Sidepockets

We flew to Vegas, went to Alamo to pick up full size car. None available, gave us a GMC Envoy SUV. Heavy traffic on I-15 for 10 miles. Spent 2 nites in Zion, stayed at Dream Catcher Inn B&B, 3 miles before Zion NP on Rt 9, very clean, great gourmet breakfast, very good cookies at nite, great view and very courteous hosts. Would sincerly recommend. 1st day in Zion was intermittent rain, took tour on tram, hiked the 3 short trails, scenery very beautiful, much better when sun shines. Ate lunch at Oscar's and dinner at Spotted Dog, both have great food, recommended on Fodor site. Drove thru Bryce Canyon, stopped at all viewpoints, drive was very scenic. Drive on scenic Hwy 12 is the best. Drove thru Capitol Reef, stopped at mosr view points, very scenic. Drove to Torrey, stayed at Wonderland, nice rooms. Ate dinner and breakfast at Wonderland , both good, a little high. Not much choice in Torrey. Drove to Moab, stopped and toured Canyonlands and Dead Horse Park on way. Both very beautiful, as recommened by fodorites. Stayed 2 nites in Moab at BW Canyonlands, very nice operation, free expanded continental breakfast, free internet, free great cookies in evening. Ate dinner twice at Moab Diner, I thought prices were reasonable. We ordered a single dip of ice cream around lunch, $1.89 for single dip, tasted great, believe me it was at least 3 dips at home. Ate lunch along the scenic Rt. 128, very scenic drive for the 1st 15 miles +-. Stayed at ? on way back to see Zion in full sun, tram was closed so we got to drive scenic route, stopped at Museum and viewed film on Zion, do not miss. Ate at Applebee's in St George before driving to Vegas. Would recommend trip to all. Wouldn't want to rate because each is beautiful in their own way. Thanks to Utahtea and others. Questions?

utahtea

You managed to pack a lot of siteseeing in a very short time! Thanks for the report.

Utahtea

asdaven

What is Rte. 128 like from Moab? I was in Moab in 2004 and saw the Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point, and Arches. Had two nights there. And I managed to see all the viewpoints. But, I think there is something to see up Rte. 128? Like some rock formation or something. Went to Zion this year it was great, did the Narrows including the Riverside Walk, Angel's Landing, Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, and Canyon Overlook. The narrows and Angel's Landing were my favorite. Too hard to say one is better than the other. Because the narrows you are walking in a depression or canyon in the water and Angel's Landing you walk up to the top of a narrow knife-edge ridge making them both unique. Went to Bryce and saw most of the overlooks but missed Fairyland Point which is a couple feet outside the park. But, I did the half day mule ride which took you all around the bottom of the canyon. Capitol Reef was awesome, did Grand Wash, Hickman Bridge, drove the Scenic Drive, drove a little east of the park into Cainesville on Rte.24, and I also did the Chimney Rock Trail which was my favorite because it climbed almost 1,000 feet to a cliff top with great views of the park and the waterpocket fold. Have you been to the Grand Canyon yet? I went there this year in addition with Zion, BC, and CR. Did you see Hoover Dam? I guess you didin't go that way. But, if you ever go back to Vegas try to see the Hoover Dam. It is only 30 miles from Vegas, about a 30-45 minute drive. It is huge and is an man-made marvel.

gwburk

Route 128 is one of the most scenic drives in southern Utah. Beautiful red cliffs along the Colorado River and the Fisher Towers can be seen from the road. You can actually drive out to them and hike around. The opening scene from the western movie Rio Conchos (Richard Boone) was filmed with the towers in the background.

utahtea

Hwy 128 starts in Moab right before you cross the Colorado River driving north on Hwy 191. You drive east on Hwy 128 following the Colorado River for 30 miles to the Dewey Bridge. You will pass the road to Castle Valley, and as mentioned Fisher Towers. Watch the river and more than likely you will see river rafters.

The road is an easy drive. You start out with the canyon walls very close to you and you close to the river. As you drive river and the canyon walls get wider and wider.

Once you cross near the old Dewey bridge you leave the canyon area and it's another 15 miles to Cisco and I-70.

This website will give you an mile by mile description:

http://www.milebymile.com/main/Unite...el_guides.html

Utahtea

asdaven

Is it better than Rte. 12 in Utah or I-70 through the San Rafeal Reef?

gwburk

I would have to classify Rte. 128 as a more intimate drive. You are down below looking up at the red cliffs while snaking along the rivers edge. Highway 12 between Boulder and Escalante is more of a 'looking down' at the terrain drive. You drive across the hogsback (a knife's edge of a road)high on the plateau, and you can look down into the canyons at either side. You really can see for miles. I would choose Hwy. 12 as my favorite due to the remote feeling of the area with miles of slickrock and access to Calf Creek Falls. Hwy. 12 is a 120 mile drive from Torrey to Bryce Canyon so there is so much more to see. Very difficult to choose because they are so very different. Check out Max Bertola's southern Utah site at www.so-utah.com for a picture of the hogsback portion of Hwy. 12 from the air.

Sidepockets

Gwburk, thanks you enlightened others better than I did.

asdaven

That website is awesome. Has great info and opinions. But, I disagree with him on Angel's Landing in Zion. Angel's Landing is a totally worth it hike. A great place to concour you fear of heights and there are chains you can hold on to. And the scenry is so well worth getting scared. But, I wish I had known about the website before I went on my trip to utah.

gwburk

I found the website when planning our first trip to Utah a few years ago. Unfortunately it was before I found this forum. One of the best sites I have found - and that comes from a person that researches on the net often for our trips.

utahtea

I'm always giving links to Max Bertola's Utah websites, it's one of my favorites too!

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

Utahtea