RamonaRamona

Hi everyone
I have read a lot of trip reports from similar itineraries and hope that you can help me with some questions I still have.
Here is my plan:

day 1: fly into vegas
day 2: drive to hoover dam, see what's so dam exciting, drive to grand canyon
day 3: grand canyon
day 4: leave grand canyon and make our way to monument valley
day 5: Moab- one of the trip reports on here mentioned a scenic air plane ride over the park that was ~$100/pp. does anyone have more info on this??
day 6: more moab, then leave for Bryce NP
day 7: Bryce NP and travel to Zion NP
day 8: Zion NP and head back to vegas
day 9: Vegas
day 10: last day. Vegas and departure.

My questions:
-is 2 nights at the grand canyon too long for someone who is afraid of heights and will not venture down into the canyon so much as one step? are there any nice hikes along the rim (but not too close to the edge)?
-is monument valley worth stopping at? worth overnighting at? I am thinking we might be better off using that day at Bryce or Zion... any thoughts?
-Most of the reports I have read say early October weather is quite warm. Is it warm enough to have the top down if we rent a convertible? Would anyone recommend a 4x4 vehicle for any reason? Is it still warm enough to camp (we have camped at Yellowstone in September where it got down to 28 F overnight. brrrrr but we survived)??
-We are thinking of taking a helicopter ride to the bottom of the grand canyon on our last day in vegas. having already seen it from the top, is this worth the time/$$?
-Any other advice/thoughts?? I know it is rushed, but 10 days is the longest we could do.

Thanks very much!

Bill_H

-is 2 nights at the grand canyon too long for someone who is afraid of heights and will not venture down into the canyon so much as one step?

Probably one night is enough for someone like this. Catch a sunset and a sunrise and hit the road.

are there any nice hikes along the rim (but not too close to the edge)?

Yes, from Mather Point west there's a nice paved hiking path that's always a few yards from the edge but still has good views. Also some similar paths on the west rim drive.

-is monument valley worth stopping at? worth overnighting at?

Worth a night if you like the scenery and have time and money to do a guided Navajo tour. Gouldings is the best place to stay, but probably already booked.

I am thinking we might be better off using that day at Bryce or Zion... any thoughts?

Either way works fine ... if you're interested in Native American heritage then a night at MV would be better; if not, Bryce or Zion would be better.

-Most of the reports I have read say early October weather is quite warm. Is it warm enough to have the top down if we rent a convertible?

Yes, mid-day, especially at the lower elevations. You'll be staying at elevations from 2,000 ft or so (Vegas), 5,000 ft (Zion, MV, Moab is a bit lower IIRC), 7,000 ft (Grand Canyon) and 8,400 ft at Bryce. I'd expect sunny days, chilly nights at the higher elevations, moderately mild-to-warm afternoons at elevation.

Would anyone recommend a 4x4 vehicle for any reason?

Not needed for this trip in early Oct. But be careful about self-driving a standard car on the Monument Valley loop, if it hasn't been graded recently you could damage it. A tour is a better idea here.

Is it still warm enough to camp (we have camped at Yellowstone in September where it got down to 28 F overnight. brrrrr but we survived)??

Yes, it's warm enough ... maybe low 30's at Bryce and GC, warmer at the other places due to elevation. Actually a fine time to be camping up there.

-We are thinking of taking a helicopter ride to the bottom of the grand canyon on our last day in vegas. having already seen it from the top, is this worth the time/$$?

Doesn't actually go to the Grand Canyon National Park, but instead to an Indian reservation that's part of the ecosystem. Probably worth it if you can avoid the Skywalk

I know it is rushed, but 10 days is the longest we could do.

10 days is enough for a nice taste ... relax and have a good time.

RamonaRamona

Thanks for all the great info Bill!

any other experts out there??

Myer

You didn't allow yourself anywhere enough time in Moab.

The drive from Moab to Bryce is not only quite long but there are some sights in between you don't want to miss.

Goblin Valley State Park - one hour

Lower Calf Creek Falls hike - half day

Devil's Garden Escalente (not to be confused with DG in Arches. A grown up version of Goblin Valley.

Willis Creek slot canyon since you don't have one in you itinerary - 2-3 hours.

Bryce Canyon - you can get a good taste if you stop by Natural Bridge, go to Bryce Point for sunrise and hike down Navajo Loop and up Queens Garden - a little more than half a day.

Arches NP - at least most of 2 days. Fiery Furnace ranger hike, Windows section and a fewothers. Not to mention a quick stop in Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point.

Grand Canyon - as suggested above sunset (I forget the name of the place), sunrise on the Rim, stop at a few viewpoints and move on. Put the saved day into one of the above.

