Travel Answers

My mum is elderly and she knee problems. She would not be able to hike at all. Can she still enjoy the scenery from the car?

I am planning an overnight trip from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon in early June. I already booked the lodging in Bryce Canyon for the night. I am making the trip with my elderly mother and am the only driver. I am arriving from overseas to take her to Bryce and Zion and a couple of days in Vegas. A friend heard that I was planning to drive on my own and contacted me that she thought it wasnt a good idea. she said I could drive for hours and not see another car on the road and when she did it years ago, there was no cell reception for good parts of the way. I was planning on driving from Vegas to Bryce, sleeping over and then seeing Zion the next day on the way back from Vegas. should I re-think this and take an organized tour. I am a good driver.

What's the best? Jackson Hole or Ketchum Idaho for skiing in January?

We will be in Utah for 8 days in May. Arrive and leave from Vegas and renting car. What is best advice for seeing as much as possible in the 5 National Parks. starting at zion ending at arches What NOT to miss and what to avoid? Reservations necessary for lodging?

My family and I are planning to go from SLC to Telluride, Vail up to Denver-CO next Jan, driving by I-70 and US-191,62, 550, etc.... According to climate conditions, is it a good route? or I will face many closures?

Will be arriving Las Vegas on a Friday, early in the morning, 9 AM, in early April, and plan to begin a 4 night visit of Bryce Canyon, Zion Nat'l Park, and maybe Capitol Reef. Traveling will be myself and my Mother, age 73. I am aware that there may be many great hikes, but Mom's not much of a day hiker. Scenic walks okay, but that's about it. Given this, what would be a suggested itinerary for visiting these areas? We will be departing four nights later on a Tuesday, and need to return the car by 2 PM. Figured we would spend the last night in Zion and make the 3 hr. drive back to LAS Tuesday morning. So, that gives us from Friday after our early morning flight arrives, all day Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday returning to LAS. What is recommended with where to stay each evening, and what to do each day? Though 1/2 day and full day hikes may be out, we do like to be kept busy, with the intention of spending long full days seeing/doing as much as possible. Looking for suggested itineraries that will keep us busy, an enable us to see as much as possible. Thanks for your help, advice and suggestions.

How is the weather end of March?

We have 8 days, tickets to Vegas and back from Vegas for the first week of April, desire to see beautiful places/hike a bit Please, help me choose the best route. I realize that my first draft might be too much but don't see how to adjust it without sacrificing much. 1. What whould you suggest to change? One thought is to remove Moab parks and add nights to Bryce and Zion. 2. What specific points/trails are must see in every place? Any, especially scenic roads? 3. We would like to stay in tents. Will it be warm enough at night? 4. Are there enough road motels that we do not have to tie ourseve up with reservations? 5. Anything else I am missing? Here is my fist draft. Day 1. (Sat, March 30). Arriving to Las Vegas at 12:40PM, getting a car, leaving Vegas around 2, driving to Page (4 hrs). Day 2. In Page: Horseshoe Bend-Antelope Canyon-Rimrock Hoodoos-Alstrom Point Day 3. Morning drive to Monument Valley (2 hrs). Spend a few hours there. Drive to Moab (2.5 hrs). Day 4. Canyonlands National Park Day 5. Arches National Park Day 6. Driving through Capital Reef (1 hr), Goblin Valley (1 hr), arriving at Bryce in the evening Day 7. Whole day in Bryce. Day 8. Morning drive to Zion (2 hr), stay in Zion till about 4, drive to Vegas (2 hr), arriving at ~6, eat and walk on the Strip till 10 pm, going to the airport, departing at midnight.

I have booked a car (convertible, do it in "style" without the heat) and will be driving from LA, then to Las Vegas, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Monument Valley NP, Grand Canyon NP and back to Las Vegas. I noticed to get to Monument Valley from Bryce Canyon, I can take a scenic route via the road UT-12 and Highway 95 South via Escalante and Boulder. Of course, we will stop somewhere overnight so we're not rushed. I cannot find any information if roads are closed during the colder months (as opposed to Yosemite NP in California, where many roads are announced closed and I adjusted my plans). It appears not much precipitation develops around southern Utah as opposed to other high country areas in the World. Is it safe to drive in March? Your assistance is appreciated. Cheers, Joseph. :)

This Christmas, I'm driving through Utah to get from LA to Idaho. I'll be driving along HWY 15, but very willing to take a few side roads. Anybody have any must see fun or interesting natural or other attractions along the way that should not be missed? As a side note, are there any apps that give you things not to miss a long the way on a road trip? Thank you all and happy Holidays!

