massguy18

Hello,
My friend and I (both in late 20's and very active) are headed to Utah for a week in mid-to-late June. Flying to/from Las Vegas and renting a car from there. These boards have been great in planning ideas, but I need some help...we are staying at a friend's cabin right near Panguitch Lake (on Rt 143, near Brian Head).

The question is how BEST to plan it out to limit car time and see the best of the area; here are our goals right now, heading right out to utah upon arrival in vegas:
-Zion 1/2 days - the narrows and other hikes (angel landing,
-Bryce 1/2 days - maybe horseback trip
-day trip around route 12 loop w/ side hikes
-day of mtn biking around brian head or cedar breaks national monument, if possible (any good companies/guides to use?)
-1 to 2 days around north rim of grand canyon [maybe 1/2 day in page with trip on the water]
-last night probably back in vegas

Can you help w/ the most logical way to organize it? I have seen maps, but could really use some advice from people who have been there/done that! Is trying to head further east (arches, canyonlands) worth the extra time? Is the Page boat trip the closest thing to a day-trip rafting experience? Am I missing something that I should add?

Thanks very much and happy spring to all!

Dayle

Hi Massguy,

Are you saying that you intend to stay at the cabin the whole week and do day trips from there?

Not a good idea. You will spend WAY too many hours driving back and forth and this would not be the best use of your time. The road up to Brian Head is beautiful, through the aspens, but slow going. Steep, long and twisty.

If you really want to stay at the cabin, spend 1 or 2 nights there doing hiking, mountain biking.

Then stay in or as near as you can get to the parks.

massguy18

Dayle,
Thanks for the thoughts. I have read many of your prior posts and all the information is helpful.
As for the trip, my thought was to do (what I have thought wasn't too long) day trips from the cabin to Bryce, Zion, Route 12 loop, and Cedar Breaks/Brian Head. Then, stay overnight somewhere close to the north rim (assuming park lodge will be booked) to hit the canyon and possibly Page and/or other stops nearby, maybe as the last stop before returning to Vegas. Or maybe one other night by Arches or Canyonlands?
I realize we would be doing some extra backtracking on roads by doing it this way. But we did not want to bring all our camping equipment, and the cabin allows us to save quite a bit on both lodging and not having to eat out.
Again, other perspectives would be appreciated! Thanks.

utahtea

I agree with Dayle, you are going to be spending way to much time in the vehicle. Half a day at Zion and Bryce is not enough time if you want to do any of the longer hikes. Half a day is for people just driving though. Keep in mind you just can't drive to the trail head of the Narrows. You have to take the free shuttle buses and that will add an hour of round trip traveling time.

It's about 2 hours drive to Zion from Brian Head. It's almost a 2 hour drive to Bryce from Brian Head. It will be a 4 hour drive on scenic hwy 12 to Boulder, Utah so that's at least 8 hours in the vehicle which won't give you much time to explore and hike.

If you like camping, then I would really suggest bringing your camping gear. Lots of great places to camp and I can tell you all about them.

If you decided to go to Moab, Utah then plan on spending at least 3 nights and 4 would be better. You will need almost a day driving to and from Moab. Each park will take a day to see and there is so much more to do in the area.

Utahtea

Dayle

Hi again Massguy,

If you like to camp, as Utahtea says, there are really beautiful and great camping areas everywhere you plan to go.

If you backpack, pack your packs, box them, and take them as your luggage on the plane. It's done all the time!

If you don't, get creative. You could pack some stuff in a large cooler, duct tape it shut and - viola! Luggage! Also, I think a major city like Vegas would have an REI. They rent camping gear - tents, bags, stoves. Check it out and go camping!

massguy18

My thanks to both of you for the ideas. I will be taking a look at lodging options near the park entrances as well as thinking about a few nights of camping. That gives, as has been pointed out, two full days inside the park with one overnight involved.

A few questions, though...
With June being a popular month out there, is there much difference in the Sat/Sun park crowds vs the Mon-Fri crowds? This would help with the order of doing things!
Where would be one of the better places to rent mtn bikes for a day (we are both rather novice riders but are looking for fun) - around Brian Head or closer to a park?
Is the Page river trip anything like whitewater?

Again, my thanks for the great input!

utahtea

I think the parks have a little bigger crowds on the weekends but nothing I would really plan around.

The float trip on the Colorado River out of Page, AZ is NOT whitewater! They use motorized rafts to get you down river so you do get moving. LOL! The only white water we saw was from the wake of the raft that went ahead of us! You can see how calm the water was in my pictures!

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/pages...2003/float.htm

Utahtea

Dayle

Hi Mass,

Most of the ski resorts offer mountain biking in the summer with a handy lift up! So there should be rental bikes at Brianhead. Check their website.

Weekend crowds at the parks are not significantly different from weekdays during peak season - unless you are going on a holiday weekend!