To Bryce or not to Bryce?
 

Hi - We have to get from Colorado to California in early June. <BR>I'm planning to drive from Aspen to Moab spend a night, then Bryce for a night, then Zion then on to Las Vegas (and beyond). I have heard that there is major road construction between Bryce and Zion on the scenic route (I think it is highway 89?) with long "parking lot-style" delays. <BR>Does anyone know if this is true? Should we skip Bryce this trip? <BR>We only have 5 days to get from Aspen to Las Vegas, and want to spend at least some of the time outside the car hiking and enjoying the scenery!<BR>An alternative would be to spend two nights in Moab and two nights in Zion. Any thoughts?<BR>Thanks!

Check construction info on this page:<BR>http://www.dot.state.ut.us/public/constr_report.htm

bryce is definitely worth seeing. It''s not as beautiful as Zion. So, it depends on whether you can make the time to get there. I think you need at least two nights in zion to begin getting a feel for the place.The ride from Zion to vegas is not bad (maybe 3 hours) From bryce to zion (without construction) is about the same (give or take a 1/2 hour.

Bryce Canyon was amazing. Of all the road trips I have taken, it was definitely one of the tops! I highly recommend it. It is so much different than any park I have visisted. Hikes are lovely too. Don't miss it!! And enjoy!

I will offer a contrarian point of view.<BR>I do not particularly care for Zion.<BR>Bryce is my favorite of all those Utah desert parks, save one: Capitol Reef which you can see on the way to Bryce. Capitol Reef is cut from the same formations as Zion, only it is more varied and full of twisting canyons and dry washes, except when it rains. Several beautiful rock formations, the Moenkopi and the Chinle are exposed there, too. These formations in Arizona contribute to the landscape of the Painted Desert. Then if you drive to Bryce along Utah route 12 you will pass through outcroppings of the Navajo Sandstone, which is the main canyon builder in Zion. <BR><BR>But Bryce is in a class by itself.<BR><BR>Also, if you will check your map, there are other ways to bet from Bryce over to I 15 than to go on US 89. There is no reason to miss Zion either.<BR><BR>I just think it is over rated, and I frankly have not bothered to go there my last two trips to Utah. I had rather spend my time at Capitol Reef and Bryce.<BR>

hey bob, i thought i was the only person to think that zion is overrated. i too enjoyed bryce over zion. perhaps i thought it was the crowds at zion.<BR>i too enjoyed capitol reef immensely, particularly because it was uncrowded and i had the canyons and rocks to myself. has anyone read the latest travel holiday mag, which featured the "best" national parks? the reporter stated that you should skip capitol reef, canyonlands and arches, mostly due to its location. i would have to disagree strongly; i don't think they should be missed at all. let everyone else go to zion; i'll have a great time at these three magical places.

Thank you "driver" for the road construction web site. I checked it out and this bit worries me:<BR><BR>"U.S. 89 from Glendale to Long Valley Junction Project will widen U.S. 89 to three lanes. Crews are currently excavating adjacent hills. One lane of U.S. 89 will be open in alternating directions as regulated by flaggers and pilot cars. Motorists can expect moderate delays. Expected completion: October 2002. (RT)"<BR><BR>A friend looked at AAA, and it also said to expect long delays between Bryce and Zion. <BR><BR>I really do not want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere for a couple of hours with no facilities/hot sun/etc... waiting for a pilot car, especially as we do not have alot of time to spare. Is this en route between Bryce and Zion? I would rather spend the time hiking in beautiful scenery rather than being stuck in a car. <BR><BR>As to Bob Brown's comment, would it add alot of driving time to drive down to Bryce from the I-15, then drive back up to the I-15 and then down to Zion? <BR>We live in London and are not used to such long driving distances as you are in the States, and don't want to spend all our time in the car (maximum about 5 hours in any one stretch...)<BR><BR>Thanks to everyone for your help!

I have visited almost every national park west of Colorado and I would rank Bryce as the #1 visit and that includes the Gr. Canyon - Bryce should not be missed. You might consider the following. Do the drive from BRyce to Zion (it is less than 100 miles) either late at night or very early in the morning when traffic is at is lightest.

Is there construction going to Bryce from Lake Powell? <BR><BR>We are going to Zion after Bryce and it will probably be in the evening. Just worried about Lake Powell/Page to Bryce.<BR><BR>Thanks

the distance between long valley junction and glendale is not far. as i remember, 89 is in a wide valley running along a river, not mountainous. i would not skip either bryce or zion or the wonderful road between. take a good tony hillerman book and chocolate for the delays. its beautiful country - good to stop and smell the roses once in awhile.

Judith, that is great advice. We drove through there May 24th and the posted signs said that there could be up to an hour delay. We only waited for twenty minutes. Do not miss Bryce or Zion, and the drive through Capitol Reef is great. Be sure and see the Fremont Indian Petroglyphs along Hwy. 24 in the orchard area. These were only a few feet from the road on a walkway, and were amazing in size and clarity.

Thank you all for your advice. We have fixed reservations at Zion Lodge, so will go to Zion via Bryce. <BR>What would be the best/fastest drive from Moab to Bryce? How long is the drive? <BR><BR>(I wish I had more time to spend in the area and "smell the roses", but only have from Monday to Friday for the drive from Colorado to Las Vegas and want to make sure I am out of the car enjoying up close the scenery rather than just driving by...)

Also Jean, I'm a little confused on when you drove there. Did you mean April 24? Last month? Will the traffic/delays be worse in the first week of June? Thanks again!

Moab to Bryce via I-70 and US 89 is around 280 miles.<BR>The scenic route I-70 to Rt. 24 to RT 12 is slightly shorter - 260 miles. <BR>The longer route would be faster since 160 miles are on the interstate. I would, however, Take the 70, 24, 12 route as this allows you to visit Capitol Reef NP. It is worth devoting a few hours to check out CApitol Reef. To maximize sightseeing time consider the following. Leave Moab in the late afternoon and overnight in Torrey. It about 155 miles from Moab and if you left Moab around 5pm you could be in Torrey before 9pm. Spend the following morning driving around Capiotol Reef. It is 115 miles to Bryce so if you left Capitol Reef around noontime you could be in Bryce by 3pm. The drive is very scenic.

Sorry--yes, it was April 24,2002 and when there was little traffic on that route. I would assume that longer lines in June could mean a longer wait. Perhaps you could get lucky and get there just as your "side" was ready to move through. Very few tourists at Bryce at that time, and even Zion was uncrowded; perhaps due to a rainy weekend. This just made everything more beautiful to us, and created many waterfalls that lasted only a morning.

I just want to say thank you to all of you out there who responded to my queries. What a great forum this is and what nice people to share your time and knowledge helping other people!