Anyone driven Utah's Big 5 National Parks...??

[tridacna]

Great thread. Keep the info coming. I'm doing the same thing in the spring next year.

 

[Scott]

If you’re going north to Salina, get off I15 and take the back roads, Route 89, then come back through Whipup and Loa for an overnight trip.
As already mentioned the trip from Salina to Moab is a barren wasteland. I used to travel from SLC to Moab and Branding once a month and always traveled it in the dark so I could see the sunrise around Moab. Otherwise it’s a boring drive.
You could easily spend the week on your Moab to St. George route.

 

[mikef]

Needles is an area of Canyonlands, but I see you have mobility issues, so Needles wouldn't be something that would appeal to you.

By the way - applaud you for undertaking this trek, really ambitious undertaking, will be a wonderful experience.

 

[DandyDon]

As already mentioned the trip from Salina to Moab is a barren wasteland.

Yeah, I'm just using Salina and I-70 as the fastest way to get from St.George to Moab to start exploring there, then work my way back to St.George.

Needles is an area of Canyonlands, but I see you have mobility issues, so Needles wouldn't be something that would appeal to you.

Ah, ok, that Needles. I'm certainly not crippled, but am old & out of shape with a sore knee so long, strenuous hikes are out. Mobic & a knee sleeve help a lot. It does sound like I should have allowed more time to visit various sections of Canyonlands NP, tho. Maybe I can juggle this, or just plan more when I go back.

Edit: I see that the Needles district is adjacent to Canyonlands NP, but accessed by a different road, with the Visitor's Center being 74 miles south of Moab, before driving into that park and considering any hiking. I'm sure that it's a rewarding site to visit regardless of how athletic I may or may not be, as are the Maze district and many other sites in southern Utah, but that would add another 2¾ hours, 148 miles driving just to the gate and another day to this tour plan, so I guess it's out of range this trip. Maybe when I return someday.

I like how Google maps reports slow and stalled traffic on routes if you look closely enough. Charting Moab to Canyonlands NP does not, but Moab to Islands in the Sky visitor's center does show that detail. I'll practice that search skill to at least watch for bottlenecks, even if all I can do is accept them.

By the way - applaud you for undertaking this trek, really ambitious undertaking, will be a wonderful experience.

Well, I am an old coot, but I don't push myself too hard in the field.

 

[robint]

Canyonlands NP is divided into 3 sections, like a Y, made by 2 rivers. No roads cross the rivers. The northern part of the Y is Islands in the Sky, the west section of Y is Maze, the eastern side of the Y is Needles.

Canyonlands, any of the districts, is not good for anyone to hike if not in excellent shape. Trails are very strenuous and no shade, very rocky. I wouldn't recommend it. As I said, I've been there. There are some nice viewpoints from the parking lots down into the Islands in the Sky section, which require very little walking.

ARCHES National Park has about a dozen hikes, around a mile long or less, that are fine for those with bad knees or unable to do strenuous hikes. Most of them are out and back, so you can pick your distance. Its one of our favorite parks and have been three times for multiple days camping each time.

Bryce Canyon NP is absolutely amazing and you can take some nice photos from the rim, but they are NOTHING like walking down the trails. We just spent 4 days there 2 years ago. One of my favorite trips anywhere, including dive trips. Bryce is spectacular.

Check out my photos: Southwest USA travels

 

[DandyDon]

Roadside views of all these places is a waste, IMHO. We have done a week or more at each place (other than Zion, haven't been there yet). You would be better off just going to one place or two, not trying to hit them all. And you need to get out of the car and walk a little bit. Otherwise you might as well stay home and watch a movie about them. As I said...my opinion, but I have been there.

Well, roadside views may not be at all as rewarding as your admirable explorations, but I still see appeal to actually visiting the parks. And I do expect to get out of the car for many of the easier hikes.

Canyonlands NP is divided into 3 sections, like a Y, made by 2 rivers. No roads cross the rivers. The northern part of the Y is Islands in the Sky, the west section of Y is Maze, the eastern side of the Y is Needles.

Canyonlands, any of the districts, is not good for anyone to hike if not in excellent shape. Trails are very strenuous and no shade, very rocky. I wouldn't recommend it. As I said, I've been there. There are some nice viewpoints from the parking lots down into the Islands in the Sky section, which require very little walking.

ARCHES National Park has about a dozen hikes, around a mile long or less, that are fine for those with bad knees or unable to do strenuous hikes. Most of them are out and back, so you can pick your distance. Its one of our favorite parks and have been three times for multiple days camping each time.

Bryce Canyon NP is absolutely amazing and you can take some nice photos from the rim, but they are NOTHING like walking down the trails. We just spent 4 days there 2 years ago. One of my favorite trips anywhere, including dive trips. Bryce is spectacular.

Check out my photos: Southwest USA travels

It does sound like even the Islands section of Canyonlands is too challenging for me or my limited time this trip, but it'll be nice to get as close as I can and see what I can. Arches and Bryce do sound more appealing. I may well not experience these parks as well as you have, but I am looking forward to my intro tour at least. With the long drives each day, I'll have to manage my encounters so that I am not trying to visit any of these after sunset or arriving at my overnight site too late for supper, but I'll make the most of these that I can this trip. I hope to plan a better visit before I get entirely too old for such.

Finishing with Zion on Friday has me wondering if the bus lines are awful on that weekday. I wonder if I should rearrange all this to do Zion Monday before heading over to Moab and back?

Thanks for the photo albums link. Lovely scenes well captured.

