Utah Road trip: need help with distances and stops

[annapurna66]

Hello all,

New to this forum and looking for some advice on road trip with my two teenagers through Utah. We have 12 days. This is my itinerary. Would appreciate any advice and or comments on whether the distance appears doable and what to see along the way. Questions are in ( ) Thanks so much.

Day one: arrive St. George Utah mid-afternoon and drive to Page Arizona ( is this easy drive?...do not want to drive at night and am a bit worried about time? which route should I take from St. George? )
Day two: Page
Day three: Page to Moab (what stops should be made along the way? is this one very long drive that can be done in one day?)
Day four, five, six: Moab
Day seven: Torrey? (is this logical place to stay between Moab and Bryce or is there somewhere else that would be better? time to make it to Torrey in hours would be? Places to stop on the way?)
Day eight: Bryce Canyon
Day nine, ten, eleven: Zion
Day twelve: drive back to St. George. (If we leave Zion in the am will we have enough time to make 1:00 pm flight? IS it easy driving to St. George? )

Thanks so much to anyone who can give some advice. :)

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

You have certainly done your homework and have a great family road trip to look forward to !

You should get to Page in about 3 hours. From I15 take Hwy 9 through Hurricane to UT59/AZ389 to US89A north to Kanab and then US89 east to Page. It's an easy enough drive but if you were worried about time after the flight and picking up your rental you could stop in Kanab which is roughly half distance.

You can drive to Moab quite comfortably in a day and have plenty of time to take US163 to Monument Valley. While in Moab you will have time to visit both Arches and Canyonlands.

Torrey is a little over 3 hours away but you will want to allow more time to stop and take photos and to visit Capitol Reef NP so you can fill your day easily, yet at a relaxed pace. There are a couple of lodging options nearer to the park, one of them being a Best Western resort. Not 'budget friendly' but in a great location.

The afternoon of Day 8 and the morning of day 9 to visit Bryce is perfect as is the 2 full days and a bit for Zion NP. Springdale is a wonderful little town and the gateway to Zion. The free shuttle buses that run into the canyon leave from town on a regular basis so it makes an ideal base. [Cars are not allowed in the canyon area] You should book here well in advance as it's very popular.

It's about an hour back to St George from Springdale so it shouldn't be a problem.

Any more questions just ask. Have a great trip !

[annapurna66]

Thanks so much Southwest Dave!!!!

[Southwest Dave]

You're welcome. The thing most noticeable through it's absence is the Grand canyon NP and if you haven't been before, perhaps should be considered. [If you haven't already] That could depend on what you want to see in the Page area. If you were to visit the North rim of the GC, there are nice lodgings and cabins at Jacob Lake Inn that would be a shorter journey from St George, but would take up the best part of the following day for a 'quick' visit, so I guess it would be a 'swap deal' for activities in Page or sacrificing a day in Moab, which is a real possibility.