We are doing a National Parks loop the last two weeks of May as follows: Zion Bryce, Moab, North Rim Grand Canyon. We have reservations for a ranger guided Fiery Furnace hike at Arches. It took us 70 phone calls to book a Western Cabin at the Grand Canyon Lodge (North Rim). Any tips/advice re hikes, trails etc.? We are looking for 3-4 hour moderate hikes. We are in our early fifties and are in decent but not outstanding shape. I have heard good things about Fisher Towers and Dead Horse Point parks (not national parks but we will be in Moab over Memorial Day weekend, unfortunately.) We are staying at Cable Mountain Lodge (Springfield/Zion), The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, Red Cliffs Lodge near Moab, and Grand Canyon Lodge (North Rim). Any suggestions re specific trails or sites of interest (including restaurants, museums etc.)?
Wow- we thought about that trip recently. But have decided not to (may go to San Francisco Bay area). If you are AAA members they have some maps of that area. I like having paper maps and not just cell phone ones. We have visited various National Parks west of the Mississippi and find they do an excellent job with the visitor’s centers and maps. Perhaps online searches would help.
If the Narrows is open at Zion (might be closed if the water levels are too high) it’s fantastic. It’s an up-and-back hike wading the river. Really fun. If it’s still a bit cold you can rent waders at the outfitter by the park entrance. We did this last year at the beginning of April (hubby and I plus 2 teens) but it was a much drier winter. They are saying the Narrows will be closed for high water until much later in spring this year so keep an eye on it.
I’m going to be watching this thread as we will be in moab @ memorial day weekend! @ OP - trip advisor forums are great for these places as well.
we live in the midwest; are renting a car, driving through the west/utah/arizona, stopping at parks and ending up in San Diego. then flying back. So excited.!
I remember not being too excited by the grand canyon as a teen. Hoping this time i’ll appreciate it more.
Stop at Capitol Reef for an afternoon on the way from Bryce to Moab (take Hwy 12, it’s an amazing drive). Go to Fruita and get a pie, then walk into Capitol Gorge to see the Pioneer Register. It’s my favorite Utah national park, and far less crowded than the others.
In Bryce do the Queens Garden/Navajo loop, also get up at sunrise and walk out to Sunrise Point (very close to the lodge). Horse riding is a good option as well.
In Moab the best shorter hikes are in Arches (go out to Landscape Arch and/or Delicate Arch), while Islands in the Sky (Canyonlands) is more about viewpoints. Needles is a bit less visited so may be an option on the holiday weekend. Rafting on the Colorado will be exciting this year if you are interested. Fiery Furnace is also amazing.
At Zion make sure you drive through the tunnel then walk out to the Canyon overlook. In the Canyon itself Emerald Pools are a fairly easy hike.
At the North Rim, going down into the Canyon as far as you’d like is definitely worthwhile, it gives a very different view.
Another worthwhile stop between Bryce end Moab is Natural Bridges National Monument. Three arches in a fairly short walk.
It’s been very wet this year in Zion. Road wash out + some rock falls have closed some popular trails.
The Zion NP web site has updates.
We did a 6 week trip back in '13 and hit 11 NPs. Best.trip.ever. If you can squeeze in Mesa Verde at all (about 2.5 hours from Arches) it’s worth a visit for sure. If so, make sure to visit balcony house. Lodging there, if you can get it, is really nice.
At the GC, we hiked in the South Rim (went in April so North wasn’t yet open) Definitely try to do some ranger programs. They are very interesting/informative.
At Zion we liked the upper and lower Emerald Pool trails. We were only there for one night so didn’t get a chance to do more exploring. It actually thunderstormed then snowed while we were at Bryce so weren’t allowed to hike - would love to go back because it looked awesome! Foster’s Steakhouse (if it’s still around) has the BEST pie!
Capital Reef was pretty cool, as was Goblin Valley State Park.
Was going to recommend Fiery Furnace so that’s great you’ve got a reservation there. We hiked Devil’s Garden, which we really liked. About a 3 hour hike. We were there May 9 and it was HOT. Always make sure you have plenty of water! Moab Brewery is a fun place for a casual meal and good beer. Have a great trip!
Second recommendation for The Narrows at Zion (if it is open and safe). This was the highlight of our family trip. You are hiking in water so it is more tiring than an average hike. We also really loved the town (Springdale) and a Mexican restaurant called Bit and Spur…we actually went there two nights in a row! I know you have accomodations lined up but we stayed at Desert Pearl in Springdale and loved it. Cool rooms with high ceilings and kitchen facilities, awesome views, great pool.
