My wife and I are planning a tour of the National Parks of the West in August-Sept 2010. I have reservations in both Glacier and Yellowstone, but am wondering how much time should we spend in the following Parks? We are not major hikers, but do like to walk trails for a couple of miles if they are somewhat flat. No mountain climbing for us. My wife almost killed me for making her walk the trails between the towns of the Cinque Terra some years back. Could you help me determine how much time I should set aside for the following Parks

1. Grand Tetons
2.Arches National Park
3.Bryce Canyom NP
4.Sequoia
5.Death Valley
6. Mesa Verde
7. Petrified Forest & Painted Desert
8. Carlsbad Caverns

We are also doing Yosemite for which I have alloted 3 days.

Appreciate any and all advice on this subject.

Okminty

Grand Tetons 1-2 days
Bryce 1-2 days
Petrified forest - 1/2 day

Bryce, Arches, Mesa Verde, Sequoia can be "done" in a day, as the main sights will be covered then.

Death Valley in August- umm, allow 10 minutes. 2-3 days there if it is in the winter.

There is a lot to see between Arches and Bryce. How much time are you allowing for that? Deadhorse Point, Goblin Valley, Capitol Reef, Calf Creek Falls, Escalante. Have you already seen Zion? Are you not including Canyonlands-right near Arches?
If you are headed to Mesa Verde, you should swing through Monument Valley and maybe even Durango.

For me, it's not about checking the parks off my list, but actually experiencing them. Every park you have listed I would want to spend 2-5 days with the exception of Petrified Forest(1/2 day is enough) and Carlsbad. I spent two days there watching the bats enter and exit the cave(morning and evening are totally different), took the regular cave tour and a 6 hour wild cave tour.

There is a lot to do at the parks that don't have to include a lot of hiking(but you are missing the best part). For instance in the Tetons, take a boat ride across Jenny Lake, spend a day hunting for moose, take a float trip(anywhere from mild to wild is available) on the snake river, horseback ride. In Bryce you could horseback ride the peekaboo loop trail. In arches you could do an airplane tour, a jeep tour. Seeing Delicate Arch from a Distance is nothing like hiking to it and leaning against it for a picture. Yes, it is all uphill and fairly difficult, but the payoff at the end is worth it, and your return is all downhill. Again, this would be brutal in August and probably September as well.

I am curious as to how much time you are planning total for this? 4 weeks?

I would probably do Yellowstone, Glacier, then some cooler areas besided the Desert. Maybe Olympic, Oregon, Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, then onto California and hit Death Valley at the last of the trip. You could include some of Canada/Banff/Jasper. This would be a lot cooler than Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. But those three state would make your trip more diverse.

I second just about everything spiro wrote.

Except I rate hikes as degree of difficulty and how strenuous.

The delicate Arch hike is definitely strenuous as it's uphill all the way in about 6,500 feet of altitude. It a bit easier if you've been in the altitude for a couple of days.

There's nothing difficult to this hike. No climbing or hanging from a cable, etc. Just moderately uphill all the way there. Obviously a lot let strenuous coming back. Try to get there about an hour before sunset.

If you want to see all of Mesa Verde during summer, it would take 2 full days; that would allow for tours of: Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree House, Balcony House, Wetherill Mesa and Long House and then leave you time to do some walking of the trails.

Deb

Since you're looking for almost flat trails, you'll be limited to the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns. Take the elevator down and walk around the loop.

Lee Ann

You won't be doing any walking/hiking (flat or otherwise) in Death Valley in Aug/Sept . . . .

Skip Sequoia, Yosemite and Death Valley. They are way out of your way.

Great advice from everyone espically Spiro. Right now the only reservations I have is 3 nights in Glacier (Swiftcurrent Inn)and 4 nights in Yellowstone (Old Faithful Lodge Cabins). The rest has yet to be planned. I think the trip to Delicate Arch will happen. I really didn't know about all the items in betweeen so will definately add some of those to the list. Right now I have about 40 days allotted. That includes about a week at Sedona where we can swap out a time share. Think we will need to spoil ourselves after the Park tour. May do Carlsbad and Mesa Verde from there as overnights. I believe the Petrified forest is close to Sedona also. The 40 days starts counting at Mt Rushmore and ends in Memphis. Probably won't be able to do everything but want to savior what parks we do see, hence not having Zion or Canyonlands on the list. Could I do them as at least a drive thru? Will cut down/out on Death Valley. Thaks for all your help and hopefully I will have a more concrete intinerary together soon.

Petrified Forest National Park and Sedona are not especially close to each other -- about 120 miles separate them. But it is admittedly closer to Sedona than Mesa Verde National Park (325 miles) or Carlsbad Caverns National Park (650 miles).

I'd also rank Zion high on any National Park "must see" roster. It's excellent, and sufficiently different from the others on your list I've been to that it won't seem like a repeat of something else. Plus it's not far away from Bryce. You can spend 1-2 days at Zion very enjoyably.

