Trip report- 14 days in southern Utah
Jul 13th, 2005 | 03:33 PM
#1
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Trip report- 14 days in southern Utah
My family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teenage boys) just returned from 2 weeks in Utah and what a great trip! We flew from Virginia into Las Vegas. Due to thunderstorms in the East, we missed our connection to Vegas and ended up in San Francisco at midnight, where we slept 3 hours in an airport hotel before continuing on to Vegas in the early morning. In Las Vegas, we stayed one night coming and going at Bally's. I chose this hotel because of its location on the strip, the price ($59/night special) and larger sized rooms (350 sq. feet). If you stay there, request the North Tower rooms, high up for a great view. We checked in at the airport when arriving, but the second time at the hotel, with no lines. Very nice hotel.
Our first 4 nights in Utah we stayed at the most amazing place - a private rental home called "Grant Gulch" in Rockville, Utah, about 10 minutes from Zion Park. It was $175/night for 2 large bedrooms, full kitchen, 2 bathrooms, great living room with wall to wall views, satellite TV, washer/dryer. The home is actually built into the hillside surrounded by towering mountains and meadows. Very comfortable, clean and the "wow" factor is right up there.
In Zion, we hiked down the road from our house less than a mile to the ghost town, Grafton, where much of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid was filmed. Very cool, don't miss the cemetary. Then we took the fabulous scenic drive to the East Tunnel entrance and parked there. We hiked the short Canyon Overlook Trail to catch a gorgous sunset. The next day, we took the free Zion shuttle loop to get a feel for the park. My mouth was open in a perpetual "Ooooohhhh" Since it was too hot to hike afternoon, we drove out to Kanab and toured Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Angel Canyon. It was a gorgeous place and we also hiked a bit there. The next morning we got up early and took the fabulous Angel's Landing hike. I wasn't planning on going all the way up, although I'm in my mid 40s, I have pretty bad arthritis in my feet and hips, but I made it by going slow and stopping alot. Now, I didn't make good time (5 1/2 hours as opposed to my sons' 3 1/2 hours), but by golly I did it! That hot, dry Utah air worked wonders for arthritis. Unless you are afraid of heights, this hike should not be a problem. Just take lots of water - we had each person carry a hydration backpack with 3 liters each. And take your time if you need to. The view was thrilling - it's a hike unlike any other.
That afternoon we went to Mountain View Golf Course in Hurricane - about 35 minutes away. I had read on a golf website that it was one of the prettiest public courses in the US and we can vouch for that. Amazingly, their green fees were $9 for 9 holes. We also rented golf carts and clubs, which were also reasonable. In the late afternoon, with the sun going down over the red cliffs and the jack rabbits all over the course, it was magical. To be continued.....
Our first 4 nights in Utah we stayed at the most amazing place - a private rental home called "Grant Gulch" in Rockville, Utah, about 10 minutes from Zion Park. It was $175/night for 2 large bedrooms, full kitchen, 2 bathrooms, great living room with wall to wall views, satellite TV, washer/dryer. The home is actually built into the hillside surrounded by towering mountains and meadows. Very comfortable, clean and the "wow" factor is right up there.
In Zion, we hiked down the road from our house less than a mile to the ghost town, Grafton, where much of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid was filmed. Very cool, don't miss the cemetary. Then we took the fabulous scenic drive to the East Tunnel entrance and parked there. We hiked the short Canyon Overlook Trail to catch a gorgous sunset. The next day, we took the free Zion shuttle loop to get a feel for the park. My mouth was open in a perpetual "Ooooohhhh" Since it was too hot to hike afternoon, we drove out to Kanab and toured Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Angel Canyon. It was a gorgeous place and we also hiked a bit there. The next morning we got up early and took the fabulous Angel's Landing hike. I wasn't planning on going all the way up, although I'm in my mid 40s, I have pretty bad arthritis in my feet and hips, but I made it by going slow and stopping alot. Now, I didn't make good time (5 1/2 hours as opposed to my sons' 3 1/2 hours), but by golly I did it! That hot, dry Utah air worked wonders for arthritis. Unless you are afraid of heights, this hike should not be a problem. Just take lots of water - we had each person carry a hydration backpack with 3 liters each. And take your time if you need to. The view was thrilling - it's a hike unlike any other.
