We just did a 16 day trip of Arizona/Utah, covering 5 national parks (Grand Canyon South/North, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion). It was a great vacation and we benefited from many of the contributions in this forum. Here I will give a short review of the trip and hopefully someone may find it helpful.
*Sedona:
-Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour: This is indeed a fun tour to start the trip If possible at all, I highly recommend the 7 am tour. The view in the early morning is simply fantastic. There were no other jeeps on the trail and we were the only two for the tour, almost like having a personal guide (Of course, we tipped accordingly). The guide we had was knowledgeable and personable. By the time we got back, there were dozens of people waiting for the 9 am tours and the trail got crowded.
-Best view points: Chapel of the Holly Cross (easy access), Airport Mesa, and Broken arrow tour.
-Hiking:
--Cathedral rock (short but steep hike to the top, some rock scrambling, have to use hands at places. I like the hike. Try to do it in the morning or evening. We did it around noon on a day when Sedona hit 105 degree. It was brutally hot at the top)
--Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock hike (flat, kind of boring)
--Devil鈥檚 bridge hike (about 2 miles drive on unpaved road to the trail head. We stopped about 1 mile away due to bad road conditions and hiked in. The hike is mostly easy with a short steep section near the end. The view is ok but I probably won鈥檛 do this hike again)
--Oak Creek Canyon, west fork trail (This is an easy hike along the west fork river. This kind of river hike is quite common in East coast but a nice change of scenario in Arizona. In addition, the view is nice with sandstone cliffs on both sides. Recommended)
-Restaurants:
--Wildflower Bread Company (a very nice place for lunch. Similar to Panera Bread but with better and fresher food)
--Cowboy Club, Silver Saddle Room (service was good with nice complimentary small dishes. My roasted duck was good, but my wife鈥檚 prime rib was not up to par-bad cut of meat and not very flavorful. Too bad)
*Flagstaff :
-Karma Sushi Bar Tapas: This is a very nice casual restaurant. Everything we ordered tasted great. Good tapas and sushi but sashimi is somewhat below par. Price very reasonable. Highly recommended.
-Walnut Canyon National Monument: The largest cliff dwelling sites dates back about 1000 years. Worthwhile to see. Due to rock slide the Island Trail (which leads to the cliff dwelling sites) was closed.
-Sunset Crater/Wupatki National Monumnet: This would be a de-tour on the way from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon. It is a pleasant drive through some pretty scenarios. I have seen Mt. Kilauea volcano before so Sunset Crater volcano doesn鈥檛 look that impressive in comparison. Wupatki has some interesting Indian ruins which are very good photo ops near sunset.
*Grand Canyon South Rim:
-Cameron Trading Post: On route to South Rim. Lots of souvenirs. Simple, hearty lunch with huge portion. I liked the Navajo bread.
-Thunderbird Lodge : Next to Bright Angel Lodge. Very convenient location to all the activities but without the traffic. Unfortunately, the staff cann鈥檛 seem to keep up with the maintenance. Our shower cann鈥檛 keep the hot water flowing due to faulty faucet, and the safe doesn鈥檛 work. Called housekeeping but nobody ever showed up. I had to rig the shower faucet with a string to keep it working.
-Bright Angel Restaurant: Average food. Large portion.
-El Tovar: Very nice restaurant. Good food and good service. The price is also reasonable.
-South Kaibab-Phantom Ranch-Bright Angel hike: This is one of the highlights of the trip. We hiked down via South Kaibab trail which is a ridge trail with fantastic panoramic view of the inner canyon. We took the 6 am hiker鈥檚 express to the trail head. It was quite windy and chilly that morning with temp in the upper fortys. In the summer I would recommend starting as early as possible since it can be brutally hot down at the bottom (on our trip it was 105 degree nominally but some places are hotter due to heat reflection from rock/sand). Phantom Ranch was lovely and soaking your tired feet in Bright Angle Creek felt just wonderful. We had great steak dinner and breakfast, had great conversations with other hikers, and picked up a few Phantom Ranch T-shirt (the shirt you have to go down to get it!). We hiked up via Bright Angel trail which doesn鈥檛 have the view of South Kaibab since it winds around the side canyon but it is less exposed and we can find shade from time to time even after Indian Garden, which is extremely helpful when you hike uphill under 90 degree heat. After the hike, we went to Trailview point on Hermit road to view the switchbacks on Bright Angle Trail we just hiked. What a nice feeling of accomplishment!
There are many helpful tips posted in this forum to help preparing this hike. Here are a few more I will throw in.
-- Hydration bag. Really convenient to use. Once you try it, there is no going back to water bottle.
-- Hiking stick. Very helpful for long distance hike, especially steep downhill-save your knees.
