Still have our camping reservations for Sequoia and King's Canyon NPs mid-July. Hoping they open up by then.

Just finished getting all our reservations done for a Utah trip in September to Arches, Canyonlands, and Goblin Valley.

I did that trip last summer and have detailed itineraries on these boards Feel free to PM me and I will give you lots of thoughts on our experience.. it's great! Little wild horse canyon is next to goblin Valley that you definitely don't want to miss those slots.

We did little wild horse canyon last spring break. It's a must!

Alright fellow TexAgs travelers need your opinion on an upcoming trip.

We have been planning a trip to Utah for over a year and are supposed to go in a couple weeks at the very beginning of June. I have everything planned out - all 5 Nat'l Parks, hotels, car rental, trails to hike, etc.

According to several website, all the NPs will be open by May 30th. But what has me worried is that it will be limited access. I do not want to go all the way to Utah and then sit in a car for 2-3 hours hoping to get into each park. I don't know how Zion would work either without the shuttles? Will they let people drive to certain trails to hike?

So, would you guys still do the trip and take the chance of not seeing everything planned? Or do you think it is better to postpone and try again another time?

Thanks for any feedback and opinions you can give.

This is a tough gamble. I imagine that visitor centers and lodging will be closed. That's the way it is at Yellowstone/GT until phase two. If your lodging is outside the park, be sure to check with them (I'm thinking mainly Zion here, as the others don't have lodging).

So here would be my tips:

1. Get to every park early. Like at sunrise. I do this anyways to avoid crowds.

2. For Zion, rent e-bikes at Zion Adventure Company. We did this on spring break when the shuttles stopped running and it was a good time. The park will allow some cars in but when it's full, they will shut down entry. With the bikes, you just go along the river and don't have to worry about parking or entry. (Also try canyoneering with ZAC, we did a a half day with them and it was awesome! We also climb with them)

3. I imagine most tours will be shut down until a phase two. Luckily there aren't a lot of tours at these parks and you can do a lot on your own.

4. Honestly, and that is without researching each of the parks, I would postpone. If your seeing something that makes sense on their websites, then go ahead.

this is good advice - plan to arrive early! shuttle or bike through Zion - don't miss Angels Landing!

but

there's plenty of smaller areas to consider along the way that are outside the big National Parks that can be great places to enjoy - Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kodachrome State park, Mossy Cave Trail/Waterfall trail are likley not on your list but a great spots nearby- do a google search on those places to see how they line up with your itinerary

48secDunk said:

---

Alright fellow TexAgs travelers need your opinion on an upcoming trip.

We have been planning a trip to Utah for over a year and are supposed to go in a couple weeks at the very beginning of June. I have everything planned out - all 5 Nat'l Parks, hotels, car rental, trails to hike, etc.

According to several website, all the NPs will be open by May 30th. But what has me worried is that it will be limited access. I do not want to go all the way to Utah and then sit in a car for 2-3 hours hoping to get into each park. I don't know how Zion would work either without the shuttles? Will they let people drive to certain trails to hike?

So, would you guys still do the trip and take the chance of not seeing everything planned? Or do you think it is better to postpone and try again another time?

Thanks for any feedback and opinions you can give.

---

If you can wait for a week...I can let you know. I am going to try and visit Zion this Saturday or Sunday.

Thanks FancyKethchup! That would be great. We leave Sunday the 31st, so if you could post something right away on Sunday/Monday that would be incredibly helpful.

To answer the other questions:
-All our lodging is outside of the NPs - Springdale, Moab, etc. so I'm not worried about lodging within the parks. I'm going to call each hotel to make sure they are still operating.

-Renting bikes sounds like a good idea for Zion. My daughters are 10 and 13 could they handle the rides? Does ZAC drop you off at the entrance to Zion or do you ride to the park? Where do you leave the bikes when you hike a trail?

-We weren't planning on doing Angel's Landing, (the wife was terrified to try!) and it looks like it is closed anyway. We also didn't have any tours planned. We were just going to show up and do a few hikes at each park.

--Another option we are now considering is dropping Zion and doing the other 4 plus a state park or two. We can then do a Zion and Grand Canyon trip in the future.

