Utah: Southern Parks Itinerary Help
 

Hi, everyone. Reaching out for help with a week-long Utah itinerary. This is for late March, the week before Easter. We're flying into Vegas and will spend one night there. Then we'll drive to Bryce or Zion, Grand Staircase or Escalante or ? We have two kids, 12 and 14, who enjoy hiking but won't want to spend all day every day hiking. Any help with an itinerary, hotels, or food would be very welcome. We'd like a mix of short (1-2 hours) hikes with long hikes (2-5), hotels with pools :) and non-hiking (my youngest loves informational visitor centers :). I don't want a ton of driving once we come from Vegas and would prefer to spend 2-3 nights in each hotel, so only 2-3 stops total. The adults have been to Bryce and Zion and wouldn't mind repeating, but would also like to see something new. I'd really appreciate your suggestions. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

There is a visitor center at Capitol Reef NP. See the petroglyphs near the highway.
Take the short detour over to Goblin Valley State Park.
The goblins have been seen in several movies.
Make a few stops along Rt. 12 for some great views/pictures.
Good luck on finding hotels with indoor pools. All of the outdoor pools will be closed.
If you come back to Las Vegas via US 93, stop to see Hoover Dam and the walkway on the high bridge above the dam.

After Bryce and Zion, why not loop back to Las Vegas via the south rim of the Grand Canyon, stopping to see Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7783/show?rb=1

Southern Utah is insanely popular during spring break. Make your reservations now!

I would suggest a combo of Bryce and Escalante Grand Staircase to please your family, or if you want all new, do Capitol Reef and Escalante. There are all types of hikes everywhere in Southern Utah, plus you could do an ATV ride out of Torrey which your kids would probably love.

Zion might be too crowded, but it's up to you. Moab is out because Jeep Week is nuts.

Late March could still be cold in areas like Bryce. If you want a pool, then maybe Ruby's Inn because they have an indoor pool. Bryce will most likely still have some snow which is very scenic.

Any place with an outdoor pool will more than likely be way to cold to go swimming IF the pools were open.


Utahtea

At Bryce--Rubys is the best for families who need pools IMO. You will want to get a room in the main lodge where the pool is located, however. Otherwise you get to walk, wet, through a cold parking lot back to your room. No hotel pools in Escalante. I am not sure about Zion--the 2 best places to stay for families, Cable Mountain Lodge or the Desert Pearl, both have outdoor pools.

Visitors Centers at all of the parks are great. There is also an excellent visitors center in Escalante for the Grand Staircase monument. If you click on my user name, you will see my trip reports for all of these locations with children. We usually go in the fall. Do make reservations ASAP. And don't go near Moab on either side of Easter weekend/Jeep week.

Since you have time, I recommend these books to plan your trip:

1. Hiking (serious): Hiking, Biking and Exploring Canyonlands National Park and vicinity by Michael R. Kelsey. We have his entire collection.

2. Hiking (family): Wow Utah Canyon Country -

2. Backroad 4-wheel driving: Canyonland National Park Favorite Jeep Roads and Hiking Trails. White Rim Trail (road) is the premier scenic area in Island In The Sky. This book has an excellent description of that 110 mile road.

3. Overall touring guide of those and other Utah Parks: Utah Parks Driving, Hiking and Mountain Biking.
Available in Kindle and paper back format. This book gives a life saving mile-by-mile driving guide.

All above on Amazon that can be purchased for less than the price of one nights lodging in Moab.

Vaga

Do you have to fly into Vegas? Why not fly into Grand Junction?
Do Arches, Canyonlands, Goblin Valley, and Capitol Reef from there.

Have you kids do a day CANYONEERING. I would reccommend www.deserthighlights.com
Canyoneering is also offered at Zion, if you do go that route.