I'm planning a road trip for mid June 2008 for myself, DH, and our 3 sons ages 12, 18, and 21. It's the first trip to the southwest national parks for all of us. We enjoy easy hikes, photography, and it's going to just be a treat for the 5 of us to be together. Although I started planning late, thanks to many helpful postings on this site, I have come up with the following itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive at the Grand Canyon south rim after a very long drive from Northern California. Overnight at Yavapai Lodge (2 nights)

Day 2: Grand Canyon sighseeing along the rim and do part of the Bright Angel Trail and possibly the Cedar Ridge/Kalibab trail. Mule tours were full.

Day 3: See the sunrise at GC, drive to Page AZ. Do the Antelope Canyon tour. Relax at Antelope Beach or by the hotel pool. Stay @ Lake Powell lodge (2 nights).

Day 4: All day boat rental on Lake Powell. If time, go to Rainbow Bridge on the lake.

Day 5: Drive to Bryce Canyon, hike the Navajo Loop trail, see sunset. Overnight at Bryce Lodge (1 night) in a western cabin.

Day 6: See sunrise at Bryce Canyon, possibly drive up Hwy 12 before turning back to drive to Zion. Overnight at Pioneer Lodge in Springdale (3 nights) (Zion Lodge and Desert Pearl are full)

Day 7: Zion- Do the Riverwalk/Narrows hike. Possibly rent bikes and do a bike ride.

Day 8: Zion - Tubing on the Virgin River and/or drive to Grafton. See Bar G Wranglers @ Bumblebee Theatre or a movie at IMAX.

Day 9: Drive from Zion to Hoover Dam for a tour, then on to Las Vegas. Overnight at Mandalay Bay (2 nights) Show the kids the "other" types of wildlife!

Day 10: Relax at the pools at Mandalay Bay, tour the casinos.

Day 11: Drive home to N Cal

My questions are these:

Have I got it right with the number of nights at each location?

Should we try to fit in Monument Nat'l Park on the way to Page and then do the Antelope Canyon tour on Day 5 before we head out of town on our way to Bryce?

At Bryce, should we try for a room at Ruby's or stay at the Lodge where we're now booked.

In Springdale, has anyone seen the Bar G Wranglers perform? How was it?

In Vegas, which casinos are not-to-miss? We haven't been to vegas in a very long time so haven't seen any of the new hotel-casinos.

Any restaurant recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi coug gal,

I think you have it about right, except I think 1 nt at Bryce is not quite enough. The Lodge in the Natl Park is far preferable to Ruby's. Consider yourselves very lucky and stay there.

I would skip Las Vegas entirely as I hate the place, and add those nights to Bryce / Escalante / Capitol Reef instead.

Take wide brimmed hats, polaized sunglasses, sunscreen, and carry more water than you think you would ever drink. You'll drink it all.

Have fun!

Thanks so much Dayle,
I'll consider rethinking Vegas. We have to stay one night to stopover before going home, but maybe that's enough and we don't need two. If I added another night to Bryce, what would we do or where would we go from Bryce with the extra day?

I second Dayle, 1 day and evening is enough of Las Vegas....you will love the Parks, Have a wonderful time!!! We once woke up to 8" snow at Zion on an Easter morning (first week of April) one year.

Looks like you have a well thought out plan.

I'd like to comment on the boat rental on Lake Powell. If the Castle Rock "cut" is completed and you don't have to go all the way around though the Anelope Canyon to get to the main part of the lake...then I say go for it! If the cut isn't open...then you would be much better off taking either the half day or all day boat tour on Lake Powell To Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

I'll throw in my vote for skipping Las Vegas too.

You are going to be doing a lot of driving over a short period of time, so I'd skip Monument Valley this time.

Utahtea

Another vote to skip Vegas. Use it as a stopover & drive the strip to say you saw the sights, but Zion is so beautiful, you'll want to spend time there. Bryce is amazing. You have a good trip planned in some of the best national parks in the USA. The 1/2 day mule ride to the bottom at Bryce is a good option for something different. Probably needs to be reserved in advance.

I like what you have.

I just came back from Utah (finishing writing the report and sorting photos).

I'd add Horseshoe Bend to Antelope Canyon. It's on the west side of Rt 89 just below Rt 98 in Page. About 10 minutes from Antelope Canyon.

Provides spectacular views of the Colorado making a 180 degree turn after a fairly short, level (though hot) 3/4 mile hike.

One of the many highlights of my trip was a hike in Willis Creek.

It's only about 20 miles from Bryce Canyon and most people don't even know about it. It's down Rt 12 just south of Cannonville.

The creek only has a couple of inches of water and is only a couple of feet wide so you can stay fry by jumping from side to side of the stream. A couple of very small waterfalls add to the scenery.