By the time we drove to Bryce we were exhausted and I think we really shortchanged ourselves here. We took the horse ride from the commercial place at the entrance, it was kind of underwhelming. We should have done more research on what to see at Bryce (TIP: Wifi and cell service is spotty…so don’t count on it to do research or make your plans while you are out there!!! I did, and hence, we didn’t know what to do at Bryce and relied on that touristy/commercial place which was meh.)
We did GC South Rim, Zion and Bryce and family always says they want to go back to Zion. We did like GC, but it seemed like maybe a “see it once” kind of thing. It is truly amazing. WE have friends who prefer the North Rim due to the lower crowds…and South Rim definitely was crowded.
@NJSue we did a similar trip with our kids two summers ago - we all had a blast! Are you flying in from somewhere? If so, where are you starting out? I ask b/c we flew into Vegas then drove to our first stop -the northern rim of GC. We stopped at Walmart in St. George for supplies and got a Utah Natl Parks Map and guide that was very useful. We stopped at an easy to miss small NM called Pipe Springs NM where we bought an annual pass National Parks annual pass so we didn’t have to pay at each park. We then took a very informative tour of the monument, which is a preserved house and grounds, which talks about the Mormons settling in the area and taking over land from the Kaibab Indians. The tour was about an hour so easy to do along the way to the northern rim.
I had to laugh at your 70 phone calls. Our trip was a little bit of last minute planning - we had our flights arranged but we were meeting BIL and his kids at Zion and didn’t know until a week before which day he was arriving. I was doing a lot of last minute planning to figure out where we were going to spend the first few days as it depended on availability. I knew nothing about lodging at the north rim, couldn’t find anything that would sleep our family of 6 (um it was height of tourist season) so booked a room with intentions of kids sleeping on floor one night, but kept checking to see if a cabin opened. And by that I mean, I was checking every few mins one day and boom, a cabin that slept five opened up so I snagged it with seconds to spare! So I understand the 70 phone calls! We lucked out that someone canceled just days before we left! Now, do you know what your cabin number is? Because I almost fell over when I saw the layout of the cabins and realized our cabin was front row overlooking the canyon! How did we luck out? Anyway, I just looked at my notes and wrote down the numbers of all the cabins that are front row, but even without being in front, the others are still a short walk to the rim.
At North Rim, we tried to hike down to the Coconino Overlook, but it was so muddy and slippery, we turned around after 1/2 mile. There were huge ruts from the miles that made it hard to navigate. We drive down to Cape Royal (after having to turn around our first attempt due to heavy fog). Walked out to the edge (can’t remember if it has a name) but close to parking lot, then took the paved trails out to Angels Window. Easy and quick. On way back did the Cliff Spring Trail which was about 30 mins RT with more interior views but pretty. We stopped at various overlooks for spectacular views down to canyon. Unfortunately due to the initial fog, as well as the muddy conditions, we did not hike down into the canyon. After checking in, we took the Bright Angel Trail outside the cabins to see the sunset. Youngest and I got up early the next morning and took the trail out to the end in the opposite direction to see the sunrise. We were only there the one night so that was about all we did but it was enough (Dh and I have both been to south rim in the past). One of the nicest things about the North Rim is the lack of crowds! Despite being there in the height of tourist season, we saw very few people on the trails. Even with the cabins sold out, aside from the lodge area which wasn’t even that crowded, we were able to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
We did most of the trails at Zion as well as the Narrows. If you do the Narrows, do that first thing in the morning before it gets crowded. Definitely have a change of shoes. You can rent special boots and walking sticks. Definitely use the walking sticks. We all wore old sneakers and were fine. You will see everyone leaves a dry pair Near the entry point to change into afterward. This worked fine for us but some like the rental shoes for better support. We all did the Angels Landing Trail, including my 9 y/o niece. However, only S19 and BIL were brave enough to go all the way to the top. I started up the final portion and got freaked out but even that part was scary. I was a nervous wreck until S19 was safely back. If you do this Trail, go early and take LOTS of water. Just before the final scary portion, we stopped at Scout’s Landing where a ranger gave an interesting talk about condors.
We took a day trip to Bryce from Zion -doable but a very long day. Probably my favorite b/c the rock formations were so unique and unlike anything I’d ever seen. We drove out to the end and work our way backwards, stopping at all the vistas, Bruce Point and Sunset Point. Somewhere I read to start the Navajo Loop Trail from Queens Landing so you follow the Trail in a clockwise circle. This worked out well for us as the Queens Landing portion was all exposed and sunny (as we descended) but mostly shaded as we ascended back up on the other side. Don’t miss Thor’s Hammer. Incredible views. If we had more than a day here, I would’ve done one of the longer hikes but one day was fine (we got lucky as it poured just when we arrived but quickly passed over us, but as we headed to the car to leave, we could see a huge storm approaching and sure enough, skies opened up just as we left the park!
