Recommendations on what to see/do between SLC & Capitol Reef NP
 

Hello Fodor's Family!

In early October 2021, my wife, 2 year old son, and I will fly into Salt Lake City and explore the SLC - Park City - Provo area for 3 days. After that we plan to spend 7-8 days visiting Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Sedona, and then fly out of Phoenix.

Most of those locations are within a 2-3 hour driving distance of each other. However, the drive between Provo and Capitol Reef seems pretty far... likely a little too far for my 2 year old son to sit still and quiet. Any recommendations on what to do or see between these 2 areas? Any good state parks to visit? Any recommended easy hike? Great restaurants?

Thanks ladies and gents!

Moved to US Forum and tagged for Utah

SLC to Capitol Reef is less than 3 hours by the shortest route according to Google.

Plan a stop at the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum (155 Main St. Price UT). They even have a kids area where your kid can dig for dinosaur bone replicas.
Arches NP will be the highlight of the Moab area. I hope it is not too hot when you visit. Delicate arch is quite a hike but well worth it if you can keep the toddler moving. There is a place to park and observe it from a distance if you can't make the hike.
There are many good restaurants in Flagstaff AZ and a few in Sedona. The out of the way place I found south of Sedona was the Manzanita restaurant in the small town of Cornville. They have authentic German dishes and sometimes wild game is on the menu if that interests you.
Have you planned the logistics of a one way car rental without paying a large drop fee? Remember the rental car company does charge extra per day for the car seat if you don't bring your own with you on the plane.

Hey Tomfuller,

Thanks for the feedback! Price and Arches will be out of our way...I'm planning to take the more direct route of US 89 and was hoping to learn of any cool things along the way.

That said, Manzita sounds awesome! My wife is part German and I enjoy German food and eating wild game.

With regards to the one-way drop off fee, my family and I will be driving an Escape Campervan. They charge roughly $250 for the one way fee. Considering it'll be our form of transportation and living quarters for a week, I'm fine paying that surcharge.

About an hour east and north of Capitol Reef NP visit Goblin Valley State Park. The hoodoos there are beautiful and unique. I took a hike among the hoodoos and found a geocache (my sport).
In October in Capitol Reef you may still find some fruit in the orchard. Take Rt. 64 west from Cameron AZ to get to the east entrance of Grand Canyon NP. Not far inside the park visit the Desert View Watchtower.
When my wife and I went to Arizona last fall, we stayed in a motel along the old Rt. 66 in Flagstaff and made day trips from there. One of the day trips from there took us to Winslow AZ where we saw the statue of Glen Frey. Yes, there is a flatbed Ford parked on the "corner". There is a good small restaurant that is in a former bank building across the street from the Glen Frey statue.
The winding road down into Sedona from the north is a bit scary but scenic. I saw all that I wanted to see of Sedona in about 5 hours before we went to Cornville for our 6PM reservation at the Manzanita. After dinner, we went east from Cornville back to the interstate to get back to Flagstaff. While we were in Flagstaff, we also visited the Lowell Observatory and saw the telescope that first produced the plate that confirmed Pluto was a planet.
The camper van sounds like a great idea with your young son.

Speaking of Capitol Reef orchards - be sure to stop at the Gifford House Store and Museum right amongst the apple trees. Your son might enjoy one of the apple hand pies or other goody.

And absolutely, make time for Goblin Valley State Park. That's where the Rock Monster scene in Galaxy Quest was filmed. What a hoot.

Sludick: thanks for the recommendations! It seems Goblin Valley State Park is a favorite amongst the Fodor Fam so I'll be sure to squeeze that into our itinerary!

To go from Provo to Torrey, you want to take I-15 to Scipio, then take 50 over to 24. There really is nothing in between there. It will take a little over 3 hours from Provo--takes us 4 hours from Salt Lake. Stop at the truck stop in Scipio and park farther out in the lot and your son can run around. If you click on my user name, you will see trip reports for Capitol Reef and Torrey. Goblin Valley and Little Wildhorse Canyon are close to each other. (outside of Capitol Reef) The Canyon is an amazing accessible slot canyon for little people. The Riverside Walk and the petroglyphs are good for little people in the park--and definitely stop at the Giffords house.

In addition to the Capitol Reef trip reports, I have reports for Bryce and Zion. --you have to go back a bit in my list--I started trip reports when the kids were smaller. Now they are teens. For Bryce--the Bristlecone Loop trail is good and in Zion, the Emerald Pools trail is good. Have fun!!

Hey StantonHyde,
Thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure to read your reviews on the mentioned parks!

For all readers:
I'm looking forward to driving Utah Highway 12... I've read that it's one of the most beautiful and Scenic routes you can drive. That said, does anyone have recommendations on what to see along the way? Cool short hike, short and safe slot canyons for little kids, great restaurants to eat at? Also, I plan to drive Hell's Backbone... is it worth it? Is it safe to do in a big campervan with a 2 year old?

Thanks for your feedback!

Some possible stops between Capitol Reef and Bryce along Hwy 12 are hike to Calf Creek Falls, Kiva Koffeehouse, Devils Garden (down a gravel road, formations start right from the parking area), several places to eat in Escalante (we ate at Escalante Outfitters most recently), Willis Creek Slot Canyon (easy slot canyon hike, check with the visitor centers in Escalante or Cannonville for the road condition to the trail head), idk BBQ in Tropic. The drive takes about 3 hours without stops but you could spend the whole day or multiple days exploring the area. I've never driven Hells Backbone.

Also stop in to see the Grand Escalante Staircase visitors center in Escalante--really cool exhibit on cryptobiotic soil. There is also a really cool Petrified Forest State Park there--short hike. Once you get up the first bit, it flattens out. Tons of petrified wood. You could also stop at the Anasazi Museum/site in Boulder if you are not already touring any other sites. You can actually walk around/through a small village/ruins. The Mossy Cave trail is actually in Bryce Canyon NP--but you enter it from Route 12. I would do the Willis Creek Slot Canyon instead. The Calf Creek Falls is a nice hike, but the little one will need to be in the backpack. The falls at the end are gorgeous but it can be a bit of a slog through the sand. Still a fun hike. If you want a one of a kind experience--try Peekaboo Slot Canyon. You will definitely need to have your little one on your back for the hike in and out. But there is a slot canyon right at the bottom to look at and then you can do Peekaboo--which is amazing!! Don't go up the way that is facing the canyon. Go around Peekaboo to your left. You end up at the top of Peekaboo where it meets the slickrock up top. The route has cairns. Then it is easy to step into Peekaboo and wind your way down the slot and come back out that same way. Kids love it!!! i have a trip report for Escalante as well. It is true that you could spend several days in that area alone.

Try to catch sunrise and sunsets, magical!