You get to walk in a real slot canyon that begins within minutes of leaving the parking lot.

You have good advice here. We did this trip with our 15 yr olds last summer and it was the trip of our life.

I'd also skip the second night in Vegas. We enjoyed seeing it, but that was fine. We only had one night at Bryce and wished we had more.

There's a lot to do in Page- Don't miss the Horsehoe Bend hike - it doesn't take long. We were also amazed by Antelope Canyon. (We used the Chief Tsosi tour). The float tour out of Page was also great. Also, you might want to look into the Glen Canyon Dam tour. (free, but you make a reservation).

Do not miss sunrise at Bryce!
Have a great trip!

One other suggestion, if you take a day off from Vegas, then on Day 6, try to get a room at the Boulder Mountain Inn on Rt. 12, then you could do all of Route 12, see a little of Torrey and Capital Reef, then drive to Zion on Day 7. Too bad the Desert Springs was full, it was one of our favorite places last year.

For dinner, Bit and Spur was good in Springdale for "tex/mex" and reasonable (at least by NY standards).

Personally, I wouldn't go out of my way for Capitol Reef (just my opinion). It was ok. But that's about it.

I thought devil's Garden Escalante about 12 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock road was fun. Kind of a more grown up (in size) Goblin Valley.

You keep reading about scenic Route 12 between Boukder and Escalante.

Nobody told us that scenic meant "steep slopes and sharp curves". Very scenic but hang on.

Rather than go to Capitol Reef, I'd put the Lower Calf Creek Falls hike in if you have about 3 hours.

It's not difficult but 2.5 miles each way walking in some sand and little shade.

The Falls at the end are definitely worth the effort. It's also much closer to you than Capitol Reef.

My sons and I took a similar trip in 2004 when they were 19, 17, and 14. We spent 2 nts in Flagstaff/Sedona, 3 nts at GC, and 2 each at Page, Bryce, and Zion before a final nt in LV before flying back east to home. We had a fabulous time - w/ lots of helpful advice of Fodorites, and I wanted to spend as little time as possible in LV since I prefer nature and the NPs. However, my boys were enamored w/ the glitter and sparkle of LV - too much for my taste. We were there less than 24 hrs which only left them clambering for more. I wish we had spend 2 nts there to relax by the pool and hopefully show them that LV has a very surface beauty.

I would definitely stick w/ the cabin at Bryce. I recommend the mule ride in Bryce and we also went ATVing outside of Bryce-which they loved!- probably the most dangerous thing I've ever done w/ my boys! Don't make the mistake I did and miss out on hiking the Narrows. We tubed the Virgin 1 day the risk of flash floods were low thinking we would go the next day. By then, the risk was moderate and I wasn't comfortable taking the boys. In hindsight, we should have taken advantage of the Narrows whenever the risk was low and then tube the Virgin around that activity. Recommend the float trip in Page also if you can squeeze it in. I worried it may be boring since we are use to white water, but we all enjoyed it-except the part when I grabbed my youngest when cooling off in the Colorado shallows when we stopped to view petroglyphs and fell in a hole - me, son, and camera!

We did this same itinerary earlier this month, except we stayed the first night in Vegas. DW loved Vegas, and we walked the strip until we were exhausted.

We stayed 2 nights at Yavapai lodge also. We hiked the South Kaibab trail to Cedar Ridge and I highly recommend it. My son is a few years younger than yours, and he had no problem with it.

We only had one night at Bryce, but could have used more. We hiked the Navajo Loop/Queens Garden trail, finishing just before sunset when it started snowing before turning into rain. It rained most of the evening, and the next day I expected the trails to be muddy, but by the time we finished a late breakfast there were no signs of moisture left! We hiked the Peek-a-Boo Loop. It was gorgeous and exhausting- up and down like a roller coaster. I took so many pictures I exhausted the battery on my camera. Those are the best pictures of the whole trip. The combination of orange hoodoos against the deep blue sky is hard to beat.

I had read so-so reviews about the Rewind Diner in Kanab, but we had an excellent lunch there. Our waitress was very nice and helpful. It's really more upscale than a diner. It was kind of hard to find. We drove past it, then circled back. It's on the way out of town if you are coming from Page.

In Zion, the Narrows was closed in early May, due to the volume of water flowing in the Virgin River. We hiked Hidden Canyon. DW kind of freaked out once we got to the chains. I _think_ she would do it again, but I'm not sure. The heat in Zion was quite a contrast to the chill at Bryce. We had lots of water bottles, but in retrospect didn't drink enough at Zion.

