Hi,

As some of you may have heard, we're doing a trip from Denver to Vegas and back in two weeks.

We've got everything sorted except where to spend a night and the next day at inbetween Grand Junction and Bryce Canyon, as the drive is too long to do in one day. We looked at Goblin Valley, but from the feedback we've had it seems to be the general consensus that there's not enough to do there for that amount of time. If anybody's got any suggestions we'd be grateful, as the maps we're getting aren't giving much info as to where might be of interest? We'd still like to look at Goblin Valley, but we could do that on the journey down.

We're now booked on campsites for all dates between 26th June- 10th July except for the nights of 28+29th June-leaving 30th for Bryce Canyon. We're already stopping in Bryce canyon for a day and a half- are there more activities there to fit into that time space?

Thanks,

K

If you are interested in Native American history, or hiking, there are lots of opportunities for exploring in the Butler Wash, Comb ridge, and Escalante area. Most of these are in BLM or National Forrest lands check with them for permits to camp. And of course there is all of Canyonlands and Arches which would take much more than a day and a half to explore.

I assume you are seeing Moab/Arches/Canyonlands? They are between Grand Junction and Bryce.

Goblin Valley and San Rafael Swell can provide plenty to do for a day. I think Goblin Valley is one of the coolest places in Utah. Little Wildhorse Canyon is a great slot canyon that is in the San Rafael Swell.

I would spend the night at Goblin Valley and do the slot Canyon. T While in Route to Bryce, I would stop at Capitol Reef and get a homemade fruit pie and ice cream which is right near the picnic area. Eat those at the picnic area, which usually has a lot of deer in it. Also while there, pick and eat as much fruit as you want to in the largest Orchard in the National Parks. It is free if you eat it on the spot, or its very cheap if you want to take some with you. The pie and ice cream is made using the fresh fruit. Depending on what hiking you want to do Escalante could take weeks or a couple of hours. If you are wanting to casually see Bryce or any of the National Parks in Utah, a day and half is ok. But, to really experience them requires a lot more time. It just depends on what all you want to do. There is a ton of hiking and even horseback riding in Bryce that could keep you busy for several days.

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

We're definitely seeing canyonlands, moab etc- we're doing these on the loop back to Denver and planning to spend four- five days around that area.

I've had a big problem with Goblin Valley as within the space of a week the campsite's completely booked up! What I think we'll do is have an extra day and night at Bryce Canyon, so that, as you pointed out Spiro, we can experience it to the full. I actually thought we'd added the time on there, but you've pointed out an error in the itinery I had overlooked- thanks for that! We're still going to do Goblin Valley on the way down from Grand Junction as it looks too amazing to miss, then my idea was to spend the night of 28th June at a lodge in Hanksville(?)and then spend half of the 29th at Goblin Valley before continuing to Bryce Canyon. Let me know what you think.

Just out of interest, do either of you know if there are there any activities as well as hiking to do in the Bryce Canyon area?- I was trying to find activities such as canyoneering, climbing, paragliding and that sort of thing, but have had no luck.

Emalloy: Stupid as I may sound, I'm finding it hard on the internet maps to put into context where the Escalante area is in conjunction to Goblin Valley- could you elaborate for me? Amount of Miles between, is it an excursion off the loop we've planned etc?

Thanks again

The Grand Staircase Escalante NM is 1.9 million acres in southern UT generally between Capitol Reef and Bryce, Bryce is on the western side of it , route 12 cuts diagonally through it and is one of the really beautiful roads in the word.

We made this extremely scenic trip recently. On I-70, just past Cisco, take Highway 128 into Moab and not-to-be missed Arches National Park. Then, continuing on I-70, at Exit 149 take Highway 24 to Hanksville and Torrey and then Highway 12 to Bryce Canyon.

It is impossible to imagine a more scenic drive unless instead you leave Moab heading south on Highway 191 to Blanding and then take Highway 95 to Hanksville and continue as described above, stopping along the way at sites others have recommended.

HTTY

Canyoneering- go with www.deserthighlights.com this is in Moab I can't beging to tell you how much I enjoyed this.

emalloy had mentioned Butler Wash and Comb Ridge for hiking the Anasazi ruins in that area. There are all kinds of very short hikes there. If you are considering heading through that area you might want to check out my blog about that area.
http://reddirtdawg.blogspot.com/
On a different area...when you are head west on 70 out of Grand Junction, you might want to check out the pictographs of the ancient ones in Sego Canyon...that is the Thompson Springs exit. You can Google Sego Canyon to find out about that. You might be stopping at the exit anyway for gas....and Sego is very close to there...it is a short little stop..doesn't take too much time to see.

Capitol Reef National Park is the undiscovered jewel of the Utah National Parks and well worth several days. If you can't get in at the Fruita Campground (sites are first come, first serve) then there are several campgrounds or motels in nearby Torrey. Torrey, Utah is pretty much half way between Grand Junction and Bryce National park. It's also where you will want to pick up scenic Hwy 12 to drive to Bryce.

Hanksville is pretty much just a gas stop.

