Next up was Canyonlands. Again, short on time so we did a half day here. No major hikes since we had something planned later in the day. I was hesitant to stop at Mesa Arch since we were going to see Arches the next day but man am I glad we did. What a view. My advice: go early! We had it all to ourselves for 15 minutes and then crowds came. We drove down the main road of Islands in the Sky and hit just about every viewpoint. It's really awesome. I feel bad for the lack of pics but the whole drive was pic worthy so I just left the camera alone.

After Canyonlands we went back to Moab and met our guides from Desert Highlights. It was canyoneering day! We did the Medieval Chamber route which is a ~90 foot rappel followed by a 100 foot rappel that takes you between a cliff and an arch. The cliff drops away about 30 feet down so you are dangling from the rope as you lower the last 70 or so. What a feeling! What a view! Pics were hard but here's what we got.

Entrance to the chamber. I'm about to scurry down there on a rope. It's a weird feeling.


From the bottom of the chamber looking up. What you don't see is the shallow pool I rappelled into. It was cold!


Here is the rappel down the side of Morning Glory Bridge. You can actually hike out to it in a 4 mile round trip out and back but this was a way cooler way to get there (although we did enjoy the 2 mile one-way hike thru the Canyon to the pickup spot. Total hike was 3 miles or so with a heavy pack on. Good workout).

Arches was a lot of fun. It's pretty remarkable to see these formations. We did the windows area first. The only downside is that we were pretty fatigued from some long hikes the previous day so we axed the 3 mile hike to Delicate Arch. We only saw it from the lower viewpoint. My advice: go early!!!! Seriously. It was getting packed when we left. Add a cycling "rally" to the mix and the inbound times were slow. Luckily we were on our way out by the time they came in. We could have stayed longer but some rains were picking up and we had a long drive back to SLC. We ended up spending an hour or two bouldering at the park on the main highway and Colorado River junction.

After reading this thread are there any state parks in the USA that rival some of the better national parks in terms of scenery and hiking/camping options?

Their certainly are, however that is probably worth its own post...

Yosemite - check drouth conditions before going. If the Merced River (believe that's the name ) is dry there will be no Falls !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We wasted a long drive from Frisco - no Falls !

BigJim49 AustinNowDallas said:

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Yosemite - check drouth conditions before going. If the Merced River (believe that's the name ) is dry there will be no Falls !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We wasted a long drive from Frisco - no Falls !

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mich more than the falls to see.

Yeah - we switched it up for my daughter - she's not super into the NPs but goes along with a mostly good attitude....my wife and I do love us some Fort Wilderness, so it's not all bad

regarding Bryce Canyon - there are other threads that I picked up some details - but they are incorrect in their logic as I pulled notes from several posters - we have 1 day in the park - can you please help me with these logistics? We want to do Inspiration Point and The Navajo Loop, perhaps others?

o Drive 15 minutes to Bryce Canyon - Shuttle to the end of the park and see Bryce Point. Hike the rim trail to Inspiration Point. Hike Sunset Point go down to Navajo Loop Trail. Then Sunrise Point along the rim. Then drive to Fairyland to hike the rim. Drive the loop and stop at the Viewpoints. Fairyland Loop Trail
o Lunch at Valhalla Pizza but also coffee/breakfast
o Hike Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop Start at Sunset Point. Hike north (left) along the canyon rim until you reach Sunrise Point. From there follow the Queens Garden Trail to a 4 way intersection down at the bottom of the canyon. Continue straight ahead into the Wall Street half of Navajo Loop which will return you back to Sunset Point.


o If we have time, Drive 45 minutes to Willis Creek Slot Canyon, then 30 minutes to Kodachrome State Park to get in some time there.
Then drive 90 minutes to Zion NP RV Park

Here's my itinerary for Arches - just added your Canyoneering idea - LOVE IT! by adding the half day at Desert Highlights - I need to take some stuff out - suggestions? My kids won't like long hikes (Delicate is out but would like a photo from distance perhaps?)

o Drive 2.5 hours and arrive at Arches National Park by 8am or so
o Hike - The Windows, Landscape Arch 1.56 mi RT, Double Arch - .5 mi RT, probably skip the 3 mile Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch,
o Drive 5 minutes to Desert Highlights for the 2:30 pm Medieval Chamber Canyoneering adventure
o Drive 5 minutes to Lodging 1 night Moab Valley RV and Resort and Campground

appreciate it!

