Road trip itinerary

[ferrelldebbie]

Thank you so much for the answers to my first post. I think we will fly into Vegas to rent the RV. I wanted to have everyone take a look at my sample itinerary and tell me what you think. It will be me, hubby and three girls (10,10,14). Is it too ambitious? Are there things you would add or take out? We will be traveling in early June.

Day #1 - Fly to Vegas, rent RV, get groceries and drive to Hoover Dam/Lake Mead. Stay at Lake Mead RV campground.

Day #2 Drive to GC and stay at Trailer Village.

Day #3 GC and stay at Trailer Village.

Day #4 Drive to Arches with a possible stop for a Rainbow Bridge and a boat ride on Lake Powell. Stay at Canyonlands Campground or Moab Valley RV park.

Day #5 Arches & Canyonlands. Stay at Canyonlands Campground or Moab Valley RV park. Which do you prefer?

Day #6 Arches & Canyonlands. Stay at Canyonlands Campground or Moab Valley RV park.

Day #7 Drive to Bryce.Stay at Ruby's Inn RV park.

Day #8 Bryce. Stay at Ruby's Inn RV park.

Day #9 Drive to Zion. Not sure about where to stay. Should we just remain at Ruby's Inn?

Day #10 Zion

Day #11 Drive back to Vegas and catch flight home.

[ferrelldebbie]

Are there shuttles from the RV parks/campgrounds in Moab?The website said traffic, driving and parking are horrible for RVs in Arches NP.

[IA_boy]

We've done this type of circle drive twice after picking up friends in LV. Here's my suggestion.
Day 3; leave GC at noon stay that night at Gouldings CG at Monument Valley.
Day 4&5; CG at Moab, explore the area, it can get hot in early June.
Day 6; CG in Capital Reef NP (Fruita) or Torrey
Day 7; Drive Utah Hwy 12 to Bryce (Ruby's). Make sure and stop at Calf Creek Recreation area and take hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls (this might be the highlight of your trip)
Day 8; Tour Bryce scenic views take a hike down into the canyon stay at Ruby's
Day 9& 10; Try to get into Watchman CG at Zion, explore the park via shuttle.
Day 11; return to Las Vegas

[4runnerguy]

I like that you are spending a day or two at each location once you arrive. As others have noted, I would also recommend getting a campsite in or near Zion rather than "commute". Watchman would be my first choice. The Virgin "River" runs by the campground and kids of all ages enjoy playing in the shallow water beneath the huge cottonwood trees (unless it's spring and the flow is high). Once you park, you can take the shuttle into the park (your only option) and into town and not put any miles on your RV.

You don't mention the size of the Class C you are renting, but if you are comfortable with driving it by the seventh day, might I suggest taking UT 24 south off of I-70 through Hanksville, then UT 12 through Boulder to Bryce. This will give you a brief glimpse of Capitol Reef NP. This route will also take you through a small (and maybe most scenic) portion of the Grand-Staircase Escalante NM. Otherworldly scenery south of Boulder. Adds maybe 20 miles and an hour to the drive, although with all the photo stops you'll make, it will be a long and glorious day.

[Busskipper]

Janss wrote:
Nice plan. I agree you have no time to stop at Page/Lake Powell. Rainbow Bridge requires a several hour boat ride to see it. You will be turning off Hwy 89 before Page, onto Hwy 160. Don't take 160 all the way to 191, but rather turn off on 163 so you can drive by Monument Valley, then continue to 191.

Good Advice - will make up for Lake Powell.

JMHO,

[Janss]

Nice plan. I agree you have no time to stop at Page/Lake Powell. Rainbow Bridge requires a several hour boat ride to see it. You will be turning off Hwy 89 before Page, onto Hwy 160. Don't take 160 all the way to 191, but rather turn off on 163 so you can drive by Monument Valley, then continue to 191.

[kohldad]

Oh okay, you were talking about if he stayed at Ruby's and visiting Zion from there. Yep, I agree that takes to much out of the day. Would much rather stay at Watchman or one of the commercial campgrounds just west of Zion. They usually offer a shuttle to the Shuttle terminal in Zion and from there you have access to the entire southern portion of the park.

