starrs

cd, I'm not a Utah expert but we used to go out that way a lot and didn't make reservations a lot of the time. In Oct/Nov I'd be comfortable with winging it with hotel rooms AFTER the Grand Canyon stop. I'd go the hotel route too, considering how much moving around you plan to do. There are a lot more hotels in the area then there were when we first starting going out there.

I'd definitely make a reservation IN the park at the Grand Canyon. I've added Gouldings in Monument Valley to my wish list. Here's an interesting article to read -

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/fe...t-valley200903

Enjoy the trip. Seeing Delicate Arch for the first time, after seeing it in textbooks and calendars for years, was a thrill for me. It's just gorgeous out there.

cd

Thanks starrs.

utahtea

cd,

We had a 24 foot motorhome for 13 years and visited all these parks with out a tow vehicle so you should be fine as far as driving around. Just keep in mind the larger the RV you get, the hard it can be to find a place to park. The great thing about the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion is you can ride the free shuttle buses and leave your RV at the campground.

The two main places to make reservations would be your first stop at the Grand Canyon and your last stop at Zion, so you should be able to get a pretty good idea for dates at those places. If you want to be free to make changes, then maybe skip camping in Arches. Or you can always make reservations for when you think you will be there and then cancel. I think it will cost $10 to do the cancellation. If you don't mind staying in private campgrounds, you shouldn't have a problem getting RV spaces.

It wasn't to many years ago that we could do your trip and not make any reservations, but times have really changed and Zion's Watchman campground is one of the worst places to try and get in on last minute. BUT if you do wait, keep checking online if you can and sites do open up! I know!!!

One more thing, make sure you start your trip AFTER Labor Day. I think it's Sept. 5th year.

Utahtea

spirobulldog

I think you would be wise if you made reservations at hotel/motel or campsites. You would probably be able to find lodging, but it might not be the one you want. I really enjoy the historic lodges myself. I think you will for sure spend more money with an RV. If it were me. I would drive from Las Vegas to North Rim of Grand Canyon. It closes on Oct 15. So you would want to be there a day or two before it closes.
So heres my suggestion--
Oct 10 North Rim of Grand Canyon
Oct 11 North Rim
Oct 12&13 Lake Powell, Best Dam View, Antelope Canyon Tour
Oct 14&15 Bryce
Oct 16&17 Hwy 12, Calf Creek Falls, Capitol Reef
Oct 18 Goblin Valley, Little Wildhorse Canyon, drive on to Moab
Oct 19-23 Moab, Arches, Canyonlands
Oct 24-26 Zion
then back to Vegas

I was trying to arrange this so it would give you good Fall Foliage. You could stay in the lodges and Moab, or you could stay in the campgrounds.
I haven't stayed at any of the campgrounds, but they all look good. Capitol Reef and Arches do not have hookups or showers. Goblin Valley, Deadhorse Point do have showers. The reason I mention this, is that most RV's without hookups are pretty useless for showers. It think the smaller rentals only have like a 6 gallon hot water tank. That isn't going to be a very long shower. And those smaller types the shower is in the same spot as the toilet. The RV rental has always looked interesting and I am for sure going to try it someday. Probably though not on a trip as long as you need. I think I'll give it a go on a long weekend to somewhere that you really can't find lodging. I have always wanted to do it at Great Basin National Park. or somewhere similar.

How adventurous and strenuous do you like your hikes to be?
I love stuff like Angels Landing in Zion, but didn't know what kind of hiking or how much to suggest. There is plenty of variety for everyone.

You could start out with the South Rim if thats the side you really want to see, but don't expect fall foliage there as there really aren't many trees on that side. And you can expect much smaller crowds on the North. I have been to the South 3 times, but never to the North, but I know that they are different but similar. It is high on my list of places to see. The Wave and Lake Powell are also high on my list. You'll have a good time however you end up doing it.

starrs

I happily defer to UtahTea in all things western. She has helped me plan several trips and I consider her the SW USA expert

If you have time to add in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before it closes for the season, do so. I LOVE it! But in addition to the South Rim, not in place of it. The South Rim has spectacular views. The North Rim feels more like what I always imagined a NP to be like. I adore it. We stayed in a cabin not far from the rim and enjoyed it and the restaurant at the lodge.

cd

Starrs the reason we wanted the south rim is because we have been to the north rim but it's been so long ago either rim would be just fine

spirobulldog, I'm confused with your order for us. From Lake Powell, on the map, I chose north to Moab to include Arches and Canyonland and as starrs recommended Monument valley, maybe I could include that, then on to Capital Reef at Torrey then hwy 12 to Bryce and then on to Zion. Kinda like a circle. Was there a reason that I am overlooking that you recommended Bryce after Lake Powell? And we are adventurous but not in hiking, we are walkers and lookers

Utahtea, thanks for the AFTER Labor Day tip!

spirobulldog

Oh, I was thinking more in terms of fall foliage and doing a little bit on the way and on the return. Circle would probably be better logistically.

Don't miss the hike to Delicate Arch. It will take you about 2 hours to get to it and then only an hour on the return. Getting to it is all uphill, so it is easy going back. Just take your time and a couple of bottles of water.

Dayle

cd,

For most of these areas, you will find them still quite busy up until mid-Oct! Retirees and Europeans travel after Labor Day, plus the weather in southern UT is wonderful in Sept.

