Southern UT Trip.... any last-minute recommendations?

[smmokan]

Next weekend, I'm heading down to the St. George area for a few days, with several stops on the way there and back. Right now the plan is:

- Hit Goblin Valley, Factory Butte, and maybe Pectol's Pyramid on the way down (I know it won't be ideal light, that's OK)
- 3 days in St. George with one full day spent in Zion and one day MTB'ing. I'm hoping to do Angel's Landing in Zion as the main hike, conditions permitting.
- Drive from St. George to Monument Valley, stopping at Horseshoe Bend and maybe Antelope Canyon on the way there.
- Spend a night in MV- there for both sunset and sunrise
- Drive from MV to Moab, likely hitting Canyonlands for that afternoon and sunset (False Kiva and the overlooks)

Knowing that route, is there anything I'm missing that's worth a quick side trip?

[Altmanator]

If you get near Capitol Reef, the Hartnett Rd loop is out of this world. So many wild vistas and geologic formations along this loop. From towering monoliths to the white Bentonite hills, it's a photographic dream cruise. You will need a 4-wheel drive vehicle as the entrance is a pretty fun river fjording. Nothing too sketchy but it does keep the riff-raff out. Can't recommend it enough

[smmokan]

Thanks Justin- it looks like that might have to wait for the next trip. If that's the road to Cathedral Valley (I think it is), that's a trip in itself!

[Vandeezy]

Last year I hit up Zion and Bryce at about this time and it was quite awesome. Not very crowded and good weather. So hopefully you get some of that.

For Zion the Angel's landing hike only took about 1:45hrs to the top with lots of quick photo stops along the way. Much easier of a hike then we were expecting. Start really early and you could easily be the only ones at the top which is quite amazing. Start late (10am) and it is a shit-show but quite hilarious to watch all the tourists freak out on the hike. You can easily hit up another major activity in the park that day but I don't think a Angel's landing/narrows is really feasible in one day.

Here is the trip we did last year: http://andylibrande.com/news/2012/07...-spring-break/


After Monument Valley since you will have a national park pass you could hit up Natural Bridges Monument as well. I haven't been there but it is not too far out of your way.


Also if you are taking HWY 24 through capitol reef to HWY 62 make sure you hit up Bryce Canyon for at least a sunset or sunrise. One of the more beautiful drives through Utah and someplace I want to actually spend exploring more of.

Otherwise if you are just trying to hit Goblin/Factory Butte and continue down I-70, you may want to play it by ear as both are cool but are a pretty long diversion for something that is not nearly as amazing as Zion or Bryce especially if it is the middle of the day and all you are doing is sight-seeing.

[smmokan]

Not exactly what I want to hear about Angel's Landing... I don't have an issue starting early, but from what I've read it's better for pictures in the late morning or early afternoon. Maybe I'll have to rethink that though, if it means not having to deal with a bunch of idiots on the narrow part of the hike.

[Bronic]

Sounds like you aren't spending much time in Moab but I thought I'd mention it anyways.
For 15 years I've been going and have always biked. Two years ago I ventured out and did a hike in Arches called the Fiery Furnace and I have have been back every single trip since. Its a pretty unreal maze of slot canyons. You need to stop by the Visitor Center and watch a video and buy a 5 dollar permit (they only sell 100 a day).

They normally turn people away unless you are with someone who has been in before but my group went without anyone who knew. You just have to be heads up and pay attention to where you have been and where you are going. Drawing a little map and taking notes along the way was extremely helpful.

Overview of the area












Excuse the hideous post processing. If was two years ago and my first time playing around with lightroom

You can make it as hard or as easy as you like. For me it was a giant playground. Lots of canyoneering options if you have such skills/equipment.

PM me if you have any questions. Have a fun trip

[Vandeezy]

Not exactly what I want to hear about Angel's Landing... I don't have an issue starting early, but from what I've read it's better for pictures in the late morning or early afternoon. Maybe I'll have to rethink that though, if it means not having to deal with a bunch of idiots on the narrow part of the hike.