First, where are you coming from? If near Hanksville (betweenness Canyonlands and Cap Reef), do Little Wild Horse Canyon.

As far as Bryce, whatever you do, do it early. It can get crowded. You're plan is solid but what about Bristlecone Pine Loop? The park goes another 10-15 miles past the amphitheater.

Here's what we did:

Sunset point start point. We walked down thru Wall Street on the Navajo Loop Trail before joining up with Queens Garden and heading up to Sunrise Point. Some rangers suggest doing this in the opposite direction and going clockwise for better views. We did it our way to avoid a steep climb out of Wall street (this can help when whiny kids are in tow, otherwise I would have done clockwise).

As far as Inspiration point, we just drove there and to Bryce Point. You can do the hike, but the views from the lookouts are incredible too. So that said, go for it. You can't go wrong there. It's a geological wonder.

updated a few details on Bryce - THANKS!

Any thoughts on the Arches post I have just above this one? Appreciate it as the half day Medieval Chamber will take up our time so want to get in the best of Arches while we are there

If you get to Arches early and skip the longer Delicate Arch hike, you can squeeze in a lot of the park in a half day...probably in 3-5 hours. So yeah, do that and then Medieval Chamber. It'll be a helluva day! Tell Herb and David that we said hello!

it's booked! thanks a ton for the recommendation - adjusted slightly - will do a 9:30 tour when it's cooler then head out to the rest of the park and skip hiking to delicate - will be a great day!

Good call. Arches will be more crowded in the afternoon but it doesn't technically close so you can stay past sunset. And enjoy sunset there. The hike on the canyoneering route is a little over 3 miles I think.

Get your Arches and Moab In now. All the employees from the CO ski resorts head that way for a week mid April after the resorts close.

My family (3 and 6 year old kids along with the wife) is going on a 17 day 6-10ish national park road trip in June and I'm open to any advice you guys might have. For reference here is our itinerary:

Yosemite 2 days (Yosemite View Lodge)
(Travel day staying in Vegas)
Zion 2 days (Staying in Springdale)
Arches/Canyonlands 3 days (Staying in Moab)
(Travel day staying in Thayne)
Teton 2 days (Staying in Jackson Hole)
Yellowstone 2 days (One day in West Yellowstone and one day in Cody)
Mt Rushmore 2 days (not booked yet, maybe in Keystone)
Rocky Mountain 2 days (Staying in Estes Park)

I've been to Yosemite before and have a good idea what we're going to do there. I'm really open to advice on the Utah parks in regards to hikes that aren't going to be too challenging and too close to sheer drop offs that will make my wife have a heart attack worrying about the kids plummeting off the edge. How are Bryce and Capital Reef? Worth spending time there instead of in Zion/Arches/Canyonlands? Some of the websites mention that the scenic drives with lookout points/pull off areas are stunning on their own, is this true in your experience? I'm trying to balance the desire to get out and "earn" the view with a bit of hiking and doing a "drive by" tourism style visit which is probably more appropriate with a 3 year old. (Although he'll almost be 4 when we go)

Also, is Badlands NP worth it? What about Wind Caves? Is Mt Rushmore even worth it for more than a quick photo op? I haven't booked my hotel there yet so I could still decide to spend an extra day in Yellowstone if that would be better or just drive on to the Badlands if that is better.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have.

Oh, and in the spirit of the OP, Sequoia/Kings Canyon is my favorite NP, we've gone twice now and stay in the Montecito lodge right in between the parks and love it. The scenery is great and the crowds are not bad at all. Hikes are mostly family friendly and the lodge has cool stargazing programs along with providing 3 hot meals a day for free (buffet) or a packed lunch if you're going to be spending the whole day hiking.

