Southern Utah must do's?

[Noller]

Muley Point - about 10 miles NW of Mexican Hat.

Drive 5 miles on a dirt road off highway 261 (passeneger cars OK). Pitch your tent wherever you like on the top of this huge cliff. Look directly down on the bizzare Gooseneck canyon of the San Juan. See the Monument Valley formations in the distance, and hundreds of square miles of other wonderfully arid scenery from this vantage. Pay nothing and, quite possibly, see nobody else around.

No single picture can do this place justice, but this gives you an idea:

[lizs]

Now if this were Facebook, I'd give a thumb's up - "like" - to the photo above!

A few edits on my novel-length post (;P) -
Navajo Tribal Park = Monument Valley, which is noted in the post above
I "relocated" the Navajo Trail Loop to Zion - OOPS! It's in Bryce!

[emiller]

Wow Thanks for all of the helpful information. Looking ahead I think my general plan now is to spend 2 days in zion, 1 at Bryce and 2 in Moab, which leaves one in Utah unplanned. I hope to camp in Zion and Bryce then find a vacation rental in Moab and make it the last stop before heading home. While in Moab take time to visit Dead Horse point, Arches and some other local attractions. This leaves me with a couple of questions. Should we camp at Zion and Bryce or are there some nearby campgrounds that are better? The little ones love camping but the added amenities of private campgrounds can be nice. Then in Moab are there any great places to eat? Is there a local microbrewery that is a cant miss? I don't know much about the alcohol laws in Utah. I know now is the time to book the campgrounds or I may even be behind a little.

[Scott P]

I have the flu today, so I might as well answer some questions. :D

I Like Moab, but in late May and if you are going to Bryce anyway, I would switch Moab for Boulder/Escalante.

Moab tends to be hot and crowded during late May and the canyons there (there are exceptions such as Mill Creek, Negro Bill and Professor Creek) are mostly dry so hiking is hot weather isn't as pleasant (plus lots of deer horse flies in places). It's also prime river rafting season so campsites can be hard to get. Winter, early spring and fall are the best seasons for hiking most places in Moab (rafting is best in May/June), though there are exceptions. If you do go, I would suggest Professor Creek and Mill Creek or early morning hikes in Arches (afternoons will likely be quite hot). You you can still find plenty of good places around Moab to go in late May.

Here is my kid's favorite hike ever and is in the Escalante region:

http://www.summitpost.org/adventures-in ... ort/637939" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Calf Creek Falls (Upper and Lower) and the Escalante River are also great for kids. Peekaboo, Spooky and Brimstone are really cool as well and kids love them. Egypt 3 is a bit more challenging, but doable for an in shape kid.

Calf Creek:





Peekaboo:



If you do go to Escalante you really don't need a campground and there are plenty of campsites along the Hole in the Rock Road or Burr Trail (road). No need for reservations.

Camping at Bryce is nice. It will be slightly chilly in late May, but not bad. Camping as Zion in late May can be a little unpleasant at times. The campground in Zion Canyon is pretty, but in late May is prone to strong winds all night (on an almost nightly basis). Lava Point Campground will likely still be closed because of snow.

Unfortunately, unlike the rest of Utah, there aren't that many places to camp close to Zion Canyon. Mosquito Cove is prone to flooding then and is closed at times. You might have the best luck at a private RV park. Red Cliffs is a nice campground, but not that close (though it has a hike that rivals the stuff in Zion). Quail Creek is nice, but hot that time of year (but is next to a lake to jump into), so the heat won't be too bad.

[emiller]

Looks like I should trade in camping at Bryce for Kodachrome state park since it has Showers and is only 30 min away from Bryce, to bad its 2hrs from Zion. Scott your Fortymile gulch pictures look amazing. That is something I will have to look into. The only reason i keep coming back to ending in Moab is it seems tomakes the most sense as a departure by car back to IL.

[greenhorn1]

BTW if your doing Island in the Sky National Park, you can forgo Dead Horse Point. They have basically the same views. I wished I would have saved my time/entry fee/gass and just went on ahead to the National Park right next to it.

[Scott P]

Scott your Fortymile gulch pictures look amazing. That is something I will have to look into.

If taking a 4 year old, you would have to backpack in to see the best stuff in Fortymile, but there are still plenty of other places in the same area (such as Brimstone, Peekaboo and Sppoky Canyons plus Calf Creek that can be visited by children on day hikes.

The only reason i keep coming back to ending in Moab is it seems tomakes the most sense as a departure by car back to IL.

