North Rim, Zion, Bryce Trip June 2015

[KJRitchie]

Day 1:
I guess I should get off my lazy butt and post a trip report of my 2 week trip to North Rim Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP and Bryce Canyon NP I took back in June.

Due to our personal circumstances this was a solo trip with my dog Sophie. The trip was two fold; first to meet up with my daughter, Sam, who lives in St George, UT and to camp together in our Airstream at North Rim GC, Zion and Bryce Canyon. The plan worked out well.

I planned this trip for 6 months. After we decided on the trip I waited for my 6 month window to open up at recreation.gov so I could reserve campsites at North Rim Campground, Watchman Campground in Zion and Bryce Canyon's North Campground. It was crucial I got an electric campsite at Watchman so Sophie could stay cool while Sam and I hiked during the day. Average temperatures in June get over 95F. North Rim and Bryce are no hookups but since they are at 8000ft the temperatures wouldn't get as warm and I could leave a Fantastic Fan on with a window open to keep Sophie comfortable.

In order to keep the batteries charged at North Rim and Bryce Canyon I purchased a Zamp 200w portable solar panel.

I towrd my 2008 Classic 25fb with a 2010 Tundra Double Cab SR5, 2x4. I decided to take my bike and one for Sam so we could bike together in the parks.

Since I live in Missouri and I still work full time I took a Friday and 2 weeks off from work. I was going to leave on a Saturday but that would mean 500 miles days to get to North Rim. Leaving on Friday gave me a more relaxed schedule.

First day I left Nixa, MO around 8am and headed east on I-40. My plan was to stop somewhere east of Amarillo, TX but I ended up driving a 500 mile day and my first night was spent in Amarillo.

I stayed at Oasis RV Resort just west of Amarillo the first night. The wind picked up west of Oklahoma City. This is a larger RV parks and the sites are pull through with full hook ups. The price was about $31. It was too windy to sit outside.

Oasis RV Resort | Amarillo's Newest, Largest and Finest RV Resort

Gas stops: I typically drive at 60 mph.
Full tank starting from home
Stroud, OK 235 miles, 20.7 gallons pumped, 11.3 mpg
Sayre, OK 182 miles, 15.8 gallons pumped, 11.5 mpg

[KJRitchie]

Since I drove 500 miles the previous day I decided to take a short day and put only about 350 miles.

Leaving Amarillo and heading west on I40 the terrain starts to be more scenic.

Driving through Albuquerque was uneventful. The traffic wasn’t bad being a Saturday.

There is an RV park at Sky City Casino. This casino is about 60 miles west of Albuquerque. All pull through with full hookups. The office will give you a key to open up the utility boxes at your site. You have to make sure to return the key to the office or the drop box so you don’t get charged a replacement fee. I wasn’t able to use the local cable because unlike other RV parks the cable connection was a male connector vs the typical female connector. Price for full hookups was about $21.
Sky City RV Park

Got in around 3:30pm and spent a relaxing afternoon with Sophie, my dog. The wind was blowing pretty strong so I kept inside for the most part.

Gas Stops:
Amarillo, TX, 137 miles, 13.1 gallons pumped, 10.4 mpg
Moriarty, NM 235 miles, 20 gallons pumped, 11.7 mpg

[KJRitchie]

I decided to get on the road a little bit early so I could make it into Flagstaff, AZ by early afternoon,
As I headed east thunderstorms started to form against the adjacent mountains.

Got into Flagstaff in the early afternoon and set up camp at J & H RV Park. Park was full by 2:30pm

This is a very nice smaller RV park. Most sites are back in and are close to each other but it is well kept. Price was $48 with full hookups. Some reviews complain about too many rules but their rules are no worse than anywhere else. The do refrain on smoking at this park but do offer a smoking area near the main building at the entrance.

J & H RV Park

Since it was early I decided to take a short trip up to Sunset Crater National Monument. I was able to complete some short hikes, take some photos and tour the campground. Not hookups but water and toilets available. Not crowded either. It was a little warm but not bad in the shade, After checking out Sunset Crater and drove back into Flagstaff to get gas then head back to the trailer for dinner

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

Gas Stops:

Gallup, NM: 180 miles, 14.1 gallons pumped, 12.7 mpg
Flagstaff, AZ 206 miles, 12.6 gallons pumped, 13.4 mpg

[KJRitchie]

eft Flagstaff for North Rim Grand Canyon via Jacob Lake. Headed north to Marble Canyon to double back along the Vermillion Cliffs then up the winding 89a up to Jacobs Lake where I decided to gas up.

