undefined I am going to Zion and Bryce Canyon with my girlfriend in Mayish anyone know of any trials I can go try out there. I would be considered an easy to moderate off road girl....no point intended....

 

I went to the Grand Canyon, Arches, Zion, Bryce, Moab, Capitol Reef and I want to say one more one summer and have a hard time keeping the smaller ones straight in my head.

Mostly my fam drove the main roads and stopped at the little trail heads to hike. No real wheeling, but that sure is beautiful country.

Have a good trip!

 

Anyone ever been offroading in Big Bend Texas...... I hear theres something there but not too sure.

 

Most towns you drive through should have a courthouse where you can probably just walk in and listen to the proceedings. (Why is trails misspelled virtually everytime around here?!)

I've been to both, but never to 'wheel. I looked at my 4WD Adventures: Utah book, and it doesn't list any trails(!) around there. I doubt you'll get much response from the UT locals here, as it seems they don't venture too far from SLC. My only other thought would be to inquire with these guys. I already searched there, but no results.





What the heck does that have to do with Bryce or Zion?! Feel free to use the new thread button!

 

shut it colorado boy, i just wanted to get in a quick question without wasting space with a hole new post.....

 

oh and yeah real smooth sarcasm with trails and trials..... wow youre really a funny guy

 

at the risk of throwing minutely useful information into this highly entertaining thread , south/southeast of Bryce is a great playground for just exploring on dirt road stuff. None of it is technical wheelin', but again, it's really pretty country. I'll check some maps from my trip out there when I get home, but it's a huge area with a lot of roads to play on.

On our trip out there last year, we went from the grand canyon to bryce with very little use of pavement at all.

The only serious wheeling I know of is further to the northeast part of the state (Moab area), but I'm just another darn fool californian, so don't take that for much.

I very much doubt you will see so much as a speck of dirt under your wheels in Zion these days. That place is packed with people, and they don't even let cars use the real roads through most of the park, much less anything less developed. Timing is everything there.

(on the other hand, my most recent trip to Zion was spent with my g/f suffering a nasty bout of food poisoning, so we weren't paying all that much attention! )

 

I went to Bryce last May, and I did see a place. As you turn right off the main road to head into the Bryce Canyon area, there is a store, gas station, gift shop, and camp ground. There is also a bus stop out front that takes you into the park. From that bus stop, I remember seeing an easy off road trail that headed into the woods across the street. I highly doubt you will get any views of the Canyon, but it did look like you may need 4WD on the trail. That is about it. Everything is heavily protected by the state in that area.

Here is a pic of my wife and I at Bryce:



IMO Bryce was nice to visit for the day. But it got really old, really quick. I hear that Zion is much better. We will probably check that out this year.

 

Both parks are well worth your time to see. As with all our National Parks (Arches is an exception) off highway travel is pretty restricted. I'd definately recommend you get there early in May prior to the kids being let out of SkUoL for the summer.

If you'd like to see some back roads, I'd recommend the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area. It's east of Bryce Canyon. It is truely some beautiful, remote country. I've been up that way via Hyw 89, just east of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Lots less crowded for sure..........

 

What about snow shoeing in South Western Arizona. Do you think there are any good trips there between May and August. I have some free time...

Get a clue, that was real bright especially when Darren did something odd and answered the question.

 

The trick to snow shoeing in SW AZ during the summer is keeping the cholla at bay...

On the main road into Bryce Canyon, about a half mile or so IIRC there is a dirt road going toward the canyon. It's pretty much a 2WD road, not much action. However, it will take you right to the edge of the canyon. The wife and I backed up to the edge (more or less) and had a really nice dinner. Both Bryce and Zion are something you need to see if you're in the region.

I remember seeing a few dirt roads in Zion (both just inside and outside of the park) but I didn't go down any. We had the task of driving through the Nation to get back to PHX.

Mike

 

Mike -

That is exactly the road I was talking about. Sounds like a great spot for a picnic!

-Christian

 

I second what Mark said about exploring Escalante NM. It's not far from Bryce and has a lot to see. For an easy but very picturesque drive head east from Bryce on hwy 12 to Boulder, then take hwy 100, or the Burr Trail, out of town. You'll know when you get to the Burr switchbacks, and from there it turns into a dirt road ranging from fairly easy to pretty tough depending on how much rain they've had since the last time the grader came through. My best advice for anywhere in Utah is to pick up a copy of the Benchmark Atlas for the state. It shows all the roads, from paved to 4x4, and should give you a lifetime of ideas.

 

I will THIRD what Mark and MNBOY said above. After seeing the sights (and people) at the two parks go EAST (not west) on Hwy 12 from Bryce into the Escalante-Grand Staircase NM and stop at the BLM office/Interpretive Center just as you enter Escalante to check road conditions, get maps etc. They are very helpful and will give you more info than you thought you wanted.

The Monument has anything you might want with miles of roads, trails, hiking...You name it. And so far, the government hasn't mucked it up to badly with improvements/rules but tha'ts probably coming. You used to be able to drive down into the Escalante canyon but can't now. It's still great to hike though.

From there, depending on your time and inclination, there are weeks of fabulous exploring to the south, east and northeast into Capitol Reef NP.

Enjoy!

Mick