Las Vegas - this is either a Vegas trip or it isn't. I would take the last day and move it into one of the above.

Two years ago I spent a week from Moab to Bryce and did a lot of the above. Didn't plan on nor got to Zion (had been there the year before).

RamonaRamona

Thanks for the info. My itinerary is starting to fill out!

emalloy

Since this is a loop, check on the time your flights get into Vegas and leave Vegas before you pick which way you will do the loop. It only takes 3 or so hours to get to Zion, quite a bit more to get to Grand Canyon with a stop at Hoover Dam. If you have and afternoon arrival, you can give yourself more time in the parks by heading up to Zion on the day you arrive for a night or two and then going to Bryce (If you are afraid of heights, you probably won't want to hike here so one day/night will be enough for a look) and on through Capitol Reef then up to Moab for a couple of days then down through Monument Valley on to Grand Canyon, Hoover and back to Vegas.

This is lots of driving, but for a look at the parks is certainly doable in 10 days and will give you a feel for where to come back to for a longer stay. We've done the whole loop (arrived at night and stayed in the north side of Vegas for an early departure for Zion) in 10 days and have since done part of it going to GC first a couple of times with modifications (eg. down to Sedona, Walnut Canyon etc.), depending on timing and when we could get lodging in the parks.

Have a great trip.

ziggypop

I think you have almost the perfect itinerary except I would skip the helicopter ride. I spent the money on one once and it was a rip off. My wife and I spent 2 days at the Grand Canyon without hiking down the valley, there are lots of easy hikes along the rim and your fear of heights will never come into play, try to see sunrise and sunset, the most memorial times we had at the canyon. enjoy your trip, ziggypop

spirobulldog

I liked the helicopter ride(enough to do it on two different trips). I agree with others that one day is enough at GC. Are you considering the North or South Rim? I think one day is plenty for MV as well. There is a ton to do between Moab and Zion. Even from Monument Valley to Moab there is a lot to do. Natural Bridges National Monument(Sipapu Bridge is a very very impressive span), Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods(good B&B here), Goosenecks of the San Juan.

Mid-October the Fall colors are good at Cap Reef. Don't miss the pies at the Gifford House there, and eat them in the orchard picnic area. If you are there in early Oct, pick some apples and eat as many as you can for free. Very nice orchards(large). I wouldn't spend anytime hiking in Cap Reef. If you like solitude, you might want to hike there though. I just think the hikes are better in the other areas you are going.

RamonaRamona

Great tips! Was planning on skipping Capitol Reef but now might have to stop for some of that pie!

We have changed our itinerary to spend 1 night at the GC. We will spend the extra day somewhere between moab and zion.

Does anyone know if campsites will fill up in early October?? We were hoping to keep the itinerary fairly flexible so don't want to make too many reservations, but don't want to waste time looking for a hotel because all of the campgrounds are full either.

Thanks everyone!

Dayle

Ramona,

Early Oct the campsites at the Natl Parks will definitely fill up. Except maybe for Bryce, where it will be awfully cold for camping. If you end up staying there, you may want to have advance res for either the lodge in the park (if you can get it) or one of the motels just outside the park (Ruby's or Bryce something that Ruby's owns too).

If you want a campsite, you should have reservations or arrive EARLY, before 9am to snag one.

There are National Forest campgrounds too and those are more plentiful and won't fill up on Oct. Although fall is hunting season and it's a big thing in Utah so campground can also be full of hunters.

Dayle

To be clear, hunters will be in the higher altitude campgrounds.

spirobulldog

Goblin Valley and Deadhorse Point would be nice for camping. Deadhorse has views similar to GC. The Colorado River is really pretty there, and you will have a great view overlooking Canyonlands. Goblin Valley would be a great option for camping because the goblins are better at sunrise and sunset. You could reserve a spot in advance at Goblin or Deadhorse. Capitol Reef is a very very pretty camp ground, but was full a year ago when we were there in Oct. We weren't camping, but I made it a point to notice, as I hope to go back and camp there sometime. You might check on reserving in advance at Arches, Bryce, and Zion. Each park operates a little differently on camping reservations. All of the state parks allow about 1/2 of the spots to be reserved in advance.

dolphinsrsmart

You will be going through Kingman Arizona, if you are interested, you can take a tour and tasting at Desert Diamond Distillery. They have a vintage bar from the old Andre's restaurant out of the Las Vegas strip, everyone and the rat pack bellied up to that bar...if you take the tour, you get to see the production area and the storage area, the bottling and the retail side of things. You can purchase little bottles there, or t-shirts if you are in the mood for keepsakes. They are a small family run business, and trying to get the word out to tourists who want to do a variety of things.