Zion - where to stay?

[eDUBz]

We have a 19ft toy hauler and planning to take it up to Zion this summer I'm looking to book everything now if it's possible. What area should I look into and how long should we stay? Also what's next after Zion - Arches ? Trying to map a route out From Ca. Thinking of being on the road about a month. Thanks everyone, we had a successful trip to Texas with all the knowledge on the forum.

[BubbaChris]

If the Rzr comes along, also look at the Duck Creek area. You could maybe get your toyhauler into Point Supreme CG at Cedar Breaks National Monument (a mini Bryce) and you'll be at 10K elevation, so cooler (but subject to Tstorms).

Bryce is also at 8K elevation, so a very worthy partner to visiting Zion. They are very different parks. Zion you are mostly working from the canyon bottom and climbing up. Bryce you start up on the mesa and hike down.

Sand Hollow - Do not stay in the Sand Pit CG in the summer unless you have a genny strong enough to run your AC. The West Side CG has full hook-ups and large sites.

Another summer dry camping spot in the area is Pine Valley Recreation Area - 7K elevation and the loops are usually filled on the weekends with Nevada plates as it is less than 3 hrs from Vegas

[eDUBz]

tragusa3 wrote:
Loved "The Watchman". With your kind of time, I would recommend at least 3 nights there (then move to the other recommendations). Hike the Narrows one day, Angel's Landing another and explore another interest on the final day.

We stayed 5 nights and were very sad to leave. There have been only a few parks that made us feel that way about leaving, Zion is one.

Oh, and don't worry if you can't get a site right on the Virgin. You will be surrounded 360d by the gorgeous red cliffs!

Thanks, will most likely do 5 days

[tragusa3]

Loved "The Watchman". With your kind of time, I would recommend at least 3 nights there (then move to the other recommendations). Hike the Narrows one day, Angel's Landing another and explore another interest on the final day.

We stayed 5 nights and were very sad to leave. There have been only a few parks that made us feel that way about leaving, Zion is one.

Oh, and don't worry if you can't get a site right on the Virgin. You will be surrounded 360d by the gorgeous red cliffs!

[eDUBz]

2gypsies wrote:
Zion is very close to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Bryce is also close. Then take Hwy 12 to Capitol Reef NP. Arches and Canyonlands would be great. There is lots to see in that whole area.

I'm not familiar with your 19' toy hauler but since the Polaris is stored inside, why would there be a problem with lunch, bathroom or having to leave it parked outside?

Traveling with it loaded there is pretty much no room to make lunch and to use the restroom we have to squeeze through the door, the Polaris takes up the whole inside of the trailer.

[2gypsies1]

Zion is very close to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Bryce is also close. Then take Hwy 12 to Capitol Reef NP. Arches and Canyonlands would be great. There is lots to see in that whole area.

I'm not familiar with your 19' toy hauler but since the Polaris is stored inside, why would there be a problem with lunch, bathroom or having to leave it parked outside?

[eDUBz]

2gypsies wrote:
If you want to bring your toy you might consider Sand Hollow State Park near Hurricane, Utah... but then you'd have to drive to Zion for hiking, etc. If you just want to spend a day in Zion it would work. If Zion is your main objective then stay IN the park at Watchman campground.

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/sand-hollow-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=UT&...

https://utah.com/zion-national-park

The park web site will give you lots of good information on camping and things to do. Every national park has a site like this. Explore it.

We like to do multiple things, I don't know where to go after Zion. I was thinking of being on the road about a Month start to finish we have super flexible schedules, so we can actually go longer if we want but I fell like a month is good. The idea of bring the Polaris is awesome but it sucks when on the road and we want to make lunch or use the restroom also if we're not at an off road area not sure if other campgrounds allow it to be parked out of the trailer.

[eDUBz]

Dang! Sand hollow looks sweet. There's water I can also bring my SUPs.

[2gypsies1]

If you want to bring your toy you might consider Sand Hollow State Park near Hurricane, Utah... but then you'd have to drive to Zion for hiking, etc. If you just want to spend a day in Zion it would work. If Zion is your main objective then stay IN the park at Watchman campground.

