Notes from GC, Bryce, Zion trip
Jun 2nd, 2009, 08:33 PM
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Notes from GC, Bryce, Zion trip
Recently returned from a week trip out to GC, drive through Bryce, and a stay in Springdale, UT for Zion. Awesome trip. Did a rim to rim hike at GC, north to south. Quick pass through Bryce on a bit of a lark after leaving AZ. Stayed four nights in Springdale.
Highlights:
The hike. I love hiking, so this was stellar. Beautiful, and interesting variety in terrain. Perfect timing, lucked out w/ excellent weather. Our morning in Phantom Ranch it was 90 degrees around 7am, and the ranger said it was a cool week. Met really nice folks along the way. Saw a desert mountain sheep. (Don’t ignore falling rocks! Look up!) When researching, I had a hard time finding a lot of info from people re: their level of fitness to give me a good sense of how I might do. My group was 5 gals, including me. We are around 30years old. All active, some daily workout types, some a couple times of week types. That said, I’m more the former and still a big girl. I did the Inca Trail in Sep ’08 and since then have kept up regular use of stairmaster w/ my workouts. Also went on a couple of long hikes w/ elevation gain in my area. Not many, but I’m certain they helped. Though I’m the biggest in the group, I had the fewest complaints on the hike. It wasn’t very difficult and we kept a challenging pace. The headtwill drain you, though, so don’t go too slow or you’ll be caught in the worst heat. Went north to south (up Bright Angel).
NPS lodging nicer than we expected. Stayed at Bright Angle Lodge (room in Bucky Lodge), Phantom Ranch (bunks), and North Rim (Western Cabin). Fireplace in north rim cabin was an unexpected gift. Some of the girls were surprised and thrilled to find a.c. in the Phantom Ranch dorm. Loved north rim far better than south. Next time, would hike south to north and spend extra time on the north. So much advance planning required for this type of trip, especially for Phantom Ranch. I learned, though, that there are often same day cancellations, so don’t rule that out. (Eg, when I booked a year ago, first serving bfast was sold out. When we checked in, first serving bfast still full. After dinner, we checked one last time and found all 5 of us could switch b/c a group came through with 6 fewer than expected. Also appeared to be space in the bunks/cabins here and there.)
Staff at lodges, shuttles, etc.
Everyone was great. And I foolishly left my camera battery/charger on the north rim when we started the rim to rim. I called from Phantom Ranch and asked them to check my room and, if possible, put the stuff on the Transcanyon Shuttle. The woman I spoke with reacted with surprise at the thought of using the shuttle and I wasn’t hopeful…but when I checked back into the south rim, there was my stuff waiting for me.
Zion
Of course, GC is beyond compare. The scope of that natural wonder is totally beyond compare. But I’m shallow and often fall for looks and found Zion prettier than GC. My directions to Springdale, downloaded from Internet and provided by GPS, gave me what I expected to be the fastest route. Also turned out to be the most beautiful drive ever – the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway (name may be slightly off). We were blown away by this. So thankful we were led that way. The drive shows how you can get much “closer” to the canyon than in GC, which is another way we found it more engaging. Also, we did Angel’s Landing – phenomenal. Tried to do the Narrow to Wall Street, but didn’t have dry packs. Next time. Love this park.
Desert Pearl Inn
What they say on T.A. is true. Lovely property, so glad we “splurged” a bit to stay here. We even loved the grass, walked barefoot on it every chance we got and laid out on it to watch the stars.
Red Rock Canyon
Another unexpected treat as we were following directions to Bryce. Wished we’d arrived earlier so we could have hiked a bit.
Lowlights:
NPS restaurants. We didn’t expect much, so we weren’t disappointed exactly. But it’s too bad there isn’t better food in such a spectacular setting.
Springdale restaurants. Just okay. Best meal was at Bit and Spur.
What I wished I’d done differently
- Thought to bring an ipod converter for car. It’s a lot of driving, and not a lot on the radio dial.
- Prepared for total immersion on the Narrows. I spent so much time researching GC, I didn’t spend a lot of time researching the other parks and I had a vague impression that the Narrows would be maybe up to knee high or, if higher, it might be closed. Wrong. If you’re going at a time of year when the water may be high, get dry gear and go for it! We only got to about chest high, before carrying our bags on our head no longer seemed viable. I was told by someone who did the hike that while the risk of flash flood is real, there are lots of spots to scramble up to safe areas. The day after we tried it, there was a thunderstorm and apparently a couple got trapped up there overnight. (The person I talked to heard an announcement on the shuttle asking hikers to look out for the couple, and then met the couple as they were making their way back down, healthy but a bit shaken.)
- The marketplace on GC south rim has basically a full grocery store. I might’ve skipped the stop at Wal-Mart on the way from Vegas and just made use of the store (prices are probably higher, but it would’ve been less hassle and we could’ve gotten more perishable stuff).
That’s it for now…happy to answer questions!
Highlights:
The hike. I love hiking, so this was stellar. Beautiful, and interesting variety in terrain. Perfect timing, lucked out w/ excellent weather. Our morning in Phantom Ranch it was 90 degrees around 7am, and the ranger said it was a cool week. Met really nice folks along the way. Saw a desert mountain sheep. (Don’t ignore falling rocks! Look up!) When researching, I had a hard time finding a lot of info from people re: their level of fitness to give me a good sense of how I might do. My group was 5 gals, including me. We are around 30years old. All active, some daily workout types, some a couple times of week types. That said, I’m more the former and still a big girl. I did the Inca Trail in Sep ’08 and since then have kept up regular use of stairmaster w/ my workouts. Also went on a couple of long hikes w/ elevation gain in my area. Not many, but I’m certain they helped. Though I’m the biggest in the group, I had the fewest complaints on the hike. It wasn’t very difficult and we kept a challenging pace. The headtwill drain you, though, so don’t go too slow or you’ll be caught in the worst heat. Went north to south (up Bright Angel).
