BootsnAll Travel Community

I potentially have 1-2 weeks in October and am thinking about going to Utah. I've heard so much about the National and State Parks and would like to do some day hiking. I'm considering Bryce and Zion canyons, and maybe Moab as well.

I will probably "car camp" with a tent, but don't mind staying in a hotel for a night or two. I have a 4WD vehicle, so offroad trailheads and campgrounds shouldn't be a problem.

I'm looking for recommendations on itinerary, guidebooks (with trailmaps?), or other info about what to expect at that time of year.

Any help would be appreciated!

I've done a similar trip but had a little more time so I can definitely make some recommendations for you.

Zion was one of my favorite stops in Utah. The Narrows hike was incredible--highly recommended. The Angel's Landing hike also offers great views and a few stretches that will have you proud you made it to the top. Zion had more greenery than I recall seeing elsewhere (Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce).

Arches and Canyonland I saw together over a few days. I did the Delicate Arch hike and a long rim hike in Canyonlands. If I had a 4x4 I'd have done more exploring--'96 Crown Vic just didn't seem like it would make it. Arches had a lot of intrigue for me--Delicate Arch was the icon I was looking to witness and experience. I've grown as a traveler since then, but no regrets.

If I remember correctly, I hit Bryce before driving South through Escalante to Page, AZ--where there are some must sees. Wire Pass (very narrow slot canyon--at some parts shoulder width clearance w/ 200' walls towering above you) entrance to Buckskin Gulch (20+miles of slot canyon--do your homework before considering this), Antelope Canyon Upper and Lower (beautiful slot canyons--google it and look for times of year to go to see the shafts of light--it's an awesome place regardless), Horseshoe Bend (iconic, u-shaped turn in the Colorado River). Learn from my mistakes, The Wave is at the top of the Coyote Bluffs trail--you'll see it as you head towards Wire Pass from the Wire Pass trailhead--I failed to realize it was up there and missed it.

I visited the Grand Canyon on my way home which was later in my trip--so from there I headed North to Zion and later on to Salt Lake--(ultimately going as far north as Canada and working my way down the West Coast and then on back home--7 weeks total...should have stayed longer.

If you have specific questions I'd be happy to answer them. Google or wikipedia some of the above mentioned stuff and you should have a great trip on your hands.

However, make sure you visit and see what you want to visit and see. That's an awesome part of the world--great choice. Be sure to check weather.com for weather that time of year.

Gr...no edit feature? Correction...the wave is at the end of the Coyote Buttes trail.

The edit feature is at the bottom right hand side of your post. The little pencil and folder icon in between the folder with quotes and the warning/exclamation point.

It only shows up on your posts so if you look at other people's posts, you'll only see 2 icons.

And more on topic...
I echo pretty much everything WARD has said. The Angel's Landing hike is actually one of my favorite hikes ever. Its easy enough that pretty much everyone can do it but challenging/slightly scary at the end that makes it rewarding. And its its beautiful and very interesting scenery.

Bryce is very pretty and different from Zion. In fact I really felt like all the parks there have really different personalities. In trying to describe them they may not sound too different but trust me they are. Zion is more green, Bryce has more spires and "lacey" formations, etc. I've also been to Canyonlands, and a few others that aren't coming to mind right now because I'm burnt out at work.

I'm not sure what the weather is like in October but you could look at weather.com for that. When you're in a major national park head to the ranger station/visitor's center. They will have all kinds of maps (you may have to ask for the more in depth trail maps) and really cool info and suggestions that will reflect what is going on in the park at right that second. Park rangers rock.

It's a very cool area and I'm sure you will enjoy your trip and wish you had more than two weeks.

Thanks for suggestions - it sounds great and I can't wait! One of my friends also recommended checking out the trail maps from natgeo.com. The "trails illustrated" ones look pretty detailed.

*so Jonesing on this thread*

Just arrived in Moab a couple hours ago. Thanks!

