Since a lot of you live, run, hike in the southwest, let me pick your brains.
My daughter is graduating from HS this May and all she wants is a hiking trip to the Southwest - gotta say it, I raised her right
Our itinerary so far......
Grand Canyon - Havasupai Falls, Camp two nights. Soak up sights, hike to Colorado River day two.
Zion Narrows - hike Zion narrows all the way through - two days, or should we push for one day?
Moab - 2 or 3 days - Slick Rock, Arches, Dead horse point, Big Chief Loop
Then on to Colorado: hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, rafting the Cache le' Poudre
Thinking about .......
Paria Canyon - Thinking and wondering - Is this too remote for two girls on their own? Would love to do this, but trying to be smart. Anyone done it?
I know there are lots of great places in Colorado that I don't even know about. Please make suggestions.
We have done GC R2R2R, Bryce, Arches(just sight seeing stuff), Sedona, Rocky Mountain NP(just day hikes), We are looking for out of the way adventures that we've missed. We are wanting to do some backcountry for 2-3 days at a time.
Suggestions??????? Thanks a bunch!!!!!
Uh oh... now what?
I suppose Great Basin NP is too far northwesterly for you. We have been there three times. The first was because Kathy saw an article about "The least visited national park" ---no lights anywhere, upper campground is around 10,000 feet, bristlecone pine groves, Wheeler Peak is a one-day walkable thing...
Be sure to pause along the "Grand Staircase... " to admire the humongous groves of aspens.
Dinosaur?
rgot
John, Thanks for the Great BAsin idea. That place looks beautiful, and no, not too far. We may have to fit that in.
Aspen groves are a must. That is why I love SW Utah so much. You get the best of everything. If I were only retired now!
Ultra Cowboy
Wow that is an action packed itinerary!
Save some thing for the years she is in school! Having an "annual trip" is kinda neat when you are out on your own away from home.
Edited after realizing you have DONE the SW parks.
I'd say the Backcountry of the NPS is more user friendly than some wilderness areas. You don't have to worry abut big predators in CO.
Continental divide Trail?
Love to hear more about your trip as it evolves.
WYBMADIITY
Save
Rocky,
We have been going every other year since she was 12. It has been awesome, and we've made some great memories for just us girls. Now that she's going away to college, I'm gonna try to do some big trip every summer. We are both dying to go up to Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, but can't quite make it this year, but like you say, we'll have other years. We keep saying next year, but we are hooked on the Grand Canyon and Utah and Colorado.
That is awesome. I'm going to research the different sections and figure out what would be best. Trying to look around for shuttle service.
Thanks, I can't wait to show her the map.
Don't overlook Capitol Reef in Utah. Take hwy 12 from Bryce (you won't regret it!) over Boulder Mountain. Amazing scenery and amazing aspen. You end up in Torrey, which is high and cooler than places like Zion, and is the gateway to Cap Reef and the Henry Mtns. A nice two day in Cap Reef is up Deep Creek, which is in the northern half of the park. Lots of great day hikes, too. It's one of the quietest parks in the west. I love Cap Reef.
Cedar Breaks? ... sort of between Zion and Bryce or the 'Staircase.
Gila Cliff Dwellings?
Big Bend NP?
Guadalupe NP?
What is the starting point?
fear the Col Sanders
I did Paria canyon once... a long time ago. I wouldn't recommend it. We waded through a LOT of water. Several of the narrow pools were up to my chin so I had to hoist my pack on my head for stretches (and I'm tallish). It rained a bit, which was a bit nerve wracking.
Maybe it just isn't my thing. We had multiple layers of mud covering us when we finished. I didn't particularly enjoy it. I much prefer Little Wildhorse narrows (link). They don't try to kill me and they are very scenic and fun to hike. The upside is you get to play at Goblin Valley, too. My kids absolutely love that place.
MTA: If you haven't seen Goblin before, this is a good video showing some of it:
http://youtu.be/OPdJbnmWLgw
Just because I look dumb doesn't mean I'm not...