Seattle to The Grand Canyon Advice

[Southwest Dave]

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.

[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

[tony32408]

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

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?

[tony32408]

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.

[Midwest Michael]

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.

[landmariner]

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.