Las Vegas to Park City Utah via NPs

[kplatt]

My husband and I are in the process of planning a road trip from Las Vegas to Park City, Utah for late October-early November. We plan to take in as many of the National Parks in Utah as possible, and understand that some visitor centers may be closed. We plan to do only mild hiking on marked trails, and no off-roading. We are not reckless people. We really just want to see the sights.

We're looking at a route such as this over 9-10 days:

Las Vegas to the St. George area on I-15
E on Rt. 9 to Springdale for Zion NP
Rt. 9 to Rt. 89 to Rt. 12 to Bryce Canyon City for Bryce NP
Rt. 12 to Torrey, Rt. 24 through Capitol Reef NP to Hanksvile
South on Rt. 95 to Blanding
N on Rt. 191 to Moab, for Arches NP and the northern part of Canyonlands NP
Then continuing nnw toward Park City, trying to stay on scenic back roads, again, weather permitting.

Would there be any advantage to doing the trip in the opposite direction -- from Park City to Las Vegas? Apart from the fact that a one-way rental seems to be cheaper from Las Vegas to Park City.

And about the car -- would we need 4-wheel drive or would an all-wheel drive suffice? We don't plan to do any off-road driving. We both have experience driving in the snow in the east. We'll have made a reservation to fly back east from Salt Lake City, but we can be flexible as to our overnight stops en route, assuming that most hotels are open during this time period. We can hole up for a day or two if weather is bad, and can adjust our route to make our flight home from SLC.

Does this sound reasonable? Any advice for a couple of senior citizens?

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to RTA !

You have a nice trip planned that will be comfortable over 9-10 days and I really don't think there is a need to pay extra for a one way rental as you would have time to return to Vegas which is a comfortable trip over a day and you may get a better flight deal as well. If half a days extra driving, being the difference between ending in SLC and LV, would save you a few hundred dollars it's certainly worth considering. I don't see any reason that going a different way around would make any difference. I would stay in the town of Springdale for Zion NP, it's a great place and an easy drive from Vegas. Hanksville has limited lodging options so you could look at Torrey for a night after visiting Bryce canyon, there is a nice Best western resort near to Capitol Reef. US95 is a nice drive but you could continue on UT 24 to I-70 to Moab which is quicker and you will pass Goblin Valley State park. I would recommend a couple of nights in Zion and a couple around Moab with 1 night for Bryce and Capital Reef. Bryce is amazing but doesn't offer too many easy hiking trails, it's more about he views from the rim which are all close to the road. To see them, head to the far end of the canyon and then stop at each one on the way back, they will be on your side of the road. Ruby's Inn is right near the entrance and a nice place to stay over.

This can be a wonderful time of year to tour these parts. As for the car, you won't need anything other than a normal sedan to get around in, even with a 4WD you would not be permitted to take it off paved roads.

[Lifemagician]

If you were to follow Dave's suggestion of continuing on 24 to I-70, then take UT 128 into Moab. It is a beautiful drive.

Lifey