I am planning a road trip and would like to visit a park in Utah. I am sure that they all are different and have unique features, but I don’t have the time/money to visit them all.
My list is:
Zion National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Arches National Park
Any other suggestions welcome!
I like geology, paleontology, and natural history. My main must have is stunning scenery - which I would guess any of the above would fulfill. I’ll be going in August and expect heat, but smaller crowds would be nice, too. I’m not sure if any of those parks get hot enough for that…
I’d like to hike, but traveling alone means I need to stick to easy or populated trails - no back country for me. So a park with easy to moderate terrain trails that take in gorgeous views would be ideal.
I can’t speak of Bryce or Zion (drove through, that’s about it). I’ve been to Capital Reef a couple of times and it’s nice.
The real mind-bender in your list (IMHO of course) that’s accessible is the Needles district of Canyonlands. Start off by driving out to the Needles overlook and it’s pretty much another planet. Go back out to the main road and make your way to the Needles district by going down and down, past Newspaper Rock, watching the canyons open up. You can park at Elephant Canyon and hike up that to Druid Arch, or go out to beautiful Chesler Park and the Joint Trail. I haven’t been there in ages so I don’t what all hikes you can do out there. Accomodations are scarce and you’re pretty far from the nearest town, so plan ahead (reserve a camping spot, etc.)
Arches is great, too. You can park pretty close to the ‘attractions’ and take your sweet time seeing them. Some you can wander around in, like the fiery furnace. You MUST go to delicate arch. It’s classic, and the quietness and beauty is really something to behold. The La Sal mountains are always a presence. If you want to get away from it all you can go out to Klondike Bluffs. Moab is right there, so if creature comforts are what you want after a long day, that’s the place.
In short, Arches is more compact and car-friendly, the formations are accessible, it’s closer to town, but still incredible. Canyonlands is grander in scale, more remote, more of a committment hiking-wise, and more mind-blowingly spectacular.
August, though, that’s gonna be hot. You might be better off at Arches. Or up in the La Sals.
Haven’t been to Arches or Canyonlands, but have been to the rest and Bryce wins it hands down among those choices; I’ve been to a lot of amazing places all over the world, but walking through Bryce was truly unbelievable–and the longer hikes are largely devoid of tourists (the biggest impediment to enjoying Zion; they’re everywhere) so you can fully immerse yourself in the scenery.
Tough choice as they’re all fantastic in their own right. While I’ve been to each many times over, I’d still be hard pressed to call one my favorite. Nevertheless, in order of preference (if I must):
Zion National Park - Towering cliffs, intimate canyons, checkerboard mesas, it’s just glorious. Short and long hikes available. One caveat… last I went you could still drive through yourself. I’m pretty sure it’s park bus only now.
Canyonlands National Park - Deadhorse Point is jaw droppingly beautiful. Upheaval Dome is right there. Most hikes here will require a bit more time as the distances can be vast.
Arches National Park - The number of arches you can access in just a day is remarkable, plus for the most part the hikes are easy and short. As mentioned before, the La Sals make a nice backdrop and you’re not far at all from Canyonlands and Moab.
Bryce Canyon National Park - Eroded lacustrines. Prettiest in sunrise and sunset. Most hikes are short to medium. Close to Zion.
Capitol Reef National Park - Just as compelling as the others but in a different way. Here is where being with a knowledgable geologist or guide can be beneficial. There are so many interesting aspects and nuances to its uniqueness and overall creation.
All the places on your list are amazing, and all quite different for one another, so it would be nice if you could at least see two different parks on your visit.
I would say Arches and Canyonlands would be a good combo, as they are fairly close together.
Arches is also right next to Moab and the Colorado River, so you might think about a day float downriver as well…
Its going to be hot in August, so plenty of water is a must, make sure you take care of yourself in the sun.
Enjoy your visit, Utahs high-desert country is some of the most spectacular scenery in the world!!!
August in Moab/Arches/Canyonlands will be baking hot. Not a lot of shade on the trails or campgrounds there.
I’d recommend Zion. As lieu noted, you have to use the shuttle bus to get into the canyon (unless you’re staying at the Lodge). There are a couple of nice campgrounds in the park, some with spots right along the river. There are also lots of places to stay/eat in Springdale. If you can get a room there, I highly recommend The Desert Pearl–it is easily the nicest place in town. The Bit and Spur serves pretty good mexican food, and Oscar’s has one of the biggest and best burgers you’ll ever eat.
One caveat, the trails with the most awesome views (Angels Landing/Hidden Canyon/Observation Pt) are strenuous and NOT for those with a fear of heights. If you can summon up your nerve, the scenic payoff is more than worth the effort on those trails.
