Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion advice

[Donald is #1]

Hi everyone! I am the very early stages of planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and probably a few other attractions. Most likely this trip will happen in either 2009 (hopefully) or 2010. So, I am looking for some advice.

First, when do you recommend going? This will be a solo trip so school schedules don't matter. I won't be doing much hiking, but will be doing a lot of sightseeing and photography. I wouldn't mind avoiding crowds but I would like the weather to be nice and stuff to be open.

Do you have any recommndations on where to stay? I am definitely a deluxe girl. So I would prefer to stay in a nice hotel and camping is definitely not in the plan.

I think that I would probably fly into Vegas and then drive from there.

Any other suggestions would be great!

 

[Claire L]

Well to start off we stayed at El Tovar in the Grand Canyon in July 2006 and it was a lovely hotel and great location but was busy, just before 4th July! Most times of the year you really need to book quite in advance.

I haven't been to Bryce or Zion since 1995 but they are both worth seeing as for hotels we stayed at Paige on Lake Powell, good boat trips from there onto the lake.

I am thinking going clockwise from LV to Bryce/Zion then around to the Grand Canyon south rima nd then past the Hoover Dam would be good

Claire

 

[OlderMan]

I've stayed at the El Tovar at the South Rim of the GC. Expensive, but worth it.

I hit the "high points" of Zion and Bryce in one day. Then went to Kanab, UT and stayed 2 nights. Went to the North Rim of the GC the day after Zion and Bryce.

I also stayed in Page, AZ for two nights--Waweap Lodge, I think (?).
Right on the lake, rentals available, as well as tours to Rainbow Bridge.

 

[ScooterL]

We did a trip to Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion about 4 years ago in late April/first few days of May, and that was a lovely time weather-wise! Mostly sunny but not too warm. We actually got a little bit of snow in Bryce one afternoon, and it was just beautiful with the dusting of snow the next morning.

I think trying to do Bryce and Zion in a day is pushing it - yes, you can drive through them in a day, but you don't get a chance to see much of anything!!!

Definitely do the Rim Drive in Bryce - lots of scenic viewpoints along that to stop at. Depending on how energetic you are feeling you can do one of the hikes down into the canyon - the problem with hikes in Bryce is that they start off going downhill, then are uphill all the way back! I like the Queen's Garden Trail: http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/queensgarden.htm - lots of interesting hoodoos along that one. You can catch part of the Navajo Loop trail from that to make it a little longer. http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/navajotrail.htm

THE place to stay at Bryce is the Bryce Canyon Lodge, if you can get in there. I believe you can make reservations two years in advance. There's a large tourist area not far outside the park called Ruby's Inn, and there's a big Best Western there - not fancy, but it's ok.

In Zion you have to take a shuttle bus to most places within the park, so it's not as convenient to get around. You can drive if you're staying at the Zion Lodge within the park (another reservations two years in advance place). Otherwise the closest places to stay are in Springdale...there's a number of places there. For hikes, a couple of fairly easy ones are Weeping Rock and Lower Emerald Pool.

Sorry, haven't been to the Grand Canyon (as an adult), though plan to get there one of these days...

Kodachrome Basin State Park (an hour or so east of Bryce) is another interesting place to visit if you have the time.

 

[Donald is #1]

Claire L, OlderMan, and ScooterL, thanks for the excellent advice! I think that I will be spending a day (at least) each in Bryce and Zion. The trick will be to figure out an itinerary that doesn't take too many days. There is just so much to see in that area of the country.

 

[Donald is #1]

Well, I think that I am starting to think about either the end of May or sometime in June. It dawned on me that since I am planning on going to Arcadia National Park this summer, then I could get an Annual Pass there for the parks and use it for this trip.

On Bryce & Zion, how close are they to each other?

 

[jims2cool]

Well, I think that I am starting to think about either the end of May or sometime in June. It dawned on me that since I am planning on going to Arcadia National Park this summer, then I could get an Annual Pass there for the parks and use it for this trip.

On Bryce & Zion, how close are they to each other?[/QUOTE

60 to 90 minutes between Bryce and Zion. WORTH THE TRIP EITHER WAY !!!

 

[ScooterL]

Well, I think that I am starting to think about either the end of May or sometime in June. It dawned on me that since I am planning on going to Arcadia National Park this summer, then I could get an Annual Pass there for the parks and use it for this trip.

Definitely pick up a National Park Pass - you'll get your money's worth out of it!

