Need help with 10-day southwest itinerary
 

Hello. i'm planning a trip to the southwest for my boyfriend and me. The tentative dates are August 28-September 8.

Here's my plan so far, but we're not satisfied with it because we really want to bike at moab and it doesn't seem to fit in.

Day 1 - Fly to Vegas, get rental car and drive to Zion (158 miles)
Day 2 - Zion
Day 3 - Zion
Day 4 - Drive to Bryce Canyon (88 miles)
Day 5 - Bryce Canyon
Day 6 - Drive to Lake Powell (152 miles)
Day 7 - Lake Powell
Day 8 - Drive to Grand Canyon N. Rim (263 miles)
Day 9 - Grand Canyon
Day 10 - Drive to vegas, maybe stop at hoover dam (350 miles?)
Day 11 - day in vegas relaxing
Day 12 - fly home

does this order make sense?
how about the amount of time spent at each location? we are first-timers to the soutwest. we're both 27 and we like active vacations. is lake powell worth our time?

thanks so much for your help!

Moab, Utah is really to far away for such a short trip from Las Vegas.

Plan looks really good. My only suggestion might be to do it in reverse so you have Zion last instead of first. IMHO it would be saving the best for last.

Lake Powell for a day will be worth it if you plan an activity like a boat tour or Colorado Float Trip along with a hike to Horseshoe Bend and maybe squeeze in Antelope Slots Canyon other wise one full day is to long to just look a the lake from the shore.

Utahtea

Last fall, we flew into Las Vegas and drove to Springdale for the night, drove to Bryce and hiked for hours then drove to Boulder and stayed overnight, drove to Moab and stayed for 2 nights, then down to Mexican Hat and stayed at Valley of the Gods B&B for 2 nights, then tried to go to the North Rim, but instead went all the way back to Springdale for 2 nights. Drove back to LV that morning to catch a 2pm flight. We honestly didn't feel rushed although we are going back for 11 days this fall. I love Bryce but I just don't think it needs 2 nights. We also are not very interested in Lake Powell. What route are you taking from Bryce to LPowell?

well, as far as are routes go, i haven't figured anything out yet. some friends of our honeymooned out west, and were going to give us driving direction advice. any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. i need all the help i can get. i definitely don't want to feel rushed, but i want to see the most stuff we can. do, if we skip Lake Powell, when is the best time to go to Moab in this itinerary?

also, i love the suggestion of doing the itinerary in reverse and ending with zion. i know the grand canyon is the grand canyon and all, but zion and bryce and moab just interest me more. i wish we had more time to do the petrified forest stuff and canyonlands and arches on the way to moab.

what about this?

Day 1 - Fly to Vegas, get rental car and drive to Grand Canyon (350 miles?)
Day 2 - Grand Canyon
Day 3 - Drive to Moab
Day 4 - Moab
Day 5 - Moab
Day 6 - Drive to Bryce, spend the day stopping at arches, canyonlands, etc
Day 7 - Bryce
Day 8 - Drive to Zion
Day 9 - Zion
Day 10 - Zion
Day 11 - Drive to vegas, stay 1 night instead of two
Day 12 - fly home

<i>Day 6 - Drive to Bryce, spend the day stopping at arches, canyonlands, etc
</i>

I don't understand that day of the itinerary. You will have already spent two days in Moab. Arches is only 10 minutes away. The Island in the Sky part of Canyonlands is just a little farther away. You could easily spend your two days in Moab at those places.

If you want something to do on the way to Bryce, I think you would want to spend some time in Capitol Reef.

Alternatively, you might want to spend one of your Moab days enjoying the Needles section of Canyonlands. That being the case, you could spend the morning of Day 6 in the Island section before driving to Bryce.

our two days in moab are going to be spent mountain biking. if we have time we'll do a rafting trip one of those afternoons, so we won't probably have time or energy to visit any of the other places (arches, canyonlands until we are on our way to bryce) after biking all morning/afternoon.

If it were me, I would take one day away from Zion and spend it in Moab, Utah so you will have time to explore Canyonlands and Arches.

From Moab to Bryce you are looking at driving anywhere from 5 1/2 hours to 6 hours depending on the route. I would suggest taking the 1/2 hour longer driving route thought Capitol Reef National Park, Torrey, UT and drive Scenic Hwy 12 down to Bryce.

