Good information.

Be aware that in the high country, you never know what the weather will be, sometimes even hour to hour, much less day to day. Camping in the High Sierras, I have observed bright sunshine in one canyon while it was raining in the next canyon over. Fishing opening day at Lake Crowley for 17 years running (weekend closest to the first of May), one year it was no-shirt weather, while another, trout thrown into the bottom of the boat froze in 30 minutes. Another year, the wind was blowing so strongly that gravel was flying through the air, and several hundred boats either beached or at docks were totally destroyed. And a couple of years, I was skiing at Mammoth Mountain on the Fourth of July! One never knows!!!

Being affected by elevation - or not - is very much an individual thing! I don't recall that I've ever been over about 10,000 feet, but never have suffered any kind of ill effects. On the other hand, my parents, and my then older teen-age son did - breathing. My parents just took it easy, and didn't do anything strenuous. My son would hike with me, but had to stop a lot at that elevation.

I suggest you do not want to miss the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, but to see the beauty - and the grandeur - you don't need a lot of time - or mule rides to the bottom of the canyon, though that's OK if you're up for it and have the time allocated. Zion and Cedar Breaks are beautiful, but the lesser experiences in my opinion. The outstanding one is Bryce Canyon - both as to magnificent color and incredible rock formations - and is NOT to be missed. (The first time I visited Grand Canyon, I was disappointed, as I had expected much more color. On later visits, I came to appreciate it much more - for what it is, not detract for what it is not.)

I never had the opportunity to see the slot canyons, always wanted to, but now will not have the chance. It apparently is not too easy to do now, and must be planned (reserved) well in advance - as apparently everything these days!!! Pictures I have seen are incredible.

It seems apparent that ANYWHERE you wish to vacation these days, reservations many months in advance are required, and in some areas, only achievable through luck in a lottery! So get everything lined up as soon as possible!!! It's been six years since I last was at Grand Canyon (I was living in Phoenix), so I suspect things are even more restrictive than at that time.

All the best with your plans and trip, take lots of pictures - and let us see them, please.

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

If you're starting your driving trip from Las Vegas, think about the following: When driving from Las Vegas toward Zion (Springdale, UT), you will pass Red Rock Canyon. That's worth a couple of hours detour. In Zion the weather should be pleasant. Springdale is the best place to stay. There are shuttle buses running from Springdale which take you to most of the best viewpoints in Zion Canyon. As we have discovered in visiting numerous national parks, the "bottom up" views tend to more spectacular (and more photogenic) than the "top down" views.The two best hikes in Zion Canyon, as previously mentioned, are Angel's Landing and the Narrows. At that time of year it may be too cold to hike the Narrows. From Zion it is a relatively short drive to Bryce. When you are driving out of the canyon to Bryce, don't forget to check out the overlooks down into the canyon. In the high country, as you are driving away from Zion, there are numerous overlooks with incredible scenery, including numerous short hikes. When you get to Bryce, you will probably stay in the vicinity of Ruby's Inn. The weather at Bryce is considerably colder than at Zion, as it is about 4,000 ft. higher in elevation. We have seen snow in Bryce in June. There are numerous overlooks at Bryce with spectacular views. The one "must" hike is to hike into "Queen's Garden" This is a short (about 1 mile) hike with incredible views (not unlike hiking on the moon)! From Bryce, there are numerous options en route to the Grand Canyon. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon would probably be closed in the spring and, if open, might be extremely cold. You may have to skip this part of the trip. En Route to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, if it fits your schedule, an overnight stop in Page (on the shore of Lake Powell) would be worthwhile. In Page, an easy guided hike into Antelope Canyon would be a treat for everyone. On to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The elevation is high and the weather will be cold. The views are extraordinary. Unfortunately, the farther you hike into the Canyon the more spectacular the views. Hiking at this elevation could be problematic unless you have spent several days acclimating to the altitude. The hikes, for the most part, are steep and difficult. Don't even think of hiking to the bottom unless you are all very experienced hikers, extremely fit, and well prepared with ample water. Lodging in Grand Canyon could be problematic. Be sure you have reservations well in advance. Enjoy the trip!

Last year the extended family (3 grandparents, 2 parents and 3 grandkids) toured Acadia, Mn. Actually went very well, so now I’m stuck planning a 3 park trip for next Spring. Since I haven’t been that far West before (NY) I could use some suggestions. Grandparents probably will not hike far while everyone else likes to hike.
1) is it feasible to visit all 3 parks in mid April? Is snow or cold a problem then?
2) allowing 2 days for travel, would 7 days be enough time to see some of the highlights? Obviously you could spend weeks touring them and a lifetime knowing them; but we have 7 days.
3) are there any motels etc that you would recommend staying at? We don’t like to rough it.
4) are there any guides or tours that you would recommend?
5) any websites/uTube videos, guide books and maps would you recommend?
6) I plan on bringing a Canon R5/6, 24-105, 16mm RF or 14mm Rokinion, and 70-200. Will that give me any glaring gaps in coverage? Not looking into doing wildlife photos.
That’s a lot of questions and I thank those of you who can provide suggestions for any of them.

It has been many decades since I visited those parks, so some of my advice may be dated.
(1) TIME: Time allotment depends on how much you want to do. Also, parks are extremely crowded this year. Everything will take much longer than you expect. I suspect that you will only be able to do 2 parks with your time constraints.

(2) GRAND CANYON: Note that GG has South and North rims. South is well developed with hotels, restaurants, etc. North was extremely isolated, and very, very primitive (basic cabins were about it). Although the rims look close on the map, don't even think about driving between them.

We went to the South Rim at Xmas-time, and froze our butts off. I think that it will still be very cold in April. We also went to the North Rim in June. The day before we arrived, the roads were still closed with 16 FEET of snow.

(3) BRYCE/ZION: We went to Bryce and Zion in the summer, so I can not speculate on the weather in April. The 2 parks are very close. Bryce is my favorite (in my opinion, more spectacular than GC). If possible, take a horseback trail ride in ONE of these parks. I did rides in both parks on the same day, resulting in saddle sores the size of grapefruits. Also, I would advise bringing a cheap P&S camera.

Hope that this helps. Enjoy your trip.