Utah canyon itinerary?
 

On 10-day trip to Utah from East coast in mid -June, want to see Bryce, Zion, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. If we can do the North Rim of Grand Canyon, would like to see it, but not absolutely necessary. Logistics-wise, should we fly in and out of Vegas? (We're not interested in spending time there.) Is it too late to book good accomodations near the parks? Are we trying to cram in too many places? We want to hike, but nothing extreme.

If you have 10 days you should have plenty of time to see these venues..still do some hiking and not be all that rushed..Regarding accomodations near the Parks, I imagine that they are filling up fast but would think you could find rooms without a lot of trouble..but you should get on it now.. <BR>Logistically...I think it will be a bit less driving distance to go in and out of LAS....rather than flying in or out of LAS and SLC...

You're in for a beautiful trip- this was our Sept. 00 excursion. We used Salt Lake City as in/out. Easy drive from SLC to Moab (Best Western Canyonlands); spent 2 nights there for access to Arches and Islands in the Sky/Canyonlands. 3rd day, headed to Monticello (Days Inn), stopping at Newspaper Rock and Needles/NP. 4th day, Natural Bridges Park- spent night at Fry Canyon Lodge (this place is GREAT- in the middle of nowhere and a super stop- www.frycanyon.com) Very interesting drive from Fry Canyon to Capitol Reef (Best Western Capitol Reef)for 5th night. Get ready for the ride of your life from Torrey through Escalante. We did 2 nights at Bryce (one night at Grand Staircase - basic accommodations since we couldn't get 2 days at Bryce Lodge), then on to Zion for 2 nights at Zion Lodge. If you need to trim, cut second night at Bryce. Bryce and Zion Lodge may be booked out by now; Ruby's Inn/Best Western at Bryce may be booked as well. Bryce Canyon Pines is not fancy, but it's handy and the restaurant serves good eats. Zion alternatives- try Flanigan's in Springdale. Hiking is good at all parks- we especially enjoyed Arches and Zion. Highly recommend this book: Scenic Driving Utah by Joe Bensen (Falcon Publishing) for off-road hints- be sure to get a 4WD to check out some of the back country. If you like to hike, the book, "Utah's National Parks" by Ron Adkison (Wilderness Press) is helpful. We're heading back in May with in-laws in tow to show them this wonderful place. You will love it!

If you're willing to camp, lodging will not be a problem EXCEPT on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. For there, it may already be too late; but it never hurts to try.

You have a real trip planned! <BR>It is a toss up for your fly in city. <BR>I selected Salt Lake City because we are going to Bryce and Yellowstone in mid May. <BR>Vegas is well placed for Zion and Bryce. <BR>I think I would take the cheapest one one, considering the cost to fly and rental car fee. (Drop fees will get your big time if you fly open jaw, i.e. into Vegas and out of SLC.) <BR>Unless you are lucky and happen upon a cancellation, the accommodations in Bryce Canyon NP are sold out virtually for the summer. The North Rim of the GC is probably sold out, also. There is of course always the chance that someone cancels and you are in the right place and the right time. <BR>The other parks have commercial motels not too far away from them. The North Rim is well away from any population centers. <BR>For Arches and the north part of Canyonlands, you can stay in Moab. <BR>I have no specific recommendations there for motels. There is a Super 8 and a couple of Best Westerns available. <BR> <BR>For Bryce, the town of Tropic has a few motels, and there are a couple of places near the entrance. A few years ago we stayed at the Brice Canyon Pines motel. <BR>It was fine for two nights while we toured Bryce Canyon. I preferred it to Ruby's Inn because there was less clutter around it. There are some other motels, too, near the entrance, including Bryce View Lodge featuring 160 rooms. For Zion, the accommodations in the park probably were gone in February. <BR>The town of St. George is near the entrance and has plenty of motels, but plenty of people go there too. <BR> <BR>For Capitol Reef NP, we stayed at the Wunderland Inn in Torrey, and I have reservations there for this year as well. I found it totally acceptable, or else I would not be going back. <BR> <BR>In your travels, don't lose sight of the fact that there are several state parks and National Monuments of merit. Cedar Breaks is one of my favorites of all National Monuments. It is like Bryce in some respects, but you get a different look at the delicate colors in the Wasatch Limestone. Natural Bridges N. M. is interesting, even fun to visit if you go to the creek. We went down a few years ago. You get to scramble along ledges, go up and down ladders Indian style, look up at the bridges from below rather than staring down from above, etc. <BR>The Goosenecks of the San Juan (river) to me are fascinating. They are the world's best example of an entrenched meander and gives you an excellent lesson in the geology of the plateau country. Here is a river that had reached old age and was near sea level when the land rose and the river, already cut into a pattern, entrenched itself in the ancient stream bed, cutting deep canyons but in a meandering pattern consistent with an aged river. <BR> <BR>I am not sure what to say about trying to include the North Rim of the GC. <BR>It gives you less of a view of the canyon than the South Rim. The facilities on the rim are fine, with a decent if crowded restaurant. <BR>The drive to the rim is through a lovely forest of Ponderosa pines and aspens. <BR>At this point, given that you have only 10 days, you might want to postpone the North Rim for another trip that could include both rims. It is however a long drive from one rim to the other, somthing like 200 miles. <BR>All in all, you have a wonderful trip planned and you cannot see it all, evenif you took 30 days.

If you are camping, here's an important tip for finding space inside the Natl Parks. Plan your arrival for early morning, say 7-9am. Most people who camp this route only stay for 1 or 2 nights, so you will get a spot in the park campgrounds IF you arrive before 9am. After that, probably not. You'll end up in the "commercial" campgrounds outside the parks which are not nearly as nice.