Our First Long RV Trip: Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks

Planning our First 3000+ Mile Trip

Bryce Canyon National Park, Queen’s Garden

As soon as we purchased our Vintage Cruiser in spring of 2017, we started planning our first adventure, Zion National Park.  We were both still working, so figuring out not only the right time of year to go to avoid crowds, but also the right timing with our colleages.  We landed on September of 2018.  Yes, it took over a year to feel comfortable in the RV and towing and planning and "oh my" all the rest!

We planned this trip using Roadtrippers, as I had been using it for years to plan non-RV road trips and was familiar with the functionality.    Here is the link to our trip.  (All trips after this were planned in RV Parky with supporting planning using Roadtrippers).  Below is an image of our trip, showing each of the stops, including a quick stop to visit our son in Winona, as he was in his first year attending Winona State.  We parked the RV at the KOA just south of Rochester (#1 on the map), then zipped over to Winona for dinner, returning to Rochester for the night.  We had a general idea of our route but had NO RV park reservations when we left.

After a long day of driving along I80, we landed at the Fishberry Campground in Valentine, NE.  We were excited to have use the outdoor grill for the first time, and enjoyed a beautiful sunset with nothing but prairie for miles.

Sunset from our Fishberry Campground campsite 

For our second day of travel, we continued south to North Platte, then merged onto I70 west, heading to my my brother and sister-in-laws' place in Dillon, CO.  This was our first time navigating a city like Denver, and of course the first time tackling the Rockies.  We made a huge mistake getting gas in Denver, picking a gas station way to small to navigate with a trailer, and we ended up having to back up to even exit the parking lot.  We parked in their driveway, and stayed in their house for our two day visit.  The fall colors were just starting, and we enjoyed a scenic bike ride along the Snake River Trail.

Scenes from our Dillon CO visit

We departed Dillon and headed west targeting Green River, UT for the night.  The drive along I70 is simply stunning.  We drove past Copper Mountain and Vail, all the time following the Colorado River.  There was a ton of construction, quite nerve-racking for us as rookies towing an RV.  Ok so Tim did most of the driving in that stretch, but still quite stressful.    

Passing Glenwood Springs and entering Glenwood Canyon is one of the most scenic drives ever, but we felt pressed to carry on and anxious about stopping anywhere with the trailer.  We continued along I70, past Fruita and into Utah.  As we entered Utah we bounded along I70 reaching Green River just before dusk.  Literally I thought the trailer was going to fly off - couldn't believe the bumps on the interstate!  We ended up finding a great place to stay at Green River State Park, nabbing one of the few spots left for the night.

Site 9 at Green River State Park, UT

Bryce Canyon National Park
The next day we made our way to Hatch, UT, with our target of Bryce Canyon National Park.  We found a place near a river at Riverside Ranch & RV Park.  The next day we took in the sights in Bryce Canyon, including a rigorous hike along taking Queen’s Garden and the  Navajo Loop to form a 2.9-mile trek.  Magical views. Should have brought more water.  

 

 

 

Scenes from our day in Bryce Canyon NP

Zion National Park
After two nights in Hatch, we made our way to Zion National Park, and made a rookie mistake of entering from the east, where there is a smaller tunnel and basically only one way traffic allowed as larger vehicles need to drive down the middle.  It's kind of lame that if your vehicle is over 89 inches wide you need to pay extra, yet even if you are just in a sedan, you need to wait in the line for your side's turn.

With that said, I HIGHLY recommend taking this drive, at least from the exit of the tunnel down to the valley of Zion.  STUNNING views.

Luckily we found a place for the night at the Zion River Resort in Virgin, UT. Our first day we took in the Emerald Pools and Weeping Rock trails. Both are shorter, gentler trails to warm up our legs a bit.

Our second day we took on Angel's Landing hike - at least most of it. It's a grueling trek to even get to the Observation Point of Angel's Landing (look it up) . At about 1/3 of the way up, we got behind an older couple and she said "welcome to the old people train". I said to myself - hell to the no - and went on higher than I thought I would earlier in the hike. The last stretch before getting the first observation area is called "Walter's Wiggle", a series of 21 switchbacks that are very steep. We both had to take multiple breaks. Tim continued on the Scout Lookout portion of the hike as I waited at the Observation point, then he turned back when he realized it would take a long time. From Tim: "I didn't realize what this trail was all about, when I saw the narrow ridge and the chains, I felt like a kid at Christmas sprinting ahead to see the rest of the trail. But then realized it would still take a while and I knew Kersten was waiting for me, so I had to turn back." It's still on his bucket list, but now requires a permit.

Images from the Angels Landing Trail

On our last day we "hiked" the Narrows, which is mostly wading and navigating boulders in the Virgin River - and considered a strenuous hike.  Indeed it was.  We rented the canyoning boots and walking stick at the park entrance and they were worth every cent.  As was the waterproof bag, in which we placed our phones just about 5 min before my first fall.   I opted to use my iPhone with the ProCam app instead of my Nikon - best decision of the day.  After about 2.5 hrs in, at about the Floating Rock, I realized my legs were starting to give out and we should head back.  Our total hike time was about 5 hours.  Man that beer at the Zion Lodge tasted sooo good.  

 

Our Narrows journey

Heading Home

After three nights in Zion we started the 1500 mile trek home, heading north from Hurricane right up the middle of Utah.  We made two stops in Wyoming including the Phillips RV Park in Evanston (where the waitress said 'Chardonnay, that's the white one right?') and the Platte River RV Park in Glenrock (where we met the owners who are from Hibbing!).  Our last night our was in Chamberlain, SD at the American Creek Campground, where we were treated to an amazing sunset overlooking the Missouri River.

Overnight in Evanston

Most of southern and eastern Wyoming

Chamberlain, SD

What we Learned

We learned that 3500 miles is way too much to do in twelve days, but we were still working so felt lucky to get the trip in when we did.  We learned we loved travel and discovering new places.  We learned that we really need to make reservations (we always do now!).  We learned that our country is amazing, and the National Parks are a gift we should all be blessed to experience.  Can't wait to go back!

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Have you been to Bryce Canyon or Zion National Parks? What time of the year? What did you most enjoy?  Leave your comments below!  Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.