Cross Country Itinerary Feedback/Advice
My wife and I are planning to take our 3 girls on a 7ish week cross country trip during the summer of 2018. It sounds like for Yellowstone and Grand Teton Campgrounds I should plan to be calling this...
Forum Discussion
As was mentioned, it will be hotter than blazes in Arches. It is perhaps my favorite sightseeing NP, though. Get a very early morning start, knock off during mid day, then return after dinner for sunset. You drive from spot to spot, and at each spot you park and can walk anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple hours or more to reach the particular arch. So you can plan any longer trails for earliest, then do the quickies as it gets hot (using vehicle A/C to cool down in between jaunts). You can use afternoons to take scenic drives, like Canyonlands, Hwy 128, or maybe even Goblin Valley SP.
On the way to Arches, I recommend the drive through Colorado National Monument. Why this is merely a monument, I don't know. I liked it.
Heading south on 191, plan a quick stop in Bluff to photograph the Twin Rocks. Then maybe a drive through Valley of the Gods, and a stop at the Mexican Hat Rock. Goosenecks SP is nearby too.
I don't get too excited about GC. Maybe it's too big for me to appreciate fully. I like mountains better than canyons anyway. But there's a reason why most tourists go to the south rim; the transit system makes it easy to see a lot of vantage points in a fairly short time. The north rim is different; you drive quite a way south to see a single vantage point, then drive a way extra to see another or another (like Cape Royal, Point Imperial, etc.). You can hike some trails along the rim, though; I walked south about a mile from Point Imperial and got some nice pictures.
Zion will be hot also, but a hike up the Narrows will be nice and cool. And if you can take bikes, the girls will love coasting nearly all the way down from the Temple to your campsite. Just before Bryce, Red Canyon has a fairly short trail I like, called the Arches Trail, with a unique view. In Bryce, consider taking the horses down into the canyon on a half-day tour.
On the way to Arches, I recommend the drive through Colorado National Monument. Why this is merely a monument, I don't know. I liked it.
Heading south on 191, plan a quick stop in Bluff to photograph the Twin Rocks. Then maybe a drive through Valley of the Gods, and a stop at the Mexican Hat Rock. Goosenecks SP is nearby too.
I don't get too excited about GC. Maybe it's too big for me to appreciate fully. I like mountains better than canyons anyway. But there's a reason why most tourists go to the south rim; the transit system makes it easy to see a lot of vantage points in a fairly short time. The north rim is different; you drive quite a way south to see a single vantage point, then drive a way extra to see another or another (like Cape Royal, Point Imperial, etc.). You can hike some trails along the rim, though; I walked south about a mile from Point Imperial and got some nice pictures.
Zion will be hot also, but a hike up the Narrows will be nice and cool. And if you can take bikes, the girls will love coasting nearly all the way down from the Temple to your campsite. Just before Bryce, Red Canyon has a fairly short trail I like, called the Arches Trail, with a unique view. In Bryce, consider taking the horses down into the canyon on a half-day tour.