Least favorite, Pinnacles, found it to be hot as hell in the summer and generally not as majestic as the other NP's I've been to. (I'm not much into scrambling through caves in the dark so that might be why I didn't like it also)

I have nothing to add other than jealousy but am curious as to the rough cost your trip will cost and what hikes you end up taking so would love to have you write up a trip report if you could

I would not pass up Bryce Canyon. You can do it in half a day if you start early. If Little Wild Horse Canyon is on your way to Moab, stop there.

We are doing South Dakota this summer. I only planned for about an hour or so at Mt Rushmore. We'll be doing Devils Tower, the Badlands, Wind Cave, and the Black Hills the rest of the time.

Badlands is ok. Not amazing but worth a few hours. Wind cave is underwhelming. Do Rushmore towards evening and stay for the lighting ceremony. Lots of black hill stuff to do if you have 3 days.

That said pretty much the rest of your list is worth more time than the black hills

The wildlife viewing in Badlands is excellent. We saw hundreds of Buffalo, half a dozen bighorn sheep(couple of nice rams) pronghorn, & the prairie dog town.

Seeking advice on possible itineraries to see a couple of National Parks.

Current plan is to fly into Vegas on August 29 and drive to Bryce Canyon early the next morning. We will be flying back out of Vegas on September 3, so we are thinking of making our way back and seeing Zion. How much time should we spend at each place, or should we adjust the itinerary completely? Also, will the Labor Day crowds make this a completely miserable experience?

Silky Johnston said:

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Current plan is to fly into Vegas on August 29 and drive to Bryce Canyon early the next morning. We will be flying back out of Vegas on September 3, so we are thinking of making our way back and seeing Zion. How much time should we spend at each place, or should we adjust the itinerary completely? Also, will the Labor Day crowds make this a completely miserable experience?

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I'll always say this: get to the parks early, no matter what the date. Almost every day will have people there but the earlier the better for solitude.

For our axion/Bryce trip, we flew into Vegas and spent the night and then woke up early to hit Zion the next day. We chose Zion first because it was closer and we got there by 9:00 am. Bryce would have been another few hours and it would have been later in the day so we saved it til after Zion. I think 2 days at Zion would be good (Aug 30, 31). Then drive to Bryce that night if the 31st to be first in the park on Sept 1. You can spend the day there and then head back to Vegas if you want some time there (we swung by Cedar Breaks NM for a bit). Or if you don't want Vegas, add more time to Zion. That's my thought on it, anyways.

Apache said:

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The wildlife viewing in Badlands is excellent. We saw hundreds of Buffalo, half a dozen bighorn sheep(couple of nice rams) pronghorn, & the prairie dog town.

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The Buffalo are much more numerous in Yellowstone. Or Custer State park in the Black Hills. Pronghorns are all over. I counted over 1000 on my last trip to the Black Hill's.. Prarie dog towns are a dime a dozen. the bighorn are the only cool part that are unique IMHO.

Everything you say is true, but it doesn't change the fact that wildlife viewing in the Badlands is excellent. Sure there are better places though.

We just spent 3 days camping in Capitol Reef and we just love it! So much less people go to Capitol Reef than Zion and Arches. Lots of great, fun hikes for kids. We also went 4 years ago when our youngest was 3 and at that age, she had a lot of fun. There are two hikes that go through gorges, Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge. They are not hard hikes and the kids love climbing up the rock walls into all of these holes that have been eroded in the rock (and these hikes aren't scary with drop-offs). One parent and the 6-year old could go up to the tanks off of the Capitol Gorge trail, while the other parent can stay and play in the rocks and sand with the youngest. The park also maintains historic fruit orchards and you can pick the fruit that you eat there for free and pick some to take with you for a small fee. We have never done this though and always seem to go when the fruit is not in season, but there should be some in season in June.

I will say that Capitol Reef is probably less of a driving park with viewpoints from the car and you have to get out a little bit to appreciate it more than say Zion, which is just stunning from the get-go, but so many people. You have to ride the shuttle in Zion but they are really frequent and pretty convenient. You can't really go wrong with any of the Utah parks though, and I know that Capitol Reef is more out of the way than the others, so I get why people tend to not go to it as much. I think people tend to pair Zion/Bryce and Arches/Canyonlands.

