I booked a flight to Salt Lake City once I saw Jet Blue's special airfare for companion tickets. Then I discovered that Yellowstone is closed from Nov. till mid Dec. I'm looking for recommendations as to what other Nat'l Parks are within a reasonable drive. I'd also appreciate any recommendations for sights and restaurants in the Salt Lake City and Park City area. Thanks.

Boy are you in luck! There are 5 National Parks in Utah. Zion & Bryce are in the southwestern part of the State. Capitol Reef National Park is in the center and Arches and Canyonlands are in the mid-eastern section near Moab, Utah.

http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/

http://www.so-utah.com/

From SLC to West Yellowstone is at least 350 miles to the Old Faithful area, so I'm assuming that far is ok to travel.

From SLC to Moab, Utah is 240 miles.
From SLC to Capitol Reef NP is 220 miles.
From SLC to Zion NP is 311 miles
From SLC to Bryce Canyon NP is 291 miles.

A combination of parks would be my recommendation and there are also National Monuments and very beautiful State Parks all over the state as well.

I've been to Zion in late November & early Dec. It's on the cool side which makes it easier to do the hikes. Bryce could have snow. All of the Utah National Parks are open all year round.

Utah

While I agree with Utahtea that there are great other options to Yellowstone, I find it hard to believe that YNP is CLOSED ever. Check out www.nps.gov and look for Yellowstone. I just did that and didn't find anything on it. Some road closures but not the WHOLE park.

You can't go wrong with any of your choices...Utah and Wyoming are beautiful places to travel.

to ccrosner,

I thought the same thing so I checked before I posted and the roads and facility in Yellowstone are closed between Nov. 7th and December 21...when the open for the winter activities.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/cal.htm#Nov

Utahtea

utahtea, thanks for the helpful advice. I had spoken with someone from the Nat'l Park services, and I was told that the park roads would be closed, and that when they reopen in Dec., it is required to use their transportation in and out. I wouldn't have minded that, but it's not an option at all.

We are leaning toward Moab, to see Arches and Canyonlands. A concern right now is how adventurous the roads are, as I'm afraid of heights. The scariest drive I experienced was coming back down from Sequioa Nat'l Park. On Long Island, where I live, everything is totally flat, and so I'm not used to any mountain drives with accompanying hairpin turns and straight drops at the edge of the road. How is the drive on Rt.6?

Also, are there any recommendations for sights in and around Salt Lake City. I've sent away for information, but I'm not sure I'll receive it before we leave.

Thanks so much for your help!

Lois,

Utahtea is more familiar with the highways than I am, but I'll offer my perspective and look forward to reading her reply. I think you'll be comfortable with the entire road trip from Salt Lake City to Moab -- flat and no hairpin curves.

However, the entrance into Arches has steep dropoffs at edge of the road and plenty of hairpin curves. The good news is that the ascent only lasts about ten minutes and the speed limit is slow, about 25 MPH if I remember correctly. Once you get past that, the rest of the park is relatively flat and there are no more hairpins or steep dropoffs, at least none that I remember.

The paved roads in Canyonlands are also flat and devoid of hairpins. However, you won't want to go on any part of the White Rim Trail (located in the Island in the Sky district) , which is not paved and should be driven only using a 4-wheel drive auto. To get to it, you would have to descend a very rough, unpaved road with lots of hairpin curves. The entire descent has a steep dropoff immediately at the side of the road with NO barriers. A picture is worth a thousand words: http://www.earthroamer.com/galleries/200205whiterim/

I stand corrected...sorry! And I am quite surprised that yellowstone ever closes!

Lois, I haven't done Arches or Canyonlands but I did just do GC, Bryce and Zion and thought I had height issues. I do, and driving is the hardest to overcome (somehow hiking on my own two feet doesn't bother me as much). My advice: just close your eyes for the scary parts (assuming you're not driving and don't miss America's beauty. I would regret not having done our trip due to fear of heights. I even got up the courage (and it really didn't take much) to do the horseback ride into Bryce with my two young children.

Have a great trip!