Utahtea

Ape,

Mountain biking in Moab in August is going to be very hot! We're talking about 100 degrees. If you are dead set on biking, I hope you start really early.

thanks so much for the suggestions. i'm keeping track of everything and updating our itinerary constantly when i get tips! i have another question. we are going to drive from the south rim of the grand canyon to moab on our 3rd day. (we'll start around 7am). i understand that the drive to moab will take about 7 hours and i was looking in my books and i see that monument valley is in the middle of the trip. should we stop there and check it out? how long will that take? also, are there any other places that would be good to stop along that drive? 160 to 191 are the routes on my map. any suggestions?

When you leave the Grand Canyon and drive east on Hwy 64 you will want to spend some time stopping at the scenic overlooks all the way to Desert View.

Monument Valley is worth some time. You can drive your vehicle on some of the dirt roads in the park or you can take a tour. Plan on anywhere from a 10 - 15 minutes viewing from the highway to a couple of hours if you drive the dirt road or do a tour. If you have a picnic lunch this would be the place to enjoy it.

Along Hwy 160 is a dinosaur track. This use to be free but now they charge. I have no idea how much. If I remember correctly there's a dinosaur track in the visitor center at Monument Valley too.

Navajo National Monument on Hwy 160 is on the way, but it would probably take too much time and Monument Valley will be a much better choice.

Valley of the Gods is past Monument Valley on Hwy 163. It's interesting, but again IMHO, Monument Valley is the better choice of time.

Watch for the stone that gives the town of Mexican Hat it's name.

Utahtea

Utahtea,

I haven't used Mapquest yet to plan my day trip to Capitol Reef from Moab. I'm tentatively figuring about 2 1/2 hours to get to the visitor center. Is that reasonable?

Mike,

I just did that drive on my April vacation. Moab to Capital Reef is 2 1/2 hours going northout of Moab to I-70, then south again to Hanksville and west to Captial Reef. You will pass Goblin Valley which is a truly unique place is you have time.

Thank you, Dayle. That's the route I was asking about.

so, we're definitely going to stop in at monument valley on the way to moab (from GC). we'll be camping at moab for 3 nights, so we'll have 2 full days. a friend of mine recommended biking for the two days (yes, early in the morning). i was wondering if it would be better to bike one day and do a rafting excursion on the colorado the next day. would it be too much to bike both days and one afternoon go to arches and stuff and the other afternoon do rafting?

ape462,

You ought to check to see if it's possible to book an afternoon raft trip. My experience is that most of them in general begin in the morning. (I haven't done rafting in Moab.)

If you have the stamina after doing the bike riding to do anything at all, you'll be able to enjoy Arches. You can spend the entire afternoon taking leisure walks that require as little as five minutes to really spectacular places. Or you can do something more ambitious such as a hike that takes several hours if that's your preference.

Don't neet to spend so much time at Lake Powell UNLESS you want to rent a boat to ride on the lake. You can do white water rafting from there, and the lake is pretty. I hope you're staying at the Wahweap as it is centrally located, very reasonably priced. I definely like that you are not spending too much time in Vegas but will appreciate the luxury of staying in a comfy, plush bed and room.
Did you consider Sedona? Worth seeing and must take the Pink Jeep tour if you go, plus horseback ride on the Indian Reservation near there. That may be out of your way if you fly in and out of Vegas though. We did this trip last year and Loved it but we flew into Phoenix and home from Vegas. Stay at the Bryce Canyon Lodge (our favorite part of the trip) and Zion Park Lodge on the grounds, if you can. Nice to be in the parks. Enjoy!

our updated itinerary:

Day 1 - fly to vegas, stop at hoover dam for an hour, drive to grand canyon, set up camp, watch sunset at hopi point
Day 2 - watch sunrise at desert view, stop at view points on desert view drive, hike South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge
Day 3 - Leave for Moab at 7am, stopping at monument valley to check it out and eat lunch
Day 4 - morning rafting trip, visit needles and Island in the Sky District in afternoon
Day 5 - bike slick rock, visit arches in afternoon
Day 6 - drive to bryce, stop at capital reef along the way
Day 7 - hike around bryce (horseback?)
Day 8 - drive to zion
Day 9 - hike narrows at zion
Day 10 - relax, hike zion
Day 11 - drive to vegas, staying at hard rock hotel
Day 12 - fly home

i'm still working out the trip after moab. any more suggestions would be appreciated.

also, we're camping at the GC, Moab and Bryce and staying at the Desert Pearl Inn at Zion.