I'm trying to find somewhere to rent a VW campervan, truck camper, or small (Class B) motorhome in or near Salt Lake City, for a camping trip next year. None of the big players rent that small a motorhome. There are places out of Las Vegas, but we booked into SLC because flights were substantially cheaper. Am I stuck with a behemoth camper? We just don't need all that stuff, or all that space. TIA

So I am being charged 25.85% sales tax on a motorcycle rental in Sandy, Utah. Surely that can't be right? Are there any locals on here that could advise me if I am being ripped off or not? I can't believe I am paying over a100 in taxes for a three-day rental. It is broken down as: County Tax - 2.5% State Tax - 7% Sales Tax - 6.35% Rental Tax - 9% Many localities gouge rental / tourism type stuff, but this is the most obscene instance I have ever seen. Surely it can't be right?

Hey, everyone! We're a group of 3 guys intermediate skiers looking to ski Alta March 9-16, 2013. Any advice on where to stay. Some nightlife, bars, restaurants, steam room, sauna, outdoor pool, jacuzzi, gym would be nice. We'd like to stay as close to Alta/Snowbird as possible but a little travel is no problem. Planning to rent a car. Private house/apartment or lodge, reasonably priced. Love Park City, but think it is a bit long commute. Any input is greatly appreciated. Can't wait till winter.

My husband and I are doing a morning tour at Monument Valley then we have until the following evening to return to Las Vegas any ideas for where to visit on route back and also where to stay for the night?

Ok, I am planning a trip to Zion National Park in mid Sept for 7 days. Actually our trip length is 9 days,so that leaves us 7 whole days to explore. We plan on doing the Narrows top down hike, also will most def want to do Angels Landing, What other hikes are a must. Also Where are the best places to camp. We are going our best to make this a cheap trip and camp out every night. We are both experienced hikes here in the Mid Atlantic. Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated. I do not like going places with out a plan to go by. Thanks for any and all help. PS: this will be my first time hiking in such dry conditions, I am used to woods and streams every where.

Hey guys - after a lot of planning, great tips from people around here and some unlucky permits / nights reservations (and a few lucky ones as well) - finally i have my final trip plan - take a look :-) so just to update about permits: got the subway one, didnt get the wave one, and got only one night instead of 2 at Supai lodge.....here is the plan: arriving to vegas on sep 13 night and sleeping there, up in the morning for some vegas style breakfast buffet, a trip to some last shopping at REI + im really thinking about buying a gopro cam for this trip...and off we go we will do a short hike at lower pine creek trail (Zion) and sleep at hurricane then on the 15 (sat) we got our permit to hike the subway (we planning on doing the top down hike after we will visit @Martin_S ("Shalom, Shalom, and welcome to "my" world." - Martin_S.'s Profile next month for some repelling 101 - any idea btw on how to find more hikers that day in order to have 2 cars one at the start and one at the finish (and to maybe hike together?) next day we will hike the narrows - we done it twice before but we will go longer this time as in last times we just had a short visit in .... then we will do some driving to Escalante (we will stay there 3 nights - if any recommendations for hotel/b&b - will be happy to hear them) next 3 days we will drive hole in the rock road and in between will do some short hikes like zebra and tunnel ,egypt 3 and peekaboo, spooky, dry fork coyote (we will rent 4X4 but also maybe we will try some ATV drive as suggested by some guys here) then we will drive to Canyonlands and visit Little Wild Horse Canyon and dead horse point on the way (and if more time also Sulphur Creek) we will spend few nights at Moab, will visit delicate arch again (since its sooo awesome ) and some other stuff (negro bill, Corona Arch, tower arch, Fisher Towers and so on) after few nights in Moab we will drive to Page with a stop to visit fry canyon (spending one night at Monticello) we will stay at Page for 4 nights - visit some slots canyon, rainbow bridge and try our luck again to get a walk in permit for the wave we will also visit Wahweap hoodoos after that we will drive to spring peach and sleep at HUALAPAI, the next day we will wake up early and start the hike to Supai village (wanted to reserve 2 nights but they only had one so we will need to make the most out of it) - we will arrive to village around noon and eat and rest a bit- afternoon we will visit falls, next day some more falls if we wish and start hiking out around 2-3 or so (in case we will have the option to take a flight out - even better) after that we will drive to Vegas and spend 1.5 days at the palazzo for some relaxation before our long flight home:-)...and back to work... this is basically it, we have some other hikes we will do along the way but these are the main anchors here we will also try maybe a rafting tour somewhere (we never done it before so probably half day or less and a beginner one...) - any recommendations on where is the best place to try it? what do u think? any comments? any more suggestions? anyone around that time want to hike together for a day with a 30+ years old nerdy couple from Israel? :-) thanks for all the help guys :-)

