Seattle to The Grand Canyon Advice

Hi all,

You helped so much in planning Yellowstone/Badlands Vacation last year. This year I plan on driving from Seattle to the Grand Canyon.

I have two now 5 year old twins (they did amazing on the Yellowstone trip). We will be leaving the first week in May and driving my SUV. As we did last year, we plan on a combination of hotels, cabins, and tent camping. I've taken 14 days off work.

Can you tell me if my intermarry is in a good order. Also, if I should add a day or remove something. If there are any cool attractions along the way, please let me know (for the kids or for me. I'm into history).

Day 1: May 1: Boise, ID
Day 2: May 2: Salt Lake City, UT
Day 3: May 3: Salt Lake City, UT
Day 4: May 4: Zion, UT
Day 5: May 5: Bryce Canyon, UT
Day 6: May 6: Grand Canyon
Day 7: May 7: Grand Canyon
Day 8: May 8: Las Vegas
Day 9: May 9: Las Vegas
Day 9: May 10: Death Valley
Day 10: May 11: Twin Falls, ID
Day 11: May 12: Tri-Cities or Walla Walla
Day 12: May 13: Seattle

Thank you!

Antonio

Two things that stand out.

Bryce Canyon is north of Zion, so it would make sense to do that first. In early may, only the South Rim is open, but I'm guessing you're planning on going via Page/Lake Powell to get there from Zion/Bryce. That would take you past places like antelope canyon and horseshoe bend, and I'd probably spend a day there rather than 2 days at SLC.

The other thing I don't get is going from Death Valley to Twin Falls - that's a lot of back tracking east and a pretty long day on the road. I'd look at going up towards Lake Tahoe and then make your way north through CA and Oregon.

One good, one bad, so let's deal with the bad one first. Death Valley to Twin Falls is right around 550 miles, depending on where in the valley you start from. That is almost entirely on two-lane roads and while the speed limits may be relatively high, those roads are mostly straight and flat, i.e. mind numbing. Such a drive, while possible, is going to seriously test the patience of your children, and yours as well when they start asking "Are we there yet?" two hours into a nine hour drive.

The good is the Grand Canyon, especially if you make your 'base' for your two days there in the Flagstaff area. There's a lot to do there including Walnut Canyon, Wakupiti, Sunset Crater and the Museum of Northern Arizona. I'd doubt that your kids would be happy spending two days looking at a hole in the ground, no matter how large or scenic.

AZBuck

I would agree with comments regarding going to Bryce first and then to Zion, although I would spend an extra night at Zion and also agree with regards to heading to Tahoe from Death valley. Perhaps you could spend the next night close to Crater lake, or if you drove through DV to Lone pine or Bishop you could consider stopping near Lassen volcanic park.

My puzzlement? Travel time.

SLC to Bryce is a half day's drive. That's good, it leaves you the other half to see the park. I'm not sure if the road all the way out to the farthest point will be open in May, anyway. It depends on their snowplow.

Bryce to Zion is only an hour and a half drive. However, even in May, Zion may be super-busy. Check the website!

Zion to Flagstaff is another half day's drive, but as has been pointed out, other things could be seen along the way. The South Rim is open year-round. The North Rim doesn't open until mid-May. The East Entrance to Grand Canyon from Tusayan is Closed; one must enter from the south.

At all places, shuttles require masks to be worn.


Donna

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The East Entrance to Grand Canyon from Tusayan is Closed; one must enter from the south.

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Tusayan is at the south entrance, and that's open. The east entrance from Cameron is closed. You will have to go all the way to Flagstaff and cut back. This adds over 80 miles.

My bad. GLC is right, it's Cameron at the east entrance.

Donna

Great country in those parts!

My suggestion would be SLC to Bryce via Utah-12 from Torrey, UT down to Bryce. If you were to to that way, I would consider dropping a day in Las Vegas and staying at Capitol Reef NP near Torrey to break up the driving days and give the kids some fresh air. There are some nice short hikes with petroglyphs and such. It was also provide a continuum over time from the newer canyons (Capitol Reef) to the older (Grand Canyon).

Bryce is a high altitude location so be sure to take plenty of warm clothing and bedding. Zion is a lower altitude.

Whether from Zion or Bryce to the Grand Canyon, a full day's drive it will be. Lots of sites to see along the way as well.

