Planning a Road Trip to Utah

[Liquid_Turbo]

Since I still can't find a job, I've decided to go travelling. I've read a lot of books and have my sights set on Wyoming (to visit Yellowstone), Utah, and Colorado.

Can anyone recommend any gems from these areas? I am interested in the 'cool' places that no one knows about, but also like the famous activities (such as hiking the Canyon Narrows @ Zion National Park).

I am an avid photographer and want to get some nice pictures!

 

[postjeeprcr]

Sounds like a good plan. Do you have any certain parts of those states, aside from Yellowstone, that you are thinking of visiting?

 

[oilboy123]

Can't comment on much other than I have always wanted to go to Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Have a good time when you go.

 

[Liquid_Turbo]

Originally Posted By: postjeeprcr
Sounds like a good plan. Do you have any certain parts of those states, aside from Yellowstone, that you are thinking of visiting?


Well, I really want the focus on the trip to be in Utah, since I have approx 5 weeks to do this trip. So far on the list I have:

Yellowstone National Park
-To see all the favorites, Old Faithful, sulphur pools, etc. Went there as a kid.
Grand Teton (Is it worth it to stop any where particular?)


Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon
Zion National Park
-Hiking the Narrows
Capitol Reef
Monument Valley

Antelope Canyon in Arizona

Colorado I am still researching to see if I want to go there.

Then I would like to swing down throw to Las Vegas (to freshen up), then hit up Yosemite in California before beginning a trip back up the West Coast. I am open to suggestions. Trip will probably be in July. (an oil change of PP right before the trip will be order of course!)

 

[crinkles]

i want to go to idaho and see the teton dam failure site.

 

[fred]

When in Utah go to temple square in Salt Lake. The temple is a beautiful building worth getting pictures of.

 

[JHZR2]

Utah is a great state, but I really enjoy going up through idaho, and even up into the panhandle.

Not to throw rain on your parade, but if unemployed and not having luck finding a job, be sure to watch your spending habits.

+1 on SLC.

I'd also recommend just going on random drives and seeing what you find by chance. Last time we were out there, we just happened upon Promontory Point, and I guess the old railroad is gone, but it was neat all the same.

 

[Nick R]

I'd wait till winter when you can hit the mountains. Many excellent ski resorts there to take pictures at. Deer valley, Snowbird, and Brighton just to name a few.

 

[addyguy]

Bill in Utah's house?

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Visit the large Statue of Bill In Utah. What's really neat is that he's standing on a large oil filter.

 

[addyguy]

...and don't forget the amazing 'stash formation' in his garage...it's really something to behold!

 

[opus1]

The Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal, UT (east of SLC) and then a trip through the Flaming Gorge park to Green River, WY, was interesting when I did it, I think in 2000. Ironically, I went through the area soon after some of the wildfires that year, so the gorge really had been flaming....there were still some spots smoldering.

If you're in SLC, make sure to stop and see the Temple.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

Just north of Moab on Utah 128 is a nice hike through Negro Bill Canyon, about 2.5 miles back to a natural bridge with a perennial (I think) stream. You must go to Arches if you're in the area, but it will be busy. Hike the Devil's Garden trail, and go up to Delicate Arch for sunset.

Canyonlands National Park, next door, will feel more off the beaten path. Plan to spend a couple days at one or more of the districts, though, since they are literally far off the beaten path, at the end of the road. Island in the sky (near Moab and Arches) has a lot of short hikes on the mesa, and opportunities to hike or backpack down into the canyons of the Colorado or the Green. The Needles district, way south of Moab, has a lot of hiking through canyons without the steep climbs in and out. There, you could make the loops as long or short as you want because many of the trails intersect. The hike to the Colorado/Green confluence overlook is pretty cool.

I have always wanted to get into the canyons of the Escalante--that seems like really isolated country. One thing to remember for all of this--southern Utah is going to be powerful hot in July. There's so much to do down there that it's easy to plan too much, so decide if you want to just drive through or stay and explore some places.

Good luck and have fun. Bring lots of memory cards or film.

 

[Liquid_Turbo]

Thank you for your insightful post!

And yes, I will visit the Bill in Utah statue hahaha.

I haven't heard of the temple in SLC, many thanks for that suggestion!

 

[UncleS2]

There's a whole lot of Beautiful & Magnificent out there. Be sure to see Zion as you mentioned. And don't miss Monument Valley- the backdrop for many of the greatest Western movies ever made.

For something a little off the beaten path in Yellowstone- when we went there in '93, I saw a little sign off one of the main internal roads that read, "Lone Star Geyser". Turned off, there was a small parking area. You had to walk in over a mile, maybe 1.5 or 2 miles, on a paved path. Since I grew up in a little town named Lone Star, Texas, of course I had to go!

Walked in, it was July, (humidity was so low there was a negative heat index, a truly alien concept for a guy from East Texas) and on arrival I was the only one there. After waiting almost an hour, the geyser blew- just for me! It remains my favorite memory of that trip.

 

[Liquid_Turbo]

Thanks Stuart! Thats exactly the kind of thing I really wanted to hear. Little things that most people don't know about. Sounds like a very cool thing.. I'll try to duplicate it on the trip!

 

[buster]

Just watch out for all those crazy Mormons.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: GROUCHO MARX
Visit the large Statue of Bill In Utah. What's really neat is that he's standing on a large oil filter.


And he has a coupon for $.59 Chevron Supreme in his hand!

 

[fred]

Buster I need help. I have never seen a crazy Mormon just regular Mormons, what do the crazy ones look like?

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

Originally Posted By: Liquid_Turbo
Yellowstone National Park
-To see all the favorites, Old Faithful, sulphur pools, etc. Went there as a kid.
Grand Teton (Is it worth it to stop any where particular?)


Check out Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton. There's a common room on the main floor with huge picture windows framing the Tetons. Sunrise is a good time for photos on the eastern shore of Jackson Lake--you'll get the light hitting the peaks and their reflections in the water. Access to the shore is easy from the Signal Mountain Lodge area.

If you plan to stay in Yellowstone and/or Grand Teton, be sure to make reservations early through the Park Service website. Rooms can be booked that way, and I think campsites as well. There's not much chance of pulling in and finding an open campsite inside the parks in July.

There's a crazy little section of road in SE Utah, Highway 261 that roughly connects Natural Bridges National Monument and the town of Mexican Hat, on the edge of Monument Valley. My atlas shows a little unpaved squiggle in the middle of a 20-mile stretch. That is a dirt road that feels like it corkscrews straight up the face of a mesa. I have only gone up, but the old wrecks off the side of the road suggest being very careful driving down.

Also, if you're going to the Moab area from the north, exit I-70 on Highway 128 instead of US 191. From Green River, UT, the exit is another 22 miles past US 191. From Grand Junction, CO, it is the first Moab exit. 128 is an awesome drive through the canyon of the Colorado, one of the most scenic roads I've ever driven. Don't drive like you're in a car commercial, though--you would probably hit a cow or somebody taking in the scenery. (If you don't go in that way, drive 128 north from Moab to Dewey Bridge and then turn around and go back to town.)