Utahtea

All these places look amazing! Thanks for the link to your blog reddirtdawg :0). Think from what you're all saying we'll stop at Torrey instead of Hanksville- am I right in thinking that we could do Goblin Valley for an afternoon on our way down to stop at Torrey overnight, as it's before you get into Hanksville?

K

Goblin is a really fun place to stop and roam around among the crazy rock formations for a few hours.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/21330432

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/21330429

Capitol Reef NP is one of our favorites too and Torrey is a great little town. If you can spare an extra day, stay two nights and take some time to see the park. Be sure to take Hwy 12 to Bryce as utahtea suggested. It's a stunning drive.

Sharondi- They're fabulous photo's!!

We're booking into Torrey's campsite when it opens in March, and hoping we'll get a spot!! Definitely taking highway 12, then going to stop at calf creek falls for a few hours on the way to Bryce- if you've got any other suggestions though that aren't far off highway 12 and are around the Escalante/ Boulder area and are worth a look let me know.

Thanks for your replies all!

K

K

Thank you, kittys69. My husband and I just love it so much there. There is a really cool spot called the Devils Garden located about 10 miles or so down the Hole in the Rock Road in Escalante. It's a fun place to roam around among the crazy rock formations for a few hours.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/85698056
http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/85564704

Torrey and Capitol Reef:
http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/86502779
http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/86223473
http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/86223477

Here is a link to a trip report from our '07 trip where we explored the area from Zion to Capitol Reef over 9 days or so. Check it out and see if you have any questions about specific areas. Enjoy the planning!

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/utah_tr





I

Sharondi,

We're booked in at North Campground also, so that's a bonus to see where the trails start can start from.

I've got lots of questions after reading that brilliant trip summary!!! I know we've got a lot of them, but if you could answer just a few it'd be a bonus as you guys seem really knowledgable about the areas. so here goes!!.....

1) How far is upper inspiration point from the campsite? also how long is the hike?- looks fab!!

2)Where did you get your topo maps for the routes as we're having trouble finding which ones would be suitable, via the internet?

3)What's the fairyland route from the campsite like? What are the views like and what sort of things are there to see?

4)We're spending three whole days in Bryce- what routes would be best to explore? Also are there any other things around there we shouldn't miss?
I'm taking it you'd recommend leaving really early to avoid heat and crowds? Also are there warnings each day about flash floods? Being from the UK we don't get them, so have no experience of how and what to do to prepare our routes to avoid them- i'm used to preparing well to walk safely in mountains where I walk in UK!- suggestions from you would be really welcome!

5)Where are the petroglyphs near torrey? Also how much time to experience them?- we'd love to see them when we stop over.

6)Will we get to our chosen places in a 1.6 engine car?

Hopefully you can shed some light!!Look forward to hearing from you!

K

kitty69,
I'm glad that you enjoyed the trip report - hope it helps give you some ideas for hikes and side trips as there is just so much to see and do along the way. I will answer some of your questions now; others I will have to do a little research first and get back to you.
1) My husband and I walked to many of the overlooks from our campsite. The Fairyland Hike was fantastic - it was about 8 miles roundtrip but it wasn't exceptionally strenuous. We started at dawn and saw very few people the whole time. I would suggest doing the Queens Garden/Navajo hike - we added on the Peekaboo loop too.
2) We use the Delorme Gazeteers for our road trips. They are exceptionally useful and are made up of topo maps for the entire state. We have them for many states throughout the country but it is worth the $20 to have the one for Utah.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Uta...50/?pwb=1&pv=y

3) It was a pretty short walk from our campsite to where we picked up the trail for the Fairyland Loop. Bryce is so scenic no matter where you are so views are always amazing! Honestly. Once you get down in among the hoodoos it is just magical, especially at sunrise.

4) I will answer this later when I have some time.
5) The petroglyphs are in Capitol Reef NP and easy to get to. There is a little boardwalk that follows the wall where the petroglyphs are located and it's only a few hundred feet long. We attended a ranger talk about the petroglyphs that was very interesting. As others have mentioned, Sego Canyon is a great place to see some rock art as well as along the road outside Moab near Potash Road. Very easy to find.
6) We always rent a 4wd SUV because we love exploring the backroads but we are highly prepared and keep a keen eye on the weather forecast. Flash floods are a real threat particularly in the fall when we go to Utah. If there is any threat of rain, we stay off the dirt roads. We always have a full cooler of food and water, and always buy a can of fix-a-flat in case of tire problems. Most of the roads are passable in a car unless they are wet. The small engine shouldn't be a problem, it just might be slow on the uphills but otherwise fine.

My husband Peter will hopefully chime in sometime to give you his 2 cents. I'll do a little research and get back to you later. Enjoy the planning!

Hi Sharondi,

I just know we're going to love this trip!!! It made me smile hearing you say about your husband putting his 2 cents worth in, as we say in UK, putting your two pence worth in- we probably nicked it from America!!

Does the American fall, land on the dates we're over (June-July)- I'm assuming it does! As stupid as it sounds, if we did get into the situation there's a flash flood do we just get as high up as possible, as quickly as possible?!!! I like to be prepared for worse case scenarios'!