As mentioned, I would highly recommend Professor Creek and Mill Creek that time of year (notice the TR link with Fortymile also includes Mill Creek on the way back). Both have plenty of water to play in. Professor Creek and Mill Creek both have waterfalls and shade too. Close to Professor Creek are the Fisher Towers, perhaps the most spectacular area around Moab. See below:

http://www.summitpost.org/fisher-towers ... ers/153062" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It can be hot in the afternoon, but the evenings and mornings should be fine and sunset/sunrise is spectacular there.

Here is a link to Professor Creek:

http://www.summitpost.org/professor-creek/182257" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mill Creek is easy to find and the hike actually starts from the town of Moab.

Negro Bill and Courthouse Wash (lower) are also good in early May. Courthouse Wash is in Arches NP, but you can also access it from the park border just west of Moab and the Colorado River. Negro Bill Canyon is just up the Colorado River from Moab and has pools, small waterfalls and one of the world's largest arches.

Arches will be good in the mornings or evenings (Delicate Arch and Devils Gardens are favorites, but can be crowded at times, especially Delicate Arch at sunset).

If you only a day or two, I would say that Arches is a better destination than Canyonlands. Canyonlands is awesome, but to soak it in and see the best stuff, several days is best. As mentioned though, you could just visit the overlooks at Island in the Sky and call it good. It can be hot out there, but not that bad since the Island is at a moderate elevation.

[MtHurd]

I highly recommend driving the Shafer Trail from Canyonlands back to Moab. I did it in a 2-wheel drive Escape so the road isn't bad. There are plenty of opportunities to get the kids out of the car and check things out.



I would also suggest driving the Mountain Loop Road which runs by the La Sal mountains (this will take you from Moab back to Moab in a big loop). We camped below Gold Knob (nice place and free). The rangers in town said that the campsite was snowed under (Memorial Day), but when we got there it was snow free and nobody around. This route will also take you by a couple of nice sandstone towers. You can see one in the far left of the pic below (very small in the pic but still visible).

View from the summit of Gold Knob which is near the Mountain Loop Road.

Just so you are not surprised, be prepared for a lot of people in and around Moab. That is why the La Sals are so nice, it gets you away from most of the people.

[sandywash]

I've been down to SE Utah a number of times, usually for 3 weeks, and plan to take my granddaughters (almost 5), as soon as we can figure out how to fit the two of them, the black lab, and our gear in the jeep. So I've enjoyed reading everyone's answers to emiller, and just spend an hour typing in my 2 cents and then managed to close the window.

KODACHROME, I think is an excellent choice for camping comfortable with younger kids. Well laid out, showers and flush toilets. You can make a fire in the firepits. When we were there last September (to let the roads dry before we went back into the back country), there were two retired guys who lived in their rvs with their dogs and did a great job maintaining the place. One of the rangers was very stern, but the other two were friendly.

You might also think about HOVENWEEP, again accessible if the weather is bad, lights in the bathrooms, you can fill up on water, an easy loop trail to ruins, and longer trails to farther ruins.

I'm personally inclined towards MOAB, lots of places to stay, if you camp outside on BLM land, you can still come in to town and pay for a shower at a number of places, two well stocked grocery stores with everything you need plus lots of extras. Lots of restaurants. Dinosaur tracks. Arches. If it is too hot, you can take a day trip to higher ground, the La Sals, the Blues, the Dinosaur Museum in Blanding, you can drive out by Windwhistle Rock and drive by the troglodytes on your way to see Looking Glass Arch.

I always like to have alternate plans, the weather changes, washes flash flood, and roads wash out. Remember the people who ended up stuck down at Mineral Bottom last August.

[greenhorn1]

Re: comment by Sandywash about Hoovenweep...

I agree, Hoovenweep is nice esp if you're on your way to from Mesa Verde or headed from S.E. Utah. However, there are no (or barely) any facilities near it.

[thebeave7]

My favs that I've been to are the backcountry of Zion(aka away from the main canyon), if you can spare a few days there's a nice route from the Northwest entrance to the East entrance.


Bryce is great for a quick 1 day, go for a hike/run down in the hoodoos, its another world for sure...


Buckskin Gulch is a classic, even if only doing a short out and back into the canyon, its well worth the trip...



Though there are many great suggestions above, you really can't go wrong in that area, stunning beauty, other worldly terrain, and lots of silence to be had if you want it.

Eric

[Matt Lemke]

Ohhhh.....don't get me tempted!
I can rant on and on about all the remote unheard and spectacular places in southern Utah.
Which reminds me...I was wondering if I could post Utah trip reports on this site or are TR's strictly for Colorado?
Thanks.