-- Gel bandana. This is the kind with gel sealed in a tube (sold by Camphor, REI,..). When wet, it effectively removes heat from the neck region. On the trail, I rotate it every 10-15 min. to turn the hot side out, something cann鈥檛 be easily done with traditional bandana.
-- Clif Shot Blok. Hiking in hot weather requires proper hydration, which means both water and electrolyte. While Gatorate is convenient on the way down, once it is used up you have to make your own. I have used powder electrolyte to mix with water but find Clif Shot Blok to be the most convenient- just pop one in the mouth once a while and you will be fine. This way I would carry pure water only, and use Clif Shot Blok for electrolyte replacement.
-- Pack light. The pack feels heavier and heavier as you hike uphill after a while. I carried too much water (and food) which is un-necessary for Bright Angel Trail since there are water sources after Indian Garden every 1.5 mile or so. I would say 3 liter is more than sufficient.
-- Get up early, We got up 4:30am to catch the 5:00 am breakfast (really good) and left Phantom Ranch about 5:30 am which is about right for Bright Angel trail. Many hikers going up via North Kaibab trail got up around 2:30-3:30 am to get extra cool time. For skipping breakfast, you can buy box lunch instead which they started distributing it after 2 am (what a service, some really nice people at Phantom Ranch).
(to be continued)
16 day trip review- GC, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion
Excellent review! Will look forward to more reading.
16 day trip review- GC, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion
Keep going..great reading.
I agree. Great report - keep writing! We are leaving on Friday to do the same places as you did, so this is very informative.
(continue, part II)
* Page
-Horseshoe bend. Right outside Page on Rt. 89. Only a short hike to reach it. This is the photo that shows up on many Arizona tourism pamphlets. You will have to get pretty close to the edge of the cliff to get a picture of the full bend. I did not get a full bend but the picture still looks good.
- Antelope Slot Canyon. I have to say this is the biggest disappointment of the whole trip. The canyon itself is quite interesting and worthwhile to see. However, the crowd was the problem, it was almost shoulder to shoulder inside. Our guide limited the time inside to be ~30 min. and it was almost impossible to enjoy it or take a good picture with the crowd. People paid more for the photo tour had the same problem. I would avoid visiting this place during tourism high season.
What made it worse was Chief Tostie鈥檚 guide service we used (I posted a review under its name). The trucks they used are in such a bad shape (broken trailing, broken chair back, not qualified for sand driving), it is unsafe to operate. The guide we had was rude and tasteless (may be we got a bad one?). I read good reviews about them here in the forum, so I was really surprised to find these problems. People in our tour group complained about these issues to their management. In my view, this operation should be shut down until all the safety issues are addressed.
- Colorado River Discovery float trip. It was a leisurely drift on the Colorado River for some relaxation after hard hikes. The guide we had was witty, knowledgeable, and worked hard trying to entertain/educate us. Our schedule only allows us to sign up on the 1 pm tour which was really hot at times. I would recommend bringing some beach towels which can provide great heat relief when wet, especially if you bring small children along. You will have the opportunity to jump in the freezing Colorado River for a quick dip and a towel come in handy.
- Fiesta Mexicana. Good Mexican food with reasonable price. Recommended.
* Monument Valley: If schedule allows, try to visit this place in late afternoon near sunset (say, 4-7pm). I didn鈥檛 watch many cowboy movies before so the scenery there don鈥檛 have too much special significance to me. We visited around noon time and the lighting wasn鈥檛 particularly good for photos. However, some of the pictures still came out surprisingly good. I can see why MV under sunset can be really fantastic.
We drove the loop in our rental car which worked out fine. We preferred the freedom of driving ourselves. Otherwise, you can hire the truck provided at the gate.
* Moab:
-Dead Horse Point State Park. After just visited Grand Canyon, this one doesn鈥檛 look too impressive in comparison. It is a small park with one single road from visitor center leading to the point where there is a park for picnic and viewing. No hiking trail other than a flat rim walk.
-Moab Brewery: a good place for a cold beer and hamburger. Salad is pretty fresh too. Seems like all the mountain bike/4 wheeler crowds are all there.
* Arches.
This is a gem of a park, my wife鈥檚 favorite. Tons of photo ops. The key to get good photos and good view in this park is to know what location to visit during what time. The best time is sunset, when you should visit Balanced Rock, Windows, Park Avenue, Courthouse Towers, Delicate Arch (from Delicate Arch Trail side), Fiery Furnace,..etc. For sunrise, visit Turret Arch, Double Arch, Landscape Arch, Double Arch, and Delicate Arch (from the Wolfe Ranch side). You will get some of the most beautiful red rock pictures here during sunset.
If you hike to Delicate Arch during sunset, bring a flashlight or headlight. It may get dark on the way back. The trail winds through some mini cliffs and you want to ensure solid footing in the dark.
