Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

I'm going on a road trip to the Utah national parks in about a month. The previous topics on Utah are all from 2015 so I thought I would start a new one.

I've got a pretty good idea of what most people see in Bryce, Canyonlands, Zion, Arches, Horseshoe Bend, etc but have a few questions

Places to stay, Places to eat and should we hit Monument? We are traveling in a MB SLK which has low clearance. It says the road in Monument is dirt and needs clearance?

Any thoughts would be great..

IDguy Loc: Idaho

You can get on a tour in Monument. Don’t consider driving the road in your car. There is a hotel there.

Many hotels in Moab for Arches and Horseshoe Bend. Bryce has a couple outside Park. For Zion stay in Springdale.

Stay in Price if you want to do Antelope Canyon.

That will keep you busy several weeks.

Photocraig

Just a note of general MBZ info. When I retired from Silicon Valley I drove my MB e320 to Truckee, CA. I immediately traded it in for a Toyota Tundra! Even the paved roads needed more clearance than the E320 which is higher than the SLK. Suggest researching a local rental 4x4 for the parks and dirt roads and preserve the SLK for the conditions its optimized for.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

At Bryce give serious attention to staying at the lodge inside the park. Just a few steps to the major attractions and outstanding food.

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

My best friend is flying out from Iowa to buy the car then drive it back so that isn't a real choice but I agree.

grandpaw

Did all of these last year and my number one do not miss would be Zion!!!

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Make sure you have hotel reservations. The tourist season is busy!

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Jeep tours are the way to go! Mild 2Wild rafting (they do way more than just rafting, btw) is an excellent company with fun and very knowledgeable guides. They cover several parks. Do not even consider using your low clearance car! We took several of their tours and all were great! When you go to Zion, Flannigans Inn in Springdale, Ut. (our favorite of all the places we stayed on our NP tour.) Capital Reef Inn and Cafe in Torey, Ut. Add Dead Horse Point State Park to your list, it’s a mini Grand Canyon.

ltj123 Loc: NW Wisconsin

Zion, nice hotel in Springdale is Bumbleberry, free shuttle to walking bridge that enters park where park shuttles take you up main valley. Weekends are VERY crowded. Angel Landing a great hike.
Moab perfect for staying with easy drives to Arches, Canyon Lands, Dead Horse State Park.
Page good place to stay, very close to Antelope Canyon and Horse shoe bend, 7 available tours to Antelope canyon, we did Canyon X, newest and least expensive.
Capital Reef National Park also excellent.

ncribble Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Here is our take on all of the parks you are considering. We made this RV trip in 2016 and titled it Western National Parks "WNP" and stayed 3 to 5 days in each park and/or area. https://ncribble.com/2016WNP/wnp.indes.html

cdayton

Monument Valley is spectacular and should not be missed. I drove a Pathfinder on the dirt road into the valley but clearance would not be a problem for a typical sedan (won’t take my XK8 down there). Also, a boat ride on Lake Powell is worthwhile.

JayRay Loc: Missouri

At Monument Valley: The View Hotel (reservations required and l recommend a star view room (with a top floor balcony) if you want to do any night time star shots) and its restaurant. With your low ground clearance vehicle, you must go on one of their jeep tour vehicles.

neillaubenthal

Top suggestion is Mesa Verde...it’s not in UT but it’s fairly close to Moab. Second suggestion Zion, third Antelope Canyon...pay the extra for the photo tour but you need a tripod...Chief Tsotsie (spelling not sure there) is the best. Canyonlands is way better than Arches, don’t forget Mesa Arch in upper Canyonlands. Lower Canyonlands is down in the gorge instead of up on the rim...completely different vibe. Gooseneck SP nearby upper Canyonlands. Mesa Arch get there 45 minutes before sunrise. Bryce we were unimpressed with...Cedar Breaks nearby is better IMO. Horseshoe Bend if you’re in Page. We didn’t think Delicate Arch was worth the hike...way too crowded even early in the AM...some of the other arches in Arches are much better and less of an uphill hike...albeit they’re not as famous. Monument Valley is great too...take one of the Indian guided tours.

Fayle Loc: Seward, Alaska and Rionegro, Colombia

This is my standard reply when folks ask about the southwest.
Get this book or the whole series.
There are also volumes for Washington and Oregon.
https://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Southwest-Vol-1-Southern-Utah/dp/0916189236/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2/136-8152577-1500543?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0916189236&pd_rd_r=b9f49dde-5b9d-11e9-88ca-6b451e78e520&pd_rd_w=rM7ej&pd_rd_wg=49PH1&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=DPZ2TSEQM4XPBAPDQP63&psc=1&refRID=DPZ2TSEQM4XPBAPDQP63

anderzander

It all depends on where you enter Utah. From the east out of Colorado, Vernal is a good stop over, I-70, Moab, Four Corners, Cortez to Monticello, Utah. Hy 89 from Page all the way to Richfield. From Vegas, stay in Hurricane-close enough to Zions, you can drive a belt loop to all of Southern Utah if you look at a map or have the old version of Microsoft Streets and Trips Maps, you can print out the itineray for travel purposes. Bryce is clearly worth it but if you don't take the hike then you are missing the best part, also a hudge forest on top, and you can stay in Tropic or Escalante, Boulder Drive up and over to Torrey Utah is spectacular. All off roads are fine except in wet or snowy terrain weather, the mud can be slippery and it is easy to loose control of the car, ground clearance can be an issue, most SUV's are fine. Most paved roads have great photo areas, if you are not a seasoned outdoor camper traveler, don't take any chances in Utah, the weather always changes, a storm 50 miles away can create river flooding in areas you would think was safe. PackCreek Ranch is worth the stay outside of Moab near the LaSale Mountains, expensive but a nice hideaway from the clutter od downtown Moab, 1/2 half hour drive south of town. Plenty of Indian sites to stop and study-Have a great adventure, I do all of the Indian sites along with the parks, Zion is a Mormon name, can't remember the Indian name but it was a sacred Indian area for the tribes who settled there first. The Indian History is more important, than just looking at the parks, Mesa Verdi and Chaco Canyon to be specific. Indian sites are everywhere in the Four Corners, definitely worth the trip. Utah is big and wide open, so traveling can be tidious, plan lots of stops and time to relax, or you will be fed up with the road trip. I have spent ten hours on the road to get to one location. Moab to Zion is a belt loop through Monument Valley to Page then on to Utah, Glen Canyon Dam is a must. Goooood LUCK.