The Route
The numbers on the map indicate the route and order of destinations - not days or times or schedules.
The zoom level of the map eliminates the smaller roads - they have been drawn in as straight lines.
The actual roads are:
Seattle to 1: I-90 east to Ellensburg to I-82 south, through Yakima and into Oregon, I-84 east, through Boise and into Utah, I-15 through Salt Lake City and to Scipio, US-50 to Salina and I-70 east to SR-24 south to Goblin Valley SP
1 to 2: SR-24 north back to I-70, east past Green River and onto US-191, and south to Arches NP
2 to 3, 4: SR-313 to Dead Horse SP and Canyonlands Island in the Sky
2 to 5, 6, 7: SR-128 along the Colorado River to Fisher Towers, Castle Valley, and Cisco
2 to 8,9: US-191 south to the Canyonlands Needles turnoff at SR-211, past Newspaper Rock to Needles
9 to10: SR-211 back to US-191 south to Blanding
10 to 14: SR-95 west to Natural Bridges NM, or
10 to 11, 12,13, 14: SR-191 south to US-163 to Mexican Hat to SR-261 north to Goosenecks of the San Juan SP, drive through Valley of the Gods, then up the Mokie Dugway to SR-95 to Natural Bridges NM
14 to 15: SR-95 north to Hite Marina, Colorado River (Hayduke's Bridge), and the Dirty Devil River
15 to 16: SR-95 north to Hanksville
16 to 17: SR-24 west to Capitol Reef NP
17 to 18: SR-24 west to Torrey, then SR-12 south to Calf Creek Falls, Escalante, Grand Staircase NM, and the Hole-in-the-Rock Road
18 to 19: SR-12 west to Bryce Canyon NP
19 to 20: SR-12 west to US-89 south to Mt. Carmel Junction, then west on SR-9 to Zion NP
20 to Seattle: SR-9 west to SR-17 to I-15 north to I-84 west to I-82 north to I-90 west
The Schedule
| Fri May 9 | leave home mid-day (night at rest stop) |
| Sat May 10 | arrive Goblin Valley PM; hike Goblin Valley (night at Goblin Valley) |
| Sun May 11 | hike Goblin Valley; maybe drive to Moab (night at Goblin Valley/Moab) |
| Mon May 12 | drive from Goblin Valley to Moab if needed; hike Island-in-the-Sky/Arches (night at Arches/SR-128/Moab/IIS) |
| Tue May 13 | hike Island-in-the-Sky/Arches (night at Arches/SR-128/Moab/IIS) |
| Wed May 14 | shop in Moab, drive up SR-128 to Cisco, hike Fisher Towers and Castle Valley (night at Arches/SR-128/Moab) |
| Thr May 15 | hike Arches; full moon at Delicate Arch (night at Arches/SR-128/Moab) |
| Fri May 16 | drive Moab to Needles; hike Needles (night at Needles) |
| Sat May 17 | hike Needles; maybe head for Mexican Hat (night at Needles/Mexican Hat) |
| Sun May 18 | drive from Needles to Mexican Hat if needed, drive from Mexican Hat to Hanksville, Capitol Reef (night at Capitol Reef) |
| Mon May 19 | drive Capitol Reef to Escalante; hiking along Hole-in-the-Rock Road; maybe drive to Bryce (night at side of the road/Bryce) |
| Tue May 20 | drive from Escalante to Bryce if needed; hike Bryce (night at Bryce) |
| Wed May 21 | hike Bryce (night at Bryce) |
| Thr May 22 | hike Bryce/Zion (night at Zion) |
| Fri May 23 | hike Zion (night at Zion) |
| Sat May 24 | hike Zion; leave for home (night at rest stop) |
| Sun May 25 | in transit |
The Destinations
The numbers below correspond to the numbers on the route map above.
Camping Info
Reservations may be made by calling Utah State Parks and Recreation, 322-3770 in the Salt Lake City calling area or toll-free 1-800-322-3770, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Individual campsite reservations may be made from three days to 16 weeks in advance of departure date. A $7.00 non-refundable reservation fee will be charged for each site reserved. A $10.25 non-refundable fee is charged for group sites and building rentals. An additional reservation fee will be charged for any changes to existing reservations. Visa, MasterCard and personal checks are accepted.
Camping Info
Devils Garden Campground has 52 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Facilities include flush toilets and water year-round. Sites are $10 per night. Visitors must pre-register for individual campsites at the Arches Visitor Center between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., or at the entrance station after 8:00 a.m. The campground fills daily mid-March through October, often by mid-morning. Two sites (tents only) are available for groups of ten or more people. The group sites may be reserved in advance.
