whitestavern Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Looks like this spring we might actually be making our dream of a cross country trip into a reality! There are several places we want to explore in southern Utah and I'm trying to find a central location (if that would work distance wise) to stay in as our home base. We plan to be in that area for about a week. Here are the places we'd like to explore: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef/Grand Staircase-Escalante, Arches/Canyonlands. Is there anywhere that is centrally located among these areas so we could stay in one place for the week and explore from that location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Short answer? No. DH, the Utahn and random trivia guy, says you are talking about an area the size of Maine. You can stay in Moab and see Arches and Canyonlands. Then you can see Capitol Reef on your way from Moab to Cedar City, which can be a workable base for Zion and Bryce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 Thanks Melinda (and your dh). I was really hoping we wouldn't have to hop around much, but oh well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 We are going to be out that way in a few weeks so have been pouring over maps. If you have to hop around a little, the north rim of the Grand Canyon is not that far from Zion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Short answer: No. You could stay in Cedar City for part of your trip and then Moab for when you go to Arches. Escalante is in between the two and you could stay there as well, but you will be driving A LOT to get to all those places. If you've never been to the west, you can't imagine how much space we're hoarding out here. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 We are going to be out that way in a few weeks so have been pouring over maps. If you have to hop around a little, the north rim of the Grand Canyon is not that far from Zion. That's actually where we'll be coming from. And then after Moab area we'll be crossing into Colorado/Mesa Verde area and then up to Salt Lake City on our way to Yellowstone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 Short answer: No. You could stay in Cedar City for part of your trip and then Moab for when you go to Arches. Escalante is in between the two and you could stay there as well, but you will be driving A LOT to get to all those places. If you've never been to the west, you can't imagine how much space we're hoarding out here. ;) Diane...have you been to all these places? Is each one worth going to or should I drop something? Is a week going to seem really rushed to cover these parks? I was planning on arriving at each location at night, then giving ourselves the full day following to explore. I have two days for Moab. Mapquest said it was about 2-3 hours drive between most of them. The plan was to start in Zion and work our way across the state to Mesa Verde, and then up to SLC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Diane...have you been to all these places? Is each one worth going to or should I drop something? Is a week going to seem really rushed to cover these parks? I was planning on arriving at each location at night, then giving ourselves the full day following to explore. I have two days for Moab. Mapquest said it was about 2-3 hours drive between most of them. The plan was to start in Zion and work our way across the state to Mesa Verde, and then up to SLC. They are all beautiful. They are all worth seeing...but I don't think I'd try to do them all in a week. Unless you are die-hard outdoor enthusiasts. If not...choose a few that pique your interest the most and have fun exploring!! Southern Utah is AWESOME! We love vacationing there in the dead of winter, because just five hours north of St. George, we are freezing our patooties off. LOL Utah is a state with so much natural beauty and so many different types of climate...it's truly breathtaking. Just driving up I-15 is stunning in places. I know you'll fall in love with it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claluck Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 We spent 5 days just in Zion and Bryce last summer. I suppose it depends what you plan on doing. If you plan on an easy hike or two maybe one day at each would be okay. Honestly your trip sounds exhausting but I can understand trying to fit it all in. I also have lots of little children and had more with me at the time as well. I would stick to the easier hikes and you will definitely not see some of the highlights but there are some beautiful sights you will be seeing. And spring is the perfect time to go to not be roasting. We went in June about a week before it turned hot and stayed at an old KOA right between the two. It was a perfect location and had little cabins we stayed in but it was not a hotel. It was literally 45 minutes from each entrance though. Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 We are going to be out that way in a few weeks so have been pouring over maps. If you have to hop around a little, the north rim of the Grand Canyon is not that far from Zion. Depending on when you are going, the north rim may not be open yet. I think it opens in May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 make your trip as early spring as you can , it gets REALLY hot. I agree that sounds like a really huge amount of stuff in one trip. they are all worth seeing but i agree you are underestimating the size of everything. You could spend one week at one park and not see it all We never hit more than one park at a time as a kid We always did our trips down from SLC around Easter or in early October (yay for UEA weekend!) our favorite is capital reef and arches (my brother got married under delicate arch!) but if you go to zion be sure to hike to the weeping wall! oh oh i forgot - you have to go to goblin valley!!!!! gahhh skip every thing else but dont miss this! have a lovely trip, we haven been since moving out of utah 12 yrs ago. i do miss it. I know it's a lot, but whenever I try to figure out somewhere to cut, I can't! Maybe we'll skip Mesa Verde and go directly to SLC from the Moab area. I did build in 3 extra days on this trip to allow for some spontaneity, so adding those into our southern UT stay is an option too. Where is Goblin Valley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 Depending on when you are going, the north rim may not be open yet. I think it opens in May. Current plans have us hitting GC around 6/1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claluck Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 You should be fine by june. Unless there is a late snow storm. But this spring has been rather mild so I imagine they will open the North Rim in June. I LOVE the North Rim. (I hiked rim to rim last September and I prefer the North Rim). At least hike down to the tunnel and look around. It sounds like perfect timing for Zions and such... Expect it to still be warm during the day (pack lots of water). It was wicked hot when we went the 3rd week in June. And plan on getting everyone in shape before then. It sounds like you have alot planned and the more capable everyone is of hiking alot the more fun it will be. You're going to see some awesome sights. Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Ooh, I second Goblin Valley. Make sure to hike Little Wild Horse canyon. And yes, hot, hot, hot. My husband (from Utah) used to be a tour guide for that whole area. He can tell you lots of things...in Japanese. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted April 6, 2013 Author Share Posted April 6, 2013 Thanks again for all the great info. As much as we LOVE hiking/outdoors, we are thinking of skipping a few of the parks so that 1) we can spend more time in the ones we do settle on and 2)we can add in some non-park touring (historical sites and such) to balance out our trip a bit. Here's where we had planned on going: Great Sand Dunes Grand Canyon Zion Bryce Capital Reef/Escalante Grand Staircase Arches/Canyonlands Mesa Verde Jackson/Grand Tetons Yellowstone Custer State Park/Black Hills Badlands NP FYI: this is over about a month-long period. Anyone want to offer their suggestions for which of these to cut out? My initial thought is Jackson/Grand Tetons, even though they're "on the way" to Yellowstone. I'm also thinking of skipping Mesa Verde and at least one of the southern Utah parks. Of course I'm also considering adding Goblin Valley based on recommendations from this thread :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Ok, now I have to add that Bryce was our favorite park in Southern Utah! At least if you have a few hours to really go hiking down into the hoodoos. There is a bunch of space between these parks and you've gotten good advice on that. You definitely can't have one base. We were there in Dec/January. I love the look of your list and we've been to most of those parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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