Okay. Southern Utah is just ridiculous. Today drove from Moab to Bryce via the scenic route...Utah Hwy 24 South....did Goblin State Park (thanks AJV!) which was great....then motored on to HWY 12 which has to be one of the greatest drives in America. Through Capitol Reef National Park (which never seems to get mentioned but is absolutely magnificent....and, yes, DIFFERENT than Canyonlands and Arches), and also through the Dixie National Forest which is splendid. Long drive...about 6-7 hours on the road at a leisurely pace....but so worth it.

Southern Utah? Two words: Wow. And WOW! (And I haven't even seen the Bryce or Zion areas yet.)

I'm going to all five of these parks this summer on a cross-country trip and I can't wait. I love hearing about your experiences in Southern Utah - keep it coming.

When I can't take any more parks, I'll get back up to US-50 and drive on the "loneliest road" through Nevada. That should be interesting too.

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Originally posted by Circuitloss:
When I can't take any more parks, I'll get back up to US-50 and drive on the "loneliest road" through Nevada. That should be interesting too.

Oh, that's one of my faves. I've done Hwy 50 across Nevade in an RV, in an SUV (media tour) and on a motorcycle.

I wrote about it in this article which is readable even though all my dashes got turned into some other funky character.

Utah is one-in-a-million gorgeous, so don't shortchange it, but central Nevada has its own beauty and is worth a look. Word of warning, though, the place really is isolated, and the weather can get treacherous in the winter. Don't count on being able to use your cell phone to call for help, the service out there is chancy. Take water, food and warm stuff (desert nights are COLD) and try very hard not to get stuck.

La

Hey, nice article. You mention some stuff I haven't seen in guidebooks. Thanks for the link.

Anyone used camp sites in the Dixie National Forest in Utah? That looks like an interesting place to kill a few days.

Also, for Southern Utah, how do you dress in the summer? It's pretty hot in the day and cold at night I assume.

Hi! I have just returned from a 2-week trip round southern Utah and a bit of Arizona...more reinforcing what others have said but still, for what it's worth -

ALL parks are different - they really are! We flew into Vegas and drove to Zion, then Bryce, then Kodachrome Basin State Park (great place), then Arches, then down to Monument Valley and finally Grand Canyon South Rim, and back to Vegas.

Total mileage: 1250 (no side trips, regretfully)

Favourite campgrounds: Devil's Garden, Arches; Watchman, Zion; and Kodachrome Basin.

Favourite trails: Zion - Angels' Landing (scary!!!) and Emerald Pools. Bryce - Navajo/Peekaboo/Queen's Garden loop (also for the best view in the park, Upper Inspiration Point). Arches - Devil's Garden Trail (be sure to ask a warden about the 'secret' petroglyphs) and Delicate Arch (a cliche, yes, but wow!).

Monument Valley is a must if you grew up watching old westerns - 'Monuments' are sooo iconic!

'All-American' Route 12 is, as suggested above, the most incredible road - 126 miles of scenic wonders.

A point to note - grocery shopping opportunities are few and far between. This was perhaps more of a surprise than it should have been - stock up in advance. The best provisioning on our whole route was a very good supermarket in Moab. We hadn't realised you could drive for a hundred miles without a shop!

And finally...be prepared to spend a LOT of time taking photographs - we took approx 1800 during the fortnight, of some of the most amazing, awe-inspiring, beautiful and downright odd scenery we'd ever seen. As you will guess, we quite enjoyed ourselves...

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Also, for Southern Utah, how do you dress in the summer? It's pretty hot in the day and cold at night I assume.

Yep. It is warm enough to swim in the Narrows in Zion during the summer mid-day, even though that water is DANG cold -- but cool enough in the middle of the night that I needed sweatpants and a fleece in my sleeping bag. I tend to always get cold at night, though, so perhaps that had something to do with it.

I tend to think that layers always work best for camping, even in the summer, even in Southern Utah. Just dress like a typical desert rat: shorts and a t-shirt with flip flops and a sweatshirt for when it gets cold. Nothing says stylin' like a fleece combined with shorts.

Well, NTFT made reference to it, but one of my favorite places in Utah is Goblin Valley State Park. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but WOW! Nice. And there is a campground that has SHOWERS there, too, for those pansies out there like me. If it is at all on your way I'd suggest a day or two there for sure!