Help us plan our trip! Zion NP

alesis wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
I guess I don't understand getting a 'base camp' and traveling two hours to see something else and then two hours back again.

I'd recommend moving to different areas. Then you can explore all day without having to drive an additional two hours back to the campsite.

I'd suggest 4 nights in Zion; 4 nights in Bryce and 3-4 nights in Capitol Reef. Stay in the parks for the best overall experience.

We're open to trying anything! It's just a pain to tear down and setup multiple times, especially when we have a 27 hour drive from home. But any things an option! That's why we ask here. :)

We have done similar things. Note Zion, yet, that is still on the to-go list, thinking of trying to do it during a Christmas or Spring Break. We are from the Detroit area and decided anything west of Rushmore would have to be a 2 week trip to make it work the driving to get there and back. I sure don't regret taking the long drives to see what the other side of the country has to offer!!

We generally push hard to get to our destination (long days driving, 14 to 16 hours) and just overnight off the freeway somewhere. Then when we get to our destination we try to stay put for 3 to 4 days before moving to the next spot (all based on seeing the things we want to see in that area). We have found that it strikes the best balance of being close to the things we want to see, while not constantly driving, packing, unpacking, setting camp and breaking camp. It also works out that it will be about time to dump the tanks too. Keeping this in mind, we keep the camp setup fairly minimal (in Bear territory we have to do it anyway) so the the setting up camp and breaking camp don't take too much time. I'd suggest trying this to limit car time during vacation. Works for us, but your mileage may vary.