That afternoon we went to Mountain View Golf Course in Hurricane - about 35 minutes away. I had read on a golf website that it was one of the prettiest public courses in the US and we can vouch for that. Amazingly, their green fees were $9 for 9 holes. We also rented golf carts and clubs, which were also reasonable. In the late afternoon, with the sun going down over the red cliffs and the jack rabbits all over the course, it was magical. To be continued.....
Jul 13th, 2005 | 03:48 PM
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The other days in Zion we explored more of the park, with short hikes. Another day, we rented ATVs in Kanab (at Kanab ATV) and rode over Hog Canyon. Note: I stripped the gears on mine somehow and was charged for the part (about $30), the labor for the owner to drive his ATV to the canyon where mine was stranded and the gas for the owner's ATV to get to and from the canyon. Another ATV rider came in scrapped up with a bloody leg, arm and bruised rib. She had been trying to "jump" her ATV on hills and it fell over on her. She was charged for breaking part of her machine. Well, you shouldn't try to jump an ATV, they're not dirt bikes, but I'd think I'd be a little concerned about liability, even with the waivers. This was my sons' favorite part of the trip, but I won't ride an ATV again - I found that the environmental issues bothered me all during the day.
We left Zion one morning and headed to Capitol Reef. We stopped at Bryce and spent most of one day there. I know lots of folks will disagree with me, but that was enough time for us at Bryce. It was absolutely surreal - like a fairyland. We stopped at the overlooks. Then we hiked the Queen's Garden trail down to where it ended, hiked part of the Navajo Loop up to Wall Street, where it was closed for erosion and turned around and hiked back up. WOW!
Leaving Bryce, we took the incredibly beautiful highway up to Capitol Reef, sidetracking briefly to take the first part of the Burr Trail at Boulder, then turning back around to Boulder. We stopped for photos over and over. The white birch forests were gorgeous, the views were forever and driving down a highway congested with free-roaming cows was unforgettable.
In Torrey, we stayed two nights at the Torrey Pines Bed & Breakfast. For about $125/night we rented the condo, which has a great king bedroom and sleep sofa in the living room and a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Erika and Eldon Reed were super-nice hosts and it was a good choice. Breakfast is not included with the condo but we needed the extra space and it was perfect for our family. We explored Capitol Reef, taking the park's scenic drive, hiking a bit to Pioneer Registry and beyond. We also drove the 5 hour Cathedral Valley drive up to 1000 lake (??) mountain and stopped to hike around often. I'm so glad to have read the advice on this forum and stopped at this park - just incredible!
We left Zion one morning and headed to Capitol Reef. We stopped at Bryce and spent most of one day there. I know lots of folks will disagree with me, but that was enough time for us at Bryce. It was absolutely surreal - like a fairyland. We stopped at the overlooks. Then we hiked the Queen's Garden trail down to where it ended, hiked part of the Navajo Loop up to Wall Street, where it was closed for erosion and turned around and hiked back up. WOW!
Leaving Bryce, we took the incredibly beautiful highway up to Capitol Reef, sidetracking briefly to take the first part of the Burr Trail at Boulder, then turning back around to Boulder. We stopped for photos over and over. The white birch forests were gorgeous, the views were forever and driving down a highway congested with free-roaming cows was unforgettable.
In Torrey, we stayed two nights at the Torrey Pines Bed & Breakfast. For about $125/night we rented the condo, which has a great king bedroom and sleep sofa in the living room and a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Erika and Eldon Reed were super-nice hosts and it was a good choice. Breakfast is not included with the condo but we needed the extra space and it was perfect for our family. We explored Capitol Reef, taking the park's scenic drive, hiking a bit to Pioneer Registry and beyond. We also drove the 5 hour Cathedral Valley drive up to 1000 lake (??) mountain and stopped to hike around often. I'm so glad to have read the advice on this forum and stopped at this park - just incredible!
