Thanks to all of you who gave me suggestions for what my college roommate and I call our Thelma and Louise Take 9 trip. We flew into Salt Lake City on April 24, 2025 and drove first to Moab where we stayed three nights at the Bowen Motel and found it very comfortable and within walking distance of all kinds of restaurants. From there we spent 1 1/2 days in Arches National Park, and then 1 day in Canyonlands National Park in the Island in the Sky District. We did eat one night as suggested at the Broken Oar Restaurant, and also ate at Deweys one night (which had awesome homemade root beer floats), and Thai Bella another night - all within walking distance. For breakfasts we ate at Sweet Cravings, Jailhouse Cafe, and Hungry Jacks and again all within walking distance.

We are in our 70's and take what we call strolls instead of hikes. We did a timed entry into Arches National Park at 10 AM and drove the scenic drive stopping to view and/or stroll at multiple places - Park Avenue, Courthouse Towers, Three Gossips, Balanced Rock, the Windows, Double Arch, Panoramic Point, Lower Delicate Arch, Fiery Furnace, Sand Dune Arch, and walked a little way on the Devil's Garden Trail.

In Canyonlands we also did a few short strolls to the Mesa Arch, Green River Overlook, Whale Rock, Upheaval Dome, Buck Canyon Overlook, Orange Cliff Overlook, and Grand View Point Overlook. We had a late picnic lunch at the White Rim Trailhead and then drove to Dead Horse Point State Park so that we could view the point across the canyon where the final scene of Thelma and Louise was shot. The weather in late April was down to the 40's at night but up close to 80 during the afternoons - very windy! In fact my hat blew off at our first stop and I had to climb down 10 feet or so to retrieve it - thank goodness it didn't keep blowing to the bottom of the canyon.

We drove the couple of hours to Capitol Reef National Park, where we stayed one night at Austin's Chuckwagon Lodge. We were able to see Capitol Dome and drove the scenic drive almost to the end and saw some beautiful views. We were disappointed when we stopped at the Gifford House that they were all out of their baked goods which had sounded delicious but we got some homemade ice cream and that was our lunch that day. On our way to Austin's Chuckwagon, we stopped and climbed to the the top of Panoramic Point and then Gooseneck Overlook. The deli next to Austin's Chuckwagon was great and we ate our supper at Chak Balam which was recommended by the front desk at the lodge - real authentic Mexican food.

The next day we drove to Great Basin National Park. As others have said, the road from Torrey to Baker is deserted with no services, as is the road from Baker heading towards Salt Lake City. We were nervous about the drive as it was raining and forecast for snow, so had called to the Stargazer Inn the night before and the man who answered suggested we drive from Torrey to Beaver and stop at The Creamery for lunch and drive over from there midday. That was a great suggestion and we appreciated the stop as by then it was snowing pretty heavily. We had a few nervous minutes with snow, slush, and ice on the road at the summit crossing to Baker, but made it fine. As we drove the temperature varied greatly between 55 degrees and 34 degrees as we went up and down in elevation.

Even though we had been warned about Baker, we were shocked at how little was available and glad we had made our reservations at the Stargazer Inn and had plenty of gas. We did have supper that night at the Border Inn which was really the only place available and we were a little hesitant since it was a casino, but it was fine. We were thankful for the store at the Stargazer Inn. We took the Lehman Cave Parachute Shield Tour which we greatly enjoyed, and drove part of the way up Wheeler Peak which was closed at the six mile point (fine with us, because that narrow, curvy road with a drop-off was a little scary). We also drove down Baker Creek Road to get a good view of Wheeler Peak and stopped at Grey Cliffs. Karen woke up at midnight and went outside and was treated to an incredible view of the night sky that she has been waiting to see on a cloudless night - saw the Milky Way plus billions (she said) of stars.

The final day after our cave tour we drove back to Salt Lake City, again on no services roads until we got close to the city which was a huge traffic jam because apparently there was a concert going on that night. It was a shock to get back into civilization so suddenly after being out in the middle of nowhere for most of the week. We ate supper that last night at Cafe Molise which was walking distance from our hotel Crystal Inn and Suites, and flew out the next morning (April 30) - Karen to her home in Tucson and me back to New Hampshire.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week at the four national parks and our planning next April's trip to five more national parks - Saguaro, White Sands, Guadeloupe, Carlsbad Caverns and Petrified Forest.

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the report.

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a wonderful trip.

Thank you for this wonderful report. We hope to visit Utah in the next couple of years to visit the national parks. We are in our 70’s, too. What were the temperatures like most of the time during the day? We won’t go in the summer; much too hot. Thinking of spring or fall.

Hi KarenWoo,

The temps in Artches and Canyonlands were in the 80's during the day but because it was so windy almost all the time, it felt cooler than that. Capitol Reef was less windy and about the same temperature. And we had already gone to Bryce and Zion in the summer so we didn't do those this time. Spring or fall would definitely be the time to go.

Thanks for the report. Your trip sounds great.

Hi KarenWoo, generally speaking spring (March-April) is the windy time of the year. Fall (mid-September through October, even early November in lower elevation areas) is pleasant temperature with less wind. Luck of the draw of course, but that is a valid generality. Either season can have an early or late wintery storm. Good luck with your planning.

Nice report barbaralois, thanks.

Thank you, Barbaralois and Nelson. Sounds like we would prefer the autumn to avoid the wind.

KarenWoo and Nelson - yes, that does sound like a good idea. I am still working on a school schedule so autumn is out for me for our Thelma and Louise trips, but it would be my favorite time to travel. Have fun on your trip, KarenWoo!

Thank you for sharing! It is a great report nad more to my bucket list!

Thank you so much for your report. I honestly didn’t realize all these national parks were in this area! We’re planning to arrive at Yellowstone and then drive down to Las Vegas, passing through all these places. My husband and I aren’t really hikers; we mostly enjoy scenic drives. I actually have two questions:

1. Which car rental company do you recommend?
2. I know we can’t visit all the parks, but which ones require the least walking?

We’re also considering Bryce Canyon, since a friend recommended it.

Manavenieri,

you are likely to get more answers to your questions if you start a new thread of your own. In the mean time map out possible routes and look at the parks along them so you can be more specific about your trip

Thanks so much for your recommendation! I’m actually looking through the forum for any info before starting a new thread. Maybe I didn’t word my question clearly—I was hoping to hear his opinion since he’s already been to these places. I’d love to know which spots involve less hiking! Also, which company they used for their car rental, and if it was reliable?

Mariavenieri I just saw this now and probably you have already taken your trip. We pretty much always use AAA Hertz or Thrifty because Karen has some kind of good status on it that lets us go right to the parking lot and avoid the lines. I just used Thrifty myself in Florida without that status and it was very quick and easy. In case you haven't gone yet, the easiest and quickest walks for us were in Canyonlands and Arches - lots of pulloffs and places to walk out a little way to see different sites.

The responses on the trip reports do not trigger an email to me, so I just happened to go back to reread my trip report today as I was typing a different report and saw your questions.

Barbaralois