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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nine days in Utah visiting the big 5 National Parks: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. All were awesome, but Capitol Reef blew my mind - did not know much about it before this trip, but it was hands down my favorite. 9 and 11 yos did a minimum amount of bickering, and a surprising amount of hiking with not too much complaining. So overall an "A" trip. Was surprised to see that we drove about 1,500 miles all in, including a few side trips and of course to and from the airport (LAS). [/quote]

This itinerary is on my bucket list.  I was planning it for the summer but I think my kids (7 and 4) are too young. But your post gives me hope!

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After this post, I seriously think I am going to do Zion and Bryce next year - with kids ages 9, 7, and 4.  It will be an adventure!  I'd love to go to all 5 parks listed here, but I feel like with kids those ages it would be too much for our group in one trip if I can't take more than a week off work.[/quote]

I think you are going too soon.  4 is very young for the amount of walking.  My kids were 9 and 11 when we went.  I spent a couple months getting them in condition for walking (i.e. I had them walk in the summer sun for a few times a week -- carrying their backpacks with water for 40 min.) in Bryce and Zion.  I think you are going to be carrying the 4 yr old a lot.  It's a great trip (we did Bryce, North Rim Grand Canyon, Page AZ, and Zion in a week).  But, I think you are better off doing it when everyone is at least 8 yrs old.  [/quote]

5 Park PP here. I agree that 4 is a bit young. For that age, I would suggest Yellowstone. You can access all the major sights with minimal walking on a boardwalk, and there is a LOT of wildlife that would be exciting for a 4. YO (elk,bison, bear, wolves if you are lucky and know where to go. Save Utah for when they are older - we did a lot of hiking/walking and not always on easy trails.

As for the PPs question about planning - I started thinking about it in Sept, but did not earnestly plan or book anything until mid-November. Initially this was going to be our big summer trip, but when I started looking at itineraries and hikes, I realized temps would be in the 100s, and we would lose a big chunk of time in the middle of each day when it would be too hot to hike. So we switched gears and booked everything for spring break, and it was perfect. We had one really cold morning in Bryce when we went to see the sunrise and had 18 degrees with gusty winds, but the rest of the time the temps were perfect for hiking, in the 50s and 60s, with chilly mornings and evenings.

We stayed outside the parks in each place, but just barely. Hampton Inn in both Springdale (Zion) and Kanab. Marriott Spring Hill Suites next to Arches that had a nice pool and basketball courts (we were next to the courts, so that was not great), and a couple of Best Westerns (average). But my favorite hotel by far was the Capitol Reef Resort. Their rooms are fine, but we ended up booking a lodge (or was it called a cabin?) that had vaulted ceilings, beautiful Navajo rugs on the floor, rain shower in the bathroom, integrated sound system, great lighting for every spot, and just a lot of nice touches. They also had a good sized restaurant serving up surprisingly good food, and quickly (which was not our experience on the rest of this trip). They also have "rooms" with bunk beds in covered wagons as well as tepees that looked really cool, probably better in the summer tough.

One other surprising hotel find was the one we stayed in on one of our side drives: The View Hotel in Monument Valley. It sits on Navajo land so there is an extra park fee of $15. We went there b/c DH is a big fan of Westerns, many of which were filmed there, but it is gorgeous in its own right. The hotel is sitting on top of a hill and every room has an amazing, unobstructed view of the entire valley, which becomes magical at sunset and sunrise. The fact that it was a full moon the night we were there was just cherry on top. The hotel is also very nice, has an amazing lobby decorated with beautiful Navajo crafts, plenty of comfy seating, a huge Trading Post and a restaurant with the same fantastic  view and decent local food.

All the parks we visited were amazing, and each distinctly different (even though it's all red rock). But I want to give a shout out to Capitol Reef, which was my favorite and one of the lesser known ones - the landscape here is so savagely beautiful that I have a hard time finding the right words to describe it. The kids had an awesome time tie hiking among all the rocks and down slot canyons, and the scenic drive through the park takes your breath away. I will be going back!
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