Advice on traveling to Utah

[mike_bc]

Hi all, we're heading to Utah for a few weeks in August and plan to visit Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, Moab..etc. For maximum flexibility our itinerary will be on-the-fly which is how we normally travel.

Can anyone offer practical input for points of interest and routes while in the area and as well as some what not to do's? (besides accepting candy from strangers)

Thanks

[monB]

Roadside America often has some VERY interesting places to visit!
Roadside America - Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions Thanks to Roadside America I found Fishead Park in Michigan...absolutely FANTASTIC and we would NEVER have found it without Roadside America!

Mon

[Reid Larsen]

One of our favorite parts of the US. Be aware of the fact that in August it will be hot with a capital H. Moab is not the friendly small town it used to be and has become tourist land-wanna slick rock tee shirt-go there. In that part of the world hiway 12 Capital Reef to Escaliente is not to be missed. Stop in at the Kiva Kaffe not far from Calf Creek Falls. We liked the campground at Red Canyon better than any we saw at Bryce. Kodachrome Basin is not to be missed-it was in the upper 90's (F) in june however. Make sure you have plenty of water any where you go and I hope your AC is working well.Have fun and be careful-alot of that country is in the middle of nowhere but beautiful beyond belief.

[mike_bc]

Thanks Reid....we visited in Cannonville year before last and we did manage to have a look at the CGs closer to Bryce but about all I can say about them was they were closer than to Bryce but not good enough to make us give up the drive. :-)

I'm taking note of your other suggestions too.

Thanks for the link monB.

[Bruce H]

The speed trials for cars at the Bonneville Salt Flats start the weekend of August 11th. I plan to be there. Last year there were probably 2000 campers the Friday evening before start. Everything from pup tents to million dollar motor homes.- It is all dry camping and the camping is free. Plenty of room. On opening morning you drive (follow the crowd) to the end of the blacktop and accross the marked route on the salt to the spectator area about 5 miles. A pit pass for the entire week was $40 last year and was sold at the entrance to the salt. I will probably dry camp at the huge gravel parking lot accross from the Sinclair truck stop. (exit 4 on I-80) and ride my atv to the starting line / spectator area. The truck stop allowed it last year for free. There are also some good spots on BLM land off the gravel road that goes north west from the "bend in the road" corner. Don't camp in the huge flat area south and east of that bend in the road where you will see the bulk of the campers. That is a huge dry mud flat and if it rains it becomes a huge mud hole which you won't be able to drive out of until it dries up. Google Bonneville 2012 and you can find out all about it.

[BCDave]

Be advised that every single square inch of freeway in Salt lake city is ALWAYS under construction.

This means that no matter which lane you are in, it will end in the next couple of hundred yards.

The corollary is that you will have to change lanes. However, it is a very strict (and unique)requirement under Utah's highway traffic laws that every single person must drive with their front bumper exactly beside your rear wheel (either side) and that they must always accelerate when you do and decelerate when you do, in order to prevent your attempts to change lanes as required by your lane ending in the next couple of hundred yards.

I must confess that I have found no evidence of the existence of that law, but I remain convinced that it IS the law as EVERY Salt Lake City driver follows and obeys that law!

[mike_bc]

Originally Posted by BCDave

However, it is a very strict (and unique)requirement under Utah's highway traffic laws that every single person must drive with their front bumper exactly beside your rear wheel (either side) and that they must always accelerate when you do and decelerate when you do, in order to prevent your attempts to change lanes as required by your lane ending in the next couple of hundred yards.

I must confess that I have found no evidence of the existence of that law, but I remain convinced that it IS the law as EVERY Salt Lake City driver follows and obeys that law!

lol BCDave.

We had the pleasure of spending time in SLC a year or two back. We stayed at the KOA, just minutes from town. To our surprise ('cause its a KOA and not 'cause it was in SLC) it was well run and clean. Our experience with everyone we met was great, and no traffic problems then. We even took the "free tour" from the KOA to town in a 12 pass van operated and sponsored by the LDS. No religion hard sell just good local historical info presented in a friendly manner. I'd actually recommend that to anyone staying there on a visit.

The reason we're going back to Utah stems from our previous good experiences there. The number of tourists drawn to the Moab area does concern me a little though, as Reid also points out. That's why I'm looking for input here.

Thanks...

