MIL has graciously offered to watch our 3 little kids, in April, as we never get to travel. I think we could do a week, still working on a budget maybe $5-6k ballpark.

We are probably looking for a trip near a national park-type place that isn't too cold, maybe a place with good hiking and rent a cabin. We're not interested in Europe on this one and we've got a Cancun trip in the summer so unlikely we'll do a beach trip.

We also have a bunch of SW points if that means anything

Trips we're starting to consider:

• Nashville - Asheville (or Smoky Mountains)
• Vegas - Zion - Bryce Canyon - Antelope Canyon
• I'd love Grand Teton/Yellowstone but I think it's too early in the year

Places we've done over the years:

• Pigeon Forge (Although we might be interested in this one again)
• Sedona
• Estes Park (RMNP)
• Seattle
• Palm Springs, CA
• Chicago
• Atlanta
• NOLA
• Boston
• Belize
• Cancun
• Roatan
• Puerto RIco
• Orlando
• DC
• Nashville

If it was me, I would choose the Utah option. You could easily do Zion and Bryce and Antelope Canyon

Could we stay in 1 spot and drive to all 3 or should be move from close to Zion to closer to Bryce at some point? Seems ~2 hrs away.

Could do

• 1 night in vegas
• 3 nights near Zion (do both Zion and Antelope)
• 3 nights near Bryce (drive back and fly out of vegas)

AgsMyDude said:

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Could we stay in 1 spot and drive to all 3 or should be move from close to Zion to closer to Bryce at some point? Seems ~2 hrs away.

Could do

• 1 night in vegas
• 3 nights near Zion (do both Zion and Antelope)
• 3 nights near Bryce (drive back and fly out of vegas)

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You could stay in Kanab, which would make it fairly easy to get to Zion/Bryce/Antelope Canyon. The problem with that however is that it doesn't make as much sense if coming into the area from Vegas. Plus, there isn't a lot to see in Kanab itself. But if it's a central hub that you want, that would be it.

If you just stayed in the Zion/Springdale area, you could do a day trip to Page and Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend since you are going to be there anyway. But you will spend almost six hours in the car, so keep that in mind.

If I were to fly to/from Vegas, I would do Bryce first (as long as you are starting out from Vegas in the morning) for two nights instead of three, then down to Page for a night, then back over to Zion for three nights, then back to Vegas. Between Kanab and Page, you could do the short hike at Toadstools Hoodoos, the trailhead of which is right on 89. Also, in Kanab is a decent little place to stop and roam around a bit called Little Hollywood Land Museum and Trading Post, where they have set pieces from the movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales". One of the these set pieces is the cabin in the final fight scene.

If you find yourself on 389 between Kanab and Colorado City, be aware that Fredonia and Colorado City are known for their speed traps.

Make sure that you make your Antelope Canyon tour reservation as soon as slots open for your dates. April is a very popular time to be in that area, and tours often fill up quite fast. And don't ever book through one of the many third-party sites either.

Be aware that in April, there is a decent chance of seeing snow/ice at Bryce. A lot of people are unaware of just how high in elevation they are.

C

Since you seem to be interested in national parks/hiking, I'll throw in Yosemite.

We did Yosemite in April, and it was a very good time to visit. Waterfalls were not at peak, but were close to it, and crowds were very manageable. Downside is not all of the park is open in April, but we felt like we saw the highlights and got some great hikes in. I think the trade off for low crowds was worth it.

It did snow on us one afternoon/overnight, but it didn't stick.

We flew SW IAH to FAT through LAS. IAH isn't an option anymore, but HOU would be.

Lots of great airbnb options in the area, but one thing to know is they are about a 60-90 min drive from the park. I wasn't impressed by the accommodations close to the park, and there are VERY limited resources in terms of gas and groceries the closer you get. We stayed in Mariposa and didn't mind the drive, as it is very scenic. And since crowds were low, traffic wasn't bad.

Summary of the trip: https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/3455334

maroonpivo said:

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You never get to travel yet you've done all those places? Ha, I kid.

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Haha fair. Almost all of that is pre-kids, business travel or wedding/honeymoon related.

Is there a better airport? Seems like Salt Lake City is 4 hours from Bryce canyon too

Would it be bad to only do 2 of Zion, Bryce, Page? Going to run it by my wife but have a feeling she may not be up for moving so many spots.

AgsMyDude said:

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Is there a better airport? Seems like Salt Lake City is 4 hours from Bryce canyon too

Would it be bad to only do 2 of Zion, Bryce, Page? Going to run it by my wife but have a feeling she may not be up for moving so many spots.

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IMO SLC isn't the better airport for someone wanting to do Bryce and Zion. Better to pic something closer to at least one of your destinations, and LV is closer to Zion than SLC is to Bryce.

I think that if you do end up using H. Reid at LV, then it would be perfectly reasonable to just do Bryce and Zion. And too, you could also add in a partial day at Valley of Fire when going from or to LV. Save Antelope Canyon/Page for when you do Grand Canyon, or perhaps Moab/Canyonlands/Arches/Monument Valley.

C

AgsMyDude said:

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Is there a better airport? Seems like Salt Lake City is 4 hours from Bryce canyon too

Would it be bad to only do 2 of Zion, Bryce, Page? Going to run it by my wife but have a feeling she may not be up for moving so many spots.

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There is an airport in St George, UT, but it's not serviced by SW. And I think United discontinued the direct flight from IAH (I seem to recall there being one when I considered this trip in the past).

