Just back from Zion, Bryce, N. Rim
 

Hi,

I am a new poster here but have been reading about this subject for a couple of weeks and wanted to share my experiences. Forgive my lack of knowledge on the abreviations....

Flew into Vegas on 6/26, stayed the night with wife and 2 boys 17 and 20. Drove to Hoover Dam on 6/27 as kids had not been there and did the tour. Plan was to drive to Zion so debated the route....chose the Lake Mead road rather than back track to Vegas. Mistake. 1 son and wife are minor motion sickness prone. Road around Mead was twisty and somewhat slow, probably could have saved an hour going back to I15.

Stayed in Zion at Lodge and loved it. 103 degrees but comfortable in the shade and other than mid day. Did several hikes and used park bus as well.

Left after 2 nights to drive to Bryce with obglitory stop at Ruby's. They are a monopoly..you name it, they got it. We were lucky enough to get a cabin at Bryce Lodge for 1 night...no AC but did not need it. mid 80's high and 50's low. Loved the 2 hour horseback ride into the canyon and the scenery was fantastic! We are big photo people so this whole trip was a dream. Stayed for one night.

Left for N. Rim which and arrived early afternoon. Walked about with wife passing on some of the edge walks but she was a trooper most of the time. Again got a cabin, no AC or TV but again that was OK. Busier place but nothing like I hear about the S. Rim. Once again we loved the N. Rim as we are not big crowd types. Stayed one night and back to Vegas for departure. Experienced a forest fire near St. George, UT which was a frightning site...24,000 acres out of control. Smoke could be seen for 50 plus miles. It took me 5 1/2 hours from the N. Rim to Vegas including lunch at Shoneys. That did include lots of 85 mph driving.

We all loved it. I can provide more detail if you like, not sure what is of interest to you. We heartily recommend this trip!

Hi! I'm so excited you posted that trip report; my husband and I are taking pretty much the same trip in 2 1/2 weeks--so excited. I actually do have a couple of questions, if you don't mind. 1. We're going to be staying in the in-park cabins too; do they have small refrigerators? Do the cabins at Zion have AC? 2. Approximately how long did it take you to drive from Bryce down to the G.C.?

Thanks!

Ratchie,

The drive to G.C. from Bryce was about 3 hours. You do gain an hour as you cross the AZ state line. We found the time changes between these states to be challenging at times. The last decent town that you go through on this leg is Kanab. If you want groceries of any sort, this is the place to get them. We traveled with a styrofoam cooler, ice, water, fruit, energy bars, etc. Kanab is a good place to restock if needed.

Be sure and stop at Jacob Lake to get fresh cookies (this was a worthwile hot tip from a cowboy in Bryce). On 7/1 the state was in the middle of repaving 67. This caused significant delays as only one lane could get through for a distance of maybe 5-6 miles. It was progressing fast and should be done by the time you get there.

The cabins at Zion do have AC. It is needed there but you won't miss it at GC or Bryce. At Zion we stayed in the "motel rooms" and found them to be as comfortable as the Western cabins at the other 2 places. GC was the only place with a fridge...dorm style.

If you would like to email me, I would be happy to tell you more or send you some pics. melz4$@flash$.net. Take out the $ and keep them. That is my lame attempt at spam prevention.

We are going to the grand canyon north rim and have reservations at lodge. We have never been but chose North rim even though we are flying into Phoenix. Is it worth the extra drive?

Interesting about the different time changes out there. AZ does NOT use Daylight Saving time as do the other western States. However, the Navajo lands, including some Parks, do use DST. This can get a bit confusing so check on local times so as not to miss anything important.

I have only been to the N. Rim. Sorry, I can't give you a comparison.

To woodnj,

I've seen your other posts. You will be driving about 240 miles out of your way to see the N. Rim vs the S. Rim. That's about 8 hours you will be in your vehicle driving that could be spent at the S. Rim.

N. Rim has less crowds the S. Rim has more views.

I don't know if you can make changes in your reservations so it all might be a mute point.

