Doing a 12 day loop Texas/Colorado/Utah/Arizona/NM. I've done Colorado and Grand Canyon plenty of times, so I feel good about that portion, but if you only have two days for Utah…how would you tackle Arches/Bryce Canyon/Zion with end goal being Grand Canyon after. Which of 3 would you leave off if needed? Coming from Montrose. Will be going to Grand Canyon afterwards.

Can dedicate 2 full days to Utah. Going late May/Early June. Kids 6-14. Will hike a little but easy access and seeing as much as possible is the goal. Will be doing longer hikes prior in Colorado and after at Grand Canyon.

Personally, I would spend both days exploring / hiking in Arches.

I agree with the above. Arches is an awesome spot for your kids ages. I haven't done Bryce Canyon but I spent 3 days in Arches and 3 in Zion on a trip with my buddies…Zion hikes are no joke.

AgPT06 said:

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Doing a 12 day loop Texas/Colorado/Utah/Arizona/NM. I've done Colorado and Grand Canyon plenty of times, so I feel good about that portion, but if you only have two days for Utah…how would you tackle Arches/Bryce Canyon/Zion with end goal being Grand Canyon after. Which of 3 would you leave off if needed? Coming from Montrose. Will be going to Grand Canyon afterwards.

Can dedicate 2 full days to Utah. Going late May/Early June. Kids 6-14. Will hike a little but easy access and seeing as much as possible is the goal. Will be doing longer hikes prior in Colorado and after at Grand Canyon.

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The only way you are going to see Bryce, Arches, and Zion in "two full days" would be to spend the great majority of your waking hours in the car. Bad enough for an adult, but mind-numbingly boring for kids. Since you are coming into UT from the east, you would be better off sticking to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Even better IMO would be to spend both days in UT seeing Arches and other stuff around Moab.

Since you are going to Grand Canyon NP after UT, I would imagine that you will be going via 191 through Bluff, then 163 through Mexican Hat, then down to 160 and then 89. On 163 between Bluff and the intersection w/261 is the entrance to an area called "Valley of the Gods". Spend a few minutes and research this area. The scenic drive through this area is amazing, and there are places where you can park and let the kids run off some energy. Do not do this drive if it has rained recently.

If you need a place to eat around the Mexican Hat area, the San Juan Inn and Trading Post has a decent little restaurant. This place sits right next to the river crossing. I would not recommend any place else in this area. The Monument Valley area has the famous Goulding's hotel/restaurant, and there are a few fast-food and sit-down places in Kayenta within sight of the 160/163 intersection. Tuba City has some fast-food places on Main Street north of 160, and The Hogan Restaurant located next to the Navajoland Hotel is fairly decent (don't go on a Friday evening).

C

Great info so far! Appreciate it. I knew I would need to shrink so good to know Arches is highest priority.

Just based on park time - not mapping out the trip - I would do a day at Arches and a day at Bryce and then hit Zion on another trip.

You can cover a good amount of those two in one day but need a few for Zion.

Edit - missed the kids part. Agree using a couple days at Arches is best. Lots of good drives there as well if you don't want too much hiking.

Kids would like doing an off-road tour. We did a fully guided one, was great.

Keep in mind that late may/early june around Moab can be and frequently is VERY hot. Like 100-105+F at times. My suggestion would be to spend the morning of at least one day at Arches. If you are only wanting to do short hikes, you can knock out most of the short trails to various arches in 1 day. That time of year there is a timed entry system and parking at the popular trails can fill up very quickly.

If it were me and I knew I had to drive to the Grand Canyon when I was done, day one I would start very early in the morning at Arches, hike and see arches until lunch time, then go find somewhere cool to be for late lunch and go out to Canyonlands (islands of the sky section) in the late afternoon. The late setting sun can throw some very pretty colors on the cliffs and plateaus out there. The 2nd day, I would spend the very early morning in Arches hitting the places you didn't get to on day 1 and then go back to Moab and catch an 11 am mid-day river rafting trip with somebody like Moab Adventure Center, but only if Colorado got enough snow for the river to have decent flow.

The main point of the above is not to be out hiking from about noon to 4 or so if you can avoid it. Your kids will not have a good time if they are hot and miserable most of the time. Hence the river trip at the end to cool off. An alternate idea is to rent a jeep in Moab and go drive some of the cool trails in the area. Young kids will probably only be captivated by arches and scenery up to a point. Breaking it up and giving them other things to do will help.

For Arches. If you take a Jeep Tour- does that help you bypass any of the long lines for entry or parking issues?

Jeep tour was not in Arches - Hells Revenge trail, just google for operators.

We had no problem getting in Arches, you just need to reserve times entry - earlier the better.

Google saying they are dropping the timed entry so summer could get difficult with driving in and finding parking.

If they dropped that, that is all the more reason to get there very early in the morning. They track the number of cars entering and will stop when they reach "full". Then you have to wait in line until people start coming back out.

We were there in June of 2021 before they started the timed entry permit system and we entered the park at 6:30am and got the last parking spot in the lot for Landscape Arch.

Bryce Canyon is one of the most visually stunning things you will ever see. If you're in the area, you can get a good feel for it in a few hours.

I went to both Arches & Canyonlands with a work group last year. All 9 people enjoyed Canyonlands more than Arches. That's not saying that Arches isn't awesome, but there are amazing arches in Capital Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands, so it's not like you're missing out, unless you want to see Delicate Arch.

