voyager61

OK, I'm trying another tack on this...advocates of either RVing in Southern Utah or hotels/B&Bs, could you let me know why you think one is better than the other? It looks to me like RVing is no cheaper and may be more expensive with the price of gas. It does save packing and unpacking, however. Opinions? Also, with flights in and out of Vegas (arrive late morning; return flight, late afternoon/early evening), are Zion, Bryce and Capital Reef a doable 8-night journey with plenty of time to enjoy and do some hiking? This is for March 29-April 5.

curmudgeon

Did the rental RV thing once, don't think I would do it again. One of the advantages of an RV is that you can have lots of your "stuff" with you; things like sports gear, lawn chairs, bikes, bbq, etc... except that if you fly in, you can't bring all that "stuff". You also have this big, difficult to park and turn vehicle as your only transport.

J_Correa

I think one of the main draws of the RV is that you can stay in the parks rather than outside - you minimize driving and you get the early mornings and the evenings in the parks. Some parks have lodging inside the park too, which will give you the same thing. Also, a lot of people like to cook out, have their campfire, and all of that rather than eat in restaurants or picnic all the time - RVs allow you to do that whereas with most other lodging, you miss out on the campfire-under-the-stars part of the experience.

But like curmudgeon points out, the RV will be your only transport, so it isn't easy to take off and go check things out.

utahtea

As an RV owner and one that loves this area of the world, I'll chime in.

I think in your case the disadvantages might out weigh the advantages.

Zion shuttle system starts April 1, so depending on how many days you stay in Zion, you would have to drive the RV in. Parking off season isn't usually a problem, but you will not be able to drive the RV into Weep Rock Parking and it's a pretty good hike from any other places that would have parking. (unless you parked in the shuttle stop..but don't know if that is allowed off shuttle season)

The shuttles won't be running yet in Bryce. Parking at the major overlooks might not be to much of a problem...but it's hard to find spaces even for a small motorhome on the scenic drive.

Hwy 12 is scenic and can be done in the motorhome with ease...but if you want to stop at Calf Creek it will be hard to find parking to do the hike and I wouldn't advise driving even the paved part of the Burr Trail in a motorhome.

In Capitol Reef you can drive the scenic drive, but you won't want to take the motorhome down the short dirt roads to the Capitiol Gorge and Grand Wash trails.

Otherwise, camping in these parks is where I'd rather be.

Utahtea

voyager61

OK, that's what I needed to know. Thank you, all. We're no longer campers, so I'm thinking the hotel/lodge/B&B method will be it.
Appreciate the feedback.