jewelhawg

I know...I know...I have a lot of posted questions out there. Just trying to nail all this down before rooms get booked.

Have you stayed at any of these places?:
Red Mountain Home in Kanab OR Flanigan's Villas in Springdale * From one of these, we'll make days trips to Lake Powell, N. Rim/Gr Canyon, Zion NP, Cedar Breaks, lower part of Grand Staircase (Hwy. 89), Pink Sand Dunes & Kolob Canyon. Maybe Bryce Canyon, but it's probably to far from either of these two "bases".

We plan to stay a week at one of these "home bases".

Red Mountain Home is a beautiful, reasonably priced vacation rental home in Kanab that suits our needs. If the pictures on their website are recent, this would be a dream to stay in.

Flanigan's Villas is on the same property as Flanigan's Inn. For our needs, we would have to rent both villas which would cost much, much more than the Red Mountain Home. Plus, bedding isn't perfect, but we can make it work if it's THAT much more convenient for our day trips. Again, if the pictures on the website are recent for these villas, they are a lovely choice as well.

There are also a couple of beautiful homes for rent in the Zion Ponderosa (The Sanctuary and another one under construction) area. How convenient would those be to our day trips listed above? It looks like there's a 5-mile drive just from the turn off just to get up to that area...

Just don't want to be disappointed if we show up to find the pictures posted are old and the place is rundown... Or if the distances mentioned on the websites are way off! #39;(

I'll post our choices for our second week on another thread.

jewelhawg

topping...Help!

Dayle

Hi jewelhawg,

There may possibly be someone who can reply specifically on these places, but maybe not! The reason very few people try to use a "home base" for southern Utah.. the driving distances in the west and the amazing number of places to visit and things to do really aren't condusive to "home basing". Whichever place you choose, you are going to being doing way more diving and backtracking that is necessary to visit all your listed destinations.

There comes a point when it's actually a better use of time and gas to go to the "trouble" of changing lodging. Southern Utah is where changing makes sense for many, many reasons.

If you really must home base for a week, then limit your driving distances and explore more in depth closer to the base.

Do more research here and check out some of Utahtea's previous posts giving driving distances. She and her husband take a motorhome throughout the west all the time.

I live here and so only go to one park/area per trip.

Bryce Canyon isn't really any further from your bases than all the other places.

Good luck!

jewelhawg

Thanks Dayle,
I'm traveling with an elderly group so packing up and moving every couple of days isn't feasible. We really need home bases and I realize this will mean more driving. I'm okay with that because it sounds like it's scenic driving most everywhere we go.

I'll keep researching!

RuthMc

We stayed at Flanigan's but at the motel rather than the villas so I can't comment directly on them. Have you checked Tripadvisor to see if any of the comments there are from folks who stayed at the villas? We loved the motel, for what that's worth, even going back for an additional night when we decided we didn't want to drive all the way to Lake Powell.

Bryce Canyon certainly isn't too far for a day trip from Springdale, in fact, I think it's closer or as close as the North Rim and closer than Lake Powell. My sister based in Springdale and they made day trips to both Bryce and the North Rim. They will be long days with only a few hours to be at the parks, but doable if you don't mind the drives.

I really don't know about the other locations, so won't comment on them. Have a great time--it's such beautiful country.

seniormsuedu

I agree with Dayle. You will strap those "elderly" people in a car for days and days. I can't see how moving every couple of days is more of a problem than sitting in a car for 6-8 hours with no time to explore the area.

If you pack right, you can leave everything in the car and take only what you need into the motel. How hard is this?

But I see you don't believe what we are saying and want to justify your ideas. I guess I am "elderly" (74) and have no trouble bouncing around.

It's a big country out there. Bon voyage.

wtm003

Senior, I don't think 74 is elderly, but you seem to be taking that word personally. I agree that it probably makes more sense to change locations, but I have also traveled with elderly family in the 84+ range and it is very inconvenient and hard to switch hotels. I think it is great that jewelhawg wants to show his family this part of the country. If they get tired of driving they can hang out at their home base.

jewelhawg

I should choose my words more carefully. I didn't mean to offend anyone... I'm sure many kids would consider me a senior and I'm 50! I just hope I have the energy and spirit my mom, 2 aunts and uncle have when I'm their age. To quote my 78 year old aunt who's joints are filled with arthritis...when we were on the rocky trails at Maligne Canyon: "I may never get back here again so I'm going...it just may take me a little longer."