89A to Marble Canyon gets narrower but the traffic was light. The ascent up to Jacobs lake is a series of tight turns, the Tundra in 3rd gear most of the way. Refueled thinking it would be cheaper there than at North Rim and it ended up being 5 cents a gallon more expensive.

Got into North Rim Campground by mid afternoon and met Sam. The campsite, #25, was reserved 6 months ago. It was a pull through but you had to drive down into the campsite and then drive up to get out of the campsite to the campground loop road. Because of the angles of the truck to the trailer, both up/down and sideways, I had to drive back onto the loop road where it was level and disconnect the WDH (Equalizer) bars then drive around the loop to enter the campsite. I was then able to unhitch the truck. The east side of the the loop is on a hill with the outside campsites lower than the access road. When leaving I had to tow out of the campsite to put the WDH bars on. Of course when I did this 3 cars decided to leave the campground.

The dump station is where you can pick up water to fill your tank. There are spigots in the campground if you need to fill containers. The water sure tastes good.

That evening I decided to take the bike to the North Rim Lodge. Sam, being a nurse in St George, UT, on the night shift, needed to catch up on sleep and get used to a day schedule stayed behind. There is a bike/horse trail from the campground to the lodge.

I arrived at the lodge and walked the bike down the short trail to Bright Angels Point and took some photos. Walked back to the lodge for a few photos and biked back to the campground. Uphill all the way. 8000ft really knocked me back despite the 24 gears on my bike. Knees burning I had to stop and rest halfway back to the campground. Out of shape.

[KJRitchie]

This day dawned cloudy. The remnants of a Pacific hurricane were starting to be felt. Still it was dry and the temperatures comfortable. We had a nice bacon and egg breakfast to start the day. We spent the day driving out to Point Imperial and Cape Royal to check out the viewpoints.

[KJRitchie]

We where going to hike several miles down the Bright Angel Trail but it rained steady until late afternoon when it started to clear. My daughter spent most of the day staying in the Airstream. I had the curbside awning out so we could sit outside but spent the time catching up on our reading. By the late afternoon it started to clear. We had a nice dinner at the North Rim Lodge. Prior to dinner we watched the sunset from the viewpoints adjacent to the lodge.

[KJRitchie]

Today the weather was perfect but it was time to pack up to travel to Zion National Park. Sam left me ahead of me in her car. I arrived at Watchman campground in the early afternoon and set up the Airstream in Loop B 19. Loop A and B have campsites with electric hookups. Water is obtained from the dump station or a faucets dotted around the campground. B19 is a backup site mostly full sun in the afternoons but there are trees on one side that in combination with your awning and trailer provides shade in the afternoons. With no campsites or roads behind you it provides a nice rear view from the the rear dinette.

Sam and I decided to take an afternoon bike ride up the Pa’rus trail that follows the Virgin River. We got as far as the main junction when Sam’s bike got a flat tire from a thorn. Luckily I had a pump on my bike and we were able to get back to the campsite without having to walk the way back. Riding a bike all the way up the canyon would be a fun way to tour the canyon. I’ll have to do it next I’m in Zion.

[KJRitchie]

Today, Sam and I took the shuttle bus to the trail head to hike The Narrows. The shuttle system in Zion is very good. You don’t have to wait long and its the perfect way to travel up the canyon. The Narrows are one of the more popular hikes so we expected crowds and that is what we got. Since the majority of the hike is wading in the Virgin River I wore some enclosed toe water shoes. To guard against the sun long sleeves and polyester hiking pants and trekking poles. I mounted a GoPro on one of my trekking poles to take video. I left my main camera behind and relied on my iPhone 6 for stills. The GoPro stills didn’t work out that well. We hiked up to Orderville Canyon junction then up Orderville Canyon until we came to a pool that to wade would’ve been up to our chests. Skies were starting to show thunderstorms so we took that as a sign and headed back to the trailhead.

[KJRitchie]

Today we decided to hike to Hidden Canyon. This trail is also the start of the trail to Observation Point. When we got to the trail junction to Hidden Canyon we found the trail was closed so continued onto Observation Point. Round trip this hike is about 11 miles and climbs a couple thousand feet over the valley floor. We had lunch at Observation Point overlooking Zion Valley. Being one of the higher points you can hike to you actually look down onto Angels Landing on the other side of the valley.