Thanks

I read last night on Zion's official Facebook page that they have 400 parking spaces along the canyon but to plan on hiking from whatever spot you can find to the trailheads. The visitor center parking lot is open but it's essentially at the mouth of the park.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3226777387353212&id=143664062331242

The bikes may be a good idea.

You might just skip Zion depending on the answers you get. I love it and think you might like more time and fully open. It's easy to hit from Vegas. And so is the GC.

But the buses are the best way to get around in it during the peak seasons.

So I was at Zion as they were shutting down in March. The first day the shuttle busses were running. The second day they weren't. The visitor center was shut down completely the whole time. The Lodge was open (we were staying there) but shut down right after we left. The horse stables were open too.

All that said, it's Zion. It's mostly hiking anyways. The trails should all be open (except those closed for maintenance). The only concern is parking, which is why the e-bikes are the way to go, especially for kids. It gives a small boost so you don't have to pedal hard for 16 miles. My 11 year old did it just fine. That said, I think there is a 12 year old age minimum so you may have to stretch the truth a bit. also, they give you locks so you can secure the bike at the trailheads.

Also, if your girls like rock climbing or canyoneering, that is located just off the park boundaries so it's something awesome to do while not in the main canyon itself.

Right now for a variety of reasons:
Angels landing is closed
Observation is closed
Subway closed
Narrows closed
Hidden canyon closed
Weeping rock closed
Canyon Overlook closed
Kolob Canyons entire are closed
Climbing and canyoneering closed in the park


I'm just saying they have a lot shutdown due to COVID and some other things. To me this includes the best parts of the park!

Thanks for the info BSD. Another quick question for you:

I just called ZAC to get more info about the bike rentals. They recommend a height of about 5 feet for the ebikes and my daughter is only 4'3". She's pretty short for her age.

Would pedaling a regular bike through Zion be insane? They said from the store to the Temple of Sinawava is 7 miles, and only one part is it uphill. He said the rest is pretty level and easy to navigate. Thoughts?

Looking for a recommendation on lodging in Sequia/Kings....we're planning 2 days and 1 night there

Luxury is not required....looking for best experience and location

John Muir Lodge
Grant Grove Cabins
Wuksachi Lodge
Cedar Grove Lodge

Thanks!

I have only stayed at Wuksachi. Did a couple of nights there in 2008. Wife and I Really liked it. Not a 5 start resort but clean and well maintained. The dining hall/restaurant was solid and had great service. Location to me was great. Not bad to get to the Sequoia grove or Moro rock. Good trails around there.

We drove in to Kings Canyon from East Bay (San Ramon) the morning after we landed at OAK. Since we got there at 9:30am or so, we went ahead and hit the park hard. We stayed at Grant Grove Village that night. It was fine. Nothing great but not bad.

The next day we got up early and drove down to Sequoia where, again, we just started exploring. That afternoon we checked into Wuksachi. It was fine. The drive to the VC was only a couple of minutes and the crowds cleared out after 5:00pm. They typically have the shuttle busses going so I'm not sure how it's going to work without those.

Insider tip: have your wife sprain her ankle within 10 minutes of arriving and get a handicap tag!!! Haha. Poor girl. Lucky me though. No shuttles and I got to drive to areas where only shuttles were allowed.

48secDunk said:

---

Thanks for the info BSD. Another quick question for you:

I just called ZAC to get more info about the bike rentals. They recommend a height of about 5 feet for the ebikes and my daughter is only 4'3". She's pretty short for her age.

Would pedaling a regular bike through Zion be insane? They said from the store to the Temple of Sinawava is 7 miles, and only one part is it uphill. He said the rest is pretty level and easy to navigate. Thoughts?

---

That's up to you and your assessment of her biking. It's relatively flat with a slight incline up the valley but it's 7 miles one way. My kid would have complained at that age. Your best bet may be to start early at the Temple of Sinawava and then head south.

As was noted, several trails are closed. Some tomrockfall (weeping rock) and other to control crowds (canyon Overlook Trail...which is very nice for kids).

Just a heads up, I won't get a full day in Zion until
Monday. I'll try and remember to come back and post about how it's looking. Grand Canyon is up and going, however. Visitor Center and the like are closed but most trails are open.

I think I saw earlier today that the canyon was full by 7:00am.

Oof...

I was just coming to post the same thing....crazy!

I was at Zion this time last week and was the first one into the scenic road as they opened at 6am, essential to get a really early start right now.

I got there this morning at 8am and found parking. All hikes listed as open are on the Zion NPS website. Chains to angels landing are closed. Canyon lookout is closed. Kolob canyon hikes are closed. There's still plenty open to keep you busy.

At Zion - smaller and less crowded hike is at Stop #8 and The Great White Throne, hike - but especially the short hike right at the stop to the river access

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park isn't too far from there- we arrived there at 9am when they opened and enjoyed it - but you will be super sandy to clean up after at their RV area showers (quick in and quick out..)

Also nearby is the 1 mile RT Mossy Cave Trail and the Waterfall trail too

As well as Kodachrome State Park and hike Angels Palace climb up the side walls - kids will love it

Anyone been to Hot Springs NP? I know it isn't anything great but it's on the list and we are thinking about driving up there this weekend. Things to do nearby and restaurants are also welcomed!

we stayed in Hot Springs 1 night on our way home from Kentucky this spring break so can't offer much.

o Hot Springs National Park Bathhouse Row area - we stayed at the main place -but there are so many options - Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa.

o Dinner at Steinhaus Keller German Food.

You might also add this to your agenda - we did it and the kids had fun for a few hours- https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park


On another note, I've got another thread going on the Ozarks of Arkansas - Jasper area - we're considering a trip in late June on the Buffalo River - a little farther than Hot Springs but apparently way better..

Thanks. If we go, we are staying at the Arlington. We were actually supposed to have gone three weeks ago and had reservations there but we all know how that went.

I'll check out that thread. I did two 50 miles trips down the Buffalo back in Boy Scouts. It was awesome!

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE:
I logged in the minute they became available and was able to get reservations at the times I wanted but the annual pass was not accepted. I had to purchase non-pass member entrances....so for 3 days it was $81....basically the same price of the annual pass I can't use. That is so frustrating.

UPDATE (maybe?):

I did finally get an email reciept from USGS.gov with an Order Number, a Customer Number, and a Purchase Order Number. I plugged the Purchase Order Number in as my pass number under my Reservations.gov account and it didnt reject it. Fingers crossed.




Heads up on this....

So we're going to Rocky Mountain in July and they just announced that they will be reservation only. The reservations open tomorrow morning.

You can use an annual pass to make the reservation but you must have a physical copy of it in order to tie it to you Reservations.gov account.

If you go to USGS.gov to buy an annual pass, they do not give you your annual pass account number after you purchase it, they just mail you the pass.

So now I'm stuck with an annual pass being processed to mail that I can't use to make reservations and will have to pay $27 + $2 reservation fee for each reservation I make for RMNP tomorrow.

Not only that but I lose two months of use on the pass because the pass I just purchased starts and ends in May and I wouldn't have otherwise bought it until July when I arrived at the park.

I'm sure more and more parks will go this direction so if you don't have a pass buy one on Monday.

Another option for National park passes. If you have a child who is in 4th grade (or looks like they are in 4th grade) then they can fill out a form to get a free park pass. It's part of a national program to get kids outside and exploring. The pass then allows families to enter with them. We will be using it next week in Utah. I'll let y'all know how it goes. Here's the link:

https://everykidoutdoors.gov/pass.htm

We got ours online in advance of our trips but you can also get those at the park entrances (under normal circumstances). We even forgot ours at the hotel once and they told us just to go on in.

48secDunk said:

---

Another option for National park passes. If you have a child who is in 4th grade (or looks like they are in 4th grade) then they can fill out a form to get a free park pass. It's part of a national program to get kids outside and exploring. The pass then allows families to enter with them. We will be using it next week in Utah. I'll let y'all know how it goes. Here's the link:

https://everykidoutdoors.gov/pass.htm

---

interesting program but i wonder why they limit it to just 4th graders? no love for the kids in the other grades??

This is what we used last year, which is why I don't have a valid pass currently. It's a great program.

Two keys on this....

• You have to print and fill out the paperwork BEFORE you arrive at the park. You turn that in to them at the gate and they will then give you a plastic card pass specifically for the Every Kid in the Park program
• The 4th grader must be present everytime you enter a park (I ran into a situation in Glacier where I tried to go in by myself to hike in the morning before the rest of the family got up)

I'm book marking your post for later. Thanks for the pictures.