In late summer the Virgin River should be low enough for you to hike up into Zion Canyon a ways from The Gateway to The Narrows. Water levels permitting, all you really need is a pair of good sandals and a hiking staff of some sort. You can always rent fancier gear from outfitters in Springdale.
If you want to explore the area a bit more, you can cruise up to the park’s high country and the Kolob Plateau. A bit further afield, Kolob Canyons is worth a trip, too. You can head east and make a day trip to Kanab, check out Moqui Cave, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Bryce Canyon isn’t really all that far away either.
Dino NM is a very cool place, but before you make plans to visit, be advised that the Quarry Visitor Center (one of the coolest things about it, IMHO) is closed.
I have hiked through all of the parks on your list, and my favorite is Bryce, with Arches as a close second. And if you go to Bryce, by all means don’t just look at things from the rim trail. Hike down among the “hoodoos” . . . especially taking shelter in a cave during a thunderstorm. You will never forget the experience.
Another great 1-day experience is Horseshoe Canyon, which is technically part of Canyonlands, but very remote from the rest of the park. There are magnificent cliff paintings and even dinosaur tracks.
All of these parks can be visited by a single person. I went solo, for 24 days, and had a great time.
Oh, and take a really good camera, and take tons of photos.
You’ve hit all the ones I’ve been to, except for Dinosaur Monument and Dead Horse Point State Park.
Overall, I agree with panache. I’ve visited Arches and Bryce and Zion the most, and Bryce is the most striking visually, with Arches close behind.
But if you were raised on dinosaurs like I was, you have to go to Dinosaur (and maybe the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Price). Besidees, Dinosaur has great petroglyphs!
If you do end up at Bryce, there are some neat areas to explore nearby. Just to the west, there’s Red Canyon. To the east, check out the the Mossy Cave Trail–there’s a cool little waterfall there. A litte further to the east, outside of Cannonville are Kodachrome Basin and Grosvenor Arch.
Zion and Bryce are probably the ones to hit if you’ve never been to Utah before (they are very close so you can do both). I did find Bryce the sort of place that you look at and go, “wow, that looks amazing,” and do a hike for a couple of hours, and then you’ve exhausted all its possibilities. Whereas Zion and Arches (my personal favorite Utah national park) I feel have a lot more depth to them (I’m speaking figuratively here – Bryce has certainly got elevation!) – I could’ve spent a week in either of those places without being bored, whereas I was starting to get bored in Bryce after about half a day.
When we went to Utah last fall, Canyonlands was the one where we really wished we had budgeted more than half a day to see. Spectacular! But it’s a lot of backcountry, and apparently for the most interesting places you REALLY need other people around. Capitol Reef was our least favorite. Escalante National Monument was actually our favorite… it’s kind of a low-key alternative to the national parks – we had amazing food, stayed at a really friendly B&B, and saw awesome slot canyons (disclaimer: I’ve never seen Antelope Canyon, which apparently is much cooler). I can look up the B&B/restaurant info if you will be in that area, but it sounds like you might not be.
Canyonlands/Capitol Reef are probably MUCH less crowded (because it takes a while to get out there), and Arches rather less crowded, than Zion/Bryce.
By the way, it’s been several years since I was back in Utah, and my friends tell me that in many of the parks you can no longer drive, but have to take the buses they provide. I’ve been told that Zion is one such park.
I find that a major bummer myself – I drove through the parks along the roads provided and parked at the trailheads, but now you’ll have to coordinate with available transportation, if what I’ve been told is correct. Check the internet listings on the parks.
Actually, it is quite nice. The buses run on a frequent schedule, stopping at most trailheads, and there is no hassle with parking. In fact, there is another bus that runs up and down Springdale to the park entrance. So when my wife and I went for a morning hike and I decided to go to Angels Landing, she took the buses back to the motel and I showed up a few hours later. We just left our car at the motel the entire time we where there. I guess just about everyone did the same, because the traffic in Springdale was really light and this was in mid July with plenty of people in the park. Having the town full of bumper to bumper traffic would really distract from that little town.
I wouldn’t want to spend a week at either place. But I’m not the back country type.
The NPS publishes information that you can review to help make your decision. On the Bryce information page is a link to the “2009 Summer Hoodoo Newspaper (w/ hiking guide)” which is in pdf format. Pages 6 and 7 of the Hoodoo are where you’ll find the info on the hiking trails.
Arches download page has the link to visitor guide at the bottom of the page. Pages 4 and 5 of the visitor guide (pdf) have the trail info.