Hello everyone,

I am planning this trip for Summer 2010, getting into planning this late since we were originally planning a trip to Yellowstone and GTNP but had to cancel and postpone until 2011 due to a Family Reunion, anyway we already had the North Rim part of the tripped planned with my parents, we decided we would just make this our summer vacation and add Bryce and Zion onto it. We alraedy have GC lodging reserved (Western Cabin) and I am now deciding between Desert Pearl and Cable Mountain for Zion. My parents are not intersted in adding on Bryce and Zion so it will just be me, my DH and 2 daughters (5 and 8), they are both regular hikers and really enjoy the outdoors especially our 5 year so with that said looking for feedback on our itinerary and feedback on Zion and Bryce lodging. Also I would like to try to add a stopover to see Antelope Canyon just not sure at what point in the trip it will be practical (is this something a 5 year old can do?). I have read some posts from Myer and he gave a good information on stopping there after Zion before GC, but that was driving to S Rim, so not sure that would work on our way to North RIm.

So here are our tentative plans:

Phoenix to Bryce for 2 nights (hoping to get lodging at Bryce Canyon Lodge)
3 nights at Zion
3 nights at North Rim
and possibly fitting in Antelope Canyon somewhere.

Thanks for your feedback, it is greatly appreaciated.

Beth

Wouldn't your drive from Phoenix to Bryce take you right thru Page? I would probably add an entire day for Page and see Rainbow Bridge(requires boat cruise)while I was there. A lot of people think Antelope Canyon is all about the lighting, so that mak a difference on what time of day you will be there. I would think you would hike "The Narrows" while in Zion, if you hike far enough into them you will be in a similar slot canyon, the walls are a lot taller, but you won't get the same effect of the lighting as from the photos I have seen in Antelope.

Yes spiro you are right we will drive right through Page on our way up to Bryce... WE have been toying with idea of staying in page but would need to take a night from another place since we can't add more days to trip... Thanks for the feedback... we will have to think more on this...

I guess the 3 nights in GC is with your parents. Is that not an option deleting a night from the North Rim? Unless you are really really hiking, three days is going to be a long time there.

Antelope Canyon will be 50 mile detour out of your way if you do it on the way from the North Rim back to Phoenix.

The Upper Antelope Canyon is an easy level walk. This is the one you see most of the pictures of.

When our boys were your daughers ages, we did hikes like the Queen's Garden in Bryce. The Riverside Walk (and continued on into the Narrows for a short distance), Weeping Rock, Emerald Pools, and the Canyon Overlook in Zion.

Utahtea

Isn't it Lower Antelope Canyon that's the level one? Can't remember.

If you're on a tight schedule getting to GC North you can still see some great Page sights if you time it right. You want to be there when the sun is highest in the sky.

Coming from the South I'd stop at Horseshoe Bend on the west side of the road. It's on 89 about a half mile south of 98. Obviously if you get to 98 you've gone a bit too far.

Park in the free parking lot and hike 3/4 mile on sand (easy but hot) to the end. Make sure you have hats and sun tan lotion as it's wide open.

And be very careful with the kids. When you get to the end there's no screen, fence or barrier. Just 1,000 feet down.

I lied down on my stomach and crawled to the edge. Not everybody has to do that but. . . .

Then drive north and east on 98 in the direction of the power plant. You'll see a sign in a couple of miles to pull into the parking lot on the right. You pay for parking. Then you pay for a "guide" to drive you to the Canyon.

If you're into photography bring with a plastic bag to keep the dust from the drive out of your camera. Also, a tripod is a good idea as many of my shots were 5-15 seconds.

You'll be in the little Canyon for about an hour.

Then drive back to 89 and turn north. In a mile or so you'll see a sign on the west side indicating Scenic Road. It's a little loop parallel to 89.

You'll see a sign for The Best Dam View. You park in the free parking lot and it's down a few rock stairs to a built observation deck directly facing the Glen Canyon Dam.

After you've had enough get back in the car and drive north and across the bridge towards GC, Zion & Bryce.

If you time in Bryce is limited I would restrict the lookout stops to Natural Bridge (the only one that's different), Inspiration point and Bryce Point very early in the morning for sunrise (as well as during the day).

If you hike Navajo Loop down (starts at Sunset Pt) and Queens Garden back up (ends at Sunrise Pt) you'll see two additional viewpoints. They're about half mile apart so you'll walk along the rim to get back to your car at Sunset Pt. A nice walk.

If you have some time (about 3-4 hours) you can go to Willis Creek. It appears I'm the only one here who'se been there. It's just below Cannonville about 15 miles east of the Bryce entrance.

You can get driving instruction at the visitor center in Cannonvile.

It's a bit of a drive south on a dirt road. But once there you're in the real slot canyon almost immediately and it's a very level hike. It's a really neat slot canyon. There are also a few very small water falls (7-8 feet). Obviously don't go there if it's raining as the creek will swell quickly.

You can see my photos of these sights at:

www.travelwalks.com

select the 2007 trip to bryce, Zion, GC and Sedona.

Thanks everyone for your hiking ideas and other useful tips. We did make reservations at Cable Mountain Lodge, decided it would be nice to have a seperate bedroom. It is rated high on Trip Advisor but I have not heard many reviews of it on this forum... And Forever Resorts has taken over Bryce as the park's concessioner and they just started taking reservations for summer 2010 today, we were able to reserve a Historic Cabin.

I was thinking we would try to see Antelope Canyon on our way to North Rim of the Grand Canyon from Zion, would that work or be out of our way? It is a long drive from Phoenix up to Bryce (about 7 hours according to mapquest) so I did not want to add a 2.5 hour pit stop in an already long drive, but maybe that would be a good way to break up the drive.

Oh Myer... I forgot to add that I found the link to your photos in another thread and your photos are what made me want to add Bryce to our itinerary. Your photos are beautiful.

You could cut one night off the Night Rim. Drive to Page that evening. Do Antelope Canyon in the morning and go on to Phoenix. I didn't see what time of year you are looking at--but remember that late summer and fall are prime flashflood season. I would not go in Antelope Canyon in August--just too risky for me. The Zion Narrows is too hard for little kids. But there are plenty of other hikes. Outside of Bryce is a cool place called Red Canyon--fun. I always recommend the Desert Pearl but that would be only if your parents stayed in a separate room. I believe being apart builds family togetherness

I totally disagree about The Narrows being hard for little kids. Yeah, they might fall and skin a knee, but an adult might do that also. You can always go in as far as you want. We went all the way to Orderville Canyon in October. We had on wetsuits and saw hundreds of kids without wetsuits(which is not smart on the parents part in Oct). There are a few places that the water is a little high, but for the most part it is ankle deep. The only part I would worry would be when the water was a little high. The rocks are slick as they have moss/mud on them. I don't see any difference in this than playing in the creek as a kid. Every kid we saw was having a blast. I know we saw 3 or 4 people even carrying babies on those special backpacks. I think a 4 or 5 year old would be just fine, if they start complaining or you get scared, just turn around and go back. It should be a great cool down in the summer. You might want to rent shoes and carry a hiking stick.

I wouldn't let the time of year determine the Flash Floods. Just check the weather forecast or check with the Park Visitor Center before heading in(no matter what season). If it looks like rain or rain is predicted, don't even think about it.