I have seen several recent articles suggesting that Lake Powell is nearly empty with catastrophic low water levels. Any confirmation from locals?
M

Ape,

You will not be able to see both the Needles District and the Island in the Sky District in the same day, let alone a 1/2 day. They are a 2 hour drive apart. You'll have to choose. I would recommend the Island in the Sky because it's higher altitude = cooler temps for summer and has lots to see just by driving/short walks. Needles hikes are very long 10+ miles to the really cool places and you can't do that in the summer.

Also, there are several rafting companies that do 1/2 day afternoon trips. One even does a night/dinner trip - it's Canyonlands at Night. Other raft comanies are: Navtec, Tag-a-long, plus others. Check out the Moab web site for lots of info.

Write back if you have more questions.

Yes, Lake Powell is 1/2 empty due to 5 years of severe drought in the western US. Boating &amp; recreation still go on, but it just means you will see things that used to be underwater! The Hite Marina is closed because it is now miles from water....and I heard(but you should confirm) that Rainbow Bridge is no longer reachable by boat.

ok, for the day drive from moab to brcye, we'll be stopping at capital reef. is there anywhere else we should plan on spending time?

also, is it necessary to book a rafting trip ahead of time (before we get there)? how about horseback riding at brcye canyon? most of the vendor websites say that i should book now, but i'm wondering if that is necessary.
thanks!

one more question, is $553.40 a good price for R/T non-stop airfare from philadlephia? i've checked around and the prices seem the same for non-stop flights. does anyone know if the prices from philly to vegas will go up or down between now and the end of august?

$553.40 is the price for 2 tix.

sounds like a good price for TWO tickets.

Yes - reserve rafting / horseback in advance. The 1/2day horse(mule) ride down into Bryce is very fun, interesting guide.

We just paid $430 for 2 rt nonstop tickets from Albany, NY to LV for our fall trip to Utah. Great price, I thought.

To Mikemo,

The lake levels at Lake Powell are about the same as they were last August when we were there. Yes the lake is low but it DOES NOT take away from the beauty of the area.

My pictures from last August:

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacat...oat%20trip.htm

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacat...lakepowell.htm

Utahtea

To ape462,

I totally agree with Dale that you do not have enought time to visit the Needles and Island in the Sky Districts of Canyonlands in one day, much less 1/2 a day.

I also recommend Island in the Sky district. Green River Overlook should not be missed. I haven't been since they paved the road...YEAH! I also like the short hike to Mesa Arch and Grandview overlook.

You are already looking at about 5+ hours of driving from Moab to Bryce. There are many interesting places to stop if you had the time. Gobblin Valley State Park is about 11 miles or so off of Hwy 24 before Hanksville on the way to Capitol Reef.

I hope you plan on driving scenic Hwy 12 between Torrey and Bryce. This secion of highway is worth stopping at some of the scenic overlooks.

Kodachrome Basin State Park about 9 miles off the highway just outside of Cannonville before you reach Bryce.

There are many other things to see in the area but my advise would be to spend your time in Capitol Reef and driving Hwy 12.

I have not gone on the horseback rides but my SIL looked into them last year. If you want to ride in Bryce Canyon National Park you have to make your reservations thought the National Park.
http://www.nps.gov/brca/horseback_riding.html

From what I've researched, all the other venders do not take you into Bryce National Park. You also can not weight more than 250 pounds. They have a scale there.

Utahtea

yeah, if you spend more than one day at Bryce, you definately want to take the Horseback ride. we went last Sept and did the short ride into the canyon, on top of hiking the Navajo Trail, among other things. The horseback ride gets you down into some parts of the canyon that aren't as easily accessible, if you are hiking. defintely worth it

oh yeah, another poster was correct, you want to get a horseback ride w/ the outfit that's located in the Bryce Canyon Lodge, they are the only ones who actually take you down into the canyon, all the others are just rides on the outskirts, just an fyi

is it worth driving the 30 miles from mather campground to desert view for a sunrise? i want to see a sunset at hopi point, which is close to our campground, so i'm wondering if taking in the sunrise from a different viewpoint is worth it. any advice? thanks so much!