3 - Dead Horse Point State Park
4 - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky
6 - Highway 128 - Colorado River, Fisher Towers
8
- Needles
- Canyonlands National Pa
Camping Info
Squaw Flat Campground is an ideal base camp for day hikes to popular destinations like Chesler Park, Druid Arch and the Joint Trail. There are 26 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Bathrooms, fire grates, picnic tables, tent pads and water are available year-round. Group size limit is 10 people and 2 vehicles. Maximum RV length is 28 feet. Fee is $10 per night. Squaw Flat typically fills every day from late March through June and again from early September to mid-October.
The Needles District also offers three campsites for groups of 11 or more people which may be reserved in advance. The Squaw Flat Group Site can hold up to 50 people and 10 vehicles. The Wooden Shoe Group Site can hold up to 25 people and 5 vehicles. The Split Top Group Site can hold up to 15 people and 3 vehicles. Nightly fees are $3 per person.
Between Blanding and Mexican Hat we find the Sand Island Kokopelli Panels:
http://www.so-utah.com/souteast/sandisln/homepage.html
Has a great Texaco Station, and be sure to take a look at the Mexican Hat Rock itself, just north of town.
Ruth - take a look at this:
http://utahtravelcenter.com/activities/hiking/hiking-trailssouth/bigmanpicto.htm
And for rock art in general:
http://rockart.esmartweb.com/utah.html
12 - Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park
13 - Mokie Dugway and Valley of the Gods
14 - Natural Bridges National Park
15 - Dirty Devil River, Colorado River, Hite Marina
To the casual observer, it might seem that about the only thing shaking in Hanksville are Stan's Burger Shak and the perennial favorite Sinclair gas-station-in-the-rock...
...but we have uncovered a few interesting facts about Hanksville, and something seems a bit peculiar.
The Whispering Sands Motel ( http://www.hanksville.com/whisperingsands/motel.html ) is apparently owned by one Stan Alvey.
A visit to http://www.capitolreef.org/services.html reveals that Stan also has a Chevron gas station and store in Hanksville: "Stan's Chevron, Convenience Store & Deli: 435-542-2017, 350 South Hwy 95, Hanksville, UT 84734. Friendly atmosphere, in-store bakery, tasty deli sandwiches."
And one presumes that Stan's Burger Shak (http://chefmoz.org/United_States/UT/Hanksville/) is owned by our man Stan.
And finally, it turns out that Stan also happens to be the mayor of Hanksville (http://www.hanksville.com/city/index.htm).
Hmmm... Can this all be just one huge coincidence??? What does it all mean???
By way of independent confirmation, Max Bertola (who, by the way, has lots of good Southwest stuff at http://www.so-utah.com/contents.html) has more Stan details at http://www.so-utah.com/capitol/stans/homepage.html
We should have ample opportunity to investigate further during our visit. In fact, we should maybe head down to Hanksville while we're at Goblin Valley.
17 - Capitol Reef National Park
Cathedral Valley - a 60 mile dirt road loop
Camping Info
Cathedral Valley campground offers primitive camping. Camping is free. Pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire grates are the only facilities available. There is no water.
Cedar Mesa campground offers primitive camping. Camping is free. Pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire grates are the only facilities available. There is no water.
The 71 site Fruita campground is the only developed campground in the park offering picnic tables, restrooms, water, and a dump station. A $10 use fee is charged at the Fruita campground. It is open year-round.
18 - Escalante, Grand Staircase MN, Hole-in-the-Rock Road
19 - Bryce Canyon National Park
Camping Info
Tent and trailer sites are available on a first come, first served basis. Some pull-through motorhome sites are available. Restrooms are provided. Showers are available at the General Store near Sunrise point. There are no hookups at the sites and generator hours are restricted. There is a dump station available during the summer months.
Tent and trailer sites are available on a first come, first served basis. Restrooms are provided. Showers are available at the General Store near Sunrise Point. There are no hookups in the park, and generator hours are restricted. There is a dump station available for use in the summer months near North Campground.
Camping Info
First come first serve no hookups no showers $14.00 per/night ($7.00 w/G. Age - Access).
Watchman Campground
MAKE RESERVATIONS
ONLINE -or- by Phone at 1-800-365-CAMP
Tent: $14.00 night ($7.00 w/G. Age - Access) Elec.: $16.00 night ($8.00 w/G. Age - Access) Group: $3.00 per/person, per/night no showers.