You can do Arches and Canyonlands NPs staying near Moab. You can fly SW into Montrose, Colorado and it is an easy drive to Moab. You can also visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP near Montrose and Colorado National Monument near Fruita.

AgsMyDude said:

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Could we stay in 1 spot and drive to all 3 or should be move from close to Zion to closer to Bryce at some point? Seems ~2 hrs away.

Could do

• 1 night in vegas
• 3 nights near Zion (do both Zion and Antelope)
• 3 nights near Bryce (drive back and fly out of vegas)

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3 nights near Bryce is overkill. 2 there is plenty imo. I have done 1 day and also as a day trip from Zion. Both times seemed sufficient.

Fly to Vegas and drive to Springdale

Spend 4 days there.

Drive to Bryce . 1 night. Drive to Vegas. Spend the night. Some good stuff around Vegas for hiking too.

We do an out of state trip every year for our anniversary. This year (our 10th) we did Atlanta and it was awesome.

The city has a really positive vibe expressed through street art and hospitality.


We visited Olympic Park, CFB hall of fame and accidentally spent an entire day walking along the beltline eating, drinking and shopping.

My bad - wasn't paying attention and missed the that big list was places you've already been.

Sedona! Hands down.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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Sedona! Hands down.

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#2 on the list of places he has already been.

There is a lot of hiking and cool outdoor stuff perfect for April near Vegas. That's why I'd suggest ending there (or starting) and doing stuff around there for a day or two. Better than trying to entertain yourself in the snow and cold of 8k feet at Bryce for several days!

txags92 said:

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The Chicken Ranch said:

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Sedona! Hands down.

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#2 on the list of places he has already been.

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Duh, my bad.

But some places are worth a return visit!

The Chicken Ranch said:

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txags92 said:

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The Chicken Ranch said:

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Sedona! Hands down.

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#2 on the list of places he has already been.

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Duh, my bad.

But some places are worth a return visit!

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That place was amazing and we'll definitely be back

mpl35 said:

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There is a lot of hiking and cool outdoor stuff perfect for April near Vegas. That's why I'd suggest ending there (or starting) and doing stuff around there for a day or two. Better than trying to entertain yourself in the snow and cold of 8k feet at Bryce for several days!

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Yeah...the more I read I'm seeing folks saying gators are must for Bryce in April as you could definitely hit snow. And a good amount of Zion trails could be closed due to snow run off.

The wife is leaning toward a cabin outside of Asheville at the moment. Hiking, beer tours, golf/casino an hr away, cabin relaxing.

We loved it. And have shortlisted it for a return.

I can't swear to any closures as that is probably heavily dependent on snow each year. The Virgin might be higher but I don't n ow. We did mid May and it was hot.

I'd still try it myself. Bryce usually is pretty arid but it can dump. Check the NPS websites for temps and precipitation and snow for different months.

AgsMyDude said:

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Yeah...the more I read I'm seeing folks saying gators are must for Bryce in April as you could definitely hit snow. And a good amount of Zion trails could be closed due to snow run off.

The wife is leaning toward a cabin outside of Asheville at the moment. Hiking, beer tours, golf/casino an hr away, cabin relaxing.

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"Gators" (gaiters) are not necessary for Bryce. However, a set of slip-on ice cleats/grippers will definitely be useful. We don't go there in the Winter without them.

If you are thinking about a cabin in the woods, consider the South Lake Tahoe area. Very easy to get to by flying into Reno. South Lake Tahoe is divided by the CA/NV state line, so outdoor lakey (not a real word) stuff on one side of town, and casino night life on the other. The drive around the lake is incredibly scenic. Stop at the site of the Donner Party sit-down dinner party and see what's on the menu. Hopefully not you. And between the Reno airport and SLT is Virginia City, which although is commonly thought of as a tourist trap, is actually a pretty interesting place to spend half a day.

Mt. Charleston just north of Vegas has some good day hikes although April may be a bit early.

If you do Zion try to stay in the park. That allows you to drive your car into the park directly to the Lodge and it is a beautiful place to stay. There are trails and the horse riding stables right across the road.

The horseback rides at Bryce are great. You will ride in and out of slot canyons barely wide enough to get through and get up close to Bristlecone pines and other things. They told us that Butch Cassidy used the Bryce slot canyons as a back-up place to lose posses when being pursued.

Just got back from Yosemite/Kings Canyon and Sequoia NPs in late July. Hiked Half Dome and it was incredible. Not an option for April.

If it were me and we were into that type trip, I would either do all 5 NPs in Utah (Mighty 5) or a combo of Yosemite/Kings Canyon/Sequoia. Kings Canyon/Sequoia are located right next to Three Rivers and they are gorgeous. Arches and Canyonlands in Utah are spectacular!

Another great trip we have done is Oregon but that needs to be a summer trip (IMO). Too many orchards in the summer and the Crater Lake boat is not open typically until summer.

Have fun!

Wes '87

Bumping this thread as we've had to change the date due to some conflicts.

Now we're looking at the first week in May.

Asheville got destroyed so might not really be an option anymore, still looking into it though.

Is it too cool for Yellowstone/Grand Tetons in early May?

The wife is worried about the Utah trip being too much moving around. Would it be a waste to do Utah and only 1 of the parks? Maybe a 2nd?

AgsMyDude said:

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Bumping this thread as we've had to change the date due to some conflicts.

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A previous poster mentioned Mt. Charleston, near Vegas. Good choice. Also Red Rocks. Great hikes.