My two teenagers have consented to travel with me to the national parks of Southern Utah this summer. Yipee! We can do the last two weeks in June, or go between August 8 - 20. Looking at the weather charts, it looks only slightly hotter in August, with more rain possible. Am I crazy to consider either June or August? Is one significantly better than the other? We'll be doing a combination of camping and motels. My other dilemma is whether to do the Bryce/Zion side of the state, or the Canyonlands/ Arches side. Any thoughts on what active 14 and a 16 year olds would enjoy more? We like rivers, hiking, horses, exploring. Thanks in advance!

Hi SeaSkye,

With 2 weeks, you can reasonably do both! I would choose June, slightly cooler, and less chance of thunderstorms. From mid-July through Sept, we get moisture up from the south that brings afternoon thunderstorms with lightening. Not fun if you are in a tent, but otherwise, it does cool things off nicely.

Just do your hiking early in the morning and very late in the afternoon/early evening. In August it stays light until 9:30 pm.

I agree with Dayle, I think I'd shoot for the end of June.

How many days will it take you to get to Utah and back? Like Dayle mentioned, you might have time for both Zion, Bryce and Moab area.

Both areas have tons of excellent hiking trails.

Moab area has white water rafting. Zion has tubing in the Virgin River. Page, AZ has a half day float trip on the Colorado River, boat tours on Lake Powell and you can rent watercraft for the lake.

Capitol Reef is in the middle and could probably be done from either side.

Utahtea

Hey Dayle and Tea - Thanks for the helpful replies! I've learned so much from reading this forum lately.

I'd love to do both "sides" of Utah but my kids think a 10-day trip would be plenty. If we drive from Seattle, it's 2 days each way. I know it would make lots of sense to fly to Las Vegas or Salt Lake, but part of the allure of this trip for my son is being able to drive a lot. He just got his license, and what a great way to get some supervised practice. Unfortunately, he cannot drive a rental car.

So if we drive, I guess one cluster of parks is most realistic. If we fly, do you think 10 days is enough to see Zion - North Rim - Bryce - and then the Moab area?

Thanks - Kathy

If you drive, yes, one cluster of parks is most realistic. I've done this drive from Seattle 6 times and unfortunately it's pretty boring since it's mostly though agricultural land. It's a solid 18 hours from Seattle to Moab. If you're camping, though, it's always easier to drive than to fly. One thing I've always done, on trips to the Moab area (if you choose that) is to make a reservation at Dead Horse Point State Park for at least the first night. It's the only public (as opposed to the privately owned rv parks in Moab) campground in the area that takes reservations, and it's nice to know I have a place to camp after the long drive. Also, getting up to see the sunrise the next morning from DHP, just a mile from the campground, is a great way to start the trip.

If you fly, I think you could get all those places in a 10 day trip-it might not be ideal, but you could certainly do a "highlights of S. Utah" type trip. I'd do 2 full days in Zion, 1 in Bryce, 1 or 2 at the North Rim and the rest (sorry, didn't stop to figure out what's leftover after accounting for travel time) at Arches/Canyonlands.

If you are driving from Seattle, then I'd stick to either the Moab area or Bryce/Zion area. You really will only have 6 days to explore.

If you flew into either Las Vegas or Salt Lake City you could spend 2 nights and one full day in Zion, 2 nights and one full day in Bryce, drive scenic Hwy 12 see Capitol Reef and spend 1 night in Torrey, and then 3-4 nights in Moab area.

Utahtea

Great suggestions! Christy - I can't believe you've done that drive 6 times! You must love Utah. (I grew up in southern Idaho, so I'm excited for my family to see what it's like to be high and dry in the summer.)

Tea's enticing itinerary didn't include the North Rim. I'm wondering if that is a must-do part of this trip? I know we cannot get a reservation at the lodge, but could get a camping res (at least as of yesterday). Any thoughts on the value of adding this in? Is it lots of driving - look at the view for a while - then drive some more? or would this be a good place to camp - hang out - hike?
Thanks again! Kathy

I didn't know you were interested in the N. Rim but you could add the N. Rim. One nice thing about the N. Rim, is you will excape the summer heat of Zion!

Utahtea