Next Years Trip to Utah's Parks

[dverstra]

Help me plan my trip. Mary Anne and I want to visit Utah's parks and end up at Taos, NM for the Wool festival during the first week of October. We have a month for this trip and it would take at least 4 days to get there and 4 back to Michigan. So that leaves us 22 days. What suggestions do you have? We have seen Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon. We think that we would like to see Arches, Zion, Bryce. Where do we stay to take day trips from. We are 40 foot and towing.

[Lauren]

Boy, you sure have gotten great info.

We have been to all these places a few times and absolutely LOVE UT !

You should definitely include Capitol Reef NP - stay at Thousand Lakes. I personally would not recommend you driving Hwy 12 with your rig but depends on your comfort level. Do a Search on it and read for yourself and make a decision.

All the great places have been named so I won't repeat anything more. Great, great places and great time of year.

I would also recommend against Zion River Resort in Hurricane for many reasons; my main issue was ethics. I simply don't tolerate lack of ethics.

You will have various elevation differences so you will have warm, moderate and even kinda cool weather in September.

But, in my mind, you have the perfect timing on this.

Good luck, enjoy and be safe.

[navybanker]

We just returned from Utah after visiting Capitol Reef near Torrey, Arches, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, North Rim, Taos and Santa Fe. We toured Bryce and Zion a couple of years ago. We drove to the North Rim from Lake Powell. If you visit Capitol Reef don't miss the Utah 12 drive. I wouldn't take a larger camper on 12. We missed Canyonlands due to the government shut down. We stayed at Thousand Lakes in Torrey, Portal resort part in Moab, Wahweep on Lake Powell, and Gouldings in Monument Valley. Wahweep was one of the best campgrounds we have ever stayed in located in Glen Canyon recreation area. You should see Gooseneck State park just north of Monument Valley. The La Sal mountain loop was great with the leaves turning and the view of what looked like Arches from a distance. Page, Arizona (Lake Powell) was very interesting and scenic. If you visit Lake Powell take the dam tour. We left Tennessee September 6th and returned on October 9th.

[4runnerguy]

First let me say that October is a very busy time of year, so early reservations are recommended. Also, there is no one place to camp and see all these parks.

If you can do without FHU for a few days, Watchman CG in Zion does have electricity and a dump station at the entrance/exit. This is a very convenient place to stay, as you can walk to the shuttle bus from the CG and go into the canyon or back into Springdale via bus. You can't drive your own vehicle into the canyon anyway, so this is very convenient for your visit. Watchman has a great, quiet setting. If you're hikers, you can easily spend 4 or 5 days at Zion. If you don't or can't hike, 2 or three full days will do you.

Bryce is higher up with a better chance of a little snow in October. Unless you hike much, a couple of days will do you here.

Moab is a place where you can easily spend a week or more. Arches can be driven through in a day, but there are a variety of even short walks that take you right to the arches. One of our favorite NP's. We were just there a week ago. From Moab, you can also tour Canyonlands, both the Island in the Sky section and the Needles District. For the Needles, plan on an early start and a full day from Moab. From the top at Island in the Sky, look down to the first bench and see the White Rim Trail. You can drive out part of it in your CRV, or rent a jeep. In your CRV, you can go down Shafer Trail and take Potash Road back to Moab. There are arches and petroglyphs along this road. The trip up UT 128 to Dewey Bridge has lots of views. Fisher Towers is worth the side trip. From UT 128, you can also do the LaSal Mountain Loop, as long as you've had a couple of dry days. There was snow up there last week. Of course there's also Dead Horse Point. Over the years, I've spent months in the Moab area, and still find more to do every time we go.

As noted, Cedar Breaks can be snowy by early October, depending on the year. Also, probably not the CG for your length rig.

[Artum_Snowbird]

I'd be pretty careful about Cedar Breaks with a 40 footer and toad! It's certainly worth a day trip with the CRV though, but it's 10,000 feet up ASL so October might not be there.

Can't agree more with the rest.. now we are itching to go back to Utah again. Honey, hitch the wagon up, we are outta here!

[amandasgramma]

Hwy 128 in Moab is fascinating.....Red Cliffs Resort has a movie museum....showing posters and memorabilia of all the movies that were filmed in this area.....from 1929 to current. It's free! Course, the winery there cost us a few bucks....:)

Dead Horse Point State Park is free for camping if you like to boondock.....but be aware - the winds are terrible if a storm comes up.....I know 😞

South of Moab is Hole in the Rock....can't miss it if you drive north or south south of Moab. 🙂 VERY interesting.....a house carved into the "rock".....a 5000 square foot home!!!!

Monument Valley was fascinating to us. Gouldings is one of the first trading posts there and has a great museum....small but great. The Indians have a great place called Viewpoint......must go to that. 🙂

[CloudDriver]

While in the Moab area, don't miss Dead Horse Point State park and the Island in the Sky portions of Canyonlands National Park. Amazing views! Also the drive on UT 128 follows the Colorado River through a canyon that gives a feel for what being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon would look like. Coming from the east on I70, you could take route 128 to Moab, rather than route 191.

[Nutinelse2do]

You are picking the perfect time of year. Warm days, cools nights, and kids are back in school. Should be able to see some leaves changing too.

Here are a couple of things to check out....

Moab/ Arches.... Portal RV park is one of the best in Moab. When you call, tell them to give you a spot in the back of the park in the private area. They are owned by individuals who rent out the spots. Beautiful, perfectly level concrete pads with amazing views, and much quieter than the front of the park.

Portal is very close to Arches and all the other amazing scenic drives and hiking areas.

In Moab, Pasta Jays is killer Italian food and salads, and reasonably priced. If you want some adventure and spectacular views, Call Dan Mick for a 4 wheel tour. The ride of a lifetime and well worth the money!

Bryce Canyon.... Ruby's Inn RV park is right outside Bryce. Has big, level spots and beautiful views. Just a hop, skip, and jump into the park. Ruby's Inn also has killer breakfast's to start the day of adventure.

Also, while at Bryce, Cedar Breaks is a must see. But bring a jacket. We were there once in July and there was still snow in the shady spots.

Zion....We have stayed a few places, but I personally was not impressed with Zion River Resort in Hurricane I think. Overpriced, and the promise of a River View.... Not! Could'nt even hear it over the noise in the park. Not sure of the length restrictions but if you can, stay at one of the NP campgrounds.... Much better, set back in the forest.

The bakery/ natural food store on the right before you enter the park, if they are open, has honey, jams, and homeade bread to die for. i think last time we were there we bought and ate 6 or 8 of the banana walnut bread loaves!

If your group is feeling adventurous, check out the Narrows hike. It is an all day event, but even now, many years later, we have yet to experience anything like it.

Have a fantastic trip, and travel safe. Sorry to ramble on, but Utah is a life changing place. So much solitude and beauty, it is overwhelmimg.

Let me know if you need any other suggestions!