Lois,

Route 6 doesn't go thought the mountain per say but there are some curvey spots but they don't have big drop offs that I remember. If you are worried about Hwy 6 then take I-15 down to Scipio and take Hwy 50 (flat driving) to Interstate 70 and take I-70 to Hwy 191. Hwy 191 is level to Moab.

As Mike has pointed out, there are some switchbacks at the entrance of Arches National Park. It is a very short section and then it's pretty quick & easy driving and SO SCENIC!

There is one set of short switchbacks going into Canyonlands but it's really doesn't have drop offs. Also in the area is Dead Horse State Park. Both Dead Horse and Canyonlands you are up high looking down at canyons. You don't have to be at on the edge to appreciate.

Also in the Moab area, I suggest driving out Hwy 128. This is a level road that follows the Colorado River going east thought a beautiful canyon all the way to Fisher Towers.

The Potash Road follows the Colorado River going west out of Moab and you will be able to spot petroglyphs. There is also Kane Creek Road. This follows the Colorado River going west on the opposite side of the Potash Road. There are more petroglyphs and you get a different view of the scenery.

I would NOT recommend the Shafer Trail for you!

Utahtea

wow, you won't be disappointed...earlier this month I stayed outside Jackson, Wyoming and drove back to Salt Lake City to fly home through the northeast corner of Utah, I think it was higwhay 89 through Logan City, etc...?....It was by far the most beautiful scenery I have seen....the Cache National Forest...wow...amazing....Utah is so beautiful !

Thanks to everyone for advice and input. After initially thinking I'd madea major goof, booking when Yellowstone was closed, I'm not excited to be seeing so many natural wonders in Utah, many of which I was not aware of. I especially appreciate input regarding roads that may be too adventurous for me. My fear is blinding. I had major issues just walking on top of Haleakala, with no cliff edges within sight. Just the idea of being up so high was a problem for me. My husband also has height issues, but nothing like me, and will not let it keep him from experiencing these sights. Fortunately, he will be driving! If anyone thinks of anything else to see or, Perhaps, beware of, please pass the info on. Thanks again to everyone!

Hi Lois!

Yes, Wed., Utah is beautiful and that's why I live here!

I thought I would provide a little Park City info. If you want to stay a night or two here, it's a great time for loding bargains (off season). Depending on your budget, you could get a fabulous room at the Stein Erickson Lodge for (realtively) peanuts. All the best restaurants are having "twofers". Try any of Bill White's restaurants: Grappa (the best), Chimayo, Wahso. Also good are the Riverhorse, Adolph's, Glitritind (at Stein's) and the Goldner Hirsch, also at Deer Valley, also has lodging.

We've been having record-breaking rain for the last week and there is about 4 feet of snow above 8,000 feet.

Bryce might have some snow. A special treat for viewing, but not good for hiking. You might want to check with Zion and see if there was trail damage due to the rains. The Virgin River ran at record levels for several days, 25 feet above normal!

Just come prepared for cold and wet weather. Lots of layers and appropriate foot gear. You'll still have a great time!

Write back if you want more details on Park City.

PS - Lois, for many people fear of heights is just really unfamiliarity. The more you do something, the more you get comfortable with it. It's OK to have your heart pound! There are lots of people who live just for that. Think of all the extreme sports junkies, the ultimate example. Once you've done something scary, it's much easier the next time!!

Please don't miss out on the most awesome parts of the world. That would be a terrible shame!

Lois,

Regarding Utahtea's comment: Both Dead Horse and Canyonlands you are up high looking down at canyons. You don't have to be at on the edge to appreciate.

I would add that the highways are not situated at the edge. To get a heart-beating sensation of being in a precarious situation, you would first need to park in a paved, level parking lot which is at a safe distance from the edge. You would need to get out of your car. Then and only then could you walk to the edge, which would be your choice or not.

I'd also like to add that I can't imagine that you will be disappointed in not seeing Yellowstone. If you've already been there, you might be grateful that your litte scheduling mishap caused you to change plans. If you haven't yet been to Yellowstone, be sure to plan a trip there because it really is awesome, but no less or more awesome than the desert parks of Utah -- just very different.

