Bryce and I think they do in Goblin Valley. you'll have to check their websites and see

Uma

If you decide to splurge on your trip, would suggest either
staying at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, or at L'Auberge de Sedona.

spirobulldog

I think your timing is about right on everything. If you aren't doing a lot of hiking you could do Zion in two days(we were there 4 days and could have used an additional two days). I think that if you include Lake Powell you will want to stay longer than a day. I would stay @ Zion Lodge, but Desert Pearl must be great, as I have seen nothing but positives about it. Did you check for Bryce Lodge in Bryce(in the park)? Check the nps website for Full Moon hikes at Bryce(two days each moon cycle they do them).

A full day @ Grand Canyon is probably enough. It might be a good thing that you a saving it for last. It really doesn't have that much to do there, but it is kindof like ending a fireworks show with a final "big one". Seeing the Grand Canyon, Deadhorse Point, and Crater Lake are my 3 biggest jaw-dropping moments. It almost brings you to your knees. It is that awesome.

I am not sure what you mean by river float on Lake Powell. If you are refering to the boat that goes to Rainbow Bridge, I think that would be fantastic. But it really isn't a river float. They do offer river floats of the GC and Canyonlands. These are mild(not for me, I like rapids). I gave my parents a gift certificate to the one @ Grand Canyon for their anniversary a few years ago and they loved it. This was a flight from vegas with a helicopter tour that landed in the bottom and then a 30 minute float in the bottom.

I think you have a lot to pick from everyone's suggestions. You will have to eliminate some of them to fit everything into your schedule. You might want to hike to Calf Creek and see Lake Powell, as you suggest, so you get a little different scenery.

There was a neat looking old schoolhouse in Torrey that is a B&B that looked interesting, we didn't stay at it, though.

Dayle

Byllb,

Since you are into photography, I would highly recommend editing your trip down to fewer locations so you can spend more time in places.

The more you hear about all the places there are to see, the more you will want to visit! There is simply no end!

Each park and area mentioned above is different and unique. Yes, a lot of red rock, but lots of other colors too and endless shapes and sizes. Nothing could be further apart than Goblin Valley and Zion Canyon....and on and on.

Don't try to do it all, you can't! Spend more time and return many times more.

But, whatever you do, DON'T cut time in Moab! My personal preferences would be to cut a day from both Las Vegas (hate the place) and Sedona. Nice, but nothing to compare to all the other places named above. IMHO....

spirobulldog

I agree with Dayle about Vegas, but since you haven't been there, I would spend a day and an evening there, just to see what it is and what it is all about. I agree with him about not cutting time from Moab. There is just so much to do in and around Moab. Of the places I have been in Utah, it would be the first place I want to return for a second trip. With 10 days, you could easily spend it in 2 or 3 places. But then again, you could hit just the highlights. I don't really like to hit the highlights, I like to totally experience it. But I do some fairly serious hiking each day, Usually 5-12 miles per day, and if not that then some other physical activity. You could even spend an entire week, just doing some 4 wheel drive roads around Moab. You get one little taste of an awesome hike, awesome road, awesome raft trip, or whatever and you will want more.

Myer

My approach is somewhat different than spiro's.

I do a lot of planning. I determine a priority for each sight at each location. I estimate the amount of time to see it in a relaxed, unrushed visit. I then decide the time of day that would be best (for instance, Antelope Canyon when the sun is high and Delicate Arch for sunset). After that I put together several plans based on the proximity of the sights to each other. I then have a best plan, next best, etc based on how it works out so that I can adjust during the trip and not miss things.

After that I'm pretty much non-stop. I have never left a sight because I had to leave to get to the next one.

Dayle mentioned Goblin Valley. That was on my list but had a lower priority. It was around 5:30 - 6PM when we passed it on the way from Moab to Torrey. We decided to pull in and spent a couple of hours climbing all over the rocks. It was a lot of fun and the low sun was great. I'm glad we stopped. The only consequence was that we drove the last part in the dark. We actually stopped at a spot on the highway to take moon photos.

isabel

bookmarking - great thread

Byllb

All of you have certainly given me lots of things to consider and some very good ideas. Now, I guess it is up to me to try and sift through and decide how to structure all of it without carry on at a harried pace. It is so hard to see all these wonderful places and know I can't see them all on this trip. The hardest part of it all is figuring out how long we will need to spend in certain areas having never been to any of them. It is also tough to figure out how long it will take from one place to the other. I know how many miles and how long google estimates are, but that is not taking into account the stopping at scenic views and lunches etc.

I am more in tune with the approach Myer takes in my planning. My wife tells me I sometimes over plan and just need to go with the flow.

Now, on to paring down our stops to a reasonable list. It won't be easy, but with all the helpful suggestions for you guys, I think it will be easier.

Thanks again,
Bill

Myer

Just a couple of things.

If you are into photography, you'll need a tripod for Antelope Canyon. When I was there I was the only one with a tripod. A few people actually had their little P&S cameras with the flash on. I remember the guide telling them to use the highest ISO they could. Still doesn't help when you get a blurred photo.

In places like Moab with multiple sights I divided the days into 3 parts; morning, afternoon and late afternoon.

The rest of the trips just fell into place as there were seldom multiple sights of interest in the same location.

travelinandgolfin

If you do stay in Springdale (we loved that little town), here's a vote for Flannigan's Inn. We stayed there about 15 years ago, so I can't vouch for the shape it's in now, but then, it was a very nice place.

Again, that little town was great!

mlgb

I haven't read everything here but my comments

Springdale is the exception to the "stay in the park" rule.

I probably also would add a 4th night in Moab. Chances are you will arrive kind of late in the day the first one.

I loved the Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab and it's on the way to Fisher Towers and the La Sal loop but you might find driving there a bit too much.

I was sorry I didn't have more time around Boulder/Torrey.

I think there is new lodging near Monument Valley that is an alternative to Gouldings. I did a self drive into Monument Valley early (before the tours started) and loved it.