I've taken this group on many trips over the past 10 years. We used to pack up and move every few days. As we all got older, it got tougher. They all have small carry-on bags that just contain their medicine and they refuse to "pack light". They completely unpack at each location (their choice). The time it would take us to pack back up, load the van (that's a challenge in itself), unload the van at our next lodging and unpack, we've lost probably a couple of hours of scenery on the road.

The challenge I'm talking about...with all the luggage and us (6 adults), I rent a 15-passenger van. We would not fit in a mini-van nor a Suburban. Trust me...we've tried! The back seats in those 15-passenger vans do not come out, so we have to heave all the luggage over the back seat because it all won't fit in the tiny space behind the back bench. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

Last year we went to the Canadian Rockies. We spent 5 nights at Lake Louise, 5 nights in Jasper and the last 3 in Banff. That was perfect...

We enjoy the car trips...we pack a big cooler with snacks, drinks and an occasional lunch and laugh and talk all the way down the highway. We also enjoy our time together back at the "home base". I've heard many of their stories over and over again, but never tire of them. They have such a great time and I do too. Every evening we're pooped and talk about staying "home" the next day. But, they all wake up bright and early and are asking "Where are you taking us today?"
P.S. to wtm003 I'm a her...

jewelhawg

RuthMc~
I did go to tripadvisor.com, but they only had reviews for the Inn, not for the villas. But if the Inn is nice, then I bet the villas are nice as well.

I have found a wonderful place in Escalante, so we will be staying 4 or 5 nights there. Bryce is only 45 minutes from Escalante so that's when we'll visit Bryce.

The two longest days from our Zion home base will be to the North Rim and Lake Powell. The other day trips are right around Zion.

Which is making me think maybe we should stay in Kanab for 3 nights to do the North Rim and our boat trip at Lake Powell. Then 5 nights at our Zion base, then 5 nights in Escalante. Hummm...but that would mean we'd have to skip the Arches NP/Moab. :-S

Or, skip the North Rim and Lake Powell and just do 5 in Zion, 4 in Escalante and 4 in Moab...Hummm!?! :-?

seniormsuedu

Jewel:

Instead of referring to your companions as elderly, I would call you all "toughies". Good for you to get out there on the road.

I would pick your second choice, dropping Lake Powell and the North Rim. Lots can be seen in Moab from the car and there are easy walks to take. Zion has the wonderful shuttle.

I liked Flanigan's, terraced up a small hill with nice restaurant. Right on the shuttle route.

You will want to go back to see the rest of the Colorado Plateau. As Scarlett O'Hara said, "after all, tomorrow is another day".

RuthMc

I live in Maryland, so am only familiar with the locations and distances as a tourist. We flew into/out of Las Vegas and spent the arriving and departing nights there (not my favorite place but convenient). We spent 3 nights in Springdale, 2 at Bryce, 1 at the North Rim (which we loved but partly because we were able to get a western cabin and have dinner in the dining room with the spectacular view) and then another night in Springdale in lieu of going to Lake Powell before returning to Las Vegas to fly home. We're headed to Arches & Canyonlands for our next trip this May.

That being said, I've looked at the map. Where are you starting from and what do you want to see each place? From my recollection, Zion would be a doable, long day trip from Kanab and if the folks in your group aren't into a lot of hiking, one day might be enough (although the drive to Lava Point is spectacular). Looks like Bryce would be doable from Escalante, but is there sufficient there to spend 5 nights? Maybe you want to consider skipping Zion as a base, use Kanab, Escalante and then maybe Green River so you could do Arches/CL?

It all depends on much time in the car your group will tolerate and you certainly know that better than any of us. I also like to stay in one place at least 2 and preferably 3 nights as I hate packing and unpacking, even traveling light. I also know what you mean about getting a vehicle large enough for the group--had a trip to Ireland with only 5 of us (spouse & 3 parental units) but the luggage had to be squished into the car and we went to a van for the second week.

