8 day trip to Utah

Vegan.Hiker

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Hi guys,

I'm an old member who just reintroduced himself in the noob introduction thread. Hoping I can get some good advice from this forum like I did 9 years ago when I first joined to get some advice on my first trip to Utah.

I'll be coming back to Utah September 2nd through the 10th. I'll be be bringing my wife this time. The original purpose for the trip is at my wife and I are both running the Revel Half Marathon in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Sept. 9th. We registered for this race because it lined up perfectly on my trainining block for the NYC Marathon which I am running in November. My wife ran the NYC Marathon last Nov. and decided she wants to stick to racing halfs. I had to pull out last year which is why I am able to run this year. We figured since we were flying all the way out to UT from NJ for a race, let's make a trip out of it (and also try to acclimate to the elevation a little before the race). This means that the 9th and 10th are out as far as hiking/backpacking plans, and we shouldn't do anything too strenuous on the 8th either. So really, I have the 9/2 (arriving at 1:18pm) to 9/7 to play with. On the 8th I'll be trying to stay at the campground at Mill D in Big Cottonwood where the race is.

With flights booked, races registered, I went ahead and booked a campervan for the whole trip through Wandervans (hopefully nobody has had any bad experiences with them).
That's about all that's solified at the moment and I'm open to ideas and suggestions.

My first inclination is to immediately head towards Bryce, taking the Alpine loop past Bridal Veil falls which I think my wife would enjoy and camping somewhere nice on the drive down that first night (any advice?) then staying at the North Campground in Bryce NP the 3rd - 5th and doing some early morning training runs followed by day hikes. There are 2 RV campsites still available in the North Campground those dates so something is telling me to decide asap. Then I was thinking of heading back up to the Wasatch (it'll be mid-week) and staying at the Timpooneke CG and overnighting Timp from the CG. I did it 9 years ago, but always wanted to go back and re-do it with my wife. If there are recommendations for some good day hikes instead, I would be interested in hearing those as well. I would like to get in more than just the Timp and not sure if thats possible if I overnight it (she doesn't want to do 14 miles in a day so close to the race) so a few day hikes may be a better option. Like I said earlier, I plan to camp in (or very close to) Big Cottonwood Canyon on the 8th.

Is this too ambitious or does it sound reasonable?. I'm open to input and suggestions. If I go with this plan I'd like to book the North CG site and the Timpooneke CG site asap.

Thanks in advance,
John
 
Maybe I'm jaded on Utah, but since you're so close, that's a great time for YStone and the Tetons and it's not that far. The crowds will be a lot less.
 
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How about taking the back road to Bryce? Drive over to Price UT, then past Goblin Valley State Park to Hanksville, through Capitol Reef NP to Torrey, Through Grand Staircase Escalante NM to Escalante, then on to Bryce, with a chance to sidetrack to Kodachrome Basin State Park. Its a longer drive than just shooting down I-15, but worth the time and effort.
 
Maybe I'm jaded on Utah, but since you're so close, that's a great time for YStone and the Tetons and it's not that far. The crowds will be a lot less.
Yeah, as much as I love Southern UT, if I had 5 full days free at that time of year I'd head to the Winds or the like
 
Interesting suggestions and gives me some stuff to think about. If I was going alone for the primary purpose of backpacking I would be much more inclined to head north to WY or MT, but this trip is under atypical circumstances. I’ll have my wife with me who has a pretty strong preference for day hiking - she’ll do 1 overnight, maybe a second overnight tops. Also, we need to get in some morning training runs throughout the week to avoid veering too far off our training blocks and hopefully not shock our lungs too bad since the race is at 7,500’. We also need to be well rested come the 9th and on a pretty regimented pre-race eating schedule the day or two leading up the the race. I’ll be in the Beartooths in August, less than a month before this for a more typical week-long backpacking trip, so this one’s mainly going to be geared towards keeping her happy and keeping things light and more recreational. Other than a quick trip to Zion a few years back on the way to the North Rim, this will be only her second time in UT so I want her to be willing to come back for more. I am though, going to see what the permit situation, and CG situation looks like in the Tetons though, as I’ve only backpacked there once (TR is up on here somewhere). If I can get permits for Paintbrush Divide or some of the other classic shorter hikes out there, that might be a good option to consider as well.
 
It is good to see you back!