[Roger C H]

The Boy Scout Motto.

We camped in a tent at Bryce Canyon in the middle of July.

We froze.

The next morning we discovered it had gotten down to 25ºF the night before!

Bryce Canyon is at 7000ft altitude.

Have fun. Utah is a beautiful state.

[Denece]

LOL. I loved your tongue-in-cheek description of SLC traffic. We pass thru there at least twice a year visiting our kids and have always noticed a considerable pucker factor going through. We've never had an actual problem but it IS hairy for the casual traveler!

[Bob Miller]

Going almost anywhere "On the fly" in August will carry some risks of not having a place to stay at night. You might want to plot out approximately where you will be and try to make a few reservations on-line at Federal recreation, camping and tour reservation information - Recreation.gov
Good Luck

[Darwin Maring]

B alert for young men dressed in white shirts and dress slacks riding bicycles on the road.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

B alert for young men dressed in white shirts and dress slacks riding bicycles on the road.

I don't suppose that we should speculate about the odds that they have had their drivers licenses suspended for too many DUI's?

[Kenny Strong]

going to Moab,,, the national parks are a must see. Arches national is grand. go up to dead horse point. Both are right out side of Moab. there is camping up there at wild horse camp ground. There is camping along the Colorado river. Go south of Moab to the needles district of Canyon lands National Park. There are good hikes here, Indian ruins, and pictographs. The temp. in this part of Utah is the worst, July August, thru Sept. I go to this part of Utah every year,,, often in the winter,,, never in the summer!!!!

[Bob Miller]

Comments about certain Utah natives are not only inappropriate, as I am led to believe there are few active Missionaries in Utah, (except at the MTC in Provo) they are inaccurate.

[fusedlight]

While most people wander around the Big Parks, there's lots to be seen off the main roads. Dorothy and I took our new (to us) Rav4 on it's first road trip out there last spring (before we got the Scamp). We spent a LOT of time around Delta collecting:

• Agate (many varieties...by the bucketload)
• Topaz (rare, but not too hard to find)
• Opal (not precious, but very pretty)
• Silicified fluorite. (Look up "Tiffany Stone" on line)
• Trilobites

All were free... though for some extra bucks you could collect trilobites at a "special" quarry.

If you're willing to camp totally off the grid, you can find some great places. Just bring plenty, and I mean PLENTY, of water. If you're going to be there in August and are going into the boonies an AC would be really nice as there is very little (read: "NONE") shade.... and of course that means a generator.


There are mile after mile (after mile after mile after mile...) of well-graded gravel roads. Traveling around the north side of Topaz Mountain gets you on a long stretch of the original Pony Express. Down by the trilobite digs there are some neat stretches of old US 50 that were never paved.

And while I don't have anything to say about the LDS folks from a religious standpoint, they are some of the friendliest and most generous people I've run across.

[BCDave]

I had virtually forgotten about the prevalence of LDS folks- around here, you find that young men in dark suits and white shirts & subdued ties are generally assumed to be representatives of one of several religious groups who insist on ringing my doorbell to hand me informative materials about why I cannot possibly be saved (and therefore I should enjoy myself to the fullest?)

[Vicki A.]

And some of you wonder why Donna stepped away for awhile?!

[ThomasE]

Depending on when you go in August (i.e. before or after school has restarted), you'll want to make a reservation if you plan on camping inside Arches NP. For Canyonlands I believe it's first come first served. Neither park has any kind of hookups or dump station I could find when I visited last year.

The biggest surprise to me on my Arizona / Utah /Colorado trip last August, was how much it rained. It would be sunny and hot at noon, then 2 hours later it's a pouring 30 minute thunderstorm, so be prepared for that.

[Bob Miller]

Those afternoon thunder storms are common on the high desert everywhere. It also allows dry gullys to become raging rivers with no warning 10 minutes to an hour after the storm starts upstream. When it clouds up, stay out of low lying areas and don't try to ford streams running across the hiway. I have seen an 18 wheeler get swept away by a flash flood, and the sun was already back out when it happened.

[ThomasE]

That's absolutely true Bob, it's an amazing amount of rain that comes down in such a short time. Another tip, close your roof vents when your sightseeing away from the trailer in case it rains, no matter how sunny it is outside (don't ask me how many times the inside of my trailer got wet!)