Apache said:

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Everything you say is true, but it doesn't change the fact that wildlife viewing in the Badlands is excellent. Sure there are better places though.

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its solid for sure. There are also deer there. And some good short hikes out on the east side.

Thanks for the advice so far, I think we might stay in Keystone, but drive out to Badlands for half a day in the morning and then return to keystone and go to Rushmore in the afternoon/early evening and be there for the lighting ceremony. It doesn't seem like there is enough to do at Rushmore itself to justify more time than that.

And when we're done I'll do a trip write up, but the cost we pay will be higher than most would on a similar trip because I'm doing my best to book cabins/lodges that have separate sleeping areas so me and the wife don't have to share a room with the kids for 17 days. Still I will give that info when I finalize all my bookings. The best part for me on our itinerary is that I don't have us driving more than 6-7 hours in any one day, I've found that once you break the 7 hour mark with kids in tow, the whole day is basically a throw away when factoring in numerous potty breaks, stopping twice to eat and the general annoyance with everyone in the car that seems to multiply exponentially when that threshold is broken.

I'll elaborate a bit more. In the Black Hills you have Custer state park, the needles highway, the iron mt road with three tunnels that frame the monument, wind cave, and jewel cave. Also have devils tower that's NW. and Badlands to the east. I really like the area. I think 4 days for all that is ideal. Travel in and see some. Two full days. See more and leave.

But Yellowstone and the Tetons are better.

Rushmore is small and only needs a bit of time. The area around is better. Keystone is fine but so are Custer and the other small towns.

Oh. Also the mammoth dig in Hot springs is very cool.

What about Teddy Roosevelt NP up in North Dakota? We have plans to fly into Dickinson at3:30pm and drive to the North Unit the afternoon/evening and then hit the SouthUnit the next day before heading south to Devils Tower and then Custer. Should we skip one of the units at Teddy? maybe hit the South Unit after we land and skip the North so we can hit the road early the next day, or skip the South the next day and hit the road? I'm not sure what to expect there or how to allocate our time. One reason I wanted to go an hour or two out of the way to North Teddy was the prairie dog town. I guess I didn't know they were so prevalent. if that unit has other sights that are worthwhile, I'll gladly go. But if it can be skipped, I'll do that and have some extra time once we get south into the Hills.

Devils tower is worth the stop, there is a trail that goes around the base take it counter clockwise and bring your binoculars. The Badlands are worth seeing. You are right there and you probably won't be back any time soon. The speed limit on I 90 is either 80 or 85 so it doesn't take long to hit it and head back.

Wind Cave is pretty underwhelming, we had a great guide which helped. The mammoth dig in Hot springs is worth the stop. As mentioned don't miss the Needles Highway. Rapid City is pretty central to the area, we have also stayed in Spearfish and Deadwood. We will be back with my in-laws this summer and really looking forward to it.

BSD said:

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What about Teddy Roosevelt NP up in North Dakota? We have plans to fly into Dickinson at3:30pm and drive to the North Unit the afternoon/evening and then hit the SouthUnit the next day before heading south to Devils Tower and then Custer. Should we skip one of the units at Teddy? maybe hit the South Unit after we land and skip the North so we can hit the road early the next day, or skip the South the next day and hit the road? I'm not sure what to expect there or how to allocate our time. One reason I wanted to go an hour or two out of the way to North Teddy was the prairie dog town. I guess I didn't know they were so prevalent. if that unit has other sights that are worthwhile, I'll gladly go. But if it can be skipped, I'll do that and have some extra time once we get south into the Hills.

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I am trying to hit Teddy Roosevelt this summer...have not been yet. But I can assure you there are prairie dog towns everywhere. They are in Custer, Badlands, around Wind Cave, on the way into Devil's Tower, etc. If I manage to get up there in May, I'll update. Else, maybe somebody can chime in.

Silky Johnston said:

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Seeking advice on possible itineraries to see a couple of National Parks.