today i got an email telling me i got the permit to hike the subway, now i have a very important decision to make - do i want to go Round Trip from Left Fork(bottom) Trailhead or do i want to go top down (from Wildcat to Left Fork Trailhead) has anyone done and can tell me the differences? i know that the top down require some swims (we r fine with this - i actually want this part) and some short rappels (never done it but generally we r in good shape so if this route is so much better i will go with this and learn to do it before we go or something) the round trip one is under sun most of way which can be sucks but main question is if one of the trails is more spectacular than the other in your opinion? thanks

We are planning a three week tour in June 2013. We are flying in and out of Las Vegas (best deal on flights) and we are hiring a medium size camper. We are delving into all the places to see in Utah but need to know that as we are travelling with this type of vehicle does that restrict us on some of the more isolated spots. I see in some places there are quad bike treks available, is this a commom theme throughout the state? Any help and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Oh and finally June seems to be a good month to go - not too hot or cold - am I right?

Hey folks, kinda having a hard time hashing out an itinerary for this trip any input is appreciated. Leaving Vegas on a Monday in early August, and need to be back in Vegas by Friday night. My rental car tires should be on the road by noon. Im thinking about driving doing a mojave scenic loop drive (the idea is to see the desert) and then trying to make my way toward the Zion area that night, crashing somewhere between Vegas and Zion. This is where things get fussy, at bare minimum Id like to see Zion, Bryce, and N. RIm of G.C.. Three parks, three days. If I start driving Tuesday (again, I'd like to be 'somewhere' between Vegas and Zion, what would be by my best route? Or... would I be better off using the 'home base option? I plan to see at least 1 sunrise. Scenic drives are a major plus. The last dilemma I suppose is that if I do the '3 parks, 3 days,' that really only takes me through Thursday night. Any other great ideas to chew up that extra time and still get me back into Vegas on Friday night ? (My hunch was to sleep Thurs night near Zion and do Zion on Friday, leaving at about 5/6 for a red eye flight). Thanks in advance for all responses.

My husband and I are contemplating a two-week vacation in September – likely starting in Albuquerque and driving counter-clockwise through Colorado, Utah, and Arizona before returning to Albuquerque. We would appreciate any tips, warnings, recommendations, etc., anyone could offer us. Such as: What weather can we anticipate during that time? Are there some roads we should avoid (we’ll be renting a medium size sedan – not an SUV)? Anything in that general area which is considered a must-see/must-do (keeping in mind I’m 55 and my husband is 65)? Or anything else you’d deem that we should know before we go. Thanks for your help!

I am in the planning stages of a trip to Utah so I am very flexible on where to go and what to see. From some research the national parks in Utah seem amazing. I will try and hit as many as I can but are there other attractions that are considered "must see" in Utah between traveling the parks? Thanks, I can't wait to contribute!