Jul 13th, 2005 | 04:10 PM
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Leaving Capitol Reef and heading on to Moab, we stopped at both Goblin Valley State Park and Little Wild Horse Canyon. These were the highlights of our entire trip. You can't help but play hide and seek at Goblin Valley and unless you establish boundaries, you could be "seeking" most of the day. This place is magical. It would be great to see it in the early evening, or even better, by a full moon! Little Wild Horse is only 5 miles back on the road to Goblin Valley. This was my favorite hike of the trip. You park in the small parking lot and follow the wash upstream (we couldn't find any signs saying which way to go). Walk through the wash about 20 minutes or more until you get to a fork. Stay to the right and keep going. You will soon be at the slot canyon. WOW - it looked so much like Upper Antelope Canyon and it went on and on. We followed it twisting and turning for about 1 and 1/2 hours before deciding we'd better turn around so we could make Moab by dark. There was little bit of water, but no pools that we couldn't avoid. But you know the drill -check the weather forecast before you go, this would be a really bad place to be if it rains. It was narrow, but I could get through without a problem and there were a few boulders to get over, but if you have a little bit of arm strength and/or a nice helper to give you a push up, it's not a problem.
In Moab we stayed at the Aarchway Inn, just at the North side of town and were very happy there. We had a 3 queen room ($108 AAA rate) which was 1 and 1/2 times the size of a regular room. There was a small refrigerator, very nice continental breakfast included. The pool and large hot tub felt great after hiking all day.
The first day we visited Island in the Sky part of Canyonlands. We drove Potash Road to the White Rim trail. Whoo-whee! Those are some switchbacks! And then went to Dead Horse State Park. This wins the prize for best view of our trip. We had a picnic lunch there and enjoyed the road back via Long Canyon road. We saw a number of jeep and hummer tours on these same roads. My thought would be that if you have a 4 wheel drive, you may want to drive your own vehicle. Then you can stop whenever you like and also save some $$$. The next day we toured Arches and walked some of the shorter trails. That afternoon, we went on the ranger led Fiery Furnace hike, which was not too demanding, but we learned alot and the scenery was great. You can sign up for these hikes ($8 adult) a day or two in advance at the Arches visitor center. We ate at the Sliprock Cafe, I believe the name was. It was OK. Unfortunately, we missed the highly rated Moab Diner further up the road on the right - I've read great things about that little place. I had a sinus infection by then, so spent part of one day in a Moab doctor's office getting antibiotics, but they were real nice. Note for future travellers - it's high and dry at these altitudes. Everyone in our family got nose bleeds, so bring nasal saline sprays and use them alot.
We left Moab the next morning and journeyed on to Lake Powell. Going there, took a scenic road which didn't add much time, ending up in Mexican Hat. We had a great lunch at the one place to eat in Mexican Hat. I can't remember the name of it but it would be hard to miss - a little diner in a whitish stucco building to the left. Just fantastic with frozen lemonades that my boys loved. To be continued....
In Moab we stayed at the Aarchway Inn, just at the North side of town and were very happy there. We had a 3 queen room ($108 AAA rate) which was 1 and 1/2 times the size of a regular room. There was a small refrigerator, very nice continental breakfast included. The pool and large hot tub felt great after hiking all day.
The first day we visited Island in the Sky part of Canyonlands. We drove Potash Road to the White Rim trail. Whoo-whee! Those are some switchbacks! And then went to Dead Horse State Park. This wins the prize for best view of our trip. We had a picnic lunch there and enjoyed the road back via Long Canyon road. We saw a number of jeep and hummer tours on these same roads. My thought would be that if you have a 4 wheel drive, you may want to drive your own vehicle. Then you can stop whenever you like and also save some $$$. The next day we toured Arches and walked some of the shorter trails. That afternoon, we went on the ranger led Fiery Furnace hike, which was not too demanding, but we learned alot and the scenery was great. You can sign up for these hikes ($8 adult) a day or two in advance at the Arches visitor center. We ate at the Sliprock Cafe, I believe the name was. It was OK. Unfortunately, we missed the highly rated Moab Diner further up the road on the right - I've read great things about that little place. I had a sinus infection by then, so spent part of one day in a Moab doctor's office getting antibiotics, but they were real nice. Note for future travellers - it's high and dry at these altitudes. Everyone in our family got nose bleeds, so bring nasal saline sprays and use them alot.
We left Moab the next morning and journeyed on to Lake Powell. Going there, took a scenic road which didn't add much time, ending up in Mexican Hat. We had a great lunch at the one place to eat in Mexican Hat. I can't remember the name of it but it would be hard to miss - a little diner in a whitish stucco building to the left. Just fantastic with frozen lemonades that my boys loved. To be continued....