 

[SJT1961]

Just my humble $.02. I've hiked this area several times, especially Bryce and Zion. I think you are biting off an awful lot for 6 days. You will spend a great deal of time driving and checking in and out of places. I would limit it to fewer places and get to see those places better and do some good hikes. Will give you a good reason to go back and do the others.

 

[Hoag]

Great timing. I just got back last Friday from a similar trip. (I did a loop Vegas to Vegas).

Given that you want to fly into and start your trip in St George, here is what I would do:
Start in St George and drive to Page AZ (about 3 hours a bit longer if you go through Zion and/or Vermillion Cliffs on the way.)
Remain over night (RON) in Page. Shoot Horseshoe Bend at sunset (and maybe sunrise) and Lower Antelope Canyon. If you can get a photo tour (you are probably too late now unless there is a cancellation), shoot Upper Antelope Canyon. (If you can't get the Sunbeams photo Tour, skip Upper Antelope CYN.
Drive to Monument Valley (about 3 hours) shoot "The Mittens" and Merrick Butte (from the parking lot) at sunset. Don't forget to turn around and see what the sunset is doing.
RON at Monument Valley (you might have to actually stay in Kayenta AZ, about 30 minutes away.)
Shoot Monument Valley at sunrise. Go into the Valley and shoot John Ford Point and other locations that are pretty easy to reach, otherwise, hire a Navajo guide and let them take you to some of the more remote locations.
Leave Monument Valley and drive north on SR 163. About 10 miles north of Monument Valley is "Forest Gump Viewpoint" (You will see it in your rearview mirror.). Continue on to Moab.
Go up to Canyonlands NP and shoot sunset at the Green River Overlook.
RON Moab
Get up "at the crack of stupid" (0330 wake-up call) and drive back to Canyonlands to shoot sunrise at the Mesa Arch. It is a PITA to get up so early, but it is really not to be missed. For about 30 minutes as the sun is rising, the underside of the arch glows vibrant red-orange like a burning ember. As a word of warning ... I did not shoot the Mesa Arch on this trip, but the last time I was there, I got there about 3 hours before sunrise to shoot the Milky Way and to get a good spot for sunrise. As dawn approached, 2 tour buses showed up and unloaded about 100 passengers. While up in Canyonlands, go a few more miles up the road and shoot the Grandview Overlook in the early morning light.
Go back to Moab and relax till mid afternoon. Then, go up to Arches NP and shoot Garden of Eden, the Windows, Turret Arch, Double Arch and Balanced Rock. If you feel like a fairly long hike, you can make the trip up to the Delicate Arch for sunset (It is about an hour and it is all uphill to get to the arch, but it is gorgeous at sunset.) If you don't want to do that hike, then I would either head back up to Canyonlands and shoot either the Green River Overlook again or to Dead Horse State Park to shoot Dead Horse Point for sunset.
RON Moab
Get up about an hour before sunrise and head to Dead Horse Point to shoot sunrise. (When I was there last week, there was me and 2 other people so you pretty much have the place to yourself.)
After that, you can call it a trip. you have had a few really early mornings, and maybe a few late nights. (As an aside, if you have a wide, fast (f2.8 or faster) lens, Moab and the surrounding area are "Dark Sky Preserves" and the night sky is spectacular especially if there is no moon! Milky Way photography is one of the reasons that I keep going back to Moab.)

If you don't want to loop all the way back to St George, you could end your trip by driving to Denver or possibly even to Grand Junction CO which is only a couple hours from Moab.

I hope this helped. I would have loved to have posted pics from last week, but I am still working on them. If you want, I would be happy to post some from previous trips.

ETA: Make sure that your rental car has Sirrius XM radio or that you bring your own source of tunes. You will be going to some pretty remote areas and radio coverage will be non-existent.

ETA: Sorry, I missed that you have a bad knee. In that case, I think that you should rule out the hike up to the Delicate Arch. Of the others that I recommended, the hike to Horseshoe Bend in Page AZ is about 20 minutes and it is a mix of both up and down hill with very little level terrain. The hike to the Mesa Arch is about 10 minutes and has a hill, but it is pretty gentle and the path is well defined. All of the others (Dead Horse Point, Green River Overlook, Grandview Overlook, Double Arch, Balanced Rock, etc) are less than a 5 minute walk from the parking lot and many of them are on paved paths to the view.

FWIW, you can enter Arches NP, Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse SP 24 per day, so if you want to arrive at a location before sunrise, you can.

 

[DandyDon]

Sounds like a great trip, Hoag. I do want to get back to Monument Valley someday, and do Vermilion cliffs and Horseshoe bend.

About 10 miles north of Monument Valley is "Forest Gump Viewpoint"

I've read that people are stopping there enough to cause traffic problems. We actually have a dirt road below the Caprock in my home county with a somewhat similar view, between Grey Mule cemetery and the Gravel Silos along the old railway. I always stop at the top of the hill coming back from the Silos to view the long, straight road heading into the valley with the mesas in the background. Not as spectacular as Mexican Hat, but interesting.

As dawn approached, 2 tour buses showed up and unloaded about 100 passengers.

How funny. I hope you had a good position on the east side of the parking lot already. That reminds me of a recent news story about a video cameraman getting all set up to record a building implosion, from the wrong side of a road, when a tour bus pulls up in the way and stops. It also reminds me of irritating tourists who like to shoot each other from opposite sides of a trail I am walking, but taking forever to look thru the viewfinder.

 

[Hoag]

FWIW, I just posted a few of the pics that I took last week in northern AZ and in Utah here (see post 26).