Current plan is to fly into Vegas on August 29 and drive to Bryce Canyon early the next morning. We will be flying back out of Vegas on September 3, so we are thinking of making our way back and seeing Zion. How much time should we spend at each place, or should we adjust the itinerary completely? Also, will the Labor Day crowds make this a completely miserable experience?

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My opinion: one day at Bryce is enough. It really depends on how much hiking you want to do. Bryce is at like 8k feet so the air is thin for Texans. You can really enjoy the place just stopping at the pullouts. Thors hammer, sunset point, and Sunrise point in particular. If you want to hike Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trail are two of the best. At some point you say a hoodoo is a hoodoo and the different views of the amphitheater (it isn't really a canyon) start to run together!

Zion is worth a lot more time to me because there is greater diversity, more hiking, and it is 4x the size. Lots of places to see and Springdale is a great place to stay. More food options than outside of Bryce.

In general Labor Day will make it a circus. Get up early - this will be easier coming from the East and get on the trails before other people. We did Zion over Memorial day and it was peaceful if hiking by sunrise. You get ahead and stay ahead of crowds. By lunch, the valley is packed, but that is just what you have to deal with. Don't let others deter you. better to go at Labor Day than to not go at all.

mpl35 said:

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My opinion: one day at Bryce is enough. It really depends on how much hiking you want to do. Bryce is at like 8k feet so the air is thin for Texans. You can really enjoy the place just stopping at the pullouts. Thors hammer, sunset point, and Sunrise point in particular. If you want to hike Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trail are two of the best. At some point you say a hoodoo is a hoodoo and the different views of the amphitheater (it isn't really a canyon) start to run together!

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We are spending a day at Bryce Canyon in early June... trying to put my day together - can you give more clarity on these locations, parking, and the route to take?
We're driving in an RV so not sure if you park and shuttle, or just drive from 1 spot to the next... based on TexAgs reviews in this and other threads, here's what I have - but this is multiple threads pulled into one so it's not accurate, I know... Any guidance you can provide to line up our day in the correct order would be really appreciated..

o Wake up and drive 15 minutes to Bryce Canyon - Shuttle to the end of the park and see Bryce Point.
o Hike the Rim trail to Inspiration Point. Also consider Fairyland Loop Trail and Bristlecone Pine Loop.
o Lunch at Valhalla Pizza but also coffee/breakfast
o Hike Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop Start at Sunset Point. Hike north (left) along the canyon rim until you reach Sunrise Point. From there follow the Queens Garden Trail to a 4 way intersection down at the bottom of the canyon. Continue straight ahead into the Wall Street half of Navajo Loop which will return you back to Sunset Point.
Thor's Hammer?

mpl35 said:

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Silky Johnston said:

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Seeking advice on possible itineraries to see a couple of National Parks.

Current plan is to fly into Vegas on August 29 and drive to Bryce Canyon early the next morning. We will be flying back out of Vegas on September 3, so we are thinking of making our way back and seeing Zion. How much time should we spend at each place, or should we adjust the itinerary completely? Also, will the Labor Day crowds make this a completely miserable experience?

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My opinion: one day at Bryce is enough. It really depends on how much hiking you want to do. Bryce is at like 8k feet so the air is thin for Texans. You can really enjoy the place just stopping at the pullouts. Thors hammer, sunset point, and Sunrise point in particular. If you want to hike Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trail are two of the best. At some point you say a hoodoo is a hoodoo and the different views of the amphitheater (it isn't really a canyon) start to run together!

Zion is worth a lot more time to me because there is greater diversity, more hiking, and it is 4x the size. Lots of places to see and Springdale is a great place to stay. More food options than outside of Bryce.

In general Labor Day will make it a circus. Get up early - this will be easier coming from the East and get on the trails before other people. We did Zion over Memorial day and it was peaceful if hiking by sunrise. You get ahead and stay ahead of crowds. By lunch, the valley is packed, but that is just what you have to deal with. Don't let others deter you. better to go at Labor Day than to not go at all.

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This.

In regards to Windcave and Roosevelt....I haven't been but my wife and son have. Both said Roosevelt was their least favorite park and both would have skipped Windcave if they weren't trying to get his Jr Ranger badge. My wife did LOVE the black hills though - one of her favorite places shes been.