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A.B. State park
the ocean is just around the corner

[QUOTE]Originally posted by konata88:
Thanks. Yea. I’m thinking I could do, for example, 1 day in Moab (Arches?) and then 2 days in Lake Powell (hiking, kayak). Basically whatever is recommended. Prefer to stay in one location to minimize travel time. So could spend all 3 days in Moab or Powell. Both sound so interesting.

Lots of good hiking in Arches. I'd say the earlier the better in May. I have a feeling that we are about done with our "cool" weather for this Spring.

K, you will want an LT tire 10ply on that rig for general use let alone any off road. A P series is likely a 4 ply. So change them out when you can. Even a gravel/rock road would asking for trouble on P tires on that heavy rig. Your ride will be stiffer on them though. Good luck

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
K, you will want an LT tire 10ply on that rig for general use let alone any off road. A P series is likely a 4 ply. So change them out when you can. Even a gravel/rock road would asking for trouble on P tires on that heavy rig. Your ride will be stiffer on them though. Good luck

I'll just add that I'm about as far removed as can be of being a fan of large wheels and low profile tires for anything to do with off-roading. I'm so much against it that I actually went from a 17" wheel to a 16" wheel when I finally put bigger tires on my Jeep.

Thanks for the tire tip. New tires and/or wheels are on my list. I'm just not entirely sure how to prioritize things. Implicitly, I can't do everything (at least not immediately and maybe not even all this year). On the list:

1) flat platform storage rack + kayak carriers $2000
2) new (5) tires $1500-2000 (tie to #3 if needed)
3) new (5) rims $2000? (try to find used but may be difficult)
4) kayaks (2) $2000
5) additional gear (12V air pump, shovel, etc) $1000

If I'm not rock climbing, just going off pavement onto trails, going lakeside at Lone Rock Beach (Lake Powell) and stuff, am I okay with my current wheels (tire/rims)? Or bad idea - will miss out on key aspects of the trip?

Your fine with what you have, just don't do anything requiring airing down or rock crawling.
Lone Rock Beach is a well maintained road, no problem.

Within 20-30 miles of that are some neat places to do short hikes. The Toadstools is a short hike about 18 miles West of Lone Rock at MM19 on RT 89.

A little further West is a short hike to Catstair Canyon, Indian Rock Art.. Neither require off road. Not sure of the MM but you should be able to find it.

Going East from Lone Rock you have Page, AZ. Supplies are easy there, even has a Walmart.
A neat hike in Page is Horseshoe Bend, great views of Glen Canyon Dam, too.

You could also book Antelope Canyon, it's a tour, not inexpensive.

A lot to do from Lone Rock, I wouldn't recommend July/Aug. Best late Sept, early Oct.

Thanks! I think I can air down to about 25psi on my current wheels if needed; usually use about 35psi for street. But with 50 profile tires, not sure if this is useful (and probably only good for soft sand, not for rocks).

If I can get away with current tires for this trip, that would help. I'd like to prioritize kayaks (and racks) if possible. Tires are just to help to get to a destination and not necessary the desired experience itself (ie - like kayaking). I'd rather just limit where we can kayak for now.

Too much information between Lone Rock / Lake Powell vs Moab / Canyonlands. Need to decide on region for now and just drill into that area. We'll do one now and then the other (maybe longer stay) either late this year or spring next year. I've seen enough to wanna do both regions at some point.

Leaning toward Lone Rock / Powell for this trip; Moab sounds crowded in May. Lone Rock kayak rentals seem possible but I need to transport (so need to buy at least kayak carriers and maybe convert stock roof rails to the Rhino Pioneer).

BTW - off topic. For remote areas, any need for wildlife protection (10mm) or is normal 2 leg carry (9mm) sufficient?

You shouldn't encounter much in the way of wildlife. There are Coyote, snakes, Tarantula and scorpion. I put in a lot of time backcountry and rarely see anything.

By the way, there is a very nice BLM VC right in Big Water, very near Lone Rock. They can give you a lot of info.

I've had my Pilot in some pretty gnarly places, on A/T tires, not airing down. Don't over think it, unless you're going into some bad places.

I have a Rubicon, too, and rarely air down, the exception is 4x4 events where the traction is needed or it's sand. I spent a week in the 4 Corner area, off road all but two days, never aired down, we were just exploring and were fine.

I love California, the outdoors are amazing, and I have plenty of friends there....but I will avoid spending a dime supporting the state government of CA if I am able to. My vote is for anywhere else.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
You shouldn't encounter much in the way of wildlife. There are Coyote, snakes, Tarantula and scorpion. I put in a lot of time backcountry and rarely see anything.

By the way, there is a very nice BLM VC right in Big Water, very near Lone Rock. They can give you a lot of info.

I've had my Pilot in some pretty gnarly places, on A/T tires, not airing down. Don't over think it, unless you're going into some bad places.

I have a Rubicon, too, and rarely air down, the exception is 4x4 events where the traction is needed or it's sand. I spent a week in the 4 Corner area, off road all but two days, never aired down, we were just exploring and were fine.

Thanks for all the info!

Hi guys -- Moab / Canyonlands looks very interesting. But my wife thinks this trip is better suited for Bryce/Zion.

I think she prefers the scenery / hike in Bryce, it looks like a destination that fits better into 3 days (Moab looks like 3 days isn't enough, especially if part of one day is kinda spent recovering from a 14 hour drive).