So we were there on March 29th last year so nearly the same time. I thought the morning was beautiful watching the sun rise on the cliffs. By 8:30 the sun was on the landing it is the valley's that take a while to fill in which I thought was good for picture taking, you just can't get every angle.

This website was also an invaluable resource and has quite a bit of basic photo tips: http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/

As an example this is what it looked like at 8:50am looking north:

[Vandeezy]

Two years ago I ventured out and did a hike in Arches called the Fiery Furnace and I have have been back every single trip since. Its a pretty unreal maze of slot canyons. You need to stop by the Visitor Center and watch a video and buy a 5 dollar permit (they only sell 100 a day).

Damn, looks like that is on my to-do list on the next visit.

[mtcham]

Sounds like you aren't spending much time in Moab but I thought I'd mention it anyways.
For 15 years I've been going and have always biked. Two years ago I ventured out and did a hike in Arches called the Fiery Furnace and I have have been back every single trip since. Its a pretty unreal maze of slot canyons. You need to stop by the Visitor Center and watch a video and buy a 5 dollar permit (they only sell 100 a day).

+1 for the Furnace. just did this a couple days ago and well worth sitting through the video for the permit.

[smmokan]

mtcham- did you sign up ahead of time, or did you just go and hope you got a permit?

Thanks for bringing up the Fiery Furnace, it's actually on my to-do list and I forgot about it. We're spending our last night in Moab on the way back up from Monument Valley, so I'm going to look into it right now.

[mtcham]

Just go to the visitor center and ask them for a permit. You watch a 10 minute video and get a short lecture on etiquette and you're in the furnace 20 minutes later. I had the feeling they size you up a bit before the permit is even discussed. I'm sure they turn down some folks.

[Bronic]

I talked to a ranger once who said they usually don't sell all 100. If you showed up at 3:00 pm on memorial day weekend they'd be gone but I've never had trouble getting one. I believe the only thing you can sign up for in advance is the Ranger guided tours. I would suggest doing it on your own. The coolest part about being in there is exploring on your own. Not following ranger rick and 20 other texans

[smmokan]

OK, thanks guys... sounds like it's on the list for our last morning before heading back to the Front Range.

[eCr412]

I did a sourthern Utah trip back in september to bike but hit a lot of the major parks from Hurricane to Moab. Arches was probably my favorite, Zion was cool but it was CROWDED, and we never did the angels landing hike, didn't feel like dealing with the shitshow. If you want somewhere that is very picturesqe and NOBODY go to the Wedge(little grand canyon) You may need a 4wd mode of transportation as it's litteraly in the middle of no where, but the sceney was awesome

[leftfield]

Bryce is def worth the stop, if you don't have much time try to get there in the morning.

Little Wild Horse slot canyon is near Goblin Valley. A nice hike but if time is a factor i'd skip it in favor of these other options. There are some fun, short, non-technical slot canyons in Escalante, google "spooky peek a boo slot canyons".

Calf Creek Falls is beautiful and on the way to Bryce.

You can stop and day-hike Buckskin Gulch driving across 89 towards Page, it's one of the best non-technical slot canyons. And a limited number of permits are available every morning for 'The Wave', might be worth it to try and score one.

If Antelope is too expensive/busy, get a $5 permit from the Navajo nation and hike down into Waterholes slot canyon.

Heading north out of MV, Goosenecks State Park is a quick viewpoint detour. Or try Muley Point, one of my favorites. There are a couple of photogenic indian ruins in that area in Mule Canyon and Road Canyon.

Have a great trip, there's loads to see and do- it can be tough to pick and choose where to stop. Post some photos when you get back.

[Fuzz]

+2 on Fiery Furnace. We did a canyoneering trip there with a guide (not a park ranger) about 8 years ago -- awesome fun. We were with another couple who were pretty mountain savvy (several Himalayan trips under their belts), so got to do a lot of "extra" stuff.

[smmokan]

Leftfield- check your inbox.