<p>Musica and H are going on a little road trip. Driving from our So-Cal home on the end of next week to Zion National Park 2 days and then to Monument Valley for 2 days. We will have a few days before and after to make things up as we go along. Any tips from the CC travel mavens?</p>
<p>Zion is beautiful! But you also should try to get to Bryce. I remember it to be about an a hour and a half away. A highlight of our trip.</p>
<p>Some suggestions:
- The North Rim of the Grand Canyon quite close to the route from Zion to Monument Valley. If you can get into the Lodge there, it’s phenomenal.
- Another plan. First day, drive from Zion to Bryce, see Bryce, and continue on to the town of Escalante. Next day, drive Route 12 from Escalante to the town of Boulder, Utah. While not very well known, this stretch of Route 12 is one of the most scenic I’ve ever driven. Its goes on a “hogback” between miles of rock formations. There is plenty of hiking along the way. In Boulder, have lunch or dinner at the Hell’s Backbone Grill, a fine dining (but very casual) place featuring lots of their own, home grown, product. Then, simply drive back to Zion. There is no good way to do a circle route to Monument Valley in a couple of days, but the drive is so scenic, you won’t mind repeating it from the other direction.</p>
<p>Lake Powell is gorgeous, if you go to the south end (Page) you can take a boat tour or even rent your own power boat for a day.</p>
<p>And I second the Zion & Bryce drive throughs.</p>
<p>I definitely recommend adding Bryce Canyon onto your itinerary, but unfortunately it’s the wrong time of year to visit the North Rim, because it’s closed until mid-May.</p>
<p>Another vote for Bryce. In fact I would skip Zion entirely. After an absence of 20 years, I visited last September. The area out side of the park is getting a lot of growth - none of it good - just tourist traps. The main Zion valley was overrun with buses and tourists.</p>
<p>Zion is absolutely gorgeous - one of my favorite places. I think at this time of year it will not be as crowded as when edad visited.</p>
<p>If you are driving from Las Vegas to Utah, there is a great state park in Nevada - Vally of Fire State Park that we love also - beautiful red rock formations abound.</p>
<p>We visit Zion every year, sometimes more than once. Two of the absolutely best hikes there are Angel’s Landing (short but strenous) and Observation Point (long and strenous). If you plan on spending a couple of days in Zion you will have time for both.
The town of Springdale at the entrance to the park is full of hotels and restaurants. I do not think it is a tourist trap - it blends wonderfully with the scenery of Zion.
Bryce is about two hours away from Zion and it is THE most beautiful park in Utah. It can get cold there, as it is quite high. Plan to be there either for sunrise or sunset. To appreciate the park fully, take a short walk down to the hoodos - the best will probably be Wall St. And take lots of pictures - they always turn out great! You can stay at Ruby’s Inn at the entrance to the park, food is great at their restaurant.
Too bad that the North Rim of Great Canyon is closed yet. I would totally forget about the South Rim - too crowded.
I am not a big fun of the Monument Valley, but I have been there, done that.
Escalante is absolutely phenomenal but you will have to hike quite a bit to experience slot canyons. If I were you, I would forget about the Escalante and Monument Valley and head a little further east to visit Mesa Verde.</p>
<p>Thanks all!!! Great advice! I was at first hesitant about Bryce because of the cold, but I think we will bight the bullet and do the canyon as well. Im looking forward to knocking out some paintings there…looks like I need to take extra tubes of Burnt Sienna and Cerulleun Blue! Keep those suggestions coming.</p>
<p>I’ve been there a number of times and all around Utah.</p>
<p>Zion is very nice. Make sure you do some hikes to get a better sense of it. There are some easy hikes and of course some difficult ones. The visitor center should be able to fix you up in this area. You might also want to horseback ride.</p>
<p>I agree with the others to visit Bryce if you haven’t been there and have time. It’s pretty spectacular.</p>
<p>If you don’t feel like driving the whole way in one day and don’t want to stop in Vegas, you might want to consider stopping in Mesquite, Nevada which is beyond Vegas and just before heading into Utah. It has several large hotels which are priced fairly low in an effort to get people to stay and gamble there rather than vegas. I don’t gamble much but you can get a nice room at a place with resort style pools for a low cost.</p>
<p>As you drive into Utah on I-15 you’ll go through the ‘Virgin River Gorge’. Be prepared to be impressed with the views through here and you might want to stop at one of the pullouts for some pictures.</p>
<p>It sounds like you might not have time for it but in addition to Bryce is another NP - Capitol Reef. The drive there on highway 12 through Escalante is spectacular and is one of the top scenic drives in the country. If you do end up driving it stop and do a hike ‘Grand Staircase Escalante State Park’ and look for petrified wood. You can’t and shouldn’t pick it up and take it with you but it’s interesting to see.</p>
<p>Not far from Bryce on the way to Escalante (east) is a state park called ‘Kodachrome Basin’. About 10 miles southeast of here is ‘Grosvenor Arch’ which is a huge natural arch. If you have an SUV you might want to head there but you might want to avoid it if it looks like rain since it’s a dirt road. The time I went I think we were the only ones there! </p>
<p>Further east are Arches and Canyonlands NPs. These are also spectacular. I’ve 4-wheeled around the Arches/Canyonlands area and it’s one of the best areas to do this. It’s also very popular with mountain biking.</p>
<p>
I went to Bryce (and Zion) in the winter once. Bryce was extra spectacular then because each of the sandstone spires had a little ‘hat’ of snow atop it. The red spires all capped with the white snow was really something.</p>
<p>This is a great time to go to Zion. The hikes that were mentioned are awesome. I would also include the Narrows hike. You can do this with a group or do what we did and rent the gear. You need special rubber boots and a big wooden walking stick and you can hike about three miles up the Virgin River in this great canyon. Pack a sandwich and eat in the most peaceful spot in the planet far from the crowds with just the great ambiant sound of rushing water. A couple choices for restaurants in Springdale are Spotted Dog, Zion Pizza and Noodle, and Oscar’s Cafe (great fish tacos). Enjoy Zion in the springtime before the crowds.</p>
<p>NYTimes travel section just had an article about Utah!</p>
<p>[America’s</a> Outback - Southern Utah - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/travel/12outback.html?scp=1&sq=travel%20in%20utah&st=cse]America’s”>http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/travel/12outback.html?scp=1&sq=travel%20in%20utah&st=cse)</p>
<p>When would be the best time of year to visit these parks, in terms of crowds (avoidance) and also good hiking weather (no ice!)?</p>
<p>2Boysima----I just printed that up!! Thanks!!!</p>
<p>martharap:</p>
<p>One nice thing about these parks is that they don’t get nearly as crowded as the southern rim of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. They generally won’t be icy during the late spring through fall. One of the best times of the year to visit is probably May or September before all the schools are out but they’re worth going to anytime.</p>
<p>Do yourself and your car a favor. Leave your car at home. Rent a nice GM fullsize maybe even a caddy and enjoy the trip.</p>
<p>Zion Narrows - the water is way too cold now to hike it.</p>