[KJRitchie]

Since this is the most popular hike we left early and took the shuttle to the trail head. The sun was just starting to appear over the eastern valley peaks. Lots of switchbacks and then the trail turns into a rock climb to get to the top. Chains are attached to the rock faces to assist hikers to get to the top. If you are scared of heights this is not the hike for you.

[KJRitchie]

Today we packed up and headed for Bryce Canyon. I reserved a site at North Campground. I decided to avoid the Zion tunnel and instead head north on I15 past Cedar City the east to Panguitch via UT 20. I was able to keep my batteries charged up using my Zamp 200w portable solar panel. Water is provided at the dump station or faucets in the campground. That afternoon I took a bike ride to Sunrise and Sunset Points to take some late afternoon photos and to check out the Lodge.

Gas Stops:
Cedar City, UT: 250 miles, 21 gallons pumped, 11.9mpg

[KJRitchie]

Today we hiked the Fairyland Trial. We hiked from the campground a couple of miles along the Rim Trail to the Fairyland trailhead before heading down into the Bryce Canyon amphitheater. This was a nice hike that offers little traffic, views of the valley where the town of Tropic lie and some nice hiking through the Hoodoos, the classic geologic structures this park is famous for. This hike was about 11 miles. We were able to have lunch in the canyon amongst nature with piece and quiet.

[KJRitchie]

This is one of the busier trails at Bryce. Lots of foreign visitors. You can start the trail at either Sunrise or Sunset points and we decided Sunrise Point offered an easier climb out so we started at Sunset point. Both these points are close to North Campground so we started the hike from our campsite. After the hike we walked over to the lodge and had lunch in the dining room.

[KJRitchie]

Sam left for St George the night before so I hitched up the Airstream and said good bye to Bryce Canyon. We never did drive to the other observation points further than Sunset point. One of these days I’ll like to hike the Under the Rim trail from Rainbow Point north to Bryce Point. Headed north from Bryce via US 89 to hit I70 then headed east to Colorado. Got into Frisco, CO by early evening at stayed at Heaton Bay campground on Dillon Lake. This campground offers water and electric paved sites and is surrounded by the mountains, many of them still with snow in June.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/white...40863&actid=29
This facility is operated by White River Recreation, a division of California Land Management so they tack on a $9 reservation fee.

Gas Stops:
Richfield, UT: 196 miles, 15.6 gallons pumped, 12.5 mpg
Grand Junction, CO: 216 miles, 15.6 gallons pumped, 12.8 mpg

[KJRitchie]

Today was a 500 mile drive. Headed east to Denver over the continental divide via I70 and the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnel. The climb over up to the tunnels was not too hard for my Tundra and I was able to maintain 55 mph to 60 mph. The decent down was a bit nerve wracking as trucks were slowed down to 25mph and trying to get over to the left lane at times was difficult due to the increased traffic. Once on the east side of Denver the traffic thinned out and slowly in my rear view mirrors the Rockies disappeared, I stayed at the Saline KOA. Not bad for a private RV park. About $30 for water/electric hook ups. I didn’t take any photos once I left Frisco, CO. As I head east on I70 the wind picked up to a quartering head wind.

I did take video through my windshield of the ascent up to the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnel
https://youtu.be/xMslHcUFfEo

Gas Stops:
Frisco, CO: 180 miles, 15 gallons pumped, 12 mpg
Burlington, CO: 233 miles, 14.7 gallons pumped, 13.4 mpg
Hays, KS: 157 miles, 14.7 gallons pumped 10.6 mpg

[KJRitchie]

An easy drive through Kansas City and headed towards Springfield, MO and home.

Gas Stop:
Salina, KS 110 miles, 11.1 gallons pumped, 9.9 mpg
Peculiar, MO: 198 miles, 17.7 gallons pumped, 11.1 mpg

[Lily&Me]

Beautiful photos....and lots of data, there.

Looks like it was a great trip.

Thanks for sharing.


Maggie

[Burnside Bob]

Thanks for sharing your adventure. My wife and I hope to follow in your tracks.

[Hans627]

Very nice trip and report. Thanks for taking the time to share!

[thehandyman]

Thanks for sharing brings back memories. We did Bryce then Zion in June 2005 we were in a popup then. Snowed on us at Bryce one day. Did not get to hike the narrows because all the snow melt had the river to high.