Anyone been at the Utah parks in the last week?

[Anonymous]

We are going to do the Utah Big Five in a week. Just curious for anyone who might have been in the last week or so. Looks like conditions are still quite wintery--several feet of snow recently at Bryce. Also Bryce NP seems to indicate crowding at lots and is encouraging shuttle use. I read a review of a hike right near the entrance to Zion recently and the person noted they did this hike because the "waits/lines were too long" for the (mandatory) shuttle into the park. Curious for any recent experience on waits for the Zion shuttle. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Haven't been to Zion yet but Bryce has not been too crowded except that we were unable to get crampons so that made all the hikes slippery. Buy yaktrax or the like in advance.

[Anonymous]

Just wrapping up a Zion and Bryce trip. Bryce has a bunch of trail closures (whole Navajo loop) and our horse ride was cancelled, but we hiked a ways on the Queen Garden's trail and it was beautiful. Still icy up top - we had yak trak - but I think next week it's mainly going to be very muddy.

[Anonymous]

No recent experience, but OP, would you please let us know how your trip was? We're heading there the first week of May for the first time and would love to hear about the best parts, any tips, etc...

[Anonymous]

We are here now. We rented e-bikes for Zion and recommend that completely. We didn’t deal with the shuttle/included parking. We are bailing on Bryce because it is icy and Navajo is closed, which is what we wanted to hike. Next week it is supposed to be warmer, so conditions might change. Zion was busy but gorgeous.

[Anonymous]

Such a bummer Navajo loop is closed. We did Zion and Bryce last summer and the Navajo loop around the hoodoos and a lot canyons was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Trade off was we had to exit the Narrows earlier than I’d have preferred due to high risk of flash flooding in the canyons when we were there though.

[Anonymous]

We got back from Arches and Canyonlands a few days ago. There were snow flurries almost every day but high temps in the 40s. One day it was very windy. Dress appropriatley and you’ll be fine.

It was starting to get crowded but the only impact we saw was taking longer to find a parking spot. If going to Arches make sure to buy entry passes beforehand.

[Anonymous]

We were at Zion mid-last week. Weather was cold for us but was warming up as we left. It was crowded, but I would guess starting to thin out as fewer people are on spring break. Some trails were muddy but we're fairly intrepid hikers. Definitely some ice still on the way to Scout Lookout (Angel's was closed while we were there) so if you have that on your itinerary and aren't super steady you might bring traction for your shoes. We navigated it and it's probably going away but lots of folks struggled. Mud will probably be around for a while and Narrows will likely be frequently closed given the snowfall this winter. Highly recommend Bit and Spur restaurant- make a reservation.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the updates and recommendations. Will make a reservation at Bit and Spur. We're in Springdale on Friday and Saturday nights and was thinking we might have to reserve because of weekend visitation. Planning on lining up for Oscar's the other night. I am indeed very bummed about the Navajo loop. The Bryce IG feed posted a picture of the crumbling terraces last week. I'll post an update on our trip when we get back. We are doing Springdale/Tropic/Boulder/Torrey/Moab before flying out of SLC. We have a 7-year-old who's not too keen on hiking so sticking mostly to family-friendly hikes.

[Anonymous]

We just got back from a mighty 5 trip. We absolutely loved Canyonlands, Arches and Capitol Reef (don't skip that one, most people do, but it was such a lovely place, not crowded at all, and our hikes were quiet and beautiful). Bryce was gorgeous with the snow, we did the Queen's loop, rented crampons from Ruby's inn for $10, they helped a lot. But most of the ice/snow will probably melt by next week, so you might not need them. Although the crampons also helped with not getting our shoes and pants muddy with less splatter. We had trouble with parking at one spot in Bryce, but the shuttles hadn't started then, you hopefully shouldn't have trouble next week. I wasn't impressed with Zion, the crowds were too much for me. The lines for the shuttle were long, but they moved really quickly, by the time one shuttle loaded, the next was already waiting.

My biggest recommendation: Download the gypsy app, we all loved it. You can get a bundle for all 5 parks, it was worth every penny.

[Anonymous]

Just got back from a week there; went to all five. Yes, it was cold at Bryce (with snow) and there were crowds at Zion (and some trails closed) but seeing them all was just amazing. We had not planned on all five but went anyway and each was unique and worth seeing...which is crazy given that they are all within a few hours of one another.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Just posting an update for the PP who wanted tips. Fantastic trip. We loved all the parks. We started at Zion and ended at Canyonlands/Dead Horse. We came into every park around 4 or 5 to get oriented and maybe do a short hike and then returned the next morning. This timing worked as we saw the parks in both late afternoon and early light.

Zion: only park where we experienced crowds. We mostly avoided them by starting early. We drove to the visitor center at 7:30 before the lot was full (around 8, we heard) and got the shuttle from there. The town shuttle started a full hour later than the park shuttle and didn’t run that often so we decided to take our chances on getting parking at the visitor center. The park shuttle runs every few minutes! I had imagined that I would be hanging out waiting for it each time. Not so. There’s a steady stream. We did Riverwalk and Emerald Pools via the Kayenta trails. Hiking between 8:30 and 11:30 was great, but then suddenly it was chockablock on the trail around noon and we decided to forgo the upper pool because it got so busy. We ate lunch at the lodge and then left the park for the day around 1:30/2. As we left the visitor center there was a crowd waiting for a shuttle to get into the park. We felt we timed it right. Driving the Mount Carmel road just before sunset was great. We spotted bighorn sheep on both occasions that we were on the road, including at the Canyon Overlook Trail. (Another good one for later light.) one thing we didn’t do was to rent e-bikes and bike the Pa’rus Trail at sunset. This is where you can get a good look at the Watchman. I walked on the trail a bit from Canyon Junction Bridge. It’s really nice. I’d recommend it. It’s also short enough that you could walk it.

I would recommend being in Arches for late light. We found some vistas to be so much more striking in the deep oranges of that time. I was concerned about the strenuous rating in the Delicate Arch hike. It was totally doable and moderate. The ranger says the rating mostly applies in summer because it’s totally exposed and the rock underfoot heats up.

If you are near Boulder, I would recommend driving some of the Burr Trail. We drove 18 miles on it (all paved). It was some of the most stunning scenery we saw on the trip. Stop at Singing Canyon along the way.

Don’t skip Dead Horse. It’s a great complement to Canyonlands. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

We just came back from the same trip - we did counter clockwise driving from Las Vegas - Page, AZ for horseshoe band, Monument Valley, Arches (super windy and so dusty!), Capitol Reef, Bryce (snow has melted on the trails), and Zion. Other then a 24 hr unexpected stopover in Denver thanks to Frontier airlines, it was a great trip!

[Anonymous]

*bend

[Anonymous]

Does everyone here homeschool? It’s too late for spring break and too early for summer.