Utah NPs Tour in June - camping, etc suggestions

[82WestyMan]

I'm planning about a 3 wk tour in June of some of the National Parks, mostly in the southern Utah area.
(Zion-Bryce-Capitol Reef-Canyon Lands-Arches-Natural Bridges-Monument Valley (... i know, it's not a NP )-Black Canyon)

Since it's been nearly 35 yrs since the last time I was out that way, I'd like to ask the forum for any suggestions on additional places I should be visiting while I'm out that way and good places to camp along the way.

Here's a first draft of that leg of the trip
http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=1c0n550l

Thanx in advance for your feedback and suggestions
_________________
"The floggings will continue until morale improves"
"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell" - Harry S. Truman
82 Westfalia - w/ a Raby 'Camper Special' engine

[wyomingriviera]

Check out Hovenweep National Monument in Western Colorado, it's near Dove Creek, on the way to the Black Canyon.
_________________
'77 Rivi 2.0 T2 GD
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."- Kurt Vonnegut

[tencentlife]

Oh, you beat me to it. I was going to say Hovenweep too. Really unique ruins (check out Holly House, especially), pretty remote.

So much else to see in the four corners. Everywhere you go it's an adventure.

Just south of Natural Bridges, go out on Cedar Mesa and camp at Muley Point, so long as the wind isn't up. Probably the most awesome view in the area.

Down the Mokee Dugway (make sure your brakes are good), before the right turn for the Goosenecks Overlook, there are BLM roads that you can take to the top of the Honaker Trail. The Honaker goes down 1100 ft. into the deepest spot in the Goosenecks. It's about an hour and a half to walk down, to the San juan at the bottom, 2 to get back out. The trail is not for the faint of heart.

I'm jealous of the big trip, but maybe we'll pass each other on one of our excursions. We head up that way most springtimes.
_________________
Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[Sheesh]

I used to work at Capitol Reef, for 6 years. Worked in Page, AZ for the NPS as well.

My advice? Park your vehicle; Get out of your vehicle; walk and don't drive all over the dang place.

Choose a single place and stay. Whether it be the places you mentioned, others people mentioned, or still others (like the San Rafel Swell) break the on the go habit you might be wanting to get away from to begin with. Industrial tourism relies on you driving that dang contraption everywhere and, really, you see very little and your ass gets cramped.

Capitol Reef is a great place to do so, particularly when the fruit are bearing. Thousands of fremont/anazazi sites, one of the most diverse flora and fauna sites outside of HI, easy to difficult trail system, slots, 11,000' plateaus - its got it all. In June, the apricots and cherries should be ripe, and you can bring your canning equipment to make jelly to boot.

If you want advice for anywhere to stay more than a few days from the Colorado River west to Capitol Reef/Escalante, I'd be glad to hook you up with some out of the way places, including non-campground spots you'll never forget.

Also remember: Back country car camping sites are now few and far between. Most the places in the Escalante and Cedar Mesa areas that 10-15 years ago you could drive down a cherry stem road and camp are now off limits. Plan accordingly.

[MootPoint]

Three weeks in S. Utah? That sound WONderful. With three weeks there I'm assuming that you're not just motoring around and will spend a bunch o' time hiking and exploring, right? Can't think of a better place. 10¢'s suggestions of Cedar Mesa, Muley Point, and Mokee Dugway, Honaker Trail are all good ones. A few other suggestions as well:

1) Canyonlands NP: Don't just go to the Island in the Sky District, near Arches NP on your map. Go south of Moab toward Montecello and turn west into the Needles District, stopping at Newspaper Rock. You might need reservations if you are planning on camping at the Needles Campground, alas, but the entire Needles District of Canyonlands is worth exploring. In Needles you're on the ground, not just looking over the top of it. You could spend all three week of your trip there and only see a fraction.

1.5) Arches is a nice drive through, but way too developed for my taste. Do the drive and some short hikes, yes. But then head south to...

2.) ...Wind Whistle Campground (BLM), south of Moab and La Sal Junction, north of the Needles turn-off. It's about 10 or so miles off the highway and no one goes there since it's not on a main route. The road also leads to Needles Overlook, about 15 miles beyond the campground.

3.) Natural Bridges is great. Walk the trail through the canyon to all the bridges. Way cool.

4.) Zion NP: Hike into Virgin Narrows if you can. They occasionally close the trail, especially in late summer when it's flash flood season, but the trip is well worth it if you are doing it early in the summer.

5.) Instead of cutting up to I-70 to get from Capital Reef to Canyonland/Arches (or vice versa) take the Burr Trail through Capital Reef and down to Natural Bridges. The big void on your map between Capital Reef and Natural Bridges is some of the best of SW Utah and it's off the beaten path. There's a little ferry across Lake Powell if you take Highway 276 instead of 95 south of Capital Reef.

6.) The whole route from Gunnison to Moab that you have plotted out is superb. Take a side trip up to Telluride ("To Hell You Ride" as the conductor on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad used to announce it in the 1920s). Ignore the wealth and look at the mountains. They're awesome.

7.) Before you go, read a copy of Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. He'll tell you how it used to be. (Sigh...)

Oh man...can I come along?
_________________
1984 Westy with tencentlife power!

[redcanoe]

I've travelled to that area from Vancouver Island 3 times now. Always in the spring. Twice in rental cars and once in my subaru outback. It's all fantastic. Absolutely love it. Love the desert. Many of your posts have brought back fond memories.

Have never been able to actually camp in the NP campground at Needles Outpost. It's always been full. But have been in the private campground just before the park gate. It's been a good stay both times.

As has been said, there is so much to see, and best to be seeing it not through the windshield.

Next trip down, perhaps next year, will be in a recently purchased '87 Westy that has lots of extras.

[tschroeder0]

Make the short trip across the border and see Mesa Verde it's amazing!!

[GWTWTLW]

I would also second a vist to Telluride. We've been driving out from Portland for the last 15 years for the Bluegrass festival and the last leg from Moab to Telluride is always my favorite part of the trip. It's pretty damn beautifull. We also try and dry out (Clothes, not livers!) for a week on the way home in the Utah sun. Highway 95 west from Blanding is pretty nice. There is some good camping and hiking just past Fry Canyon. I also like the drive along highway 128 out of Moab going back towards 70. It follows the river and there are a lot of BLM campgrounds. Not sure how crowded they'll be though. It's a great part of the country for sure. I never get tired of it.
_________________
89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[MootPoint]

[GWTWTLW]

That's a big fat bummer!
_________________
89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[82WestyMan]

Thanx to everyone for all the great suggestions and advise

I've been looking thru the Utah State Parks site and found some interesting looking places.
Wanted to know if anyone had any experience with these parks

Pink Coral Sands Dunes http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/coral-pink/
Kodachrome Basin http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/kodachrome/
Goblin Valley http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/goblin-valley/
Dead Horse Point http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/
Goosenecks http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/goosenecks/
_________________
"The floggings will continue until morale improves"
"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell" - Harry S. Truman
82 Westfalia - w/ a Raby 'Camper Special' engine

[wyomingriviera]

I took my family to Goblin Valley last Spring (our first real trip in the bus.) And it was really fun! Make sure to get some reservations if you want to stay in the park (showers and toilets,) but there is free primitive camping nearby. The hoodoos were fantastic, and are fun for all ages. Also plan to hike into Little Wildhorse Canyon for some amazing narrows.
_________________
'77 Rivi 2.0 T2 GD
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."- Kurt Vonnegut

[914 mike]

If you dont want to keep driving and camping from spot to spot and would prefer an excellent base camp for a few nights, you might want to consider Navajo Lake. It is on the 14 senic By-way between Cedar City, and 89. It gives you a great jump off point to go see Bryce, Zion, and Cedar Breaks. All within an hour or so of the lake. Its up in eleveation so you are nice and cool during the evening hours. Usually good fishing. A real pretty spot.
You can camp at all those places, but if you get some hot weather, it gets a little uncomfy and the campgrounds are super crowded......

Mike

84 westy 2.2 suby

Boogie 'till ya puke

[MootPoint]

Dead Horse Point and Goosenecks are both great view parks, probably good for an hour or so each. Not much in the way of hiking or other activities, though Dead Horse is also not far from the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands NP which has a bunch of great hiking trails as well as several overlook viewpoints and an NPS campground (Willow Flat).

Here's a map:
http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/upload/island.pdf
Have fun!
_________________
1984 Westy with tencentlife power!

[Sheesh]

Regarding the Utah State Parks, the best of those that you mention is Kodachrome (IMO). Been to them all and Kodachrome not only has the campsites, toilets, showers, etc. (and the towering phallus), but puts you smack dab in the middle of the Bryce/Escalante/Grand Staircase/Capitol Reef areas.

You could very well use Kodachrome as a base for everything, including the area to the north of Bryce on the way to Antimony and Boulder Top (11,000' plateau; highest forested area in the US) whereby it is much like an American Serenghetti (sp?): Elk, Antelope, Bighorn, trout, forest, etc. You can easily car-camp anywhere along this road.

To the south of Kodachrome are a couple of great hikes, including Round Valley Draw (a slot), Hackberry, and Grosvenor Arch (a stop). The drive from Bryce to Torrey, Utah is one of the most scenic in the United States, Hwy 12.

Have fun.

[mysticalclimber]

Escalante National Monument has some cool stuff and is not overly developed- so you can basically camp where you want and get away. Not sure what your looking for- but this is one of my favorite areas in s. utah.

[Sheesh]

You can no longer just camp where ever you want in Escalante / Grand Staircase. Most of the areas you used to be able to car camp - at the trail heads or off spur roads - are off limits.

[redtail]

[MootPoint]

[mysticalclimber]

Depends on where you go. Your right- you can't at certain trailheads like spooky/peakaboo etc but you can camp at Egypt and pretty much anywhere else that does not have a "no camping" sign.