I can't work this out on the Google maps, but where is Capital Reef NP in relation to where we're going?- the maps give an approximate area, but don't appear to be specific with this one place for some reason. Reason i'm asking is that we need to work out approximate times the journey will take and miles, so that we can schedule this in.

We're working on getting the Delores maps- looked on internet, as you say they look good when I checked them out. We'll definitely get these.

Will look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Katie

you might try mapsonus.com or mapquest.

Flash Floods- you can always check with the Park Service, but they aren't always accurate to predict the weather. The main concern is slot canyons, and dirt roads during heavy downpours. If you see rainclouds or hear thunder, get out ASAP. Generally, this is in the afternoon, but can occur anytime. The water can rise several feet in just a few minutes. Ultimately, it is up to each person to decide the weather risks. I think this is hyped up far more than it needs to be, but you do need to be aware of it because fatalities do occur occasionally.

Well, here's my tuppence.


"1) How far is upper inspiration point from the campsite? also how long is the hike?- looks fab!!"



According to this map it looks like about one kilometer
http://www.bryce.canyon.national-park.com/map.htm

"2)Where did you get your topo maps for the routes as we're having trouble finding which ones would be suitable, via the internet?"

Mostly we use the Delorme Atlas that Sharon mentioned. Their maps show topograhpical contours. The only 'real' topo we used was the one for the hike into the Great Gallery but you won't be going there without 4WD. A great resource is the online shop at Canyonlands Natural History Association website. This link should send you to their map page:

http://www.cnha.org/department.cfm?i...4915FBC118FB2F

Under 'Atlases' you'll se that they also sell the Delorme Utah Atlas which contains loads of information on the state in addition to the great maps.

They also have a live webcam that's just outside Moab on Rt 128 if you need a live Utah fix:

http://www.cnha.org/webcam.cfm


"3)What's the fairyland route from the campsite like? What are the views like and what sort of things are there to see?"

Our blow by blow account of the hike starts here and sums up our experience pretty well:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/utah_tr&page=3

The Fairyland Loop is one of the longer hikes at (12.9km)Bryce and took us about 4 hours but we are dawdlers taking too many pictures. Here's a link to the NPS site that lists the trail by difficulty along with distances.

http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/hiking.htm

Both Peek a Boo and Fairyland are listed as strenuous but we found neither one to be that bad...no real steep sections at all. Don't hike until the second day to give you body a chance to adjusyt to the altitude and bring and drink lots of water which helps a lot.



"4)We're spending three whole days in Bryce- what routes would be best to explore? Also are there any other things around there we shouldn't miss?"

Three days would be considered too long by many but, if this os a once in a lifetime trip than I'd say that sunrises and sunsets are 'must sees' and hiking into the canyon at dawn was one of my fondest memories ever.

"I'm taking it you'd recommend leaving really early to avoid heat and crowds? Also are there warnings each day about flash floods? Being from the UK we don't get them, so have no experience of how and what to do to prepare our routes to avoid them- i'm used to preparing well to walk safely in mountains where I walk in UK!- suggestions from you would be really welcome!"

You mention that you'll be visiting in June-July which is early to mid summer here. Your concern will not be flash flooding as much as the heat. Flash floods occur most often in late August, September and early October.

"5)Where are the petroglyphs near torrey? Also how much time to experience them?- we'd love to see them when we stop over."

On this site you'll find all the info for Capitol Reef:

http://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/roads.htm

including this downloadable map (park brochure map):

http://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisi...d/CAREmap1.pdf

The petroglyphs are right by the road and there's a boardwalk that you walk to view them. The old schoolhouse is also quite a photo op and the old Mormon farmhouse museum is worth visiting. The scenic drive is the main attraction for most and a hike to Hickman Bridge is nice if you have time and are not 'arched out' from your time in Moab. Here's a link to the trails at Cap. Reef:

http://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/trailguide.htm




"6)Will we get to our chosen places in a 1.6 engine car?"


It will be fine for your purpose.


"I can't work this out on the Google maps, but where is Capital Reef NP in relation to where we're going?- the maps give an approximate area, but don't appear to be specific with this one place for some reason. Reason i'm asking is that we need to work out approximate times the journey will take and miles, so that we can schedule this in."

I like to use mapquest for figuring mileage and drive times.

The next link should show you the route from Moab to Torrey (Capitol Reef):

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Moab...418297&2v=CITY

Of course you can plug just about any town in and get what you need...National Parks are sometimes iffy on Mapquest.


Make sure to keep spare water and food in your car and I think Sharon mentioned 'fix-a-flat', the aerosol can of tire leak plugger. Help can be a long way off and cell phone reception is the exception not the rule in most of the American west.

I hope this helps...you're goiung to love this trip!!

Peter and Sharondi,

You guys are fab!! The info and links you're giving us is fabulous and really helpful!!

Spiro,

Thanks again for getting back to us- we really appreciate it- it's been so valuble in the whole planning of the trip!! The info on the flashfloods is really useful- we'll definitely keep a watchout for any risk factors along the way when we're walking.

K