And if you go to Acadia, make sure you go and have popovers at the Jordan Pond House - those are really good. If you can go to Acadia in late July the wild blueberries will be ripe and you can pick and eat those - yum.

 

[Donald is #1]

Definitely pick up a National Park Pass - you'll get your money's worth out of it!

And if you go to Acadia, make sure you go and have popovers at the Jordan Pond House - those are really good. If you can go to Acadia in late July the wild blueberries will be ripe and you can pick and eat those - yum.

Thanks for the reminder! I had forgotten about Jordan Pond House. It will definitely be on my list.

 

[CPT Tripss]

My vote is for late September or early October . . . usually good weather and less crowds. If time is of the essence, I would allow more time for Zion than for Bryce. Zion's trams enable you to get around easily hopping off and on for photos. Bryce (at least to me) is more of a hike to get inside the canyon kind of place.

Lodging at Byrce is not "deluxe," but it is not bad. There are very few options, with Ruby's being the best outside the park option. Be aware that the elevation here is high and if you have any type of sleep or breathing problems they will be magnified. Visit Zion first to have a chance to acclimate.

Springdale, just outside of ion has a number of very nice places - Flanagen's and Desert Pearl come to mind. Also lot's of nice eateries.

While I think Las Vegas and drive from there is the best idea, take a look at Slat Lake City as an option to see whether airfare and car rental are a better deal there.

 

[Donald is #1]

My vote is for late September or early October . . . usually good weather and less crowds. If time is of the essence, I would allow more time for Zion than for Bryce. Zion's trams enable you to get around easily hopping off and on for photos. Bryce (at least to me) is more of a hike to get inside the canyon kind of place.

Lodging at Byrce is not "deluxe," but it is not bad. There are very few options, with Ruby's being the best outside the park option. Be aware that the elevation here is high and if you have any type of sleep or breathing problems they will be magnified. Visit Zion first to have a chance to acclimate.

Springdale, just outside of ion has a number of very nice places - Flanagen's and Desert Pearl come to mind. Also lot's of nice eateries.

While I think Las Vegas and drive from there is the best idea, take a look at Slat Lake City as an option to see whether airfare and car rental are a better deal there.

Hmmm, late September or early October, I will have to think about that.

How far is the drive from Salt Lake City? I hadn't thought about flying into it. I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for the advice on Zion then Bryce. Being that I live on the east coast, I will definitely have to aclimate a bit to the elevation.

 

[momofeva]

Bryce and Zions are about 5 hours driving from Salt Lake City. You might try flying into Salt Lake and then taking a commuter plane to St. George. Not that the drive is bad, it is not, but there always seems to be some part of I-15 being reconstructed and so add another hour to the driving time.

If you are going in mid-June to October and you like Shakespeare and Theater, you might want to spend a day or two at the Tony Award winning, Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. Cedar City is about 45 miles north of St. George. The Shakespeare Festival is wonderful!!! www.bard.org

 

[maiyasgram]

Hi everyone! I am the very early stages of planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and probably a few other attractions. Most likely this trip will happen in either 2009 (hopefully) or 2010. So, I am looking for some advice.

First, when do you recommend going? This will be a solo trip so school schedules don't matter. I won't be doing much hiking, but will be doing a lot of sightseeing and photography. I wouldn't mind avoiding crowds but I would like the weather to be nice and stuff to be open.

Do you have any recommndations on where to stay? I am definitely a deluxe girl. So I would prefer to stay in a nice hotel and camping is definitely not in the plan.

I think that I would probably fly into Vegas and then drive from there.

Any other suggestions would be great!

We are planning a similar trip and have found tons of great info at this website: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1
Check out the topics under Arizona and Utah. You should have all your questions answered there.

Good luck planning,
Cherie

 

[Donald is #1]

We are planning a similar trip and have found tons of great info at this website: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1
Check out the topics under Arizona and Utah. You should have all your questions answered there.

Good luck planning,
Cherie

Thanks, I'll check it out. I did come up with a rough itineray tonight using my Fodor's book. I'll post it later tonight.

 

[Donald is #1]

Well, here is my first attempt at my itineray. I based it on a driving plan in my Fodor's National Parks Of the West book.

