TaliCo

To utahtea or anyone else who can help us, we would appreciate your help with two optional itineraries that we currently have for our Spring vacation:

We are a family of four (two adults and two children ages 9 and 6) from New Jersey, planning a vacation to the National Parks between April 7th (possibly extended to the 6th) and April 15, 2006. Here are the two possible itinerary options that we are considering:

Option 1 Itinerary:

Las Vegas--arrival
Grand Canyon South Rim
Lake Powell (possibly with a boat or raft tour)
Bryce Canyon
Zion
Las Vegas--departure

Option 2 Itinerary:

Las Vegas--arrival
Zion
Bryce Canyon
Grand Staircase, Escalante Nat’l Monument, Kodachrome (?)
Capitol Reef
Arches
Canyonland
Salt Lake City--departure

We would love to get your feedback on which itinerary may work better for us. Are we trying to achieve too much on our second option or do you think it is doable?

Any further recommendations, comments and advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you,

Tali

dockruins

Alright, we did this trip last summer, family of 6, with kids ages 7-20.

Day 1 - Las Vegas to Zion. We spent the rest of the day at Zion.

Day 2 - Spent the full day at Zion. We did some of the longer hikes that day.

Day 3 - Drove from Zion to Bryce Canyon, spent the rest of the day hiking at Bryce Canyon. Did one hike down into the canyon, and basically saw all there was to see here in the afternoon.

Day 4 - Drove from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef. This drive takes you through the Grand Staircase. Unless you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle or want to take some really long hikes, this drive will be about all you can do in the Grand Staircase. Capitol Reef is a nice spot, they have some good programs for the kids, but unless you really understand the geology, it isn't as spectactular as the other National Parks.

Day 5 - Drove from Capitol Reef, through the top end of Lake Powell, stopped at Natural Bridges, finished at the Needles district of Canyonlands. This may have been extra driving, cause you can save some time by going up to the interstate to get over to Moab, but it does offer some nice scenery.

Day 6 - Canyonlands Islands in the sky in the morning, arches in the afternoon. Canyonlands is so big, that really all you can do is some viewpoints unless you want a long hike or a long 4-wheel drive road. Also, stop at Dead Horse Point, another good view of the river is there. Arches is nice, cause none of the hikes are long and you can probably hit and see most of the main features in the afternoon. If your kids are up to it, a more difficult but relatively short 3-mile hike to Delicate Arch is a good one.

Day 7 - Drove back via the I-70 and I-15 to LV. We got back in plenty of time for a nighttime departure. We even stopped at Cedar Breaks and the northern part of Zion on the way back.

This trip requires that you get up and leave by 10 in the morning, to make the most of your days. Also, the northern end of the grand canyon isn't too far from Zion, you could go there if you wanted and add another day. But if you're up for a lot of scenery in a week, this is the trip.

dockruins

We did this over the summer, so some of the higher elevations, North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Cedar Breaks may be cold and snowy. So, that would be something to check to see if they are even open and if so, if they would be enjoyable.

utahtea

TaliCo,

You have enough time for both routes...now you just have to decide which one you want to do. The Easter Jeep Safari in Moab is April 8-16, 2006 and I hear that's a pretty big event. Moab will be a busy place that week and you might find it hard to get lodging.

4-6 Arrive Las Vegas
4-7 Drive to Grand Canyon
4-8 Explore Grand Canyon
4-9 Drive to Page, AZ
4-10 Float trip or boat tour
4-11 Drive to Bryce see sunset
4-12 Spend time in Bryce before driving to Zion
4-13 Zion
4-14 Spend much of the day in Zion and then drive the 3 hrs. to Las Vegas
4-15 Fly home

Option 2
4-6 Las Vegas
4-7 Drive to Zion
4-8 Zion
4-9 Drive to Bryce
4-10 Drive scenic Hwy 12 to Torrey, Utah making a day of it
4-11 See Captiol Reef before driving to Moab
4-12 Moab - Arches
4-13 Moab - Capitol Reef
4-14 Moab and drive to SLC
4-15 Fly home

dockruins, The N. Rim of the Grand Canyon and Cedar Breaks will not be open in April...unless you are into snowshoes. There could also be snow on the trails in Bryce. I'm not positive on that because I haven't been in April, but I've read so one night should be enough.

Utahtea

PaulRabe

With children aged nine and six, I'd recommend Itinerary One UNLESS visiting Arches is a must (say, to see the place where young Indiana Jones saved the Cross of Coronado). Less driving, and time together to relax at Lake Powell, will leave your family in a much better mood during this trip. In addition, seeing the Grand Canyon is MUCH more of a "must-see" than just about all places put together.

Also, I seriously doubt you're not going to end up paying a LOT extra to rent a car in Vegas and return it in SLC, compared to pickup and return in the same place.

And, for the record, Kodarchrome Basin State Park is not worth a trip to if you've seen other parts of Utah Color. These formations are actually quite good, but they pale in comparision with the formations in the national parks.

TaliCo

First - Thank You all for your thoughtful replies!

Second - Utatea, we were actually planning on using the first and last days of each itinerary for travel (fly in early in the morning, and fly out late at night). How would the extra two days (almost) change the itinerary you suggested?

Third - does anyone else have thoughts about which of the itineraries are preferred? Utahtea - A or B? Perhaps a modified itinerary (plan C)?

Thanks again.

npurpleh2

I've done variations of both A & B and they are both spectacular.

The Grand Canyon is amazing and a must see for everyone but maybe you could consider doing it as a separate trip. You could do a Grand Canyon/Sedona/Petrified Forest as a different trip and keep this trip a "Utah" adventure.

You will certainly want to count on spending a full day in Zion, Arches and Canyonlands. If you try to cram any of these parks into less than a full day you will be cutting your time too short there.

You will have many options for hikes in Arches and Zion that will be suitable for the kids. In Canyonlands we took a day tour which had a jeep tour for the morning and a jet boat trip in the afternoon.

The drive through Capitol Reef is definitely worth it but you won't need to linger a full day there. I recommend the hike to Hickman Bridge.

If you can spare the time, stop by Goblin Valley State Park on your way from Capitol Reef to the Moab area. Kids will get a kick out of it and I may have been lucky but I've seen wildlife on the road there pretty easily.

Whatever you end up doing, you can't go wrong... this is an amazing part of the country. Be prepared though to log a lot of hours in the car in order to visit all the places on either itinerary. It is certainly possible in the amount of time you have and it is well worth it.

By the way... have you considered flying out of Grand Junction, Colorado instead of SLC? It is closer from Moab which will save time and miles.

Dayle

Hi Talico,

Honestly, I would NEVER go to Moab/Arches/Canyonlands during Easter week. It's insane. Thousands and thousands of off-roaders. Restaurants are packed and it's really hard to get a meal. You may already be too late to get res. It's the busiest week of the year for them.

travelina

I have kids same ages and I think your trip is too much driving! I would see less and spend more time actually in the parks exploring and enjoying them..

Michael

Kodachrome is not that interesting compared to Bryce or Cedar Breaks. We camped there, and were happy to, when we were escapng the cold snowy weather of Bryce one June day.