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/sand-hollow-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=UT&...

https://utah.com/zion-national-park

The park web site will give you lots of good information on camping and things to do. Every national park has a site like this. Explore it.

[Searching_Ut]

If you have your RZR in the back of the trailer then Sand Hollow State park is where I would recommend camping. Rock crawling, blasting through the dunes or just exploring backcountry roads are all great options from here, not to mention only half hour or so from Zion and about the same from Saint George. Pink Coral sand dunes is another option but a little farther away

[eDUBz]

Acampingwewillgo wrote:
You can't go to Zion after following me all the way to Texas in August/Sept! LOL 🙂 We are heading out about the same time we left last year, going up to Island Park Idaho for the Total Eclipse August 21st...maybe hit Yellowstone/Glacier after a few days in the Teton's. We still need to hit all those Park's in Utah..have driven through but never stayed long enough to spell the roses. Have a Great Trip!

haha. We are thinking of leaving sometime in July, my daughter will be in Florida for a week in June after school gets out which is mid June so have to wait for her to get back.

[eDUBz]

azdryheat wrote:

eDUBz wrote:
We have a 19ft toy hauler and planning to take it up to Zion this summer I'm looking to book everything now if it's possible. What area should I look into and how long should we stay? Also what's next after Zion - Arches ? Trying to map a route out From Ca. Thinking of being on the road about a month. Thanks everyone, we had a successful trip to Texas with all the knowledge on the forum.

What's in your toy hauler? A RZR or other SxS? If so, Utah is king of off-roading with RZR's and such. We home-based up Hwy 89 in Marysvale at South Forty RV park which caters to SxS vehicles. From there we rode our Harley's to Bryce and Zion. For me I wouldn't take my RV into those areas.

Yeah a RZR, not sure about taking it might be a lil bit of hassle since it takes up the whole trailer. I'll look into it. Might be a better idea stay out from Zion, unhitch and drive in plus we get to cruise the RZR hmmmm.

[Acampingwewillg]

You can't go to Zion after following me all the way to Texas in August/Sept! LOL 🙂 We are heading out about the same time we left last year, going up to Island Park Idaho for the Total Eclipse August 21st...maybe hit Yellowstone/Glacier after a few days in the Teton's. We still need to hit all those Park's in Utah..have driven through but never stayed long enough to smell the roses. Have a Great Trip!

[azdryheat]

eDUBz wrote:
We have a 19ft toy hauler and planning to take it up to Zion this summer I'm looking to book everything now if it's possible. What area should I look into and how long should we stay? Also what's next after Zion - Arches ? Trying to map a route out From Ca. Thinking of being on the road about a month. Thanks everyone, we had a successful trip to Texas with all the knowledge on the forum.

What's in your toy hauler? A RZR or other SxS? If so, Utah is king of off-roading with RZR's and such. We home-based up Hwy 89 in Marysvale at South Forty RV park which caters to SxS vehicles. From there we rode our Harley's to Bryce and Zion. For me I wouldn't take my RV into those areas.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

We just finished 6 nights at Watchman CG on Nov 19. Wish we had stayed longer.

There are a dozen or more wonderful hikes to take, sights to see.

We didn't make it to Bryce on this trip, but overall we found Capitol Reef NP and the Fruita CG our best stop. We spent three nights at Devil's Garden CG at Arches NP. We also stayed two nights at Goosenecks SP near Mexican Hat. Found the Valley of the Gods scenic drive a better road and not as expensive as Monument Valley. We loved Arches, but found Valley of Fire SP northeast of Las Vegas incredibly interesting. Not the giant spans of Arches NP, but literally hundreds of small ones almost everywhere we looked.

I would NOT recommend trying to go to Arches in the summer of 2107. The Devil's Garden CG will be closed most of 2017. There is an extensive road construction project planned. In the best of times, Arches in the summer is extremely crowded with hour or two hour waits to enter the park each day due to traffic. It will be MUCH worse in 2017.

The Moab area has a lot to offer, but 2017 doesn't look like the year to go.