Utah's "Mighty Five" National Parks in May

Also not sure if you enjoy wine, beer or spirits, but Utah has very restrictive liquor laws. All of it is sold through state run stores. There are not many of them and they are expensive so buy whatever you think you may want before leaving Nevada. Mixed drinks in restaurants are restricted on the size of the pour so they are weak. Wine is available in some restaurants. Utah has some good craft brew pubs.
 
I hope you have a National Park pass already or plan to purchase one, if someone in your party is over 62. If you don't have one, you must purchase it in person your first entry. $80 and good for the whole vehicle for a lifetime.

We visited a friend in Oregon last year and he suggested we purchase ours while we were visiting, rather than use his. It was a good idea, and now we have ours for the rest of our lives.

https://usparkpass.com/senior-military-access-or-other-passes/
 
Arches & Zion are among the national parks which now require reservations. For Zion it's just for the Angels Landing hike.

https://www.travelinusa.us/us-parks-reservations/

The Angels Landing hike in Zion now has a daily lottery system if you want to do the hike. Anyone with a fear of heights should probably not attempt the hike.

Between Monument Valley & Mesa Verde, there is a very short detour (4 mile) in southern Utah to visit Goosenecks State Park. It's very much worth it, even for just a 5 minute visit to the overlook above the double buckles of the San Juan river. It's similar to Horseshoe Bend at Page, AZ, but without the massive crowds.

https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/goosenecks/

If you have the time and interest, instead of the direct road to Mesa Verde, you can take the short but amazing 3 mile long Moki Dugway road and continue on to Natural Bridges National Monument. It's a very nice park with some impressive natural bridges but with a small fraction of the visitors that Arches NP receives.

https://www.utahscanyoncountry.com/The-Moki-Dugway-Scenic-Backway-Utah-Highway-261

Between Natural Bridges NM at Blanding, UT, there is a site called Butler Wash Anasazi Ruins. There's a small parking area, and it's an easy 1/2 mile walk to see the ruins. There wasn't a soul there when I visited.

https://www.anasazihikes.com/butler-wash-anasazi-ruins/

Canyonlands is huge with some astounding landscapes. It's one of my favorite national parks.
 
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Folivier,

Water-check!

EastWestgal,

Park pass-we plan to do this.

COcheesehead,

Good reminder on the spirits.

Anethum,

Great ideas to work into itinerary.

Audreyh1,

That sounds like another great stop.


FYI, not doing Angels Landing. We are planning to do the Navajo guides at Monument Valley and of course Antelope Canyon.

And we need to dial in the timed entry to Arches.

We have a model of the trip planned but it is not yet to scale and I haven't had time to paint it.

Maybe someone will get that.
 
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If you have a 4th grader in your group perhaps you can make use of the 4th grade pass.
4th Grade Pass

Cost: Free pass valid for the duration of the 4th grader's school year though the following summer (September-August)
Available for: US 4th graders, including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age, with a valid Every Kid Outdoors paper voucher
How to get:

  • Step 1: Get a paper voucher by visiting the Every Kid Outdoors website and following the instructions.
  • Step 2: Exchange a printed voucher for the Annual 4th Grade Pass at federal recreation sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees (day use fee). Find a location to pick up this pass at a federal recreation site.
  • NOTE: Digital versions of the paper voucher, such as on smart phones or tablets, are not accepted to exchange for an Annual 4th Grade Pass.
Additional Information:

Click to expand...
 
COcheesehead said:
Also not sure if you enjoy wine, beer or spirits, but Utah has very restrictive liquor laws. All of it is sold through state run stores. There are not many of them and they are expensive so buy whatever you think you may want before leaving Nevada. Mixed drinks in restaurants are restricted on the size of the pour so they are weak. Wine is available in some restaurants. Utah has some good craft brew pubs.
Click to expand...

May or may not be an issue, but's illegal to bring alcohol into Utah from out of state.
 
Ronstar said:
Geesh I don't know where to begin.
Bryce is stunning. I've never seen anything like it.
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A big +1 to this. On a long campervan trip last year that took in CA, AZ, NM, CO, UT, and NV, I saw a lot of impressive landscapes. And then there was Bryce. It was moving, to say the least. I took pictures, and was very disappointed with them. There was simply no way to capture the experience.
 
Utah has got to be one of the most beautiful states!

Panguitch, UT is a small town near Bryce Canyon with a rich history, don't miss Quilt Walk Park and memorial. It's an inspiring story of pioneer toughness and survival.

Skip 4 corners monument, cheesy tourist trap.

If you have time, Chaco Canyon National Monument is 2.5 hrs south of Cortez, CO in NM and an amazing Anasazi cultural site.

Highway 12 between Bryce canyon NP and Capitol Reef NP is a unforgettable drive.

The Fruita settlement in Capitol Reef NP is worthwhile.

The hike to delicate Arch in Arches NP is great!

The drive from Moab to Fruita, CO along the Colorado River is amazing! Colorado National Monument above Fruita will be a National Park someday.

So Much to see!

We've traveled the west many times and still more on our list. Last year was Alaska, this year is the Maritimes and Newfoundland!

