Peter T in Ireland

My wife and I are planning a trip to see some of the classic Western scenery in Utah, in late June. There's a huge amount of info available in the forums, but to be honest we are a bit over whelmed by it all.

We will only have about a week in the area, probably starting at Las Vegas. What we would prefer to do is to find a nice hotel or prefarably a cabin to base ourselves in and then do day trips to some of the parks. I realise that we won't be able to see them all like this but we want to get a real feel for the area, not spend all our time changing hotels and driving.

Any advice on locations, iteneraries and interesting accomodation would be appreciated. Thanks.

ALF

In my opinion, it would be unwise to try to establish a base, because you will end up doing even more driving to go somewhere and then double-track back to your base. Here is a map:
http://www.travelwest.net/parks/zion/maps/zion-area-big.gif

If you want a central point, it would probably be east of Zion, near Mt. Carmel Junction. Its not too far to Zion, Cedar Breaks and Bryce from there. Its a longer haul to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but still do-able as a day trip. Glen Canyon Dam/Lake Powell is also not too far. If you want to go further afield, i.e. to Arches and/or Canyonlands, then you would definitely need to move your lodging location.

Assuming a day to travel to/from Las Vegas, that would give you a day each at Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Cedar Breaks. You'd still have another day to re-visit Zion or go elsewhere (Lake Powell, perhaps).

travellyn

Moab would be a good base for a couple of days. It's easy to visit Aches, the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point State Park from there.

xxx

It will be HOT in Utah then, so you may want to plan some time in or around the water. The western U.S. is experienced very little moisture this winter and drought conditions will exist. You can hike into the Virgin River (it should be low) at Zion (nice and cool on a hot day), spend time at Lake Powell or even swim in the pools at Las Vegas. I would avoid Arches & Canyonlands at that time of year - hot and crowded to boot.

wiz

I would start at Zion--stay at the Desert Pearl Inn in Springdale. Beautiful. Then decide between Bryce or North Rim of Grand Caynon. Both are interesting--I would chose the north rim, although it is a very long drive. The only place to stay is in the lodge-stay one or two nights. Head back to Zion for one night at Desert Pearl and then back to Vegas. I suppose you could go from Zion (3 nights) to Bryce (1 night) to North Rim (2 nights) to zion and then back to vegas. You have to stay at least one night in these places to get the experience. We did this trip in 2 weeks last year

J T Kirk

Personally, I think the classic western scenery is on the other side of Utah. Moab - Arches, Canyonlands, and especially Monument Valley. If you've done a search on this site, you'll see my comments on this subject. Since you're flying into Las Vegas, then it makes more sense to focus on Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon (which is not a favorite of mine), Grand Staircase, Cedar Breaks, etc. Do you hike? Most of these places will require hiking to see the true beauty. And it will be hot. I was there in late May one year and it was 114 degrees (no kidding.) If you go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and go through Kanab, plan on spending some time at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Not many people go there, but it's really a neat place. Have fun.

Peter T

Thanks for the advice - I can't get over how helpful people are on this site.
Two more questions? If I can swing it, would it be better to fly in somewhere other than Vegas?
And, has anyone stayed at the Fry Canyon Lodge?

Thanks again.

GP

Peter

You could set up a base near Bryce Canyon then day trip to Captiol Reef and Zion. If you come all the way from Ireland and into Vegas you need to go to the Grand Canyon North Rim (overnight). I drove by Fry canyon last month It is REALLY in the middle of nowhere. You could fly into Salt Lake City but if you do that than you should stay in the Moab area for the week. Come on over and enjoy the American west.

GP

rqf

To do Zion and Bryce Las Vegas is the place to begin. In a week you can do Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef without being rushed and spending lots of time driving park to park.. This can't be done using one place as a base and doing day trips. The Zion/Bryce/Capitol Reef circle drive, from LV, involves driving about 700 miles. The drive, most of the way, is scenic and as a bonus you can visit the Escalante Staircase when driving Bryce to Capitol Reef

RB

I agree with RQF's suggestions on Zion/Bryce/Capitol Reef- for your time frame, I think it would work best. But if you do head further east, we have stayed at Fry Canyon Lodge, and enjoyed it immensely. It is an updated old roadside motel- rooms not fancy, but very clean, and a nice diner/restaurant. It truly is in the middle of nowhere- the stars at night are a show unto themselves since there's no outdoor lighting to compete with them. On our trip in 2000, we stayed in Room One, which has its own private porch. We had a great meal, couple of bottles of wine, and chatted with other guests in the diner/restaurant. Again, this is not a fancy place, but the fact that it functions so well in a remote area only adds to its charm. Hope this is helpful. Safe travels.

Mark

Well there is the Moab / Arches / Canyonlands area and then the Bryce / Zion / Capital Reef area. If you can split your week as someone else mentioned I would do so.