So the thinking is: Day 1: late start and then kayak on Lone Rock Beach. Day 2: Hike Bryce; Day 3: More Bryce or Zion.

Thoughts? If sounds like a good choice, any recommendations on where to stay (what area)?

Or should we stick w/ Moab? Need to decide soon - need to start making reservations.

So you're thinking three days in Utah? That's just not enough time to do what you want.

Don't underestimate the beauty of Moab. You can hike, raft, canyoneer, jetboat, mountain bike, take a 4WD tour etc. In Moab you have two national parks and the Colorado River. Look up Corona Arch, the Needles Unit of Canyonlands, Granstaff Canyon, you won't get bored.

From Moab you can take a couple of hour drive to Goblin Valley S.P and hike Little Wildhorse Canyon a slot canyon while there.

If you're set on Zion and Bryce, you need two days for Zion and one for Bryce. Trying to include kayaking is going to be tough. The driving is going to eat up hours you could be exploring.

For Bryce you'll want to stay in the Ruby's complex, it's right at the entrance and really the only place. At Bryce you want to do four things - scenic drive, a Sunset, a Sunrise and hike below the rim.

At Zion you'd want to stay in the town of Sprindale, right at the West entrance. A lot of good lodging and some great food. If you decide on Zion/Bryce, I'll post some good links for hiking/exploring.

Yea, we're unfortunately limited to three days only.

The more we looked into Moab, the more we started to think that it really needs more then 3 days. So, we're thinking that we save Moab for when we can spend more than 3 days there. Definitely not skipping Moab - just don't think 3 days (2.5) will do it justice.

And so, for this trip, trying to find someplace interesting / similar that we can do in 3 days (and be satisfied that we don't need to go back).

We're not set on Bryce/Zion but it seems like it's a good 3 day trip. Travel/driving time is the same so we're indifferent from that perspective. We're okay dropping kayaking for this trip if 2/1 is the recommendation for Bryce/Zion.

Basically, use 3 days to check off Bryce/Zion and then schedule a longer trip (1 week or more) for Moab when we can (either Fall or next Spring) - avoid the heat and crowds.

Appreciate any links for hiking / exploring. I have old, weak knees though.

Here're a couple of links to activities.

http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/

http://www.zionnational-park.com/

Choose your poison, some hikes will not be good for bad knees. Almost everything in UT requires elevation.

Thanks! Great info. I'll file it for future reference.

It turns out we couldn't find lodging in the Zion area that suited our preferences (cost, comfort) so we switched back to Moab. Actually, couldn't find lodging there either but lucked out after going to one chain's website specifically (not visible via travel sites).

So, we're booked for Moab. Now, need to finalize an itinerary for the 3 days. Day 1 will probably be a late start, unfortunately, after a 14+ hour drive. Wife likes hiking so probably focus on scenic hikes (she doesn't have limitations but I have weak knees - distance okay but lots of stairs and/or stepping up and down rocks is not good). Elevations changes via smooth trails okay.

Recommendations appreciated - too much between Arches and Canyonlands.

Sorry for all the thrash -- I guess these places are more popular than I thought. But at least lodgings are locked now.

Springdale is busy, sorry you couldn't get a reservation.

I'm no expert on Moab, have been a few times, though. Certainly see Arches, lots of short hikes, the iconic hike is Delicate Arch but it's 1 1/2 miles up hill. Maybe nap while your wife does it?

Island in the Sky, Canyonlands, is a great day, lots of easy walks to viewpoints. While there visit Deadhorse Pt S.P., has a great view of the Colorado.

Lots of hikes on BLM land, I think I mentioned a few.

Take a drive out RT 128 to Fisher Towers, best in the evening.

Take a Jeep tour with one of the outfitters, Dan Mick seems to be most popular.

You could rent a Jeep from Cliffhangers, we saw them all over when we were there in Oct. If you did it for one day, you could explore Canyonlands and come back driving down Long Canyon, get a taste of off-roading Utah.

I'm sure your research will give you lots of ideas.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Moab

Ditto.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:

I'm no expert on Moab, have been a few times, though. Certainly see Arches, lots of short hikes, the iconic hike is Delicate Arch but it's 1 1/2 miles up hill. Maybe nap while your wife does it?

Island in the Sky, Canyonlands, is a great day, lots of easy walks to viewpoints. While there visit Deadhorse Pt S.P., has a great view of the Colorado.

Lots of hikes on BLM land, I think I mentioned a few.

Take a drive out RT 128 to Fisher Towers, best in the evening.

Take a Jeep tour with one of the outfitters, Dan Mick seems to be most popular.

You could rent a Jeep from Cliffhangers, we saw them all over when we were there in Oct. If you did it for one day, you could explore Canyonlands and come back driving down Long Canyon, get a taste of off-roading Utah.

I'm sure your research will give you lots of ideas.

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll keep them on the short list. I have a long list of hikes of interest for the Moab area. More than 3 days will allow. And then I have a list for mountain biking, kayaking and off-roading. I'm going to prioritize scenic hikes for my wife for this trip but am trying to fit in one of the other 3 three, at least for half a day, if I can.

So, a few of the Arches hikes, Island in the Sky, and then maybe one of the scenic bypasses are on the short list.

Definitely will need to go back again and spend more time than 3 days. We're going to try to hit some of the 'top 10' things on this trip - whatever we can fit into 3 days. One thing that we're going back and forth on - for a given half day, is it better to a couple of short hikes or one of the longer half day hikes..... Still reading a lot.

++ Moab