I admire your taking on this challenge and am sure you will enjoy the gorgeous country. One mitigating factor about lengthy drives in that area is that the scenery is almost alway incredible.

jewelhawg

RuthMc~ Here's my first attempt at an itinerary.
Itinerary A~
Fly into SLC arriving @ 10:40 a.m.
Drive 4 hours to Moab
Stay 5 nights at either Sorrel River Ranch or vacation home in Coyote Run.
Things we want to do:
Arches National Park
Dead Horse Point & Canyonlands Island in the Sky District
Canyonlands by Night (Colorado River Cruise)
Colorado River Scenic Byway 128 (Moab to Cisco…then on to Thompson to see the Sego Petroglyphs)
The Potash Scenic Byway 279 (morning drive)

Drive to Escalante
Stay 4 nights in Escalante at Slot Canyons Inn
Things we want to do:
Bryce Canyon
Capitol Reef National Park
Grand Staircase-Escalante
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Hole in the Rock Road (maybe part of it)
Burr Trail (just paved portion)
Anasazi Indian Village

Drive to Zion Ridge just outside Mt. Carmel Junction
Stay 5 nights in a vacation home in Zion Ridge (part of Zion Ponderosa Ranch)
Things we want to do:
Zion National Park
Kolob Canyons
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Southern area of Grand Staircase-Escalante
Drive 3.5 hours to LV and depart on late afternoon flight

Itinerary B~
Reverse order...

Any thoughts??? <)

RuthMc

Again, I'll preface this by saying I'm only a tourist to this area and haven't been everywhere you've got on you itinerary, and some of my memory may be foggy, but here goes....

I'v planning our trip to Moab in May and so have been doing research, both here and in books. I think the Canyonlands by night got pretty unfavorable reviews on this forum, so you might want to do a search for that (or I'll see if I can find my printed copy). I'm looking into a boat trip into Canyonlands. There's companies in Moab that do a jet boat in addition to rafts. They claim the jet boat keeps you completely dry, something which might appeal to some of your group, although I expect the trade-off is you don't go as deeply into the park. I posted a question about this and got some good responses you might want to try to find.

We went to Kodachrome Basin State Park while at Bryce and it was cool. If you have time, I'd recommend it, but it wouldn't kill you to miss it if time is tight, IMO. We drove partway to Coral Pink Sand Dunes on the way back from the North Rim to Springdale, saw them from a distance and decided not to go the rest of the way. The trip in from the main road wasn't as scenic as we had come to expect in that area (pretty spoiled, huh?), so that might be one you want to skip if there's competing considerations. I'd probably recommend Kodachrome over that.

We drove to Kolob Canyons at Zion and it was a pretty drive, but not really any easy enough short hikes for us (also, even though this was just before Memorial Day, it was hot, hot, hot!). I'd highly recommend the drive to Lava Point which you get from a road west of Springdale (the park map shows it). It's absolutely beautiful backcountry with views of Zion from another direction. You weave in and out of the park until you get to Lava Point. There's picnic facilities there and we saw giant condors. Talked with a lady who lives in St. George and she said they've made quite a comeback in the area--she had them nesting in the rocks behind her house. That drive with a stop for lunch will take several hours but I found it well worthwhile. No hikes for us there either, but the drive was wonderful.

Has your group been to the Grand Canyon before? If not, I'd recommend ditching Coral Pink Sand dunes and doing a day trip to the North Rim. Since you're staying on the Mt. Carmel side of Zion, that will cut time off the trip than if you did it from Springdale. There's nice drives at the North Rim with spectacaular viewpoints. Also the northern part of the drive (before you get to Jacob Lake at least) is beautiful. You clearly see the Grand Staircase in the distance coming back from the south, is my recollection anyway.

Hope this helps and let me know if you want me to find the canyonlands by night thread.

jewelhawg

Great, great suggestions RuthMc... The N. Rim has been on and off our itinerary several times. I keep thinking if we're this close to the Grand Canyon, we need to go take a look. None of us have been.

Since we're staying 5 nights in Zion...and on the east side, sounds like it's back in the itinerary!

I'll cut and paste your suggestions to my "Southern Utah" pages.

Back to the Canyonlands by Night...I'll look into other river trips. I don't know that my group would be comfortable on a raft, but it sounds like there are other options. My husband and I and friends went white water rafting in Costa Rica...It was incredible and invigorating! I realize the Colorado River would be different.