By the way, don't overllok the less visited pakys like Capital Reef. With fewer tourists these places are really fun to have to yourself. Also, check out Goblin State Park - it is very surreal - picture a landscape of giant chocolate mushrooms. Who needs drugs when nature creates places like this!

gb

I think flying into Las Vegas sounds the best. The driving distances might be long, but it is easy driving. The heat, like others said is a big factor. Since you are coming from Europe, I suggest to get the most out of your time, it would be best to stick to the National Parks. Cabins are not all that available in the areas you mentioned. Some of the parks have motel type accommodations, but make reservations now. Because of the remoteness of these parks, camping is the most frequent method of visiting the parks. The National Parks offer the best is that each park is in some of most beautiful land of that particular area. Each park has naturalists who gave give lots of info about the area. There are guided hikes available, and interesting evening campfire programs. Even if you don't camp at a park, go to a campfire program-they are interesting, and informative. Take advantage of any program at the park that fits in your schedule. Grand Canyon is a drive, but you can enter on the north rim side. There is not as much activity and programs on the northside, but the view is simply stunning. Vist GC first, then, go to Zion and Bryce because from a geological standpoint, GC is on the bottom, so to speak, and Zion and Bryce rise up in the same geological timeline.
I think get a list of chain hotels as Holiday Inn Express, Days Inn, Choice, Comfort Inn. These motels are clean, unimaginative, many offer breakfast, usually near the highway. I agree don't waste time looking for hotels. There are few culturally significant cabins or B and B's in the desert. I think you would more likely enjoy seeing some of the greatest sites (I believe) in the US in our National Parks.

Dayle

Hi Peter!

Glad to hear you are coming to our beautiful west! Starting in Vegas is good, then to Grand Canyon, Zion & Bryce. Trying to fit in Capital Reef/Moab/Canyonlands would be too much for a week.

Since you are coming so far, is there any chance you can make it 2 weeks? You could do both areas with 2 weeks.

Also, the chain motels mentioned above are not to be found anywhere near Zion or Bryce. The little town of Springdale, just outside Zion Natl Park, has many loding options. At Bryce your options are the Bryce Lodge or Ruby's Inn, again just outside the park. There is another small motel outside the park, but I can't remember the name.

Get your reservations immeidately! Bring sunscreen, wide brim hat, & start your day at sunrise for wonderful views & cooler hiking. Drink gallons of water.

Have a wonderful time!

Jill

You sound like me - there's always more to see than time allows.

From Vegas to Zion is 3 hours. An easy day trip from Zion is Cedar Breaks National Park. This will give you an entirely different view of the west since it's very high up (the park doesn't open until late May because of the snow) and it looks alot like Bryce. You can do a complete circle from Zion (so you don't have to back track) and can see the northern part of Zion which is off interstate 15 (and can't be reached from the main part of the park). Cedar Breaks would also give you a break from the heat - cause in late June it will be HOT in Utah.

I can't imagine being that close and not seeing the Grand Canyon. It's an easy drive from Zion to the north rim but I don't think I'd do it in a day. Here again you can come back via Page Arizona to Zion and see some fascinating scenery and not have to back track.

If you do go to the North Rim you need to find a place to stay. There's very few rooms at the North Rim so you definitely need to find something before you go.

Dayle

I must say I disagree with Jill regarding seeing Cedar Breaks. It's not anywhere near as scenic or impressive as Bryce & has no hiking to speak of. Having been to almost everywhere in Utah multiple times, I would vote Cedar Breaks as one of the most skip-able.

Just my opinion!

Peter T

Once again, I can't get over how helpful you are all being. Our plans are now starting to fall into place. Fly to San Francisco form Dublin, stay a few nights to get our feet (suggestions for accomodation welcome, fly onto Vegas for a couple of nights (sugestions for accomodation also welcome) and then onto the parks. Looks like we can stretch this part out to 9 or 10 days so we plan to move two or three times to cover all the main sites. I'll keep you posted.

Dayle

Hi again Peter!

This sounds like a wonderful trip! Since you have a little more time, do try to get to Moab & Arches. Driving up Hwy 12 to Interstate 70, then east & south again to Moab is a fantastic drive. You'll think you are on another planet.

I assume you have done the search under "utah" & have read the all the other posts about southern Utah. They are very helpful.

You'll have a great time!

virginia

A vote for the Desert Pearl at Zion. Ask for a room overlooking the Virgin River. Sitting on your deck at sunset as the canyon walls turn red and the bats fly about is a lovely thing. Springdale's a nifty little town with a range of restaurants and gift shops, right AT the entrance to Zion Canyon.

Val Cawein

You are planning a wonderful trip. We have traveled to beautiful Utah several times and have travel articles about most parks, along with pictures at:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/8888/index.html
You can visit our article and pictures of Las Vegas at:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/8677/index.html
It will be extremely hot so make sure that you always carry plenty of water with you. We like to travel quite reasonably, so we camped in the various parks when we traveled in the fall of the year.
As far as Las Vegas, we stayed at the very reasonable Westward Ho which is just next door to Circus, Circus. Don't miss the 10 oz. sirloin at Ellis Island. Ask for the special as you probably won't find it on the menu. Also try their scrumptious, made in house, root beer!
Have a wonderful time in our American West and hope that you can give the above sites a visit before your trip.

Peter T

Thanks for all the help and advice. We now have our itenerary put together based on all the advice and where we could get bookings at this late stage. It goes something like this. Arrive in San Francisco and spend two nights. Fly to Las Vegas and spend two nights Golden Nuggett). Drive to the South Rim and spend three nights (Yavapai Lodge). Then three nights in Gouldings at Monument Valley. Then three nights in a B&B in Springdale next to Zion. Then back to LV and then SF for another couple of nighst before heading home. We did want to go further east but the time just wouldn't allow. At least with this plan we will see three of the parks properly and even get some hiking in.