I have been to 21 National Parks(several of them multiple times). Zion would definately rank in my top 5. I have been to everyone you mention except Glacier and Bryce(have a glacier trip planned this July). I have been to Carlsbad and Mesa Verde that you mention as well. My least favorite is Hot Springs in Arkansas. Petrified Forest, Great Sand Dunes and Capitol Reef are my least favorites that I have been to, but they are still good ones. The rest you mention are GREAT. I don't have a favorite, they are all just so different.

Ditto to spiro's recommendation on Zion. If you are going to Bryce but then miss Zion that would really be a shame. I'd say do a drive through in Bryce, but then spend a couple of days in Zion.

Two fantastic, flat, and paved Zion walks:
- Riverside Walk, aka Gateway to the Narrows
- Pa'rus Trail, spectacular at sunset

Definitely agree you should add Zion to your tour. It is my favorite park, especially if you spend a couple of days there. It is a very accessible park and you will spend your time IN the canyon. It's close proximity to Bryce requires a stop.

I love Death Valley, but do not even try in August/September. It is too hot! A drive-through does not do it justice. You might as well leave out Sequoia then and concentrate on the other parks.

We were in Yellowstone and GTNP this past summer. The boardwalks near Old Faithful are great. Also pick a spot where you can drive to nearby to see one of the multicolored pools. We liked every ranger talk we went to there. Very interesting. So was the tour of the old Inn. And no one is up and about before breakfast. Aaaahhhhh. How lovely.
It is a bit of a drive from there to Grand Tetons, so plan a day for that. We stayed at one of the older cabins at Signal Lodge and liked it quite a bit. Their main lodge or club house has a TV, coffee, games and very nice staff. The location is central. The native american museum at COulter Bay had interesting things, but you dont' hear much about it.
The morning views at the pull out called Ox Bow were truly Grand. They have a new visitors center at Moose that is well done. And if you are interested in LEED certified buildings, there is a new platinum LEED building at the southern end of the park on the Moose-(something) road. The Ragners at Moose can tell you how to get there. It is on land bequethed by the Rockafellers. Very groovy architecture (even the bathrooms), with a small sound and imagry museum and a small reading room.
And of course, it is quite a drive again form there, south to anywhere else. I's spend 2 days and 3 nights in GTNP, just to enjoy the shifting light, and to decompress a bit.

1-2-3 :2 days
4-5 1 day
6-7: 1/2 day
Check out the National parks websites to plman your hikes.Paul

The Petrified Forest can be done in half a day - or a full day if you entertain yourself fully at the visitor centers, and a few short hikes. The park is designed to be an easy drive-through if that is all you desire. Taking exit 311 off of I-40 will put you at the Painted Desert end of the park where there is a visitor center dedicated to this area. From the visitors center, the road loops around a mesa overlooking the desert to the east, north & west with various dedicated overlooks. A short, flat hike out to Chinde Point yields the most dramatic vista of the desert IMHO, followed by the view from the Pintado Point overlook.

When you've had your fill of the beautiful desolation of the Painted Desert, continue down the road to where it crosses under the interstate (no access) and then down through a narrow corridor of parkland to the Petrified Forest section of the park.

The short drive to the Blue Mesa area affords some interesting overlooks of the shallow Puerco River valley. Another short drive further on takes you to the Jasper Forest overlook. Stop at the Crystal Forest overlook and take the short loop-hike, then get back in your car and head down to the Long Logs area near the southern terminus of the park. An, easy, short, flat hike in the Long Logs section takes you past some of the most dramatic petrified wood in the entire park.


Carlsbad Caverns is amazing, not only in the scope of the caverns, but also in the beauty and intricacy of the caverns displays. I have never been to a cave so lush with both. If you are able, I'd suggest taking the path into the cavern through its natural opening rather than just taking the elevator from the visitors center down to the main room. It's long, but it's all downhill, and will give you an appreciation of the cavern that can't be obtained by merely taking the elevator. By the time you reach the bottom of the cavern you will be below the level of plains that you saw stretching to the east from the visitors center at the top. Once at the bottom, make your way to the Big Room and take the easy path that loops through this huge, amazing hole in the ground. When finished, take the elevator back to the surface. If you take the trail down through the natural entrance, plan on spending close to the entire day in the park. Taking the elevator down, touring the Big Room, and then taking the elevator back up can be done easily in half a day or less.

Furledleader,
I really like Carlsbad,also. A must see is not only the bats exiting in the evening but returning to the cave the next morning. Totally different and you migbht be there by yourself in the morning as the bats take a long dive back into the cave.

Another great thing in Carlsbad is the Wild Cave Tours. Hall Of White Giants is Great. They only take 8 people per week on this tour. Spider Cave would be my second pick for the wild caving.

I can only speak to those that I visited! There's so much to explore, without

1. Grand Tetons [3 nights]
2.Arches National Park [3 nights]
3.Bryce Canyom NP [2 nights]
4.Sequoia [3 nights]
7.Petrified Forest & Painted Desert [1 night]

Don't miss Zion! [3 nights]
Also, driving through Monument Valley is super cool.
Goose Neck State Park is a nice stop along the way.