Zion is my wife's favorite and our first destination when I retire.

[agesilaus]

Don't know why agesilaus said it was a long drive from Bryce to Zion as that can be done in a couple of hours.
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I just think it took a big bite out of the day at Zion, a couple of hours each way. If that is OK then by all means stay at Ruby's. There is a complication in going thru the tunnel at Zion with a RV anyway. You have to be guided thru by a ranger and they charge a fee to do it.

[agesilaus]

I'm not sure where you are from, but one absolutely important thing to remember when hiking out west is that you'll need a lot more water than you may think you do. I'd carry a minimum of a liter (quart) each even for the kids. Get everyone a small daypack to carry it in.

[kohldad]

Day 4, the drive from Trailer Village to Moab will be an all day affair at 427 miles. I wouldn't plan on any other stops on that day.

Don't know why agesilaus said it was a long drive from Bryce to Zion as that can be done in a couple of hours.

Ruby's Inn is a good place to stay for Bryce. If you want to see more and get an experience, take the 2 hour (the longer of the two rides offered) horse back ride down into the bottom.

[2gypsies1]

You plan sounds very good to me. You're getting a 'taste' of the parks and I'll bet you'll want to return for more!

I would eliminate trying for a boat ride on Lake Powell/Rainbow Bridge. You don't have enough time.

Ruby's is a good place to stay for Bryce. The free shuttle stops there and it has a good laundry and restaurant. Definitely try to walk down a trail in Bryce if you're all able. Wall Street is preferred but a tough one up! It's like a fairy wonderland down there. 🙂

Definitely move to Zion rather than staying at Ruby's to tour Zion. Either stay in the park at Watchman campground or just outside in Springdale, UT. The free shuttle makes stops in Springdale. You'll need to use the shuttle anyway to tour Zion - no vehicles allowed. Get off the shuttle and let the kids splash in the river.

I think you'll all have fun on this trip. It definitely takes a lot of planning, doesn't it? You just do what you can in the limited amount of days you have. It's better than not seeing these parks at all.

[TrailerTravele1]

If you're renting an RV, do we assume you don't have transportation other than the RV? If so, this is a BIG factor in your enjoyment of this adventure. Keep in mind, it's not easy to maneuver an RV to go get a pizza or around some national park roads.

Regardless, it's a bit ambitious depending on how much you'd like to do at each location. I understand vacation limitations, but consider eliminating one of your parks just to allow more time for fun in the others. If you like to hike, there are many hikes for early teens - or just ask at the park visitor centers.

At Grand Canyon, consider onsite Mather Campground - close to the bus system so you may not need a car. (no hookups, but the nearby Trailer Village does - also in the park, not sure if it's within walking distance to the park busses).

Zion National Park - Watchman Campground, next door to the visitor center where you catch the bus up the scenic route not open to traffic. But book soon, they'll be all sold out (see my blog post "Best Site in Watchman Campground, Zion National Park" .

We also really enjoyed staying at Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park. The geology ranger led hike was very interesting depending on what your kids are interested in. You should check, but maybe the orchards would be bearing fruit so you could pick your own (we were there in May - no fruit). Also there are amazing hot fresh baked cinnamon rolls and fruit pies at Gifford House right by the campground. Here's a blog post about our favorites at Capitol Reef NP: Top 10 Experiences at Capitol Reef National Park

Whatever you decide, ENJOY! What a great trip for the kids (and you!).

[agesilaus]

Day 3 looks a bit ambitious. As for day 9, it's a long drive from Bryce to Zion. It doesn't look that far on the map but doing it will reduce your time at Zion. There are a number of RV commercial CG outside the Zion gate.

Going to the North Rim of GC would save you a lot of driving time. There are CG at Jacobs Lake. Personally I think the North Rim is better because there are a fraction of the number of people visiting the South Rim.

Either way you'll be driving past the Pipe Springs NM. It's a small NM and the guided tour is something your girls might enjoy about the daily life of the people who lived there. They had a herd of dairy cows and made cheese there. Takes maybe an hour to see.