The trip I took was very unplanned. Each day we'd look at the map and estimate where we wanted to go and while on the way there the passenger in the car would call around looking for a place to stay in the given area. I went in middle of August which was pretty hot. The weather was interesting but mostly fine for the places we visited.
I pretty much did the same thing during my trip in April 2015. Zero planning. We are doing the same thing this year. Of course we rolled into Zion at 9pm and it was in April, plus it rained a bit before so some of the campgrounds emptied out into motels. We had to go to or call about 5-6 hotels before we found one. We should have less trouble this time of year.
In my previous post I said that Bryce was my favorite park and that was not correct. I meant to say Zion was my favorite. I remember there being a big ole tree in front of one of the lodges that lots of people were just laying in the grass under it. We did the same and took a nap while laying on our backpacks. It was one of my fondest memories. I also liked that they paved the roads a natural red color to match the scenery. The busses that take you through the park were all natural gas so no extra smelly distractions. I really felt like they paid attention to the details to keep you in the theme of the park.
At the start of the trip we bought the annual park pass at the first park and more than recouped the fees from all the parks we visited. Well worth investing in it and I really think the national park service is fantastic in the US.
I know that tree. Lots of people kicking it under the tree. Taking naps like you said, having lunch, relaxing while rug-rats run around, etc, etc. I don't know what type of tree it is, but it was shedding something "dandelion-like" in the light breeze. Not enough to be bothersome, but laying there and looking up is was dream-like. Very relaxing.
I've been to Zion maybe 15-20 times. A bunch with my pop when I was a kid, and later right after high school for several years. Lots of nice long/hard multi-hour day hikes. Plus hikes up the Narrows.
Man I wish Zion was like it was in the early 1980's to maybe early/mid 1990's. Nobody knew that park even existed. NOBODY. They used to have two campgrounds. I don't remember ever seeing that second campground open. You could drive all the way up canyon yourself. And there was always plenty of parking at every stop. No fancy visitors center. Self-serve camp ground. You put your $3/night in a small envelope and put in drop box at entrance. Pick your own site. Deserted most of year. The town outside the park had maybe 2-3 restaurant and 2 motels. It's really commercial now. Crazy number of people. Can't drive up canyon. Campground packed. It's kinda funny that the lodge and concessions contract is with a Vietnamese group/family. I have no issue with the ethnicity, just funny an all Vietnamese crew in the middle of Utah.
And yeah, the $80 annual pass pays for itself pretty quickly. A must, as entrance fees are $15?-30? a pop at the parks
I just finished watching this
documentary series. Worth watching before you trip.
Thanks for the tip.
I've been to those places, but altogether a period of about 6 months and >100,000 frames.
One of the main problems is trying to do too much on each trip. Just to get good light sometimes you can only visit a few in a week.
May/June can be brutal with 3AM starts and 4 hours of sleep a night. September/October are better but weather can be an issue.
True. You really need to spend several days if not a week+ for some of the parks if you want to have good lighting at all the interesting parts. Sometimes very early A.M. is best, or late afternoon.
Primary goals:
1) Re-friggen-lax and enjoy ourselves.
2) See some cool spots we've never seen before.
3) Try to take some semi-decent photos.
3a) Try not to look like a couple of douches with $9k+ in camera gear.
