Zion

Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell, North Rim 7/99

The below is an early log meant to help the next group after us. This was written before I kept detailed logs

July 1999

Day 1. Leave to Las Vegas. There are plenty of places to stay depending on budget. I got a good rate at Treasure Island. As for entertainment, there are water parks as well as things to keep kids busy for a day in the various themed casinos. Mandalay has a complete wave pool and lazy river.

Day 2 left Vegas to Zion Ponderosa Ranch arrive late (Get a family cabin) 3 night stay at ranch. All activities included (horses, shooting, hiking, camp fire and even paint ball to name most of the activities) All food included also. Bring your favorite wine as it is expensive and not very good here.

(on the way to Zion we stopped in St George for gas and a few things at Walmart right off the highway.

Day 5 Left to Bryce, stay at Rubys Inn (Rubys is a slightly tacky Best Western.800 528 1234) I would avoid this place. Better, stay at The Bryce Lodge. It was very pretty and I would go for a cabin here instead of Rubys given a choice 435 772 3213

It is 3 minutes to the Bryce Lodge from Rubys. From Lodge it is 1 minute walk to main canyon (actually amphitheater)

Do not do the horse back ride at Rubys** Do it at Bryce Lodge.

Only book the horse ride at the Bryce Lodge other wise you will not go to the Bryce Park. This is a good ride in the Park. Ruby’s horses go to another park.

We did “chuck wagon dinner” here. It was tacky but the kids liked it. They asked me to dress as a lady and trade furs for passage from the Indians. NOTE: Chuck Wagon at Moab was better)

(Note For Good Food: the number 435 772 3213 is is the Lodge and you should make dinner reservations as the food is much better here than at Ruby's for the next night. Also good lunch after hike)!

On arriving at Bryce we took the informative sunset trail stroll given by a ranger. She was informative and pleasant to listen to. This was not strenous or even hot and we were here in July.

Day 6 Bryce Canyon: We drove to the very end and stopped along the way. (must do: The 4 hour horse back down to the bottom. The views make this the best horse ride we have had! Horses are tame, no Tab moves here! Make the horse reservations 1 to 2 weeks in advance if you can. We got lucky and did it the day before ) Did tacky rodeo at night.

(Day 7 Hiked on “Wall Street”. Easy to moderate hike lasting about a few hours and then found a few easy dirt roads near by to drive on.

Day 8 Leave Bryce to lake Powell via the 45 mile mile dirt road that cuts across Escalante Federal Park. (Use only a 4 X 4 here) The entrance is at Kodachrome Park. We stayed at the hotel on lake Powell at Wahweap 520 645 2433 eat at Rainbow Room. (make reservations at least 2 - 3 weeks in advance) Very good food and service.

On arrival we went to Glen Canyon Dam tour and Antelope Canyon a few miles away.

(MUST SEE- Antelope Canyon: This is a ¼ mile walk through the most unusual and thinnest canyon of slot canyon.) Get tour truck from Powell musuem in town. Dinner at Rainbow Room with 200 degree views of lake and rocks formations. Try to eat an hour before sunset.

Day 8 We reserved a 19 foot power boat when we did the 1BR hotel room and cruised to rainbow bridge. (Largest natural bridge in the world) After seeing the natural bridge we cruised around and went into a tight end of a narrow canyon to where the boat would not fit anymore and you could look up a few hundred feet to the cliffs about. We continued on to a nice beach for a picnic and swim after gassing up at the floating station. Left Lake Powell at about 4:30 -5PM and headed to North Rim Grand Canyon. (note, Wahweap has a nice pool and is a classy place. If I had an extra day I would have stayed the night here again and left to the next AM just to rest up.

Day 9 Go to North Rim 2 nights and stay in 2 room cabin 520 638 2611 (www.nps.gov) Make reservations for dinner here every night in advance. It is the only thing around unless you want flash food at the lodge. Dinner is very good and reasonable for what you get. Breakfast Buffet is so-so and fast food breakfast next door was OK.

The cabins were fine and a little rustic. The kids had there separate room. It was nice one early morning to get up before everyone and have a cup of tea on the balcony looking out to this magnificent site.

Side note: Driving up to the No. Rim I said I would arrange a rainbow to be seen going into the canyon. Almost 3 hours later we arrived and started to check in when we noticed a rainbow. The kids jumped out of the car (they were I think 8 and 11 at the time. Most of the staff including the bell carts stopped what they were doing to see a magnificent sight. The kids ran back to get Maureen and as they were running out to the balcony I heard them say with loud excitement “Mom, hurry up, Dad did it, he got the rainbow!)

Steven Speigelberg could not have done better for me.

Day 10: Did a mule trip ½ way down and walked around the rim. It was OK, but not breathtaking because we only went 1/2 way.

Day 11 North Rim 5 hours to Vegas to red eye home

EXTENDED TRIP I Would have liked to do: From Bryce to Capital Reef Park, To Moab. I think if you leave Bryce early this should take an entire day to drive here with a couple of hours in Capital. Friends were in Capital. They say it is just a couple of hours stop. You could check them out at www.nps.gov also.

Get to Moab in the evening. We stayed at Moab in Cedar Condo 801 259 7830. It was not a a 4 star place. It was a pleasant 2 BR Condo at a good price 3 blocks off the main drag. It only had about a 4 or 5 units. It was nice, spacious and included breakfast food for you in the place and it was quiet there. There is no pool and it is in the residential area 3 blocks off the strip.

Moab: Spend AM in the Arches. Arrange free Ranger tours while you are here for AM and PM. Drive through Park and stop on many of the road side arches and take short hikes in.

Take a river trip / 4WD trip with Adrift Adventure 800 874 4483 or 800 RIO MOAB. (Both condo and river / 4WD trips are on net.)

During the mid day 1PM to get out of hear arrange a river trip or go to Butch Cassidy's water park just outside town. (also good at the end of the day). Allow 1 - 2 hours max as it is not that big.

If you rent a 4WD I can help you with a spectacular trips to Canyon lands and another one in the "back" country of Moab.

Allow 3 days and nights easy here.

Mesa Verde: 2 ½ hours away to the town and 45 minutes extra to the Far View Lodge on top.

Far View is 970 529 4421. Lodge is simple motel room on the very top. 80 mile views! Make reservations for dinner before you get here. Also the evening you get here arrange a ½ day bus tour in the AM and then Explore 2 other housing areas with rangers, but tickets must be bought by standing on line at 8AM for about $1.00.

One night is sufficient here.

It is a long drive to No Rim Canyon from here.

NOTES: We rented a 4 wheel drive and drove from Bryce to Lake Powell through Esclante National Monument. 45 miles of extreme remoteness passing and stopping Kodak State Park. We did a few other roads near Bryce. Excellent trails in Canyonlands.

Also, weather can rain a bit. Bring a pancho as you maybe in an occasional monsoon.

Do the free ranger programs at all national parks and make sure you stop here before going into any park. They are all good people that work here. Camp fires, star watches and walks. (Take the intro to Bryce stroll at about 5PM when you arrive at Bryce. It on the flat rim side walk.)

I can talk to you next week and show you the album from our trips.