Utah national parks trip in June

Glad you booked places! And got info. Doing all the things right.

We LOVE those places, been to each many times and going back again this year to some and will concentrate on them for 2019.

If you can, go to the north section of Zion as well.

Bryce - get out early and see it at sunrise. Will blow you away.

Actually, get out early for the morning glow at most anyplace (bet you can tell I am a photographer!).

There are lots of hikes in Bryce that you might like. One up there at about 9000 feet that is only 2 miles long I think but kinda steep....Queens Garden. We have hiked a lot over the years and it is one of the most beautiful hikes we have ever done. Even if you just go down a little ways and come back.

Arches is another favoite but Moab is a zoo.

Email or PM me if you wish. Enjoy those places - some of Nature's greatest beauty.

For hiking trailertravelers hiking link has some good ones.

Outside of Escalante peekaboo, spooky and brimstone make a nice trio of slot hikes and nothing crazy. Spooky and Brimstone are just walks in the park although in some places tight walks in the park. Peekaboo perhaps the most scenic of the 3 is a bit more difficult as it involves a bit of scrambling crawling and twisting in places. However if you can get up in it you will be fine from there on. Also as you come down in the canyon from the trail head you can go up canyon into a nice canyon nothing like the other 3 but nice. There is also Tunnel and Zebra slots short slots but nice. More adventurous try Egypt 3 slot. Another nice walk is Harris Canyon. Driving out to Hole In the Rock (the same road all the previous slots are on) is kind of a kick especially if you read the book Hole In the Rock the adventure of the Mormons traveling from Escalante to the Bluff/Blanding area. When you see the Hole and know that they took wagons down it you will just scratch your head wondering. Also Calf Creek Falls upper and lower are not bad. The lower puts you at the bottom of the falls in a pool.

Over by Bryce (just south of Kodachrome) you have 3 slots that come to mind that while not a walk in the park are not difficult. One is Round Valley Draw this is a great one. You get the feel immediately as you descend into the crack after that the occasional choke stone to get over, around or under but except for a couple it is easy walking. Then you have Bull Valley Gorge nothing really hard here unless full of water then careful stepping should get you through ok when under the bridge make sure and look up at the truck that is up in it that in the 50's rolled down the opposite side hill and wedged in there (unfortunately several people died in that accident). Also Sheep creek there is an easy one though not as dramatic as the other two.

One of the Grand daddy slots is Buckskin Gulch down to the Paria and then up the Paria to the trail head. This is a fairly easy hike but it is very long from end to end. You could easily go in from either trail head and go in as far as you want then turn around and still see some good stuff.

Zion- the Narrows is a must do if you can, the farther you go up it the better it gets but even if you only go 1/2 a mile it is worth it. Angels Landing is another good hike there. The Subway is also an excellent hike but you will get wet, you will have to do some swimming if going all the way through but if you just travel up it from the lower trail head it is easy walking and you can get to the Subway proper without swimming anything, it is nice.

Moab area good hikes in the Needles District Druid Arch, Chesler Park, Devils Kitchen even if you only take the trail a mile worth it. 4wd trails Moab full of them many of them fairly hardcore but some easy ones as well. Gemini Bridges comes to mind as an easy one. Also the Schaefer trail not really 4wd just high clearance but a great drive as is the Long Canyon Trail down from Deadhorse Point which is a must see if in Moab You can loop Long Canyon and Schaefer for a loop or both end up on the Potash road that goes into Moab. On the South side of the River try Kane Creek up to Hurrah Pass and beyond if wanted it will take you all the way to the Needles District through Lockhart Basin. 4wd required but only in places.

So many things to do in those areas not enough time to do them all in a lifetime it seems.

Lots of good advice here.

Our first trip to Arches, drove from Moab up to the back entrance to Dead Horse Point in a rented Jeep. You'll pass some beautiful potash evaporation ponds. Well, the ponds aren't beautiful, but their turquoise color against the surroundings certainly is. If you saw the movie Thelma and Louise, you'll pass their "jumping off" spot.

That was pre-RV days. But that drive was why we knew when we bought our RV that we had to get a Wrangler to tow.

In May, 2004 (pre-retirement days) we visited the 4 Parks you mentioned in 2 weeks. That was long enough for us to get in some good hikes and back roads. Will you get to do everything? No. Will it give you a good idea of where you want to come back to for more? Yes. And we have. On that trip, Capitol Reef NP was just an overnight stop with a day and a half to explore. We've been back since then to enjoy the big name Parks, plus lesser know Parks in the area that we didn't have time to even think about, much less visit, on that first trip.

Enjoy as much as you can and plan to return for more.

Safe travels.

Thanks to OP for starting this and to all who reply with suggestions/advice. We'll be in the area from mid-May to Mid-June with two other couples. Mostly dry camping on public lands. 4WD Tacoma and Jeep JK.

For the Bryce/Escalante area:
Ut-12 Scenic Byway
Fishlake Scenic Byway
Scenic Backways off UT-12
Burr Trail
Hiking
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Anasazi State Park
Calf Creek Falls
Hells Backbone
Capitol Reef National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Goblin Valley State Park

Moab area:
Kane Creek Road
Potash Lower Colorado Byway
Upper Colorado River UT-128 Scenic Byway
Sago Canyon
Dead Horse Point State Park
Arches National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Needles District
Newspaper Rock

And the most important thing you take with you, "PATIENCE". Because these parks will be packed.

Recommend checking for Star Parties at Bryce and Zion on their websites. We have really enjoyed those dark sky adventures--using NPS telescopes also great.

following

Here's some on Moab. Stop at the Moab Information Center in town for lots and lots of Jeep runs.

https://www.alltrails.com/us/utah/moab/off-road-driving

Purchase a Utah Benchmark Atlas which shows clearly good backroads to any of the areas; not particularly Jeep trails but good siteseeing roads. You're not going to have much time to concentrate on both Jeeping and hiking.

Each national parks has a wonderful website with things to do. Check them out.

You could also purchase the 'Wells' book of 4WD trails in this area.