Next year is back out west again primarily in Washington, Oregon and Northern California
 
Hire a Navajo guide in Monument Valley. The entire park is tribal land and they only give you access to a tiny part. With a guide you can go deeper. Right next store is Mystery Valley. You’ll need a guide as well, but there are many well preserved Native American sites.
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For this specifically I recommend Ray Begay at Mitten View Tours.

We stayed ~3 days at each major park/area, so 6 in Moab. Other guidance here is good. Drop where you are going if you cannot do an area in depth. Go see the missed areas on another trip.
 
In Zion, drive to the east end of the tunnel. There is a parking area there. Hike from there to an overlook that looks over the whole valley. Fantastic view, way less crowded than most areas of the park, and I got lucky and saw a couple of big horn sheep on the way.
 
camfused said:
In Zion, drive to the east end of the tunnel. There is a parking area there. Hike from there to an overlook that looks over the whole valley. Fantastic view, way less crowded than most areas of the park, and I got lucky and saw a couple of big horn sheep on the way.
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Was it the Canyon Overlook Trail? Here's the Alltrails entry for that hike: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/canyon-overlook-trail


My daughter and I got to the parking lot/trailhead super early one morning (we needed our handy dandy headlamps to see where we were going), but there were plenty of parking spots and absolutely beautiful views (and lots of very nice, like-minded sunrise hikers, too)!
 
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^^^ Yes, that's the one.

I did the Angel's Landing hike years ago. Quite the spectacular view too, but pretty crowded. Lots of pesky chipmunks too!
 
camfused said:
^^^ Yes, that's the one.

I did the Angel's Landing hike years ago. Quite the spectacular view too, but pretty crowded. Lots of pesky chipmunks too!
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We didn't do Angels Landing while we were in Zion. I was pretty sure I could get to the top of the hike but didn't know if I could get down. Call me crazy! :crazy:
 
Montecfo said:
Ivinsfan,

We were in Arizona for three years and we took a big bite. But never the Mighty Five.

Not one and done as we never try to see everything.

We are finding plenty of accommodations to this point. But nothing etched in red stone.

We hoped to visit the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but they say they are not opening till June due to heavy snows.

This is a very tentative (obviously) itinerary/order:

Las Vegas
Page
Monument Valley (Mexican Hat)
Mesa Verde (Cortez Colorado)
Canyonlands (Moab)
Arches (Moab)
Capitol Reef (Torrey, UT)
Bryce (Bryce Canyon Utah)
Zion (Springdale)
Las Vegas
Head home

Somewhere I would like to get in a raft trip

We plan to be back before Memorial Day. 19 day trip.

Thanks to you and everyone for the fabulous ideas and suggestions!
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We live close by. We've had really good snowfall, and the runoff is starting. Last time we had this kind of spring, the rivers were insane. I remember some group that capsized. They lost a guy. Stay safe.
 
Involuntary Retiree said:
Bryce. My favorite of them all. Small, intimate, great, well-maintained trails that lacks the Instagram-influencer-wannabes that infest (and, yes, they're an infestation of) Zion and some of the other parks.
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Agree - DH and I Loved Bryce NP for beautiful views and less crowded trails than Zion and Arches.
Get the NPS app and make hotel and park reservations ASAP.
We visited in October 2022. Arches NP was packed when we arrived at 10 am and we could not enter until after 1 pm.

Don't over schedule - take 3 weeks
 
camfused said:
In Zion, drive to the east end of the tunnel. There is a parking area there. Hike from there to an overlook that looks over the whole valley. Fantastic view, way less crowded than most areas of the park, and I got lucky and saw a couple of big horn sheep on the way.
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This is a no shuttle zone. We tried to take that hike at,11am in December midweek ..no parking spots...
 
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Wow, it’s 270 miles from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon, and same from Salt Lake City.
 
Be aware of the time zone changes.

DW and I were not and got our car locked in the Bryce Canyon parking lot where we had taken a shuttle from to get into the park.
We missed the last shuttle, so ended up walking and hitching a ride to the parking lot, which is miles outside the park stuff.
Our car was the only one there, locked in, yet nobody looked for us..

After an hour of no response to the emergency phone number posted, and us jumping in front of the cameras, I finally figured out how to break out, and we made our escape back to Vegas !
 
Ronstar said:
+1. I seem to remember a timing snafu around Page. Az doesnt observe DST, but the Navajo reservation does. Not sure about the time at Antelope Canyon, but I believe that it is in the reservation.
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I did Antelope Canyon last year. Tours run on Arizona time (same as Phoenix).
 
audreyh1 said:
Wow, it’s 270 miles from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon, and same from Salt Lake City.
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Welcome to the American West LOL. This area also contains the longest stretch of interstate, Green River to Salina UT, without services - 110 miles.

Some folks fly into Grand Junction CO which is about an hour and a half from Moab.
 
I’m familiar, as it’s almost that distance from me to San Antonio. And have driven that stretch of I70 although in the big motorhome which easily went long distances without services.

Good tip about Grand Junction airport.
 
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