Arches is more longer hikes, Canyonlands you can see amazing views within steps of the vehicle, there are also plenty of 30-60 minute hikes that are awesome.

we've done this area several times, including last week. Arches for sure, but like already said, by noon it will be hot. So start early.

Go do a guided UTV 4 seater in hells revenge in moab. We just did that last week and my 10/11 year old boys had an absolute blast (as did I, the driver). Or, depending on your vehicle, go drive shafer trail from moab into canyonlands.

Other things in the general area on your drive between;
Horseshoe bend/Glen Canyon dam
Monument valley/Forrest Gump hill
Petrified Forest national park
Meteor crater
4 Corners

But also, I can't discount the narrows hike in Zion. Another adventure my kids had a blast doing. It just seems out of the way, assuming you're doing GCNP from the south and starting in Montrose.

Also again, if you're already in montrose, have you considered the CO national parks? Black Canyon which is just a few minute drive and mesa verde are both worth checking out if you're that close.

The more I look and read, the more I'm thinking this is the way we are going to go. I went to the Grand Canyon a few times. And unless you can commit to doing some significant activities, it really is a short activity for a very long drive. With the kids…feeling we need to just focus Utah.

We stayed in Kanab Utah this spring. You can access Zion from there but tons of great things to do in the area. Buckskin gulch slot was perhaps the highlight

oldarmy76 said:

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We stayed in Kanab Utah this spring. You can access Zion from there but tons of great things to do in the area. Buckskin gulch slot was perhaps the highlight

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If you happen to stay or pass through Kanab, and if you happen to be a fan of a movie called The Outlaw Josey Wales, you might consider visiting a place called Little Hollywood Land Trading Post and Museum. They have some set pieces from the movie there, including the cabin the settlers used in the last battle scene. It's a fun place to spend a few minutes, and the people there are nice (at least they were the last time we were there). This place is right on 89.

C

If you have done Grand Canyon plenty of times why not spend more time in the Big 5 in Utah?

You need a full day at Arches and Bryce and I would skip Zion for another trip unless you want to at least do the drive thru

I have done Grand Canyon, but kids have not. Just feels like a checklist item…but reconsidering.

AgPT06 said:

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I have done Grand Canyon, but kids have not. Just feels like a checklist item…but reconsidering.

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I would take the kids to the Grand Canyon when they are old enough to make a trek to the bottom, stay the night at Phantom Ranch, and hike back. They will enjoy it more and get more out of it. Going down to the Havasu Falls and camping or staying in the lodge at Supai Village is another cool place to visit when going to the Grand Canyon area and can stretch a visit there beyond a couple of days. Climbing down to the bottom of Mooney Falls below Havasu Falls is one of those things you just ought to experience at least once in your life.

oldarmy76 said:

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We stayed in Kanab Utah this spring. You can access Zion from there but tons of great things to do in the area. Buckskin gulch slot was perhaps the highlight

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We did the slot canyon last year before we did Antelope Canyon. To me, they are equivalent, Antelope is great for the colors and guided information. Buckskin you are on your own and the canyon is much longer, more to explore.

If I had a do over for the kids, without a doubt, do the canyons over Grand Canyon. Will be a lot more memorable for the amount of time spent. Grand Canyon to me is impressive, but for about 15 minutes other than the condors.

While I say that, if you can work it in on the route, Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon. Condors in the area there also.

I would catch a sunset at Dead Horse Canyon if you are going to be in Arches. Epic views!

Tony Franklins Other Shoe said:

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While I say that, if you can work it in on the route, Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon. Condors in the area there also.

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Navajo Bridge is probably the easiest place in the US to spot California Condors. They are commonly seen roosting in the girders below the new bridge, which itself sits right next to the old bridge that is now a walking path.

For anyone who finds themselves in the area, it is well worth your time to stop at the visitors center at the west end of the bridge. Then walk across the old bridge and look for condors, and then visit the Navajo vendors on the far (Navajo) side of the old bridge. The Navajo are very nice people, and they sure can use the business.

C

Caladan said:

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Tony Franklins Other Shoe said:

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While I say that, if you can work it in on the route, Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon. Condors in the area there also.

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Navajo Bridge is probably the easiest place in the US to spot California Condors. They are commonly seen roosting in the girders below the new bridge, which itself sits right next to the old bridge that is now a walking path.

For anyone who finds themselves in the area, it is well worth your time to stop at the visitors center at the west end of the bridge. Then walk across the old bridge and look for condors, and then visit the Navajo vendors on the far (Navajo) side of the old bridge. The Navajo are very nice people, and they sure can use the business.

C

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We were there when some of the condor trackers were there. Fantastic information and he told us a lot of the background. Most all of them are banded so they have a really good handle on them, where they travel, where they nest, etc. Asked how they caught them to band them and he said they go up on top of the buttes, put out a kill, set their nets. And wait. Most of them eat carrion on top of the buttes.

Once they are netted, he said it's like wrestling a pretty large angry turkey with a bigger wingspan and very mean looking beak. One had grabbed him by the thumb and they were pulling and wrestling when he finally yelled stop. After a few seconds the condor released him.

I absolutely love Bryce. My son and I went 2 years ago when he was 11 (Mom and Son trip). We spent nearly 2 full days just in Bryce. It is smaller (compared to Zion), but still has a variety of hikes. In addition to hiking, we did a mule ride inside the National Park. The mule ride was incredible and I would 100% do it again.
The landscape in and around Bryce is absolutely stunning.
Enjoy your trip!