NPS lodging nicer than we expected. Stayed at Bright Angle Lodge (room in Bucky Lodge), Phantom Ranch (bunks), and North Rim (Western Cabin). Fireplace in north rim cabin was an unexpected gift. Some of the girls were surprised and thrilled to find a.c. in the Phantom Ranch dorm. Loved north rim far better than south. Next time, would hike south to north and spend extra time on the north. So much advance planning required for this type of trip, especially for Phantom Ranch. I learned, though, that there are often same day cancellations, so don’t rule that out. (Eg, when I booked a year ago, first serving bfast was sold out. When we checked in, first serving bfast still full. After dinner, we checked one last time and found all 5 of us could switch b/c a group came through with 6 fewer than expected. Also appeared to be space in the bunks/cabins here and there.)
Staff at lodges, shuttles, etc.
Everyone was great. And I foolishly left my camera battery/charger on the north rim when we started the rim to rim. I called from Phantom Ranch and asked them to check my room and, if possible, put the stuff on the Transcanyon Shuttle. The woman I spoke with reacted with surprise at the thought of using the shuttle and I wasn’t hopeful…but when I checked back into the south rim, there was my stuff waiting for me.
Zion
Of course, GC is beyond compare. The scope of that natural wonder is totally beyond compare. But I’m shallow and often fall for looks and found Zion prettier than GC. My directions to Springdale, downloaded from Internet and provided by GPS, gave me what I expected to be the fastest route. Also turned out to be the most beautiful drive ever – the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway (name may be slightly off). We were blown away by this. So thankful we were led that way. The drive shows how you can get much “closer” to the canyon than in GC, which is another way we found it more engaging. Also, we did Angel’s Landing – phenomenal. Tried to do the Narrow to Wall Street, but didn’t have dry packs. Next time. Love this park.
Desert Pearl Inn
What they say on T.A. is true. Lovely property, so glad we “splurged” a bit to stay here. We even loved the grass, walked barefoot on it every chance we got and laid out on it to watch the stars.
Red Rock Canyon
Another unexpected treat as we were following directions to Bryce. Wished we’d arrived earlier so we could have hiked a bit.
Lowlights:
NPS restaurants. We didn’t expect much, so we weren’t disappointed exactly. But it’s too bad there isn’t better food in such a spectacular setting.
Springdale restaurants. Just okay. Best meal was at Bit and Spur.
What I wished I’d done differently
- Thought to bring an ipod converter for car. It’s a lot of driving, and not a lot on the radio dial.
- Prepared for total immersion on the Narrows. I spent so much time researching GC, I didn’t spend a lot of time researching the other parks and I had a vague impression that the Narrows would be maybe up to knee high or, if higher, it might be closed. Wrong. If you’re going at a time of year when the water may be high, get dry gear and go for it! We only got to about chest high, before carrying our bags on our head no longer seemed viable. I was told by someone who did the hike that while the risk of flash flood is real, there are lots of spots to scramble up to safe areas. The day after we tried it, there was a thunderstorm and apparently a couple got trapped up there overnight. (The person I talked to heard an announcement on the shuttle asking hikers to look out for the couple, and then met the couple as they were making their way back down, healthy but a bit shaken.)
- The marketplace on GC south rim has basically a full grocery store. I might’ve skipped the stop at Wal-Mart on the way from Vegas and just made use of the store (prices are probably higher, but it would’ve been less hassle and we could’ve gotten more perishable stuff).
That’s it for now…happy to answer questions!
Jun 3rd, 2009, 03:24 AM
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Sounds like a fantastic trip, thanks for reporting. Now you have to head up to Utah and do some of the fantastic hikes in Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Cedar Breaks, etc. I wish I had the time, money, and everything else to do that when I was in my 20's or 30's forty years later it is a lot harder.
Jun 3rd, 2009, 05:29 AM
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Thanks for the positive feedback 
Tally, isn't this a great time of year to go? Go for the rim to rim...and if you can, spend some extra time down at the bottom. When I booked a year ago, only one night in the bunks was available...but we wouldn't have minded an extra day to explore down there. It's so beautiful...amazing to be down there. Deer down there must love the flora at P.R. b/c they come out and eat in droves. You are so close, it's almost worrisome that they're not more shy.
Forgot to mention, my sis and I also really enjoyed the side hike to Ribbon Falls. It's a lot of fun, and we love waterfalls. Might not have loved it as much at a drier time of year, but now it was green and the flow was enough to be a real waterfall. If you're going in Spring, definitely go out of the way. Great place to cool down and enjoy the scenery.
Emalloy, this was our first taste of the NPS...won't be the last!
Tally, isn't this a great time of year to go? Go for the rim to rim...and if you can, spend some extra time down at the bottom. When I booked a year ago, only one night in the bunks was available...but we wouldn't have minded an extra day to explore down there. It's so beautiful...amazing to be down there. Deer down there must love the flora at P.R. b/c they come out and eat in droves. You are so close, it's almost worrisome that they're not more shy.
Forgot to mention, my sis and I also really enjoyed the side hike to Ribbon Falls. It's a lot of fun, and we love waterfalls. Might not have loved it as much at a drier time of year, but now it was green and the flow was enough to be a real waterfall. If you're going in Spring, definitely go out of the way. Great place to cool down and enjoy the scenery.
Emalloy, this was our first taste of the NPS...won't be the last!