To sign up for the ranger led Fiery Furnace hike, check the availability as soon as arriving at the visitor center. The best time is the 4pm hike.
* Capitol Reef National Park/Torrey
This is a park less frequently visited. It is also the only National Park we been to requiring no entrance fee. Initially it may not look that impressive but it can grow on you. We hiked Hickman Bridge, Grand Wash, and Capitol Gorge. Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge are almost like Zion Narrow without the water (as such, one should watch for flash flood). Grand Wash trail head is located near the beginning and Capitol Gorge at the end of the park scenic drive, the last few miles of which are un-paved. Beautiful scenery all the way. These are all enjoyable, easy hikes.
- Caf茅 Diablo. This restaurant gets too much hype. It is by no means a 5-star restaurant as claimed by some. The appetizer we had, duck mariachi, was horrible (stay away from this one). The duck was deep fried in staled oil and tasted like a rubber, worse than McDonald鈥檚 chicken nuggets. My lamb entry was ok but my wife鈥檚 flank steak was just so so. In general their sauce is too sweet and heavy for my taste. I would say this is just an average restaurant and considering the location and deco, is over-priced.
- Austin鈥檚 Chuckwagon Lodge. This is a good find. The room is nice and clean, representing a superb value. For breakfast, check out the general store- they have good pastry freshly made daily.
* Hwy 12 and Burr trail. This is a beautiful highway, but not much traveled (at least on the day of our visit). Hogback view point is beautiful. We drove on Burr trail for may be about 10 miles and then turned back due to time limitation. Wish I had one extra day to spend in this area. If you drive this road, watch out for the weather. In the early morning, we drove through a section covered by black clouds with very low visibility and gusty wind, a little scary.
- Kiva Coffehouse. This is such an interesting coffee house with unique architecture. Good coffee/food, nice people and great view. Furthermore, they sell nice jewelry made by local crafts people. We went in for a cup of coffee and came out with my wife bought a bunch of jewelry :) Do stop by this one.
(continue, final part)
* Bryce Canyon. This is a beautiful and compact park. Some of the best pictures of this trip were taken in this park. The coral red hoodoos and the green pine trees just mix beautifully together.
- Navajo/Peekaboo Loop/Queens Garden combo trails (6 miles). While this is rated strenuous, it is actually not too bad. This hike has enough elevation change to give a good work out, but not really strenuous. We started at sunset point and came back up at the sunrise point. In the early morning, Navajo and Peekaboo trails provided many photo ops. If you start late, Navajo and Queens Garden will be very crowded. Peekaboo has much less people.
- Stars. While Bryce is famous for the hoodoos, it is also one of the best, if not the best, place for star gazing. Do not skip this opportunity during your visit. I have not seen so many stars in the sky in my life, and did not realize Milky Way can be so visible in the sky. Lying on the park bench in absolute darkness with the whole universe open in front of you was quite an experience.
- Bryce Canyon Lodge cabin. We voted this to be the best lodge in the national parks we visited. The cabins are historical buildings located in a park-like setting with a porch and lounge chair for relaxation. The lodge serves buffet type breakfast in the morning. Skip it and order your own. The buffet is not that good. The meal served at dinner is ok though.
* GC North Rim. It is located in a remote area without much civilization nearby, so try to book everything as early as possible.
- North Kaibab Trail. North Rim has more hiking trails than South Rim but most are flat. This is the only one goes into the canyon with steep elevation change. By now we hiked so much and were in no mood to go down anywhere near the bottom again. So we hiked to the Supai Tunnel for a 4 mile round trip. Good workout. North Kaibab trail has more shade than either South Kaibab or Bright Angle which makes coming up a lot easier.
- Cape Royal/Point Imperial. Don鈥檛 miss the scenic drive which leads to these two great view points. Some of the best vistas of Grand Canyon can be seen here. Like so many places in this region, try to visit them during late afternoon before sunset鈥攇reat photo ops.
- GCNR Lodge. Stay away from the motel room they have (which means booking as early as possible). The room is quite small and located in a vey inconvenient area. For un-loading, one has to drag luggage across a two lane road, through a long stone stairs. We voted this to be the worst lodging among the national parks we visited.
The lodge itself is nevertheless quite charming, the center of all activities at North Rim. Sitting in the porch chair overlooking Grand Canyon during sunset, sipping a cold beer or a glass of wine, is just wonderful. Do not miss the Astronomy program run by a volunteer ranger. He is quite knowledgeable and will teach you how to read stars in the sky, and set up a telescope to let you view all sorts of stars.
We had dinners for two nights in the lodge dinning room. Surprisingly, it is pretty good. Of all the entries we ordered, only lamb is disappointing (too chewy), the others (tilipia, shank of pork, and roasted chicken) are all excellent. The 1st night we had a great waiter, but the next day the waitress was rude and clumsy.
