New Brighton to Bryce/Zion and Maybe the Grand

[OpenHigher]

Hi All: Sherry and I, Robert, are planning our first long trip in the A/S. We have camped at Morro Bay State Park and New Brighton, near Monterrey, many times. So, we are headed there in late July and early August. From New Brighton I am thinking about heading to Bryce and Zion, maybe the Grand Canyon. We have reservations for Morro and New Brighton (obtained 7 months ago of course) but we have nothing for campsites, reservations, if we head East.

Soooooo. I am looking for suggestions where to camp and if summer requires reservations, which I presume it does. I suppose it depends upon the site. We will have the rest of August after leaving New Brighton on the 12th.

Thanks for the help for those of you who know the area.

This whole forum is just great.

Robert and Sherry

ps: No boon docking this trip

[AgZep]

There are a number of decent RV parks near both Bryce and Zion. We went to both this summer, and made reservations maybe only a week or two out. Having said that, the park where we stayed near Zion started really filling up after we'd been there a few days, and by the time we left they were at 100% capacity.

You'll have to decide whether you'd rather stay at the north rim or south rim of the Grand Canyon. Either way, you'll be doing a lot of driving to get to the canyon itself. We prefer the north rim for its woodsy feel, and had no problem at all getting a spot there with a week ahead reservation.

If you're considering those parks, I'd suggest going to the Moab area too. Arches itself is terrific, but the Dead Horse overlook has to be seen to be believed. Get there right before sunset for maximum impression. It gets shockingly little attention from the uber-tourists (being a state park) , but it's quite spectacular.

Check out my web page for some pictures of these places:

http://www.wesandcarol.com/MainPicPage.htm

[OpenHigher]

Wes: Your pictures are really great, but can't show them to Sherry, want to surprise her and see the look on her face when those majestic views enter the horizon. She was stunned by Sedona.

Anyway, at Bryce and Zion, where exactly, what campground, did you stay in? Any specific ones which are better than others?

Thanks again.

Robert and Sherry

[AgZep]

I hate to inflict this on you, but my wife journaled the trip, and has a lot of info on the parks that could be of help:

http://www.wesandcarol.com/CarolsJournalSeptember.htm

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by AgZep

I hate to inflict this on you, but my wife journaled the trip, and has a lot of info on the parks that could be of help:

http://www.wesandcarol.com/CarolsJournalSeptember.htm

I looked through the trip, why would your mail be at Jacob's Lake? How did you like walking out on the old bridge at Lee' Ferry, it's hard to believe that trucks going in both directions would pass each other on that bridge. Hundreds of RV mirrors were distroyed on that bridge.

The North Rim in my opinion is the better place to visit the canyon. It is harder to get to, but worth the drive. The South Rim is flooded with touists and has become a major trafic jam. The very best place to see the canyon is from the bottom. We have hiked it and rafted it also. It is a special place.

[AgZep]

AZFlycaster-

We had requested Escapees to forward our mail to the campground at Jacob's Lake prior to leaving the campground at Zion. Unfortunately, this was right about the time hurricane Rita was causing an evacuation and shutdown of the whole Escapees operation. I believe our mail left Livingston before Rita hit, but then got hung up in Houston for days. So we continued our journey in the Airstream (one of the advantages of taking your house with you everywhere you go), and returned later for the mail.

We really enjoyed Kaibab Camper Village and the whole North Rim experience. Someday we'd like to go back and explore the South Rim (off-season?) and do more hiking. I read about one family that goes to the South Rim every year for Thanksgiving in the RV and does the whole turkey dinner thing. Sounds interesting.

[Mike Lewis]

AgZep---I hate to tell you this but there is NO off-season at the Grand Canyon, especially the south rim. That said the winter is one of the nicest times to visit if you're prepared for cold weather . We make it over 5-6 times a year for a week at a time. Crowded, yes but it's still a great place to visit. We have found that by making repeated trips we have become familar with where things are and how to get around even in the traffic. We have spent New Years eve in a tent at the bottom and in a Class A with a ft. of snow on the roof at the top ------Pieman