Utah in March?

[rockey]

After trying a couple of times to do an epic Scamp trip to the great Utah national parks and register on the national parks site with endless frustration and disappointment, my wife and I have decided to head out to Utah and do the major parks west-to-east, i.e. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Arches, and lots of other stuff in between, but not depending on getting rteservations for every night of the trip. We are allowing about a month to get there and back from the east coast (Philadelphia area). I actually succeeded in convincing my best friend and navigator that we would have more freedom and flexibility if we tried some dry camping options along the way, and get spots in private (or national) parks as needed. I was thrilled when she said, "Sure, let's try it."



But here's the question: It seems to me that, as long as we are prepared for some cold (possibly even freezing) weather, we can still do it in March. She's now talking more about April. My biggest deal-breaker is crowds. Any thoughts out there about Utah in March vs. April, and the crowds vs. weather tradeoff? Many thanks for whatever wisdom anybody can provide.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by rockey

After trying a couple of times to do an epic Scamp trip to the great Utah national parks and register on the national parks site with endless frustration and disappointment, my wife and I have decided to head out to Utah and do the major parks west-to-east, i.e. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Arches, and lots of other stuff in between, but not depending on getting rteservations for every night of the trip. We are allowing about a month to get there and back from the east coast (Philadelphia area). I actually succeeded in convincing my best friend and navigator that we would have more freedom and flexibility if we tried some dry camping options along the way, and get spots in private (or national) parks as needed. I was thrilled when she said, "Sure, let's try it."



But here's the question: It seems to me that, as long as we are prepared for some cold (possibly even freezing) weather, we can still do it in March. She's now talking more about April. My biggest deal-breaker is crowds. Any thoughts out there about Utah in March vs. April, and the crowds vs. weather tradeoff? Many thanks for whatever wisdom anybody can provide.

Don't forget Natural Bridges between Capital Reef and Canyonlands. It's a natural stop. The campground is small, but we had no problem getting a site last April 9th and 10th. The hiking is wonderful, along with the biking.

You say you're "currently shopping" but you now have a Scamp? If you have a Scamp, please update your info.

Enjoy,

Perry

[2015 Escape 17B]

Jonathan:

March can be an excellent time to visit the southern UT parks. However, the exception is Bryce, the elevation there is 8,000 ft. So not only will it be cold, but there is likely to be considerable snow. Bryce features a winter carnival on President's Day each year, with x-c skiing. So, while a trip including Zion, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches would be very feasible, you may wish to skip Bryce if your trip is it March. Good luck with your planning.

Dave Smith

[Vtec]

Utah in March? We did a driving trip many years ago on way to Grand Canyon. We got lucky outracing a major snowstorm and making it through Vail pass just before I70 was shut down for many days. The weather was fickle, snowing and cold at Arches NP. That was the only park in Utah we hit that time as we were just heading to the four corners, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon. I would say you might get lucky but I would say it would be a 50/50 chance your trip would be hitting not so good weather. I would not want to be in mountains pulling a camper in snow. Grand Canyon was perfect weather. I would suggest staying south.

[Mike Magee]

WeatherUnderground has a feature that lets you check past weather history. So for example if you search the locations for Moab UT, you get this page, and click on "history". (It defaults to Grand Junction, but close enough.) Then change the search parameter to "monthly", then select March and 2023... or 2022, or 2021. Click "view". You'll see high and low temps, average temps, wind, and precip. I was in Moab last mid-March and it was decent... lows in mid 20s and highs around 50.


You'll want to allow plenty of time crossing through Colorado, you have a good chance of experiencing snow (even in April at those high elevations). Colorado National Monument is worth a drive-through and there's a nice state park (James Robb) just outside the north entrance. Arches is great, and in March you can just drive in without an advance permit; I think they start limiting the number of visitors in April. Don't miss Goblin Valley SP. Good chance you probably will need reservations around Zion NP if you go there.

[daltenes]

The only way to score reservations on recreation.gov is to be online at exactly the day/time that will include your desired date/s - NOT one minute later than opening time. Have an account for you and your wife so your chances of booking your desired date/s are increased....

Crowds: over the past 10 years or so, crowds have grown steadily every year. You will find crowds during any season - no slack times. Be prepared to spend a lot of time and/or $$ hunting for parking. Zion/Springdale often has folks parking in town at a cost of $25-30 per day and then taking a shuttle or walking into the park. Zion has several paid RV parks and some boondocking sites within 10 to 30 minutes. Ruby's Inn outside of Bryce has a great campground but check to see if it's open in March. Arches has several RV parks in Moab. You can easily get daily admission reservations ($3) for entry into Arches.

Weather: March can be a pretty iffy month in Utah. Snow often closes a good portion of road in Bryce.

Best of luck!!

[glass wantabe]

We did Utah, California, and Oregon starting the last 2 weeks of April and finishing in June . Drove through Denver just missing a major snow storm. Did the mighty 5 but camped in state parks and BLM. We didn't leave overnight to chance. Deadhorse State Park is a must in my opinion, the vista's and lack of tourist . Lots of BLM land near Moab. Kodachrome State Park great sites. Check out Hole in the wall road to Willis creek, a slot canyon hike you'll have to yourself. Some of the BLM roads can be a nail biter 10 to 14 % plus sharp single lane turns (no guard rails) . Red Cliffs Campground near Zion NP nice spot. We made it so can you, plan to keep on top of reservation dates.
One of my bucket list, great time.
Rob

[robswarts]

I did the five in April 2021 and then did Zion-Bryce-Kodachrome in April 2022. Cold both times at Bryce for 7am hikes but doable and only a dusting of snow. Stayed at Kodachrome both times and despite being a bit remote from Bryce will return again.