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Old 10-16-2010, 01:24 AM  
Junior Member

phoenixville, pa
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 12 | Kudos: +10
Need help planning a Utah vaca

So here it is. I?m from PA and I want to take an ?adventure vacation? to the Grand Canyon. I also want to visit an Indian reservation or two. Maybe a donkey ride to the bottom. I want the ?locals? opinion, not the opinion of some tourist site. I am posting in both the Arizona and Utah chartrooms.

I can hang pretty well, but the wife and kids may not enjoy roughing it too much. We wave gone camping, but nothing too extreme. They are NOT high maint (i.e. no make-up and curling iron), but the wife does NOT like peeing in the wild!

My dream is to rent a jeep, go offroading and camping for a few days (remember in dreams, jeeps can carry camping gear and enough food and water for a few days), check out the stars on a nice clear desert night, and not get lost. And in this dream there is a porta-potty every place we go.

I guess even a campground that rented ATV?s for the day would be nice!

So my questions are:
1. Is the North or South rim of the Grand Canyon better?
2. What are the best vistas?
3. What are the best reservations to visit (I want to be educated (but not in a depressing sorta way) AND entertained (but not in a casino sort of way)?
4. Do you know any good rental places to check out?
5. How about good campgrounds?
6. Am I insane for even thinking this is a good idea?

Any info/links would be appreciated!

Kevin
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Old 10-26-2010, 09:56 AM  
Junior Member

American Fork, Utah
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 1 | Kudos: +10
visiting utah

If visiting Utah a few things need to be Known
1- How much time will you have?
2- Travel by car, Plane or Train?

If coming from the East by car come up through New Mexico up to the Indian Ruins North East Corner. Then you have to decide weather to go up Through Colorado, or Arizona. Colorado is good for Mesa Verde National Park Then Up Through South East Utah This area is full of things to see to many to list.

If up through Arizona Also much to see and also to much to list but I have been both ways and both are worth seeing and would take the same amount of time.

Utah is a fun place to live in as one doesn't have to drive far to see something new.

Arizona is much the same much to see and always changing

a trip out west is one of a lifetime trip however once visited you will always continue coming back.
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Old 11-17-2010, 08:15 PM  
Junior Member

Iowa
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 12 | Kudos: +10
My favorite part of our Utah vacation was Goblin Valley State park. Very cool area. If it isn't too far off your path, I would check it out.
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Old 11-22-2010, 08:56 PM  
Beer.

none
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5 | Kudos: +10
I'm originally from Utah and now live in Pottstown PA. We went to UT this summer on vacation and had a blast. We went down south and stayed by Brian Head ski resort. If you are in to the national parks you can rent a jeep and there is a cool jeep road to get over to Zion National Park from the same canyon. Over all it was an amazing trip and I would do it all over again. If you need more details PM me and I'll hook you up.

-Byz
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Old 11-29-2010, 01:23 PM  
Junior Member

SLC, UT, UT
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5 | Kudos: +10
Zion NP is not that far away either. Its kind of the reverse aspect of GC in that you looking from the bottom up a lot of the time.

L
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Old 12-02-2010, 01:22 PM  
Junior Member

Salt Lake City, UT
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 8 | Kudos: +10
It sounds like the OP might might like Moab a little bit more. Its a huge playground of sorts, with stuff for everyone to do. A couple wineries, several breweries, hotels with nice pools, good food...and that's all just the in-town part.

Out of town, there are hundreds of trails that one can take a Jeep on, with varying levels of difficulty. Some are technical and extremely challenging, and others are just long dirt/rock roads. Camping along the way is definitely possible! Some might even have pit toilets too, depending on what you chose.

As far as the Grand Canyon goes, the North Rim of the National Park is a beautiful place to visit. It is utterly spectacular- the views, the lodge, the temperatures in the heat of summer (warm days/cool nights in summer!). You can also visit the south rim as well, but it is a few hundred mile detour to get around the canyon, or ~22ish mile hike down the Bright Angel trail and up to the south rim. The south rim has more amenities than the north, and is more spacious, but it is also further away, depending on where you're coming from.

Riding into the canyon on mule is possible from the south rim, if I remember right. I don't know about the north, but there are mule trains that run all the way to the bottom regularly to service Phantom Ranch. If you have the opportunity to do so, hiking rim to rim is breathtaking (literally and figuratively). The view from the middle and then the bottom of the canyon is quite different! If not hiking rim to rim, taking a mule train down and up would also be pretty fun, I imagine. There is even lodging at Phantom Ranch, if you schedule it far enough in advance.

If it were me, I would recommend hitting Moab for the jeep stuff, mountain biking stuff, and to see all the redrock, then driving out to the North Rim of the GC and staying there a bit and having a mule tour down into the canyon.
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Old 02-17-2011, 05:06 PM  
Junior Member

South Jordan, UT
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 2 | Kudos: +10
Goblin Valley State Park and Bryce Canyon are two of my favorites. Zions National Park is the best. They have great places to hike and the best views. The Narrows in Zions has always been my favorite.
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Old 02-18-2011, 10:31 AM  
John

Spanish Fork, Utah
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 8 | Kudos: +11
If u go to Moab u can rent 4 wheelers / rhino's and modified Jeeps at cliffhangerjeeprental.com good guys, I highly recommend them. We've taken their rhinos up tip over challenge on hells revenge. Which took a few very scary attempts lol..

The grand canyon is awesome! I think there is more to do on the south rim.
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Old 02-21-2011, 09:14 PM  
Junior Member

Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5 | Kudos: +10
I also enjoy the south rim.... If you can afford it take your wife for a helicoptor ride over the grand canyon!!!! Way amazing.
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Old 02-22-2011, 10:55 AM  
Junior Member

Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 6 | Kudos: +10
If you make it into Utah and go up through Gobblin Valley. I would drop in to Moab. It is a fun great feeling town to visit. I can't get enough of that town! Above all just enjoy your time out here!
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