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Arches, Bryce, Zion Question
Posted on 9/20/22 at 4:02 pm
Posted on 9/20/22 at 4:02 pm
Taking a trip to hit these parks next week. As of now, we are only planning to spend a 1.5 days at arches and 1 full day at Bryce Canyon. Anyone that has been, if we do devils garden and delicate arch at Arches and the figure 8 at Bryce Canyon, is that enough to take it in?
After Bryce, staying at OpenSky about 15-20 minutes from Zion and will have 2 days to do narrows and another hike before heading to Amangiri to close the trip out.
After Bryce, staying at OpenSky about 15-20 minutes from Zion and will have 2 days to do narrows and another hike before heading to Amangiri to close the trip out.
9
Posted on 9/20/22 at 8:17 pm to xraytiger
Can’t speak to Arches but we did Bryce, Zion, Antelope and Sedona this summer. Spent 2 nights but 1 full day at Bryce and 2 nights, 2 full days at Zion. Both were perfect. We spend 2 nights and 2 full days in Antelope and this was one day too many.
Posted on 9/20/22 at 8:19 pm to LSUlove
Great feedback, thanks!
Posted on 9/20/22 at 8:35 pm to xraytiger
Download the Gypsy app for all of these national parks. The app runs on your phone, uses the GPS to tell you upcoming things and the history of the area and tells you things not to miss. It is well worth the cost.
Posted on 9/20/22 at 9:02 pm to xraytiger
We did "The Mighty Five" summer before last:
Two days for Zion-- needed.
One morning to drive from Zion to Bryce and spent the rest of the day there. No real hiking, just drive out to end of road and back again with many stops, looking at hoodoos and such from the rim. That was good for us, but if you want to hike, plan in more time.
Next day, drove through Capitol Reef to Canyonlands, and did that in an afternoon. Spent the night in Moab.
Next day spent the whole day in Arches. I think that was plenty, but it was a full day with a couple of hikes.
Two days for Zion-- needed.
One morning to drive from Zion to Bryce and spent the rest of the day there. No real hiking, just drive out to end of road and back again with many stops, looking at hoodoos and such from the rim. That was good for us, but if you want to hike, plan in more time.
Next day, drove through Capitol Reef to Canyonlands, and did that in an afternoon. Spent the night in Moab.
Next day spent the whole day in Arches. I think that was plenty, but it was a full day with a couple of hikes.
This post was edited on 9/20/22 at 9:04 pm
Posted on 9/20/22 at 9:10 pm to BRich
We did 2 days at Zion and still didn’t get to a good bit of the park.
One day at Bryce is plenty.
One day at Bryce is plenty.
Posted on 9/21/22 at 12:08 am to xraytiger
quote:
we are only planning to spend a 1.5 days at arches
1 day is enough. If you're ambitious you can use the half day to go to Canyonlands and just hit all the overlooks.
I enjoyed seeing the sunset at delicate arch. Bring your headlamp.
quote:
and 1 full day at Bryce Canyon.
That's plenty.
quote:
Zion and will have 2 days to do narrows and another hike
Angels landing is permit only. Everyone in your party can apply to increase your chances. They asked for my permit and my ID at scout lookout this summer.
Probably a smart idea to rent shoes and a stick for the narrows.
Posted on 9/21/22 at 8:00 am to LSUintheNW
Thanks everyone. Sounds like I don’t have to audible too much with the plan. Appreciate the feedback.
Posted on 9/21/22 at 8:22 am to xraytiger
When driving from Bryce to Virgin, consider taking 89 to Panguitch to 143 to 148 to 14 over to Cedar City and I-15. It’s a longer route than taking 89 to Hwy 9. BUT—
Two reasons: 1- It’s gorgeous. I took the advice of a gas station owner to go that way instead. I was very glad I did.
2- You avoid having to go through the tunnel on the east side of Zion and having to take a road through the park. If you catch that at the wrong time, you could be dealing with park traffic. Besides, you can drive that route from the other direction inside the park.
Both routes are fine but 14 is more like the Alpine countryside of Utah which you won’t get a chance to see on this particular trip by going through Zion to get to Virgin.
Two reasons: 1- It’s gorgeous. I took the advice of a gas station owner to go that way instead. I was very glad I did.
2- You avoid having to go through the tunnel on the east side of Zion and having to take a road through the park. If you catch that at the wrong time, you could be dealing with park traffic. Besides, you can drive that route from the other direction inside the park.
Both routes are fine but 14 is more like the Alpine countryside of Utah which you won’t get a chance to see on this particular trip by going through Zion to get to Virgin.
This post was edited on 9/21/22 at 8:30 am
Posted on 9/21/22 at 10:55 am to bluestem75
The tunnel is worth driving in Zion as well. Might want to drive through it then turn around and back track.
Posted on 9/21/22 at 12:36 pm to xraytiger
I would just do the hike to delicate arch and the drive to and from entrance you will see most of the park. Like another said use rrst of time to maybe see canyonlands, dead horse point, whale rock, and moab. Last time i hiked to delicate i carried my then 5 yr old on my shoulders most of the way. Almost killed me.
Bryce pick one of the trails that go to bottom and loop back up. Shouldnt take all day.
The drive from zion, to bryce to arches will take you through possibly the most beautifal scenery in the country. Escalante and the grand staircase are absolutely stunning. Driving will be as enjoyable as hiking the parks.
Bryce pick one of the trails that go to bottom and loop back up. Shouldnt take all day.