My husband and I are planning a trip in early September, starting in Vegas and taking in the Grand Canyon (probably north rim), Zion, Bryce, then on to Yosemite and ending in San Francisco. I don't want to spend all my time in the car driving past sites, so wondered what a good time frame would be to really see these 4 national parks. Also, is it advisable to make hotel reservations ahead of time for outside the park, or do we just wing it and find a place when we decide where we want to be? OR, would making reservations in a town that is within driving distance of GC, Zion and Bryce be the best way to go and then do day trips to whichever park we want to visit? I am allowing us about 2 weeks before we get to SF to take in these 4 parks.

Me ad my 3 smal children r goin to goblin valley, I need an idea of what I should brng. We have not been hiking before.also what else is there to do beside the rocks?

I will be in Las Vegas in June on a Monday and I need to get to Lehi, Utah by Wednesday morning and I need some advice. I would like to see the Grand Canyon. I would also be open to seeing some national parks so long as I am in Lehi, Utah on Wednesday morning as I have an appointment there that I can't miss. I'm not from the area and so I'm really unsure as to the best way of doing this - rent a car? get a bus? train? carpool? I am travelling on my own and would rather not pay to rent a car by myself as it would be very expensive. The ideal would be to join some people on a roadtrip and see the grand canyon and other sites, if there is time. Any advice would be welcome! :)

I'm looking at a last minute trip and one of the top options right now is to do a road trip aroun the southwest USA through the 4 states visiting all the national parks etc. such beautiful landscapes I'd love to photograph As I think about the trip more I'm starting to freak out about it from a safety standpoint. I'm starting to second guess and wonder if this road trip is the right one to do for a single female :s Especially if I want to do sunrise/sunset and even night shots. It's quite remote and wondering how safe it is even during the day :s Any advice from people who have been there, done that? Thanks!

Help! We are traveling w/ older teenagers this August and looking for things to keep them engaged during our trip. We are starting in Phoenix have two nights at the Grand Canyon booked and then off to Page for two nights. We are planning on flying out of Vegas and have the last two nights there booked. We have basically two days one night to stay in either Kanab or Zion. Which should we do Bryce or Zion? Is there any way to do both or is this just too much driving and car time? I'd rather do one and really enjoy if it isn't possible to do everythin if it is too ambitious? I am leaning towards Zion. Anything we should definitely do in either Bryce, Kanab or Zion? Thanks!

Hi We are planning a 3 weeks trip to Utah during mid Sep to beg of Oct we've been to Utah few times before visiting the national parks but this time (since we just love Utah) we want to rent a 4WD and get on some dirt roads (which u cant usually with rented cars) and go deeper to less known day hikes places i already saw which looks like we will love are coyote gulch and such - so few questions to all of you who knows Utah well. 1. is September a good month for this? in a lot of pics i see there are some ponds, waterfalls and such which is amazing - but wouldn't want to arrive and see that everything is dry so - are those places still have water that time? ( a while back we hiked to calf creek and the waterfall was amazing and it was September so i want to assume we will have more like this but would definitely need an advice here so i wont make a crucial mistake here. 2. which other day hikes (meaning we don't camp so need to be able to drive to some kind of hotel/ motel at night) would you recommend? we are no expert so no ropes or such - stuff which are really simple and can be done by any 30 years old who do some sport. :-) 3. is there any car rental where i can rent some kind of SUV or something which is 4WD and which allow driving on dirt roads (nothing too crazy but just be able to go off-road) - will the major rentals allow it? like avis and such? we will arrive to Vegas so will take the car there thanks in advance :-) Or

Do you think we will be able to find a hotel close to Bryce Canyon for one night on march 8th?? Also, what is the approx travel time to Park City, Utah from Bryce Canyon?

hi were travelling around arizona in june ,but would like to know how long it takes to drive to grand canyon south rim from monument valley view hotel.are journey starts at flagstaff, then to monument valley then grand canyon south, then grand canyon ranch, then onto vegas which should take us about 3 days..would a convertible mustang be sensible for the trip and what car would anybody reccommend for this trip. many thanks andy-london uk

Hi, I will be visiting Monument Valley in June 2012 and since I'm a big stargazing fan I would like to know if you can see a great star scenery at night there and if anyone knows any tour company that organizes stargazing tours. Thanks in Advance! Michael