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Lost in Southern Utah: Practical info
Two friends make the rounds of Utah’s National Parks in four days of adventure in the high desert
An overlook along Route 12 in Southern Utah (See Day 3).
How to get the parks of Southern Utah
Salt Lake City is actually not the most convenient gateway for the parklands of Southern Utah. We flew into Grand Junction, Colorado via Denver—a 90-minute drive from Moab—but could just as easily have done this trip in reverse by flying into Las Vegas, a two-hour drive from Zion.
Grand Junction's tiny regional airport (www.walkerfield.com) has direct daily flights (www.orbitz.com) to and from Denver (on United or Frontier), Dallas/Ft. Worth (American Airlines), Salt Lake City (Delta), and Phoenix (US Airways), plus non-daily flights to and from Las Vegas (Allegiant Air).
When to go to Southern Utah
Southern Utah Road Trip
Intro
Day 1: Moab & Arches NP
Day 2: Canyonlands NP & Monument Valley
Day 3: Capitol Reef NP, Hwy 12, & Bryce NP
Day 4: Bryce NP & Zion NP
Practical info
We went the first week of April, when many outfitters had just opened for the season (the parks are open year-round, as is the lodge in Zion, but the Bryce lodge is open only April 1 to October 31).
However, even though this is the desert, it’s the high desert, which means there was still plenty of snow at higher elevations and daytime temperatures in the 70s plummeted to less than 10 degrees some nights.
Then again, we beat most of the crowds that pack into Zion, Bryce, and Arches come June and remain through the brutal heat of August.
Get the National Parks pass!
At the entrance of the first park we visited—Arches—we bought a National Parks annual pass for $50, since paying separate admissions to each of the five parks would have cost $65. You can also order the pass by phone or online: 1-888-ASK USGS (ext. 1); store.usgs.gov/pass.
(2011 update: The annual pass is now a scandalous $80 and comes with a treacly, jingoistic new name: the "America the Beautiful" Pass. It's still a bargain, even if not, technically, a savings on this particular trip, since the individual prices on the parks of Southern Utah have gone up by a little less and collectively ring in at total of $75. However, you then have a full year to use it at just one other National Park, Forest Service, or BLM-managed land—and park admissions generally start at $5—after which you would start reaping the savings. 
)
The details again
The Utah Bookshelf
GUIDEBOOKS:
FUN & INSPIRATION:
Day 1
Attractions
• Arches National Park (435-719-2299, www.nps.gov/arch), Moab, $10.
• Dead Horse Point State Park (435-259-2614, www.stateparks.utah.gov), Rte. 313, Moab, $10.
Activities
• Rim Tours (800-626-7335 or 435-259-5223, www.rimtours.com), 1233 South Hwy. 191, Moab. Half-day ride: $85 per person for 2-3, $70 per person for 4-8.
Dining
• Eddie McStiff’s (435-259-2337, www.eddiemcstiffs.com), 57 South Main St., Moab.
Lodging
• Kokopelli Lodge (888-530-3134, www.kokopellilodge.com), 72 South 100 East St., Moab, doubles $60–$72.
• Red Rock Lodge (877-207-9708 or 435-259-5431, www.red-rocklodge.com), 51 North 100 West, Moab, doubles $55–$75.
Day 2
Attractions
• Canyonlands National Park (435-719-2313, www.nps.gov/cany), Moab, $10.
Shopping
• Goulding’s Trading Post (435-727-3231, www.gouldings.com), 100 Main St., Monument Valley, Navajo Indian Reservation.
Dining
• Twin Rocks Café & Trading Post (435-672-2341, www.twinrocks.com), 913 E. Navajo Twins Drive, Bluff.
Lodging
• Cowboy Homestead Cabins (888-854-5871 or 435-425-3414, www.cowboyhomesteadcabins.com), 2100 South Rte. 12, Torrey, doubles $59 [note: those are 2005 rates].
Day 3
Box Death Hollow Wilderness (See Day 3).
Attractions
• Capitol Reef National Park (435-425-3791, www.nps.gov/care), Torrey, $5.
• Bryce Canyon National Park (435-834-5322, www.nps.gov/brca), Ruby Inn, $25.
Lodging & Dining
• Bryce Canyon Lodge (888-297-2757, www.brycecanyonlodge.com), doubles from $125.
Day 4
Attractions
• Zion National Park (435-772-3256, www.nps.gov/zion), Springdale, $25.
Dining
• Bit & Spur Restaurant and Saloon (435-772-3498, www.bitandspur.com), 1212 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale.
Lodging
• Canyon Ranch Motel (866-946-6276 or 435-772-3357, www.canyonranchmotel.com), 668 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, doubles $59–$99.
THE ROUTE
Day 1 - Grand Junction to Moab
* From Grand Junction, Colorado to Moab: I-70 (west) to Exit 202: Rte. 128 (south), known as the “Colorado River Road.” At end, left (south) onto Rte. 191 into Moab.* From Moab to Klondike Bluffs (note: you'll get a ride there in a van with the biking guide): North on Rte. 191 to about halfway between Moab and I-70 (it’s a dirt-road turn-off; don’t know if it’ll be marked on your map, but on mine both “Klondike Bluffs” and “Dinosaur Tracks” are marked.)
* From Moab to Arches/Dead Horse Point State Park: North on Rte 191 to Arches NP entrance; up scenic roads inside park, taking both the one that ends at Windows Section and the one to Delicate Arch. Back to Rte. 191; right (north) up Rte. 191 to Rte. 313, which dead-ends at Dead Horse Point. Backtrack into Moab.
Day 2 - Moab to Torrey
* From Moab to Pinnacles section of Canyonlands NP: South on Rte. 191 to Rte. 211 (heading west). All the way to end of road at Big Spring Canyon Overlook.
* From Canyonlands NP to Monument Valley/Navajo Indian Reservation: Back down Rte. 211 to Rte. 191. South on Rte. 191 to Bluff. West/southwest on Rte. 163, through Mexican Hat, to Goulding at the Arizona State Line. Lots of dirt roads off to the west of Goulding (which roads, I couldn’t tell you; we were, after all, terribly lost).
* Monument Valley to Torrey: Back up Rte. 163, detouring just north of Mexican Hat down the three-mile-long Rte 316 to Goosenecks State Park. Continue back up Rte. 163 to Bluff, then north again on Rte. 191 to Blanding. Backtrack from Blanding south on Rte. 191 a few miles to Rte. 95 headed west (then northwest). Follow Rte. 95 aaaaaalllllll the way to Hanksville, where you pick up Rte. 24 headed west to Torrey.
Day 3 - Torrey to Bryce
* From Torrey to Capitol Reef: Backtrack along Rte. 24 into Capitol Reef NP. Take scenic road south to the end (10 miles).
* From Capitol Reef NP to Bryce NP: The fabulous Rte. 12 (one of the most scenic drives in America) winds its way south from Torrey, through the Dixie National Forest, cutting through bits of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, all the way through Henrieville and Cannonville to Ruby’s Inn. At Ruby’s Inn, a side road leads south into Bryce NP.
Day 4 - Bryce to Grand Junction
* From Bryce NP to Zion NP: Back up to Rudy’s Inn. Continue west on Rte. 12 to Rte. 89 south. At Mount Caramel Junction, turn west onto Rte. 9. This goes right through Zion NP to Springdale its main gateway town.
* From Zion NP/Springdale back to Grand Junction, Colorado: Continue west on Rte. 9 to La Verkin, then north for six miles on Rte. 17 to I-15 north. Follow I-15 north to Cove Fort (exit 132), where you pick up I-70, headed east. Ride that baby all the way back across the state to Colorado—you'll cross the seemingly endless and gorgeously desolate no-man's land San Rafael Swell, which is quite clearly where they faked the moon landings; before doing so, take those billboards about "last gas for 134 miles" seriously.
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This article was last updated in December 2008, based on an article written for Budget Travel magazine in 2005, reproduced here by permission. All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998–2010 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett.
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