The drive from zion, to bryce to arches will take you through possibly the most beautifal scenery in the country. Escalante and the grand staircase are absolutely stunning. Driving will be as enjoyable as hiking the parks.
Posted on 9/22/22 at 12:40 am to AtticusOSullivan
quote:
through possibly the most beautifal scenery in the country. Escalante and the grand staircase are absolutely stunning. Driving will be as enjoyable as hiking the parks.
OP, I was just looking at maps. They don't suggest highway 12 on your route from Arches to Bryce, because it's longer. You should absolutely go that route though.
The views are ridiculous.
Posted on 9/22/22 at 1:09 pm to xraytiger
This is cliche because its said over and over, but IMO in that trip any possible extra time spend in Zion. Arches is cool because of the arches and Bryce due to the hoodoos, but outside of that the landscape is pretty meh.
I really liked the north and south window arches and that area, there's like 6 or 8 very close together. They are right next to the parking so they are busy, but they are enormous. I'd save those until the end of the day though as they are easy to see and don't take effort if you are tired from hiking.
I had 3 kids under 8 so we were limited on hikes everywhere. At Arches I'd highly recommend getting there early, the line to get into the park can take literally an hour starting at 9am almost all year. Its very busy. So get there early and beat the crowds and heat. If you go there at say 7am with 2 active adults you could probably see most of the park in 1 day.
I may get downvoted, but I enjoyed Bryce but the hoodoos got old after like 2 hours. So yeah its a pretty quick park unless you do a bigger hike. My 3 year old was exhausted so I put her on my shoulders for a couple miles so I was worn out there also, may have affected my enjoyment to be honest.
I really liked the north and south window arches and that area, there's like 6 or 8 very close together. They are right next to the parking so they are busy, but they are enormous. I'd save those until the end of the day though as they are easy to see and don't take effort if you are tired from hiking.
I had 3 kids under 8 so we were limited on hikes everywhere. At Arches I'd highly recommend getting there early, the line to get into the park can take literally an hour starting at 9am almost all year. Its very busy. So get there early and beat the crowds and heat. If you go there at say 7am with 2 active adults you could probably see most of the park in 1 day.
I may get downvoted, but I enjoyed Bryce but the hoodoos got old after like 2 hours. So yeah its a pretty quick park unless you do a bigger hike. My 3 year old was exhausted so I put her on my shoulders for a couple miles so I was worn out there also, may have affected my enjoyment to be honest.
Posted on 9/22/22 at 1:37 pm to xraytiger
Nice....Amangiri has their own Via Ferrata that is only open to resort guests - I'd definitely check that out if I were staying there!
Posted on 9/22/22 at 3:33 pm to Desiderita01
We’ve never done anything like that but giving it a go while there. Place looks incredible. Hope this old man can do it ha!
Posted on 9/22/22 at 5:52 pm to xraytiger
quote:
Taking a trip to hit these parks next week
Do you have your timed entry for Arches? If not, you will need to get there before 6am or after 5pm (or try for one of the limited number of spots the day before you get there).
Posted on 9/22/22 at 7:53 pm to iwantacooler
Luckily I saw that in time but was sweating it bc it was last minute. When I was looking at the others, they didn’t have timed entry and I almost assumed all were like that. That would not be good!
Posted on 9/22/22 at 8:25 pm to xraytiger
Your plan is solid. I personally enjoyed arches and spent 2.5 days there, but I did a lot of hiking. I went during the height of Covid, before people really started visiting the national parks and the place was almost empty. I would hike park Avenue if you can. It’s going to be the first major parking area after the visitors center and one of my kids favorite hikes. The hike out to double o arch is a cool one too. I also spent a day at Canyonlands needles and a day at island in the sky.
Posted on 9/23/22 at 12:04 pm to iwantacooler
Sorry to hi-jack, but is Arches worth it if you're just driving through and don't plan on hiking?
I'm planning a road trip next year and I'll have my 2 year old with me, so that really limits hiking, but I thought about just driving through that area even if it's just for a couple hours, while on the way to other places (plan on driving from Colorado to northern Montana with pitstops in Utah, Wyoming, and possibly Idaho).
I'm planning a road trip next year and I'll have my 2 year old with me, so that really limits hiking, but I thought about just driving through that area even if it's just for a couple hours, while on the way to other places (plan on driving from Colorado to northern Montana with pitstops in Utah, Wyoming, and possibly Idaho).
Posted on 9/23/22 at 12:29 pm to AtticusOSullivan
quote:
Bryce pick one of the trails that go to bottom and loop back up. Shouldnt take all day.
I'd suggest entering on the Navajo loop trail and walk in through Wall Street. You can loop back up through the Queens Garden area or keep going north up towards Fairyland. That's a couple hour hike and walking in through that Wall Street entrance is pretty stunning. I'm sure it'll be crowded, but it will thin out once you get down in the canyon and start trekking.
We actually ended up walking back up on a horse trail, which turned out great. Basically no people and only a few groups on horseback that we just stood on the side of the trail to let pass. Lots of freshly pooped grass/hay and puddles of horsepiss, but it really wasn't that bad.
If you have enough time, there's another good hike on the north side of the park called Mossy Cave. It's fun hike up a creek bed. We did that after our initial Bryce hike.
And two days at Zion is probably a pretty good idea. The Angels Landing or West Rim hike can be a 4+ hour round trip hike easy depending if you go out on Angels Landing or farther up the West Rim, which is well worth it, imo. Then the Narrows can basically be a whole day if you want it to be, or there are plenty of other hikes in Zion or in that general area. Zion is a breathtaking park.
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