Death Valley=>Reno=>Bend=> Seattle? (Disclaimer, I like Bend; but then I like beer).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

I would agree with comments regarding going to Bryce first and then to Zion, although I would spend an extra night at Zion and also agree with regards to heading to Tahoe from Death valley. Perhaps you could spend the next night close to Crater lake, or if you drove through DV to Lone pine or Bishop you could consider stopping near Lassen volcanic park.

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Hi Dave thanks for the feedback. I can add an extra day. Bryce Canyon looks like there are some other cool things around it like Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Do you think Zion would be better to add the day? What other things would I check out in the area?

Hi Tony.

There are a million and one things you could check out but having the time to do them is something that most of us struggle with. Sometimes less is more and just enjoying the places you are visiting rather than rushing to the next (very tempting I know !!) is often more rewarding. You also have to remember travel times when planning a day here and a day there. For example, by the time you get to Bryce from SLC thats going to be the best part of half your day gone. Bryce is quite an easy park to see the best parts as all the major viewpoints are a short way from the roadside. If you travel to the far end of the canyon and sightsee on the way back all the viewpoints will be on your side of the road and you won't have to constantly cross traffic. Zion is different, there are loads of easy hiking trails and it takes longer to get around, thats why I suggested an extra night there as 2 nights means you get a full day to explore the park but also allows you some free time to travel in and out of the park to and from your other destinations. The simple journey from Bryce to Zion will have you wanting to stop at places like Red canyon, Checkaboard mesa and maybe even the Canyonoverlook trail.

The other issue to know about, with Grand Staircase-Escalante, is the status of the roads. Many of them are either dirt or even 4WD-necessary type roads. The website for the national monument, which is cared for by the BLM, is reporting roads either covered by snow or currently very muddy. Your trip isn't until May, but I think you're better off spending extra time in Zion. You need to negotiate the shuttle system, which requires a ticket for every person over age 2, and a mask on everyone. (I don't look for that to change any time soon.) It also takes time to work with the shuttle system, first for parking and then waiting to get around the park. One suggestion from one of my colleagues that loves Zion: "be prepared to wait a lot, and don't go back to the Visitor Center with your shuttle ticket until you are done for the day, because then you have to buy new tickets."


Donna

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

The other issue to know about, with Grand Staircase-Escalante, is the status of the roads. Many of them are either dirt or even 4WD-necessary type roads. The website for the national monument, which is cared for by the BLM, is reporting roads either covered by snow or currently very muddy. Your trip isn't until May, but I think you're better off spending extra time in Zion. You need to negotiate the shuttle system, which requires a ticket for every person over age 2, and a mask on everyone. (I don't look for that to change any time soon.) It also takes time to work with the shuttle system, first for parking and then waiting to get around the park. One suggestion from one of my colleagues that loves Zion: "be prepared to wait a lot, and don't go back to the Visitor Center with your shuttle ticket until you are done for the day, because then you have to buy new tickets."

Donna

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Thanks Donna it does feel like I have a lot packed into the day. My plan is to skip everything and drive directly to Zion. I was hoping to get there by 900AM (my kids wake up early so that should not be an issue). I've looked into the Shuttle and I have the date I can get the tickets. It took me a while to figure it out but I think I understand how their system works. We all have masks. I got a hotel back on the East side of the park so we would be going in the right direction towards Grand Canyon. Do you think we would have time to see the major sites in the park and still have time to drive over to Grafton and have dinner in that area at the end of the day?

Hi all,

I'll be visiting the Park the second week in May with my 5 year old twins. I thought it would be cool to camp in the park. I originally only had us going for one day and then heating back towards home but it looks like there are so many things to see and do that I'm going to add an extra day. I'm looking around the Furnace Creek area.

Has anyone camped in May? Do you think the heat will be a big concern by that point?

Thanks!

Antonio

Moderator note: Please keep all questions about this trip in the same thread.

Average May temps in DV are about 100F during the day and 70 at night. Being that it usually cools off quickly after sundown, the camping shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as you can deal with the heat during the day.

A good historical temperature source is:
https://www.weatherforyou.com/report...us&hwvRMon=May

This will cover most places around the USA, sometimes the user needs to make some adjustments for elevation, but often time there will be a weather station nearby.

Everyone needs to drink lots of water even though it is dry heat and you won't be sweating as much. Water, water, water.