Utahtea

Phoenix to the North Rim is a loooooonnnggg ride. 8 hours or so. I've done it. I nearly belted my boyfriend (at the time) for getting flights to the wrong airport. But, the good thing is you can get off the main highway and travel through Sedona, and there are a few other things to see off the road as well, like the Wupatki Indian ruins and Sunset Crater. You also get to see Lake Powell. It's best to split this trip up into two days if you can.

hey there, we are thinking of taking a similar route, except, going to Capitol Reef the 1st night, Bryce the second night and North Rim the 3rd night. Couple of questions for ya:

At Bryce, how was the horseback rides?? How much?? Were the horses in good shape, treated properly???
How was the dining lodge at Bryce, did you make a reservation??

At North Rim, we are staying at the motel, are there scenic views nearby to watch the sunrise/sunset??? How is the dining lodge??

Any help would be appreciated. thanks

Maine:

The horseback ride was excellent. Real cowboys, quality and surefooted horses, outstanding scenery and good fun. I believe the cost for the 2 hour ride was $30. I would recommend an advance reservation. We went on standby and got in but it is very popular. They put 50 riders out on the 2 hour ride we were on (groups of 10).

We did eat at Bryce and made reservations well in advance. It is suprisingly nice. Waiters in ties, linen, etc. Entrees are $15-$25. A simple dinner for 4 ran us about $85. It is not big city quality dining but it is nice. The dining lodge at GC was very similar and we opted out of that one even though I had a reservation there too. GC does have a much better view from the dining room. GC has more options for food in the park than Bryce and we had their pizza for dinner. At Bryce it is a short drive to Rubys Inn with several dining options but at GC there are no out of park options.

Sunrise/sunset at both places are an easy walk from your room to several overlooks. Frankly sunset at Bryce was nothing special to me but sunrise was great. Both are good at GC. At Bryce there are several points within walking distance. 1 is sunrise point and 1 is sunset point...that doesn't really matter, both are good. There are several more as well.

Have fun, hope that helped.

Hey thanks for the info, did you go w/ the horseback reservations in the park or at Ruby's?? Also, there are other dinner options in the North Rim park than the lodge?? You mentioned pizza???

Thanks for your help, can't wait to go.

We did the ride in the park. The Ruby's ride is through the woods area and does not go into the canyon. The in park ride goes to the bottom of the canyon.

At GC they have a cafe type place with burgers, dogs, sandwiches and pizza. There is also a saloon. That is where we got the pizza.

Placeu2:

You said you did the 2 hrs. horseback ride at Bryce to the floor of the canyon - is early in the day the best b/c of higher temperatures later in the day? Do you know anything about the 1/2 day trip to Peek-a-boo-Loop Trail?

Did you, by any chance, do the 1/2 day mule ride or hear anything about it? I see there are 2 - one to Supai tunnel and the other to Uncle Jim's Point. There's also a one day mule trip to Roaring Springs - know anything about these?

We did the 2PM ride to the bottom of the canyon. The other 2 hour ride departs at 9AM. Our timing did not allow the 9AM model. Bryce really is not that hot due to the elevation. The day before it was 102 in Zion and Bryce was around 85 at the hottest part of the day.

The 1/2 day is actually 3 1/2 hours (I believe departs around Noon or 1PM)and takes the same loop as the 2 hour model but adds another smaller loop at the bottom of the canyon. After it was over we were happy we did the shorter one due to knee ache and throbbing behinds. Even my teenagers felt it. Pick your own poison! Jeans and a hat are a good idea.

This is the only ride that goes into the canyon. I am not familiar with the other rides that you mention. There is a mix of horses and mules in the corral. The head cowboy decides which steed you get based on your age, experience and size. There is no "mule exclusive" ride into the canyon. This same company does the rides at Zion and the N. Rim and those are also a mix of mules and horses.

Hope that helps!

I took the "half day" ride to the Peekaboo Loop Trail last month. There are 2 different half day rides, and I took the early ride, 8AM. I really liked having longer to see more of the canyon bottom. I tend to get hot easily, but didn't get at all uncomfortable temperature-wise. I have a knee that's missing a ligament, and that was killing me after about 2.5 hours. Luckily, it got better once we started uphill again. Definitely wear jeans and a hat. They don't let you carry anything but a camera.