Day 1: Fly to Las Vegas (stay in Vegas)
Day 2: Drive to Zion (stay in/near Zion)
Day 3: Spend day at Zion and then drive to Bryce (stay at Bryce)
Day 4: Bryce (stay at Bryce
Day 5: Utah Scenic Byway/Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (stay at Torry or Teasdale)
Day 6: Drive to Moab spend 3 nights
Days 6-8: Capital Reef NP, Golbin Valley, Arches NP, Canyon Islands NP, Island in the Sky District
Day 9: Mesa Verde NP (stay in Bluff)
Day 10: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (stay in Tuba city)
Days 11-12: Grand Canyon (stay = ?)
Day 13: Drive back to Las Vegas

Is this too busy? Should I spend more time at Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon and skip the middle stuff?

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I've done this trip, flew into SLC stayed overnight, drove to Bryce spent a night at Ruby's, drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon spent 2 nights up there ,no deluxe but nice cabins and the North Rim is nicer than the South Rim IMO and then drove to Zion spent the day then drove to Vegas 2 nights there (boy thats a shock to the senses coming from the canyon to Vegas) then home.

 

[izzy]

Well, here is my first attempt at my itineray. I based it on a driving plan in my Fodor's National Parks Of the West book.

Day 1: Fly to Las Vegas (stay in Vegas)
Day 2: Drive to Zion (stay in/near Zion)
Day 3: Spend day at Zion and then drive to Bryce (stay at Bryce)
Day 4: Bryce (stay at Bryce
Day 5: Utah Scenic Byway/Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (stay at Torry or Teasdale)
Day 6: Drive to Moab spend 3 nights
Days 6-8: Capital Reef NP, Golbin Valley, Arches NP, Canyon Islands NP, Island in the Sky District
Day 9: Mesa Verde NP (stay in Bluff)
Day 10: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (stay in Tuba city)
Days 11-12: Grand Canyon (stay = ?)
Day 13: Drive back to Las Vegas

Is this too busy? Should I spend more time at Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon and skip the middle stuff?

I did almost this exact same trip last September/October, and it took us 2 weeks which was about the right amount of time. The weather was absolutely fabulous and the crowds very manageable. We did go into Colorado (my brother wanted to go to Gunnison), and the most spectacular drive of the trip was from Grand Junction through Telluride on the way to Cortez, CO where Mesa Verde National Park is. The aspens were golden and it was one of the most awesome drives I've ever taken. We also stayed in Sedona for a few days, which I also highly recommend.

If you are interested in my itinerary, I'd be happy to PM it to you. I researched the heck out of all of the hotels, and I was pleased with all of my choices. The only thing we said we would have done differently was to not drive through Monument Valley. None of us enjoyed it that much. We were only in Bryce for one day, and I would have liked to spend two days there - one for the drive, and one to do a few short hikes down into the canyon.

 

[Donald is #1]

I did almost this exact same trip last September/October, and it took us 2 weeks which was about the right amount of time. The weather was absolutely fabulous and the crowds very manageable. We did go into Colorado (my brother wanted to go to Gunnison), and the most spectacular drive of the trip was from Grand Junction through Telluride on the way to Cortez, CO where Mesa Verde National Park is. The aspens were golden and it was one of the most awesome drives I've ever taken. We also stayed in Sedona for a few days, which I also highly recommend.

If you are interested in my itinerary, I'd be happy to PM it to you. I researched the heck out of all of the hotels, and I was pleased with all of my choices. The only thing we said we would have done differently was to not drive through Monument Valley. None of us enjoyed it that much. We were only in Bryce for one day, and I would have liked to spend two days there - one for the drive, and one to do a few short hikes down into the canyon.

Awesome! Yes, I would love to look at your itinerary. On Bryce, I don't think that I will be doing any hiking. I am not in that good of shape and I am concerned about the altitude.

 

[izzy]

Awesome! Yes, I would love to look at your itinerary. On Bryce, I don't think that I will be doing any hiking. I am not in that good of shape and I am concerned about the altitude.

Am sending it your way in just a minute! Trust me, I'm totally out of shape, but I was able to do a few miles, as long as it was usually fairly level and I didn't make a speed race out of it. I still wish I had taken the time to walk down a little ways into the canyon at Bryce. To get to some of the better vantage points in Bryce, you do have to walk uphills some, but it's not that far. The altitude does get to you, so just take it slowly and drink lots of water and you'll be fine. You'll also have to do a little walking in Arches to get to some of the better arches - for example Delicate Arch which is a must see.

 

[maiyasgram]

Izzy-

We are planning a similar trip. Would you mind sending your intinerary to me too??

Thanks so much,
Cherie