Do all your math and calculations before you decide on RV vs. car/motels. Even small RVs suck down at LOT of gas (consider today's prices) and have BIG gas tanks to fill. It's really very painful.....plus they charge you for miles driven.....plus you need to bring or rent a "kit" from them if you fly in.....things to cook with, clean with, then go buy your food. You can't pick it up until after 1pm and have to bring it back before 11am (depending on company and location), so really you can't count on actually using it for 2 of the days you are paying for. RVing is not cheap!

utahtea

I'll be the first to admit that RV's are expensive to rent and plan on only getting 8 to 10 miles per gal. OUCH!

That said a 23-25ft RV is pretty comfortable for two. http://www.cruiseamerica.com/rent/ou...andard_rv.aspx Water heaters are small but you can take water conservation showers every day. Six gallons of hot water goes a long way because you mix cold water into it. Hot water heats quickly. Since the RV will be driven almost daily, you can fill and dump often. We rented the standard RV 25 ft size from Cruise America back in 1993 and had plenty of room and there was DH, myself and two teenage sons.

With an RV's you only have to pack and unpack once. You can save money by fixing your own meals.

When you look at renting make sure you figure in all costs like check to see if they charge for generator hours. Do they charge for miles?

baldrick

Your itinerary is part of our 2010 trip, but the other way round.
- 2 nights Las Vegas
- 2 nights Bryce Canyon
- 2 nights Moab
- 1 night Monument Valley / Kayenta
- 3 nights Lake Powell
- 2 nights Grand Canyon / Tusayan
We did some small hikes, but nothing 'substantial'.
I would have appreciated one night more in Bryce, Moab and Grand Canyon.
We mainly stayed in 3-star hotels such as the BW and Holiday Inn.
One recommendation for Bryce Canyon, a B&B in Tropic named B&B Brycetrails. Nice and clean rooms, very quiet setting with a back entrance in the park, and a huge and excellent breakfast at 8am sharp!

cd

Spirobulldog, as much as I would like to see Delicate Arch up close and personal, I don't think I'm up to 2hrs UPHILL but I will view it from the car which I do understand is not halfway as good.

Dayle and Utahtea - after careful examination and all your helpful tips, and for all the reasons given, we have decided to rent a car and stay in motels/hotels

baldrick, why one more day in Grand Canyon? What would you have liked to do that you did not do? Thanks for the b&b recommendation, it looks awesome.

tomfuller

My DW had her knee replaced 6 months before we made the hike out to Delicate Arch. She carried a golfseat/cane all the way. She sat about 5 minutes twice on the way out. It really was worth it. Be sure to walk out through the slot canyon out to Landscape Arch.

cd

A total knee ummmmmmm When you all say uphill, how much of an incline is it?

tomfuller

I remember several stretches of about 15% which were less than 100 yards long. There are also several places where the trail goes slightly downhill for a short distance.
Unless the temperature is over 85 degrees you should make it if you carry at least a litre of water each.

spirobulldog

If you don't make it to Delicate, you can easily make it to Double Arch. Double Arch(not to be confused with double O) is my very favorite arch. It looks pretty cool from the parking lot, but take the 1/4 mile short walk to it and sit under it for a while. Maybe have a sandwich or a snack under it. It has a some shade depending on the angle of the sun.

starrs

Delicate Arch hike -
description -
http://www.climb-utah.com/Moab/delicate.htm
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heyJFFdH4Wk

We were there over spring break one year (and it snowed at the Grand Canyon). There was snow/ice in the crevices on the last part of the trail that worried me a bit. Coming around and seeing Delicate Arch literally takes your breath away. I didn't realize how lucky we were to be the only ones there that day.

Dayle

starrs,

My last visit to Arches a year ago, was predicted to be the first 60 degree weekend in March. Saturday tee shirt and sunscreen hiking weather. That night it snowed and Sunday morning I got to visit the windows section of Arches with no visitors, running water and snow! What a TREAT!

emalloy

cd

When you do the calculations to make the decision on if you will do the rv or car/motel thing, do look into hotel/motel rates in the wider area where you are staying. We've found that staying in Moab for Arches/Canyonlands can be expensive compared to Green River for example. That means a drive to/from the parks and of course some fuel costs. Sometimes we wing it, sometimes use the discount coupons from the roomsaver magazines, sometimes stop early to be sure of a bed, but if you know where you will be on a specific day making a reservation that you can cancel is a good idea.

We'll be out there in a couple of weeks and I did make a reservation for a couple of nights in Moab at the only motel that had a room last week. We want to do a tour that leaves early in the morning, so Green River would mean getting up before 5 am, not my idea of a good time.

Otherwise when winging it in the shoulder seasons, if all fails head for an interstate and look for an exit with lots of lodging choices, there will be a place to sleep.

cd

starrs, I could not bring up the video but the link was informative. It did not say anything about the hike being uphill. I wonder why.

emolloy, thanks for the interstate tip

Myer

cd,

I mentioned it's uphill all the way. That wasn't intended to gauge difficulty. Rather, while not as high as Bryce, you are still in elevation.

I hiked it twice and saw people of all sizes and shapes doing it. It's just a matter of how often and for how long you may decide to rest.

People were stopping all the way. The good part is that it's downhill coming back.

There's nothing steep. It's not canyoneering or anything like that.

I had a full hip replacement two years ago. While the Delicate Arch hike was done prior to that event, I've since been on trips of various length and hiked all day.

Last September I was in Utah with my daughter and we hiked Angel's Landing to Scouts Lookout.

As others have written, don't let something relatively small stop you from an amazing sight.