Heading to Bryce is not a bad idea. You may want to just go straight south, instead of doing the Alpine loop that Saturday afternoon, and instead do that when you go back to Timpooneke. Mainly because it is a holiday weekend- Labor Day = zoo of cars and people who do not know how to drive trailers.

The suggestions to go to Bryce the back way are good.
If you are looking for a place to camp that Saturday night, given it is the holiday weekend, it will likely be crowded most places, whether you do Hwy 6 through Price to Hanksville and then over to CRNP to Hwy 12... OR if you head down I-15 to Scipio to Hwy 24 then to Torrey/Hwy 12. You could look at any number of reserved sites along those corridors, or try your luck at large. That first day will be mostly driving to get south.
One consideration going that way is Curry pizza in Bicknell and a Mexican restaurant in Torrey both have vegan options. Hell's Backbone in Boulder has vegan options if I recall correctly.
If you are looking for hiking suggestions on the way to Bryce that next day along Hwy 12, boy oh boy, that could be a long list :)
If you want any suggestions, I am happy to give a few.

Overnighting Timp is beautiful, might be a bit rough a couple days before a race, plus carrying backpacking stuff for all that to do just one night. You could head east to the Uintas, some years there are leaves changing over Labor day. You could summit Bald or Watson or Hayden with a bit less muscle strain than Timp. You could also get a campground or stay at large out there midweek instead of Timpooneke.

Just some of my thoughts.
 
It is good to see you back!

Heading to Bryce is not a bad idea. You may want to just go straight south, instead of doing the Alpine loop that Saturday afternoon, and instead do that when you go back to Timpooneke. Mainly because it is a holiday weekend- Labor Day = zoo of cars and people who do not know how to drive trailers.

The suggestions to go to Bryce the back way are good.
If you are looking for a place to camp that Saturday night, given it is the holiday weekend, it will likely be crowded most places, whether you do Hwy 6 through Price to Hanksville and then over to CRNP to Hwy 12... OR if you head down I-15 to Scipio to Hwy 24 then to Torrey/Hwy 12. You could look at any number of reserved sites along those corridors, or try your luck at large. That first day will be mostly driving to get south.
One consideration going that way is Curry pizza in Bicknell and a Mexican restaurant in Torrey both have vegan options. Hell's Backbone in Boulder has vegan options if I recall correctly.
If you are looking for hiking suggestions on the way to Bryce that next day along Hwy 12, boy oh boy, that could be a long list :)
If you want any suggestions, I am happy to give a few.

Overnighting Timp is beautiful, might be a bit rough a couple days before a race, plus carrying backpacking stuff for all that to do just one night. You could head east to the Uintas, some years there are leaves changing over Labor day. You could summit Bald or Watson or Hayden with a bit less muscle strain than Timp. You could also get a campground or stay at large out there midweek instead of Timpooneke.

Just some of my thoughts.
Thanks! So much good information to unpack here. If you don’t mind, I’m going to follow up with you via private message to pick your brain when I’m back home and can piece this together looking at a map. I’m out on a quick overnight backpack right but will be back tomorrow and will digest your post in more detail.
 
I think the idea of going to Bryce is a great one. And going the back way to hit Goblin Valley, Capital Reef, Escalante , well that's just dreamy. I love the Hwy 12 drive from Torrey to Bryce. Hike Lower Calf Creek Falls near Escalante if you go that way and the situation allows - it's a busy hike but beautiful. Peekaboo Trail in Bryce is my favorite and I've been there many times. If you want some suggestions for hikes in Capitol Reef, let me know. If hiking to Timp seems to ambitious, just hike to the basin which is about 10 miles round trip and still gorgeous. Timpooneke Campground is one of my favorites. American Fork Canyon has great day hikes. Check out Pine Hollow and Silver Lake. Good luck on your race!
 
PS - you could get some pretty training runs in at Bryce along the Rim Trail or they have a bike/walking lane that goes for awhile.
 
Bryce is a great choice. For a scenic night stop, consider Red Canyon en route. Timpooneke CG is a solid choice, and day hikes like Emerald Lake or Scout Falls near Timp offer variety. Booking those campsites early is wise. Your itinerary seems reasonable, just keep an eye on pacing with the race prep. Also, check www.CostaRicaFocus.com for some cool travel insights – might come in handy for future adventures!
 
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