Help us plan our trip! Zion NP

Golden_HVAC wrote:
Do you want suggestions like plan on stopping at Moab for a day or two to check out the tourist things there? You might want to take I-80 from your area west towards Moab, then take highway 128 into Moab, looking at the rocks along the way, they are very pretty, perhaps as good as Zion NP.

Arches NP is within a hour's drive and well worth it to see too. So I would spend 1-2 nights in that area. Then spend a few nights at Bryce, RUby's Inn has full hookups, hot tub if I recall right, and a pool. If you don't like moving the trailer around, then a day trip to Zion and Perhaps another day trip to the North Rim might work well with your plans, and then go back to Ruby's each night.

I prefer the North Rim of the Grand Canyon over the barren south rim. Much more trees, and you can see the canyon is just as deep from either side, but the North rim it is actually deeper, as you are at around 7,500' elevation, while the south rim is only 6,800'. So cooler too!

By breaking up the trip a bit, you will have a little more fun than driving straight through for 27 hours. I hope that is not your plan, but it might be?

You might consider Yellowstone on your way home, as well as Mt Rushmore?

Is that the sort of vacation planning you are looking for?

Bryce is actually a 'day trip' - even if you are driving from Ruby's Inn. Basically there is a paved road going through the center of the park, with small parking lots overlooking the viewpoints. The furthest south is Rainbow Point at around 9,000' elevation, while Ruby's Inn is only 7,800 according to Google.maps.com and click on Terrain to get the elevations of anyplace. You can also view it from overhead if you like. They fly a blimp over the country, and put together some great ground images of everything.

There is a Natural Bridge arch at one of the pull offs, that you can see from the parking area. You could take a self guided tour by foot into the canyon from a area close to Ruby's Inn. It will be summer time, and higher elevation, without to much air (thin are taxes even athletes until they get used to the thin air after a week or so).

Good luck with the planning stages. Planning this far ahead is a great help, as you can think of many things to see. And it gives you something to think about during the winter freeze too!

Have fun camping!

Fred.