Hello, I am planning a trip to the National Parks of Southern Utah during Labor day weekend. This is what I thought so far-- any advice or insights would be highly appreciated.

My wife and I are traveling with our 1 yr old. He is well-trained in traveling , last month we returned from a *hectic* 10 day trip to Alaska! So we're ok with driving good distances, although we cannot hike that much.

Updated itin below

Personally I'd cut out visiting d/t SLC. You'll need to lot more time to explore Bryce and Zion (the main visitor area of the latter can only be accessed by bus for those not residing at the park's lodges). Capitol Reef seems to be worth exploring only if you have time, plan to camp, and go on the dirt roads (need a 4x4). It's worth spending a day each hiking through the hoodoos at Bryce and at least up Angels Landing at Zion. Maybe cut out Arches and Capitol Reef this trip, and fit Cedar Breaks inbetween Bryce and Zion.

I would say that you can do either Arches or Capital Reef and actually have the time to see interesting stuff.

Torrey's a cute little town, but you may consider going up the hill to Boulder (on the way to Zion) where there is a fantastic restaurant and hotel.

Won't comment on timing (though I think you have plenty), but would add a few suggested sights to see:

Cedar Breaks NM (between Zion and Bryce) - if it's still open by then.
Canyonlands NP - Between Arches and Capital Reef

There are some nice state parks in UT as well - off the top of my head near your destinations: Newspaper Rock, Dead Horse Point, Kodachrome Basin, Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

Whatever you do, have a blast - you're visiting one of the most beautiful areas of the country!

Sean

Hi there,

I did a similar trip in Sept 2003. Day 3 looks a little aggressive to me if you really want to hit both parks. Day 4 looks fine, particularly if you can't do a ton of hiking.

I highly second the recommendation to visit Kodachrome, Cedar Breaks, and Coral Sand Dunes. I also highly recommend both parts of Zion, the lower canyon and the upper hills. Most people just see Zion canyon. I really enjoyed Kanab Utah as well.

thanks so much for the replies folks. i'm considering northern cal (lots of family there) instead of UT.. so my plans are on hold.

Agreed.

I realize the trip is on hold, but for others contemplating a trip like this, I always start from Las Vegas and drive up to Zion and hit the parks in that direction. Flights and car rentals are usually cheaper to/from Vegas.

My UT trip is back on... thanks again to all the kind folks who helped plan my itin so far. What do you all think of this:

Day 0- Fly into SLC late pm. Overnight at airport hotel
Day 1- Mormon temple, etc in downtown SLC. Drive to Moab, explore Arches National Park. Overnight Green River
Day 2- Drive to Capital Reef NP (mainly to facilitate the Highway 12 drive). Explore Goblin Valley State Park. Drive South on Highway 12. Explore Escalante/Kodachrome Basin State Parks. Reach Bryce Canyon in time to watch sunset. Overnight in Tropic
Day 3- Explore Bryce Canyon NP. Drive to Zion NP, explore Coral Pink Sands State Park. Overnight in Springdale
Day 4- Explore Zion NP. Drive to Park City, exploring Cedar Breaks NM on the way. Dinner in Park City. Flight back home at 11:30 pm.