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

[mikef]

Check out my photos: Southwest USA travels

I see you've been through the Fiery Furnace in Arches, that's one of my favorite places to go and I try to wander around through there every time we go back, it's fun to get a bit lost for a bit and find your way back around through it, lots of hidden features in there and I love the quiet and solitude. Hoping to get back to Moab this fall again.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Hoag great pictures and literary for the trip.--thank you for sharing--all the way from Canada

I was born in mid west but only because it was necessary to be some where near my mother at birth-- for I am a true man of the west at heart.

Don, I have visited and camped all the places you are going to visit - you are in for a treat ! get up early for the sunrises and to bed late for the wonder colors of the sunsets and all the colors in between

As a young man I hiked the Grand Canyon down and back two times - the last time with Harry Vetter, (NAUI instructor #4) I highly recommend a hike to the bottom of the canyon before a thing called A G E catches up with you.

When time permits on you next trip --

** a trip to the north rim of the canyon to Jacobs Lake to camp among the pine trees and see the white tailed squirrels..(Jacobs lake was established by the Bowman side of the family)

** a boat trip down the canyon beginning at Lees Ferry established so many moons ago by great great great grandfather John D Lee.

The great great granddaughter of Ebenezer Brice was an employee of mine while she was in high school.

My great great grand father and great great uncle left east Tennessee with Davey Crockett and traveled to Texas. One died at a the Alamo - one became a state senator of country of Texas. a surviving son married my great mother, they named their son Sam after Sam Houston, he name his son, my father Sam Jr and my father name me Sam III and my son is Sam IV -- all connected so many years ago to Texas as Texicans.

I am a man of the west...


Sam Miller,III

 

[DandyDon]

before a thing called A G E catches up with you.

Ha, too late. Oh, I'm still active enough, but slower - and there's the knee pain. I even requested downstairs rooms at all hotels because of the knee as climbing is irritating now. My football knee (torn ligament repaired) never bothers me, but the x-ray of my cowboy knee shows cartilage missing on the inside half. I remember that pregnant heifer that sucker kicked me. I've worked thousands of cattle over the years, often kicked in loading or crowding chutes, (used to wear a cup a lot) but she got me so hard that I fell down disabled by pain. Then my brother started dragging me shouting that the whole bunch had turned inside the trailer and was coming back! Scared me so much that the pain instantly vanished as I started climbing the wall to safety, and the pain didn't come back. A few decades later, now I have a dull pain there - irritating.

Got my AAA maps in the mail today. I find those very helpful when my phone can't get service, as well as giving the big picture better along with more detail than google maps. Someone said the hiway east from Salina towards Moab was thru desolate county, but they have it marked as scenic. I'm sure that it'll all be different enough to be fascinating. Some people don't care for deserts and erosion geology, but I do. I see that I'll be passing by many more attractions on my route between the eight I have selected, I guess the\at all of the south end of the state could be turned into a park, but whatever I have time & energy for will be worth it all.

I started packing a couple of days ago, trying to see if I can get everything I can think of needing in one checked bag, one roll-on, and a backpack, even tho I tend to over pack - and it looks like I'll have plenty of room. Taking three vacuum bottles as I hate hot water on a hike, and I am certainly taking an old fashioned compass as my phone will often fail me I'm sure.

I am curious about Route 9 west of Springdale? Late in the week I need to drive from Bryce to Hurricane the day before I visit Zion. Google maps suggests 130 miles around and using I-15, but the 107 mile route using US-89 and UT-9 looks much more scenic. I read somewhere that traffic bottlenecks west of Springdale I think, which is why google thinks the shorter route takes longer. I guess I'll ask the hotel clerk in Bryce, then maybe go for it.

 

[Hoag]

... Got my AAA maps in the mail today. I find those very helpful when my phone can't get service, as well as giving the big picture better along with more detail than google maps.

I have spent a lot of time out in that part of the US, and I find that in addition to good old fashion road maps (or a AAA Road Atlas) a GPS works great. You are right, there will be a lot of the trip that you will not have cell phone coverage on. (Make sure you rent a car with satellite radio (Sirrius XM) or it will be quiet for most of the trip as well unless you bring your own music & a way to play it.

... Someone said the hiway east from Salina towards Moab was thru desolate county, but they have it marked as scenic. I'm sure that it'll all be different enough to be fascinating. Some people don't care for deserts and erosion geology, but I do. I see that I'll be passing by many more attractions on my route between the eight I have selected, I guess the\at all of the south end of the state could be turned into a park, but whatever I have time & energy for will be worth it all.

It is actually very scenic in a Neil Armstrong / Buzz Aldrin "Houston. Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." sort of way.

It looks as though all of the pieces are falling into place. Have a great trip!

 

[Sam Miller III]

As stated I am a Man of the west

I have lived most of my life near the ocean -- for over 30 years I have lived on a hill 600 feet above sea level with a panorama view blue Pacific Ocean

However there is some thing magical about the south west. Just like Sir Roberts Service's Sam Mc Gee who was so attracted to the Yukon I am also drawn as much or more to the beauty of the American South west .

Enjoy our trip and every day take a few moments to share your tip with the tribe so we may also vicariously enjoy it .

Via con dios

Sam

 

[Hoag]

One more thought ...

If you are planning on photographing your trip, maximize your time spent shooting sunrise and sunset. The colour shift of the red rocks under the warm "Golden Hour" light is amazing. There are some places that lend themselves to either sunrise or sunset while some are definitely sunrise shots and others are definitely sunset shots.

 

[DandyDon]

(Make sure you rent a car with satellite radio (Sirrius XM) or it will be quiet for most of the trip as well unless you bring your own music & a way to play it.

I'm not one for tunes, really. I enjoy quiet.

When I ask g-maps for Bryce NP to Sprindale, it says to take UT-9, and traffic does show slowed at the tunnel, but moving. I'll probably take try that route to Hurricane to see parts of Zion NP along that road. Worse case, I can always head south from Mt.Carmel and loop around thru Colorado City, trying not to gawk much in the latter.

One more thought ...

If you are planning on photographing your trip, maximize your time spent shooting sunrise and sunset. The colour shift of the red rocks under the warm "Golden Hour" light is amazing. There are some places that lend themselves to either sunrise or sunset while some are definitely sunrise shots and others are definitely sunset shots.

I always travel with two cameras in case one breaks, and that's happened. Just point & shoots, but I like to save memories and offer to share albums.

It looks like sunrise is before 6am in Moab and sunset after 8pm, a few minutes later as I work west each day. I'll keep the idea in mind, as challenging as it may be. Those are lazy hours for me.

 

[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.

Again, I am sure these places and many more in the southern part of the state are even better for those younger & fitter to camp & hike, seeing more than I did, but I had a great trip. Someone asked for a report, so I posted one here: My driving tour of Utah's Big Five National Parks

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

For those going in the future, I'd recomment Laurent Martres' books "Photographing the Desert Southwest"

Depending on what kind of vehicle you have and its abilities to ford water, what physical condition you are in, how acclimatized you are to dry heat, a lot more sites open up to you.

If you don't want to get yelled at by rangers, don't leave any of Michael Kelsey's books on your dashboard (if you do read it, multiply the time it takes to do the hikes by a factor of 2 to 4).

 

[DeputyDan]

One warning - Moab in July is hotter than - well it's a preview of hell!
Been there done that - will go back during a different part of the year.