Avoiding crowded times in southern Utah national parks and monuments

12/4/2016 9:20:52 PM

The reason spring and fall are so popular in these parks is that the temperatures in the summer can can be scorching.

Some tips for avoiding crowds at any time:

  1. Most visitors never go much farther than a few feet from the parking lot. If you walk for more than 5 minutes on any but the most popular trails, the number of people is significantly smaller. Ask a ranger at the visitor center for recommendations.

  2. Get an early start to your day. The light is spectacular on the red rocks early in the morning.

  3. Go to less visited but equally scenic sections of the parks – Kolub Canyon in Zion, Needles section of Canyonlands or Dead Horse State Park, etc.

  4. The Fiery Furnace in Arches is only accessible on a ranger walk or with a permit. Not going to be crowded. Take a jet boat tour of the Colorado River from Moab.

  5. Look into Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon. Also, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is a no-brainer addition to a Zion/Bryce trip (and less crowded than the South Rim).

  6. State Parks and out of the way National Park sections are great also – Goblin Valley and Horseshoe Canyon of Canyonlands, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Valley of Fire, etc.

  7. Go in winter. We once went between Christmas and New Year’s and had a great time. Snow on the red rocks is incredible and Bryce has ranger led snow shoe hikes.

10/27/2015 7:38:26 AM

In response to your confusion about how can May be busy, you have to keep in mind in terms of travelers, there are more singles, couples without children and retirees, than there are families. And these folks can take vacations as they please, such as spring or fall when weather is great in the southern Utah parks. Also the region surrounding that area is a popular place to live for snowbirds and retirees, all of whom can pop over whenever the urge hits them.

If your timeframe for visiting is only April May, then I would suggest hitting the popular parks (Zion, Bryce, etc) mid-week as crowds would be slightly less. Other parks such as Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Grand Staircase are huge, put your walking shoes on and you will find you have the parks to yourself.

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Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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