cchamp

Hi there,

My husband and I are planning a quick trip to Utah before Thanksgiving. Depending on prices and flight availability, we will either fly Chicago-Vegas or Chicago-Salt Lake City on Saturday 11/18. We will return on Wednesday 11/22.

If we fly into Salt Lake City, would you advise heading to Zion/Bryce or Canyonlands/Arches? As much as I wish we could, I know all four are not feasible in this short time. (Obviously if we fly into Vegas, we will do Zion and Bryce.)

Is one of these areas better suited for late-November hiking?

Thanks!

tomfuller

Do you have big plans for the Thanksgiving weekend? Why not extend and fly home on Sunday?
You are less likely to see snow if you go to Arches and the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands.
One of the best hikes in Arches is out to Delicate Arch.
Another hike is out to Landscape Arch. That hike goes through a short slot canyon.
The safe hikes in Canyonlands are short hikes to a beautiful vista and returning to the vehicle.
If the weather is good, you can sneak out a dirt road for a couple of miles to Copper Ridge to see dinosaur tracks in stone.
There is a good museum of prehistory in Price.

edjim

I think Moab/Arches is about an hour closer than Zion/Bryce from SLC.

The type of hikes are different. Zion has perhaps more hiking choices and arguably more rigorous ones -- some of them go to the top of the canyon. There is also the Narrows hike up a stream which is one of the most interesting walks anywhere (you will probably need to rent waterproof gear in Springdale). I am not sure whether the water will be too cold in late November; others can advise. Bryce is beautiful but the hiking is somewhat limited. Still, if you're in the area, don't miss it.

The Arches/Moab area has a lot of things to do in and around the parks and along the Colorado River. In general, I think the hikes are shorter but there is plenty of variety. Weather might be colder than it would be in Zion canyon. Others may know more. I'm a fan of the Moab area.

emalloy

I love the Moab area and that would be my choice, but I would look at the weather in both places before making the final decision. Perhaps hedge your bets and make reservations for lodging you can cancel in both areas then decide a day or two before the trip and cancel the ones you won't need.

cchamp

Hmm. A week really would be ideal but we're going to be in Mexico City over Christmas, so we want to spend Thanksgiving with our families.

Maybe we will push it off to spring break. Is it super crazy there then? One of the best perks of being a teacher is the breaks, but they are always when everyone else travels!

Now considering a roadtrip to Asheville before Thanksgiving. Then we can bring our dog...


Thanks for the advice! Hopefully will be able with questions for a week long Match trip.

Dayle

You would be much better off crowd-wise to visit Moab before Thanksgiving. It get svery busy during spring break time range.

Zion gets insanely crowded during Thanksgiving. Do not go then! Bryce would very likely have snow. Its at higher elevation.