You mention at Day 9 to drive to Hoover Dam from Zion. I'm not sure of your route on Day 1 to the Grand Canyon, but I'm pretty sure you'll drive over Hoover Dam then. We didn't do the tour, but there is lots of free parking on the AZ side of the dam. We stopped and walked across and took many photos at Hoover Dam. I'd suggest taking the free tour of the Glen Canyon Dam in Page instead (as recommended by carolv).

Also, once you cross Hoover Dam, there is literally no place to stop for food or gas or restrooms until you get to Kingman, and that's a looong way. Be prepared!

Your Day 9 is problematic. If you drive from Zion on I-17 you will come to Las Vegas BEFORE you reach Hoover Dam.

We don't care for Las Vegas either, but we did include it on one trip to satisfy our 17-year-old. She had a great time and we were only there overnight (about 14 hrs total which was plenty)! We never had to go again.

You've gotten lots of great advice. I'll agree that the float trip from Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry is really fun and sure to be enjoyed by the entire family.

How far into the Narrows are you planning to hike? If just a few yards from the end of Riverside, then you would be fine with your own clothing. If you plan to get any farther, I highly recommend renting the equipment from Zion Adventure Co. Just a warning, you can't just show up and rent the equipment. You must stay for the orientation video & lecture. Plan on spending at least an hour there trying on gear and listening to the guides. You might want to call for a reservation.

If you rent the equipt. on night 6, you can get an early start (which I highly recommend) at the Narrows in the morning. We were on the first shuttle bus up there, and there was only one other family on the bus. They were wearing tennis shoes and carrying short walking sticks, so did not last past the first curve. We had the rest of the hike to ourselves, and didn't see anyone until we were on our way back. It was such an exhilarating day.

We also did the tubing, but since it was August, the river was running pretty low at that point (barely ankle deep in some spots), so it was not very fun. I'm sure that, in June, you'll have enough water to make it worthwhile. Be sure to wear some kind of water shoes that stay on your feet. The rocks can be sharp and painful.

Sounds like a fun trip. Have a great time!

Sounds like a great trip. My husband and I spent a week in Vegas and took a side trip to Zion in March. We found Vegas to be somewhat overstimulating so Zion was a nice respite! Another suggestion is to do the Angel's Landing Hike. It is a long hike (about 5 hours round trip) but it is amazing! The view from the top is breathtaking- you can see why it was named Angel's Laning. It is an experience you will never forget!

Wow! Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. This was my first posting on Fodor's and I can't believe how quickly I got so much advice. I'm definitely hooked.

It's almost unanimous that we should pare Vegas to one night, although I did notice Momof3boys (which I am one also!) suggested two nights is better.

In any case, after talking with DH, this is our tentative plan. We're going to leave a day early to break the long drive down from N Cal to the GC into two days and possibly see Hoover dam on the way down.

Then we'll cut Vegas to one night and add a day to Bryce. We'll do the Horseshoe Bend Hike and Float tour in Page (since we can leave Page later on the last day), and do a mule ride in Bryce.

Ivk, thanks for the advice on renting equipment for the Narrows. We'll do it the night before.

Again, thank you all for your great ideas. Now I'm just hoping for some luck in trying to change the reservation.

I live in the SF Bay area and it's a smart move to break up the driving into two days driving to Grand Canyon. We have done a one day drive from Zion to home...but that's one long day!

If you want the mule/horse ride to be in Bryce and not just outside the area, then book thought the park concessionaire. Only the concessionaire inside the park can book the mule ride in the park. We haven't done the ride because there is a weight limit of 230 pounds and BIL was to heavy.

Utahtea

Again, you have some great advice here (many of these folks helped me plan a trip to Bryce & Zion).

Angel's Landing isn't for anyone who has any remote height issues. My kids did it and it was the high point (no pun intended!) of the trip for them. DH & I did another hike that morning!

We weren't prepared for the Narrows by way of footwear, so we didn't go too far. You will want to work around when there is the least chance of flooding.

Weeping Rock was pretty to see (and a nice way to cool off). It's a quick walk.

We stayed at a green suite in Zion Lodge - loved it. Amazing green features! (Not sure if you were able to book that, but I think most cancellations come at the last minute- that's what someone told me when I was reserving for another park this year).

We also had a good meal at Bit n' Spur in Springdale. We could actually eat out on the porch and there were no bugs.

At Bryce, we did the Queen's Garden/Navajo look trail - gorgeous.

If you are staying at the Lake Powell Resort (the place is so so, but the location is fantastic), upgrade to a deluxe room. It's not that much more and you get a great view away from the hustle and bustle of the buses. Those rooms are the 700's and 800's, I think. Glad you're doing the float tour - it was very fun. Cold water!

In Vegas, a good place to get photos of the Bellagio fountains is to eat on the porch at Olives and rest your camera on the rail.

I posted a trip report when we got back last year if you're interested. (We're the height-phobic parents with teens!)