Have done tons of research since my last posting and our 8 night end of August itinerary to Utah (2 adults, 3 kids)has evolved to this:

Day 1: Arrive SLC around noon. Pick up rental car. Drive south and spend night somewhere between SLC and Torrey.

Day 2: See Capital Reef. PM in Torrey.

Day 3: Route 12 scenic drive
PM at Western Town.

Day 4: Backtrack to Bryce
PM Desert Pearl

Day 5: Explore more Bryce? Or just Zion - not sure see how things go.
PM Desert Pearl

Day 6: Open
Day 7: Open

Day 8: Drive back to SLC from wherever we've ended up.
PM Hotel in town or near airport?

We're not real hikers but will enjoy some short walks wherever we go. Other questions I'd still love some help with are: How long of a drive (realistically) is it from SLC to Torrey? We'll probably not leave SLC until mid afternoon.

What's a good town to stay in en route? Also, are we crazy to not spend more time in SLC? (Although we could just plan that for the end of our trip).

Any feedback on the Western town motel? Have already read alot about Desert Pearl and feel like we have enough activities to keep us occupied for 2 nights in Springdale area. (Tubing, zion movies, short horeseback ride?, sand dunes).

We are probably more "town" people so are thinking of heading to St. George after Springdale which is quite a bigger place by the looks of things. Maybe even Las Vegas if we are motivated and feel ready to move on!

Would love to hear some feedback on any and all of this proposed itinerary and any other "must see/do" ideas. Loved Utahtea's pictures. Thanks for any additional input. (Don't know why my question isn't posting under "Utah" only under "General Interest".Does anyonnow how to change this?

Your posting IS under Utah. ALL posts show up "general" United States. It is only if you click on Utah in the top search area, that you narrow down the field.

Your itinerary sounds very relaxed - lots of "open" time in case you want to spend more time / change plans. I'm sure you'll want time in Bryce & Zion(Bryce's 2-hr mule ride down into the canyon is great!). They are probably my two favourite national parks. Both spectacular.

I'm sure others will reply too.

Hi DebnBob,

I'm a little confused with your itinerary. Where is the Western Town motel?

The Desert Pearl is in Springdale so I wouldn't go back to Bryce once you have made it to Zion/Springdale.

Also, the drive from SLC to Torrey won't take more than 4 1/2 hours. You could easily go all the way to Torrey your first day.

If the Western Town motel is the one on Hwy 89 between Hwy 12 and Panguitch, my advice would be to skip it since you said you are mostly town people. It's all by itself and, if you are like me, you would prefer another day in Bryce, Torrey, or Zion. If the kids are hankering for a horseback ride, a variety of them are available around Bryce Canyon. I presume they also exist around Zion but do not know for sure.

Even better, I'd save a day on the end of the trip (or the beginning) and visit the new Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point, just north of Orem along I-15. I made my first visit last week with adults and kids and everyone loved it.

I would spend the night in Bryce, that way you would not be rushed to return back to Springdale. The mule ride in Bryce is doubly recommended!! The kids would have a blast in the Zion Narrows so that would take another day.

If you do decide to go down to St. George, you might want to continue on to Nevada's Valley of Fire--quite spectacular in its own right. I've got some pix at http://community.webshots.com/user/bookhall .

When you posted your question on August 10, we were in Zion National Park!

I don't know if I'm to late or not. We left Torrey around 10:30 and were driving though Salt Lake City by 3:30. You could make it to Torrey in a little over 4 hours.

Utahtea