* Zion.
Zion is such a well-designed, well-run park. The shuttle system runs smoothly and is environmentally friendly. Major trails are all maintained in excellent conditions.
- Canyon Overlook trail- We missed this one, parking lots are all full. Once you passed it, it is difficult to do a U-turn back.
- Angel鈥檚 Landing: a classic Zion hike. We hiked to Scout鈥檚 Lookout. My wife did not want to continue on Angel鈥檚 Landing. I tried the 1st section and decided not to go on either (chicken out). We continued on via West Rim Trail which has a few good viewpoints. This is a good alternative for those don鈥檛 want to do the last 0.5 mile of Angle鈥檚 Landing.
- Zion Narrow: Another classic Zion hike. This one is easy and fun, fun, fun. If you visit Zion, I highly recommend this one (be sure to check with ranger about flash flood warning). You hike in or along the river bed of Virgin River. During our visit, the deepest part was only knee high and the temp felt comfortable. We used our own water shoes and hiking sticks, but they can be rented from Zion Adventure Company in Springdale which is just a stone鈥檚 throw away. We hiked for about 3 miles and then turned back. I wish we had more time to go deeper as the canyon gets narrower and prettier.
- Zion Lodge: We voted it to be the 2nd best lodging after Bryce Canyon Lodge.
The Lodge serves buffet breakfast in the morning. In this case it was pretty good.
- Spotted Dog Cafe. A nice restaurant, probably the best in Springdale. You may need reservation during peak hours as it gets pretty crowded. Their complimentary bread with roasted garlic is very good and much needed since the portion of their meals and deserts are quite small. I would recommend ordering wine instead of beer since they serve those Utah beer with only 4% alcohol content.
- Whiptail Grill- It is located in an old gas station, doesn鈥檛 look much and actually quite tacky when they turn on the strings of Xmas lights. I wouldn鈥檛 have gone in if I hadn鈥檛 read some of the good reviews here. They served pretty good Mexican food, all basic stuff like taco, burrito, pizza ..etc but with fresh ingredients and quite tasty.
On the last day, we drove to Las Vegas airport to fly back home. This concludes a fabulous 16-day vacation during which we seldom used cell phone or watched TV. Took us a while to catch up with the current events and reality. If I have to do it again, I would add at least one stand-down (do nothing) day into a jam packed schedule, which would slow down the pace and allow more time to smell the roses. Here is our itinerary for reference.
Fly to Phonix鈥?a class=''internal auto'' href=''/Tourism-g31352-Sedona_Arizona-Vacations.html''>Sedona鈥?a class=''internal auto'' href=''/Tourism-g60971-Flagstaff_Arizona-Vacations.html''>Flagstaff鈥擥CSR (Phantom Ranch)鈥擯age鈥擬V鈥擬oab(Arches)鈥擳orrey (Capitol Reef)--Bryce鈥擥CNR鈥擹ion鈥攆ly back from Vegas.
Thank you very, very much for your wonderful detailed review. It%26#39;s incredibly informative. I am planning a similar trip next summer and your post is of great help. Thanks again!
Thanks for this report - so much information it%26#39;s great!
We are planning a very similar route to yours - I am a little concerned about Scenic Route 12 as each report I%26#39;ve read implies it%26#39;s a little scary!
Highway 12 runs on the ridge of the mountain in many places which is why you get such a great view. In general it is not scary (even though I have a slight height anxiety). However, if the wind is gusty, or the visibility is low cause you are driving in the clouds (that is right, cloud, not fog), it can be a little scary if you happen to drive right on the ridge. In that case just slow down and everything will be fine.
A great and very informative review. can u pls tell me what is the best route from LA as i am hoping to go the the parks u ve been. I am travelling 25/10 and thinking of spending 9 days in all visiting grand canyon, bruce canyon, zion park and death valley and then on the LV. i know nrth rim grand canyon will be close. can u pls tell me if it is too cold to visit the other parks other than GC. also driving is done by ladies from singapore not really use to the left drive, it is a hard drive???
where did u stay in bruce ancyon and how many days do u need in each park?
we wont be going hiking jus to see the park.i ve been to the grand canyon south rim and love it so hoping to stay 3 nights in kachina lodge.
if there is another park nicer than the one i am planning to go can u pls advise me? I ve a map of Usa but very bad in directions to go . I truly hope u can advise me. I actually arrive in LA on 18th oct but need to stay in LA for 1 week for conference so hoping to start the parks on the 25/10. my holiday ends 13/11 but hope to take in LV,SF and ve to go back to LA to fly back.
Thks very much nanodelaware and hope to hear from u.
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