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Rank these parks from best to worst

Miggs

Miggs

Well-Known Member
I'm coming out (most likely) in a few weeks and want to see some of the landscape. Could the locals please rank these parks for me from best to worst. I'll be staying in Park City fwiw.

Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands.

Thanks. Any info that can be provided that one feels I should know would be much appreciated as well.
 
Haven't been to Capitol Reef. Of the others I think I'd go Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands. Or maybe switch Bryce and Arches. But Zion is the first by a long ways, imo.
 
Wes Mantooth said:
I'm coming out (most likely) in a few weeks and want to see some of the landscape. Could the locals please rank these parks for me from best to worst. I'll be staying in Park City fwiw.

Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands.

Thanks. Any info that can be provided that one feels I should know would be much appreciated as well.
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How do you feel about crowds? Because that will definitely alter the rankings.

(I'm shocked [MENTION=14]colton[/MENTION] has never been to Capitol Reef. For some reason that park is an underdog. Don't understand why.)
 
Define your lodging/time schedule situation better and we could probably give you better advice. Some of the places could swap spots depending on how much time you've got. And you're only staying in Park City?
 
There is soooo much more to do and see once at Arches.
Bryce is striking, but takes too long to get there just to have a Chevy Chase at the Grand Canyon type experience (Vacation).
 
Duck Rodgers said:
Define your lodging/time schedule situation better and we could probably give you better advice. Some of the places could swap spots depending on how much time you've got. And you're only staying in Park City?
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Yes, I'm only staying in Park City. Maybe SLC on game night. It's a free room at the Marriott in either location so...

As far as crowds, NAOS, I'd prefer to avoid them so as to make the experience more intimate. That said, I understand that much of that may be unavoidable.

As of now, it looks like we may have home court. Since the playoffs start on Saturday the 15th, I fully expect us to play that day being as we almost never play at home on Sundays. Knowing that, I plan on coming out late Thursday or as early as possible on Good Friday, renting a car, and spending much (most?) of Friday seeing the more local (to Park City and the surrounding area) scenery, eating a good dinner later on, and catching up with some of you, whoever's interested. I don't discriminate.

Saturday may be more of the same in the morning and then for game one, I'm leaning toward a Gameface poker tourney if he'll have one. I was going to go to two playoff games but then that makes seeing you clowns tougher. Plus two games is more costly. So I figure a kickass afternoon, evening and night is in order at Gameface's. I could use some spending money for the trip anyway so this is the perfect opportunity for me to butt**** you clowns in poker and get some.

Then, I would love to spend all of Easter Sunday seeing one or two of these parks. God knows y'all will be busy with your families so I'll prob be solo. I was thinking of making a trek down to Peeks but he gave me the Heisman and said he's gonna have friends out that week so who knows. Are any of the best restaurants in PC or SLC gonna be open on Easter Sunday?

Then, I want to go to game 2 on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when it is, and fly back the next day.

My experience is somewhat limited as my wife has a 2 year old and a 2 month old (and dog) at home. She's being cool as **** by giving me the go-ahead to come out. I don't want to abuse it and try to turn it into a 6+ day thing.

Also, what are the best coffee places in PC and SLC?

How is cell service in the state? I have Verizon.
 
Also, me and fish may have great sex while I'm there. Don't want anyone to get jealous if they see the flirting taking place.
 
I really wish Dala could come the same week. Is there any way you could make it this week? Your room would be free and I could legit upgrade to the best time share rooms they have for free. It's not putting me out because we have to use these by the end of April anywhere and have a lot of points to use.
 
All the parks are a really long drive from Salt Lake. But if you are going to pick two, you have to pick either Zion and Bruce or arches and canyonlands.

Zion/bryce is first

Arches canyonlands a very close second.

Capitol reef and grabs staircase are awesome, but remote and not too accessible.

Any if the parks will require two days of your vacation, or at the least a late night and all day into the late night travelling back. You'll need a place to stay near the parks. St George is a good place for Zion, moab for arches.
 
[MENTION=26]Gameface[/MENTION]

Hope I wasn't too presumptuous. You always said you'd have a poker tourney when I came out so...

It is the night before Easter though. Not that it's a real holiday to me but this eod you are religious, it is.

So 4/15 would be the tourney if we get home court. If not, 4/22. Cool?

Bitches.
 
Canyonlands is best. Vast, stunning, and empty. Zion is as packed as Time Square.
 
I'd pick Arches. Plenty to do in that area besides just the park (which could be a full day trip in itself). Bryce is boring and Capitol Reef sucks. It's more of a Mormon heritage monument and I have no idea why it's a national park. The only thing it has is one huge panel of petroglyphs and hieroglyphs, big whoop. The drive past there is cool though.

The only time I've been to Zion's was to traveling through to get here:

P8160057.JPG


Longest narrows in Utah. If you really want that bad *** hike, head there.

Sand caves outside Kanab were cool to check out and brake up the drive:

moqui-cavern-sandstone-erosion-cave-near-kanab-utah-F4F801.jpg
 
Take a drive up Mirror Lake Highway and visit some lakes. It's near Park City. Buy a cheap rod and a $5 Walmart special pack of jigs and go catch some Brook Trout. They're small but gorgeous.

I recommend Escalante above anywhere else in Utah. It's the greatest kept secret in the state. Slot Canyons, Calf Creek Falls is probably the most photographed place in the state, Devil's Garden, Hole in the Rock is a baffling feat of traveling Mormon Pilgrims and now ends in Lake Powell, Hell's Backbone, and by far the best drive in the state up HWY 12 (Capitol Reef is a short distance out of the way from the intersection with HWY 24). Even the petrified forest is a cool little hike. Kodachrome Basin is within distance for a very cool arch (Grovsner), as is Bryce Canyon. Again, though Bryce is boring. I hunt about 20 minutes north of the junction and never bother going down there.
 
Since you'd be driving 10 hours just to get there and back, you won't have much time to do anything other than a drive-by at any of the parks.
 
JazzGal said:
Since you'd be driving 10 hours just to get there and back, you won't have much time to do anything other than a drive-by at any of the parks.
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Yep. This is the issue. Ideally, I wake up on decent sleep, around 5am, shower, get a good coffee, and leave around 5:45am and get to one of the parks around 9am...check one out til around 1pm (for four hours) and then head over to another that is close by from about 2-6...get back to hotel around 10pm....something like that.
Decent plan? Could I see a lot in four hours in Zion? In Bryce? Would 3 hours be enough?
 
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