I first visited Zion and Bryce 52 years ago when I was 20. The parks of southern Utah continue to lure me back.
We wanted to visit Bryce once when we were in Salt Lake City on other businesses so we drove in a snow storm until I finally decided we were running out of time. We had to return to SLC for our flight home!

The bottom line is that those parks can become etched in your memory, and once there, time does not erase the image.

Others on this board have given you sound advice. I can only replicate it, hence there is no reason for me to engage in specifics.

But any of the parks and national monuments are worth every second you are there. The list incudes, in addition to those mentioned, Cedar Breaks, Kodachrome Arch, Goosenecks of the San Juan (river), and Natural Bridges. Even driving across the normal landscape can be interesting.

I do strongly suggest that you learn a little about the geologic formation of those parks, the uplift of the plateaus, the erosive forces, the various rock formations such as the Chinle, Moenkopi, Navajo, Kayenta, Entrada, Morrison, and other formations that caused and shaped the world around you.

One of the most intruguing sights I saw in Canyonlands was volcanic boulders. In a park that is made up of sandstone and shales, how did volcanic material get there?

The bottom line is that these parks are unique, fascinating, and beautiful.
Go see them.

I am amazed, and so appreciative of all the information I've received here. I always try to research areas before I go, but this came up unexpectedly, due to that great airfare, and I jumped on it,without having much time to do the usual research. My husband jokes that I research so well, I sometimes tell him what to expect before we get to specific spots, right down to turns in the road! I have information coming, and I've checked out the sites online that were given in one of the above posts.

This sounds like a pleasant surprise awaiting us. Although we've traveled many places around the world, my husband's primary goal is to see our own National Parks. I was not aware of how many were located in Utah!

I had checked the weather and didn't realize it was already so cold. I honestly wasn't planning on bringing real winter wear. This leads me to rethink what to pack. I can't imagine a river being 25 feet above normal. Will this present any problems, while traveling around? For us here, that would mean pretty much our entire island would be under water!

Were not those volcanic boulders at Capitol Reef? That is where I saw something strange and black.
The ranger said they were volcanic in origin.

Between Panguitch and Diamond Head, the scenic drive road is closed at the moment. The visitor center at Cedar Breaks is closed until the end of May. Sorry, but snow gets very deep on that high section.

I drove up there once in May, and the road to Cedar Breaks was snowed in, totally unplowed.

Attention Dayle!!!
Have appreciated all this information too, as we are heading to Utah, Nevada and Arizona for four weeks in March next year, from Australia - our fourth visit, actually, to a wonderful part of the world.
We don't have much snow here, so love to see the peaks and walk in the white stuff, but don't relish driving on icy roads. But I would like to ask Dayle about Park City. I would appreciate info.about good deals, for five days or so, even a week. We've been to SLC, but not to Park City. I'll do a search too. Thanks.

LoisL,

I've never had any height issues so I tend to not even notice.
Delicate Arch hike in Arches National Park is fantastic but I would not recommend it for anyone with height issues. The last part you have to walk on a narrow ridge. I would recommend Landscape Arch hike. Maybe Park Avenue if you don't mind going down some stairs. Walk around Double arch and the Windows area. You can also go to a view point to see Delicate Arch.

In Canyonlands, the major overlooks have railings. Green River Overlook is my favorite. You can see much of it without even getting close to the edge. The first couple times we went, they didn't have the railings!

I would love to hear about your trip when you get back. I'd like to know what you think about the area.

Utahtea

Carrabella,

Are you coming to ski for a week? How many people? If so it would be very good to avoid Easter week. Let me know what details you need.

The walk out to Delicate Arch is one of the most beautiful hikes around those sandstone and shale parks like Canyonlands, Arches, etc. Unfortunately, I would be less than honest if I said that there were no dropoffs once you get close to the arch. Although I have to date been unaffected by them, I can understand why some people would have a problem.

It is a shame that someone would be unable to take the hike because of a fear of heights. I had a friend, now gone, who fought that problem along with cancer for a very long time.

I am not sure how to combat the height problem, but it is something I wish I had a cure for. There is so much to see, and so little time in which to see it.