One thing I will stress-do as much advance planning/research as you can because cell service is very very spotty. I got lots of helpful hints from reading trip reports on TripAdvisor. Pick up maps wherever you go to see what’s in the area. We did not have a rigid plan but had a general sense of what we wanted to do/see but flexibility was key as the weather can change suddenly. Also, make sure you always have gas, food and water. There is nothing for miles and miles. We bought a cooler and sandwich fixings and lots of snacks b/c we never knew when we would be near food.
Following! Would love to make a similar trip.
I did this trip a few years ago. You made a great choice going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon instead of the South Rim. The North Rim is far less crowded and is forested with pines. We hiked the Widforss Trail which is not crowded and winds through the forest to some lovely canyon overlook points. It is an out and back trail. There are also a long string of viewpoints to the east of the lodge which are breathtaking. Look for California condors there.
I loved the Narrows in Zion. But with the heavy snowpack this year, the water may be too high and too fast for that trail to be open. I’d second the recommendations on wearing solid soled shoes and using a walking stick or two even. The current can be swift in places. Put your camera, phone etc. in a water proof bag in a backpack. There were spots when I went one June in which I was up to my armpits in the water.
At Bryce be sure to see the prairie dog towns. Those little critters are cute and seeing them stand guard at their burrows whistling is a lot of fun.
As above, make sure you are aware of all current weather and road conditions, have a crank weather radio and always carry emergency equipment and extra water on your hikes (watching people hiking around the area is terrifying, people with a little bottle of water and more children than adults, people in flip flops, clueless and dangerous LOL) ). As you know, cell cover is going to be limited. If you are driving off road to trail heads, make sure your vehicle is good enough and have everything you need to change tires, survive a few days, deal with snow, rocks etc etc. Weather can be very fickle in May, you could have snow, you could have a hot wave. As above, be aware of a quick thawing snow pack this spring.
@Sybylla to your point about people wearing flip flops, I saw one woman, who seemed to be apparently from another country, hike up to Angel’s Landing in backless sandals with a kitty heel! And when I say sandals, I mean the kind you’d wear with a dress, not casual ones. I have no idea how she managed the steep portion just before the end.
Join the FB group Grand Canyon Hikers. If you stop in Page, AZ, which is in the middle of the Grand Circle, you can check out Horseshoe Bend and most people like to see Antelope Canyon, but the Alstrom Point Tour is truly amazing. I’ll change my profile pic so you can see the scenery, check the photo and notice the person on the left for scale, it’s amazing.
Thanks everyone for these great tips. @4kids4us, yes, we are flying in and out of Las Vegas and renting our car there. Airfare and rental prices were the cheapest for us from that location. I don’t know what cabin we’ll get; our reservation guarantees that it will be a Western Cabin and we gave them a list of the ones we preferred (306, 309, 301, 305).It was such a strange reservation system; we tried to book online the day they opened reservations (this was in spring of last year) and the website crashed! So phone it was.
It’s amazing how quickly everything booked up. Everywhere we are staying is full. At Red Cliffs Lodge, we have to migrate from one type of accommodation to another in the middle of our stay because we could not get four consecutive nights in one place. They have promised to shift us into one location if something opens up. We made all of these lodging arrangements a year ago!
I appreciate the reminders about having actual maps b/c you can’t assume cell phone service. I don’t think we will be driving off road at all, but I also appreciate the points about being prepared for the unexpected.
I’ve also been told to bring along microfiber towels to use on hot car seats or as sunshades and some form of neckerchief to block breathing in dust. Our plan was to stop in St. George and buy a cooler, water, snacks, sunblock etc. We are going to Zion first.
Next time, instead of making 70 calls for the North Rim Lodge, just go to their website and check their availability calendar often.
@busdriver11 Their website crashed. We tried. Too many requests.
What a lovely area! I did a hiking trip in Utah last May and loved it. My favorite was hiking into a slot canyon – we did Little Wild Horse Canyon, which I highly recommend! Bryce, Zion and Arches were also amazing . Enjoy!
At the end of the trip,we are spending two nights in Las Vegas before flying home. We have tickets to Lady Gaga and reservations at the Bellagio. It will be, as my good friend’s father says, a “foolish good time.”