Bogley

[trackrunner]

deathcricket wrote: If you do go on a crowded day, hit up "hidden canyon" that one is never crowded and one of my faves also.
Second on Hidden Canyon :nod:

[Iceaxe]

bryan wrote: Our basic plans are 3 nights Zion, 1 night Boulder, 1 night Torrey, and 2 nights Bryce.

Not a bad plan... but if you are more of a hiker then a stop the car and look type of tourist.....

3 nights Zion, 1 night Boulder, 2 nights Torrey, and 1 night Bryce.

Bryce is nice and probably has the biggest "WOW!!!" factor.... but you can use up all the neato really fast.

There is a lot of nice hiking in Capitol Reef... one of my favorite family hikes is Sulphur Creek.

Sulphur Creek
http://climb-utah.com/Capitol/sulphur.htm



And Calf Creek is worth the time and effert....

Calf Creek Falls
http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/calfcreek.htm

[erial]

re: subway. i've only done the bottom route. worth the effort in my opinion. no ropes or swimming, but i think you still need a permit. as for the thru route, last week swimming was involved in a couple spots. that's my recollection of what james from dc related to me of his hike. he also mentioned the permit person trying to discourage him from doing the thru hike, but james persisted and won out.

Anyway, some folks might balk at the idea of cold water swims more than they might the idea of handlining down a slope.

[bryan]

Just wanted to come back and post a quick report. Well of course we had a great time. The weather was perfect pretty much the entire time. Zion is really incredible and, not surprisingly, was our favorite park. The scale and diversity of terrain is awesome.

I'd say the highlights for us were Observation Point and Hidden Canyon @ Zion, Spooky & Peek-a-boo slots (so much fun!), and driving the Burr Trail switchbacks. Unfortunately, the Zion Narrows was closed due to water flow and the wife wasn't up for the Subway, but that leaves plenty of good stuff to come back for some day.

I have to say, I was also really impressed with the food just about everywhere. The only mediocre meals we had were at the lodges.

As far as advice to leave behind for any other Southern UT first-timers who google this thread:
Bring chapstick and moisturizer.
Get the garlic burger at Oscar's in Springdale (best burger I've ever had).
Boulder Mountain Lodge-- the restaurant is obviously pricey (but very good) but the rooms are a relative bargain at about $97/night. I loved waking up to the sound of the birds in the wetlands behind the lodge. We wanted to stay another night.
Bryce can be seen in one full day if you've got the energy for it. We stayed two nights, and the hikes weren't very varied just as other said. But, at that point in the trip, we were tired of driving so it was nice to stay two nights.
Late April seems like a sweet spot as far as crowds and weather goes. The weather was perfect (a bit chilly in Bryce, but fine) but the trails and shuttles everywhere were very quiet. The only downside was the Zion Narrows being closed.

Thanks again to everyone for their advice. It was invaluable.

[Win]

Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for posting your experience, I'm sure it will be helpful to others.

Nice photos, too!

Win

[Iceaxe]

Thanks for the follow up. :2thumbs: