Has anyone driven thru south Utah to see the National Parks and Monuments? My intent was to rent a phone, but these areas may not get a signal. Any recommendations?

Last summer I flew into Jackson Hole Wyoming and drove to Phoenix. During the drive from Provo to Las Vegas, we stopped off at Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP, then on to Vegas.
Don't miss Valley of Fire State Park, north of Hoover Dam. The NP pass was the best investment we made all year. I'm leaving Friday to head back to Arches NP and Canyonlands NP.

There was little phone reception off of 15, which I imagine you'll be on. With the Olympics construction and the anticipation of the SLC to Vegas runs, if you stick to the highway, you'll be fine. In the parks and winding aroundthe mountains there is little to no reception.

Enjoy!!

Thumper,
Could you post your experiences driving to
Arches NP and Canyonlands NP once you get back? I'd love to hear first hand what the drive is like.
Also, someone suggested something called a 'bag phone' which apparently has better reception than a regular cell phone. If you see anything like that, or hear of it, I'd appreciate you passing it on. Thanks, have a great trip. I've seen photos of that area and it looks wonderful! (which is why I'm going in Sept)

A bag phone is satellite operated. Work great, just cost more.

This is actually my second time around for these parks, there is never enough time while there. Email me off line with a mailing address and I'll send you the National Park brochures. I collect them so I'll just pick up new ones while there.

I know this is a phone question, but I wanted to add my two cents about places to see. If you did not stop at Dead Horse Canyon last time, do yourself a favor and stop there. There are lots of spectacular vistas in southern Utah, but this is one of may favorites.

Thanks Thumper! You have mail.


[This message has been edited by SeeYa (edited 07-25-2001).]

When planning a night each in Bryce and Zion, I chose to do Zion first because of the altitudes. Zion is 4000 ft., Bryce is 8000 ft.

The acclimation must have worked, because I experienced no altitude symptoms.

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Middle_Seat

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Thumper:
A bag phone is satellite operated. Work great, just cost more.</font>

The term "bag phone" also refers to an old-style analog cell phone that is carried in an over-the-shoulder bag. It has a separate handset on a cord.

Since the antenna of a bag phone is not held close to the head in normal operation, its power output can be up to 5 watts, compared to about a tenth of that for a handheld cell phone.


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Middle_Seat