Jul 13th, 2005 | 04:28 PM
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Then we journeyed on to Monument Valley. We went through the scenic drive, which cost $5 per person, so $20 for our car. It was great scenery, but it was just as good that we couldn't get out and hike. I swore it wouldn't happen to us, but it did - after 10 days we were all a little hiked-out. Even the boys had lost their enthusiasm for exploring canyons. So it was great to get to Lake Powell. We stayed two nights at the most wonderful B&B ever - DreamKatchers. It's in Big Water, Utah - about a 10 minute drive from Page, AZ. The hosts, Eric and Jack, were great and we were pampered and taken care of in a way we never had been before. Jack and Eric greeted us with a pitcher of ice cold lemonade and beers. The beds were the most comfortable any of us had ever slept in, ever. The breakfast was the best ever. Everything was perfect. I wanted to live there. We rented an 18' bowrider ($200) from Skylite Boat Rental in Big Water. They also had tow vehicles for rent for $45 that you could use to transport the boat to Lake Powell, but fortunately, they had a tow hitch that fit our SUV and they loaned it to us for free so we could take the boat ourselves! The lake is low, but that didn't make any difference to us. Absolutely gorgeous with that blue, blue water and cliffs rising right out of it. We rented a tube too and our boys spent much of the day on that. The water was surprisingly choppy getting out of the main public launch areas, so go slow. Be cautious because some folks weren't driving their boats as carefully as they should, so keep your eyes open. After a day on the water, we came home to complimentary drinks and good company. (If you stay at Dreamkatchers, be sure to watch the video (it's in their collection) of the movie Evolution (starring Dan Akroyd and David Duchovney (sp?)) that Eric has a cameo appearance in! They filmed it in Page and on Lake Powell)
After the second night at this oasis we packed our bags and headed for the crazy crowds of Las Vegas. It was like landing on another planet, after being at the Utah parks. Entertaining for sure. We saw some of the free shows (the Rio's sky parade, the Wynn's water and light show and the Bellagio fountains were excellent) I would skip Freemont street overhead show, as it seemed to be more of an ad for Goodyear tires and Nascar. Then as a special treat, we let went with the boys to the top of Stratosphere ($12 per person) and let them ride a couple of those insanely high rides (about $5-7 each if purchased with the trip to the top) They LOVED it, but they're 15 so what can I say? Too scary for my tastes.
The next day we boarded the plane for home and slept most of the way. What a trip. Many thanks to the many, many folks on this forum who posted trip reports and responses to my questions. You made this the trip of a lifetime for us! Let me know if I can answer any questions for anyone. Happy Trails! - Jill
After the second night at this oasis we packed our bags and headed for the crazy crowds of Las Vegas. It was like landing on another planet, after being at the Utah parks. Entertaining for sure. We saw some of the free shows (the Rio's sky parade, the Wynn's water and light show and the Bellagio fountains were excellent) I would skip Freemont street overhead show, as it seemed to be more of an ad for Goodyear tires and Nascar. Then as a special treat, we let went with the boys to the top of Stratosphere ($12 per person) and let them ride a couple of those insanely high rides (about $5-7 each if purchased with the trip to the top) They LOVED it, but they're 15 so what can I say? Too scary for my tastes.
The next day we boarded the plane for home and slept most of the way. What a trip. Many thanks to the many, many folks on this forum who posted trip reports and responses to my questions. You made this the trip of a lifetime for us! Let me know if I can answer any questions for anyone. Happy Trails! - Jill
Jul 13th, 2005 | 05:45 PM
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Little Wild Horse Canyon is on the same road as Goblin Valley State Park. You take Temple Mountain Road to Goblin Valley Road. Then turn right on a side road before getting to Goblin Valley. It is marked as "Little Wild Horse Canyon". Go about 4-5 miles on this road and you'll come to a small parking area. There's a book to register there, but there weren't any trail maps when we were there. I found good information on this slot canyon on www.americansouthwest.net. It was very pretty with sunlight coming down through the twisting walls.
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Jul 14th, 2005 | 11:37 AM
#9
Joined: Nov 2003
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WOW! What a fantastic trip report! We have been several times but not for 14 days... only because we have driven out from the East Coast. Next time will fly to have the extra days... We were drawn back to Lake Powell and houseboating...absolutely the most fun ever. We have done it twice and see more in the future.
