Southern Utah

ppine wrote:
In April and late October expect snow. I have done 14 trips to southern Utah as a part of a contract for a coal mine. Mostly we went in May and September. We got everything from snow to mid 90s F. Snow creates a whole new set of problems when you are towing an RV.

Ture, but if you park and stare - Oh how Beautiful all those rocks Look with a Coating of White Highlights. :)

And by the same Token I've Hiked to the top of Angel's Landing in Shorts and a T shirt in Late December. Luck of the Draw - note a few days Later we were Lucky enough to Catch 8" of snow on/at Bryce, so if you don't like the weather - not to worry it is ever Changing. :)

Love Utah in the Winter,

In April and late October expect snow. I have done 14 trips to southern Utah as a part of a contract for a coal mine. Mostly we went in May and September. We got everything from snow to mid 90s F. Snow creates a whole new set of problems when you are towing an RV.

4runnerguy wrote:

ppine wrote:
May and Sepetember/October solve a lot of issues.

Not necessarily. Look at the visitation statistics for Arches NP. Go after mid-October and before May, although April is pretty busy on the weekends. We've gotten into 30+ minute backups going from Arches into Moab during mid-October. :(

Ken,

Trying to bring the chart onto the page - Insert (Width=680)

Great chart!

Guessing the Red Line is similar to the time the Temperature drops to Enjoyable?

Link to Weather

South of the turn off for The Needles is Monticello and Blanding. We spent a week including Memorial Day camped at Blanding. NO crowds! Campers yes but no crowds.

Visited Natural Bridges, Needles, Medicine Hat, North Colorado River Area, Muley Point, the Moki Dugway, and Goosenecks. I would add dropping down into the Canyon just before the Visitors Center at Island In the Sky, short drive to the river bend below Dead Horse Point.

Arches is going to be a bear, we have seen lines to get in two or three hundred yards down the highway and some locals told us on one day two years ago all the back to Moab. I don't know if the road work and campground improvements have been completed or not, if not plan for another time.

The inappropriately named Bryce Canyon is best at first snowfall and before Rose's CG closes for the winter. It is inappropriate because it is not a Canyon. Ask a Ranger.

Have fun and nothing I have mentioned requires a 4X4. Been in and out of the canyon several times and never used the 4X, and never had to ride the brakes. Four people in the Sidekick.

There are BLM campgrounds in the area that don't take reservations but they fill up quickly.

ppine wrote:
May and Sepetember/October solve a lot of issues.

Not necessarily. Look at the visitation statistics for Arches NP. Go after mid-October and before May, although April is pretty busy on the weekends. We've gotten into 30+ minute backups going from Arches into Moab during mid-October. :(

May and Sepetember/October solve a lot of issues.

Yep, thanks to everyone. 4runnerguy and vermilye, what you say makes a lot of sense. I've learned from making State Park reservations in Florida that I'm not the only human RVing!

Paleo Ron wrote:
OK everyone; thanks again. Maybe I'll consider a trip in the Fall instead!

I've just been through the area (in late September) and it isn't any better. Almost everything in & around Moab was either reserved or full, although we did find a site in Arch View. Goblin Valley was full, as was Dead Horse Point & Canyonlands. There were one or two sites open at Horsethief. This was during the week - I suspect weekends are worse. Maybe it gets better after October...

While I hate being tied to reservations, Southern Utah is popular enough that I suspect they are necessary.

For information on much of what there is to do and see in and around Moab, Arches and Canyonlands, check out this post:

A Primer on Moab

As for a fall trip, realize that it is often busier then than in the heat of the summer. Many realize that it is the ideal time to visit.