Suggestions/Experience Please: Fall Family Trip to MOAB

[Brittrick]

Hi Guys! So I needed some help as I am planning a trip to MOAB with my wife and 1yr old daughter. As much as I would love to stay in MOAB and hit the trails... Not happening this trip, I'm lucky enough to convince the wife to take a road trip up to MOAB already as our family trip. haha. (I'm sure some can relate). With that said here is some of my thoughts and parameters of this trip;

1. I'll have 5-6 Days for this trip late august to mid september sometime maybe even October.
2. 1 yr old Daughter and Wife
3. Unfortunately part of the agreement is No camping this trip, so hotels is a must
4. 1-2 full days only in MOAB so was thinking a nice easy to med trail? First time there so suggestions welcomed. And a day at Arches?
5. Thinking of Visiting Arches, Bryce Canyon, and any other beautiful sites you recommend (We have been to Zion so not a must this trip)
6. Any scenic routes to take from the initial drive up? (Should I go straight and work my way down staying a night at Bryce and another in Vegas?)

Thanks in advance and all helpful tips and experience welcomed!

Patrick

 

[jhmoore]

Is the 1 year old a good traveler... sleep well in the car? Is your wife a good traveler? 5-6 days is really not much at all to get from LA to Moab and back, so I'd suggest that you get up super-early Day 1 and just drive, drive, drive all the freaking day until you get to Moab late and crash in your hotel. Then you still have 4-5 days for Moab and whatever you do on the way back. How much time you want to spend in Moab (offroading; playing tourist in Arches; playing tourist in Canyonlands) will determine how much time you spend on the drive back to LA--another hard-core single day or more leisurely.

4 days is my absolute minimum for a trip to Zion... 5 or more is better. And you can easily get to Zion in a day. Moab is way on the other side (for us Southern Californians) and much harder to do in a day. So 5-6 days is just short.

Maybe take 2 days for the way back... go south out of Moab... make an obligatory short stop at the Monument Valley overlook... keep going and maybe do Horseshoe Bend... head into the Pariah if off-roading, continue south towards Flagstaff if heading back to L.A....

 

[Fern]

Hmmmm. Sounds like a trip I would like to go on myself with the family. Wife doesn't camp(no way in hell), and 2 daughters (8 and 12yrs). My rig isn't as built as yours though.

 

[jhmoore]

Hmmmm. Sounds like a trip I would like to go on myself with the family. Wife doesn't camp(no way in hell), and 2 daughters (8 and 12yrs). My rig isn't as built as yours though.

@Fern, I’ll see you and raise you a third daughter... and a female cat... and a female dog...

 

[MAST4R]

Late August is too early for my taste. Early October would be ideal. I agree that a trip all the way to Moab that is 5-6 days is way too short if that includes travel from LA.

Better just do Zion, Bryce, and Utah 12. Going down to Zion, Smithsonian Butte Rd offers good views, it is a dirt road but definitely worth it. Zion has phenomenal hikes, too. Bryce is a 2-3 hour visit if you are not hiking. If you have a seat for the kid that you can carry on your back, you can and should do the most famous hike, which is short enough but absolutely spectacular. Another phenomenal hike is Lower Calf Creek Falls. I have done that, too, with a kid on my back (twice or thrice?), it is a bit of a workout but there is no serious elevation gain.

Then Capitol Reef is gorgeous. From there you can do 95 to 261, the entire stretch around Hite and then east is amazing. 261 is short and fun and then there is the Mulley overlook (5 miles on a dirt trail) right before the Mocky Dugway on 261 which is fun as paved road gets (the switchbacks are actually dirt). Then you get to the Goosenecks SP and shortly thereafter is Monument Valley.

But even that is too much imo. I would just go Zion-Bryce-HWY 12 to Boulder and back. Maybe leave the offroading for next year.

 

[Brittrick]

Thank you guys for the suggestions. Maybe I was too ambitious.. haha! How long do you think I would need? Both are great travelers, but 10-12hrs may be too much..?

Also we’ve been to Zion and done the hikes. Some things I’d love to see is antelope canyon, Bryce, was hoping arches but sounds like I’m stretching it. Maybe doing those 3 in a loop?

Day 1: LA-Vegas(lunch) to St George (stay the night)
Day 2: drive to antelope canyon then drive to Moab?
Day 3: enjoy Moab
Day 4: Moab
Day 5: leave Moab to Bryce Canyon to enjoy half a day and stay at Bryce
Day 6: Bryce in morning then scenic drive to Vegas and stay a night
Day 7: go home..

Any thoughts or suggestions? I’m thinking if I can only do 5-6 days just enjoy Bryce, antelope and suriunding areas?

 

[Brittrick]

Late August is too early for my taste. Early October would be ideal. I agree that a trip all the way to Moab that is 5-6 days is way too short if that includes travel from LA.

Better just do Zion, Bryce, and Utah 12. Going down to Zion, Smithsonian Butte Rd offers good views, it is a dirt road but definitely worth it. Zion has phenomenal hikes, too. Bryce is a 2-3 hour visit if you are not hiking. If you have a seat for the kid that you can carry on your back, you can and should do the most famous hike, which is short enough but absolutely spectacular. Another phenomenal hike is Lower Calf Creek Falls. I have done that, too, with a kid on my back (twice or thrice?), it is a bit of a workout but there is no serious elevation gain.

Then Capitol Reef is gorgeous. From there you can do 95 to 261, the entire stretch around Hite and then east is amazing. 261 is short and fun and then there is the Mulley overlook (5 miles on a dirt trail) right before the Mocky Dugway on 261 which is fun as paved road gets (the switchbacks are actually dirt). Then you get to the Goosenecks SP and shortly thereafter is Monument Valley.

But even that is too much imo. I would just go Zion-Bryce-HWY 12 to Boulder and back. Maybe leave the offroading for next year.

Gotta have some dirt to convince the wife it’s fun! Haha... I like your idea if I only have 5-6 days. I think minimum I’ll have is 6 days..

 

[grave]

I think [MENTION=306890]MAST4R[/MENTION] has the right idea. Real talk, OP, those are some lofty road trip plans. St. G to Antelope Canyon to Moab in one day with a 1 year old? That's a 7-8 hour drive with no scenic routes/Instagram stops and no children. How is your kid in the car normally? We just did a similar trip with our 14-month-old daughter and she was a fuxking disaster for the first four days. She's usually good in the car (we regularly drive places that can take an hour or more to get to and we know her habits) but was teething & fussy on Friday & Saturday and we were worried about leaving Sunday. Our plan was:

Sun - leave SD around 2 after her nap, she'll be awake for a while then sleep for a couple hours. We'll push her a bit, have dinner in Vegas, then on to Springdale/Zion. Budgeted 10 hours for the day.
Mon - Zion
Tue - Zion
Wed - Drive to Park City via Hwy 89 → 20 → 15 → 189. Stop somewhere for lunch. Be in PC by evening. Budgeted 5 hours to make the wife happy when I knew it'd be around 6.
Thu - PC
Fri - PC
Sat - Start the drive south around 2 after her nap, she'll be awake for a while then sleep for a couple hours, stay somewhere along the way. 15 all day and straight on 'til morning (evening). Budgeted the entire day.
Sun - Drive home.

The drive to Vegas was awful. We stopped for gas in Barstow and as we pulled up to the pump our kid puked all over herself in her brand-spanking-new car seat. We had gotten a new mirror for the headreast so we could look at her and it was super bouncy and we think it made her car sick. Lesson learned: DON'T CHANGE HER IN-CAR ROUTINE! That mess took forever and 50 wipes to clean up and it was windy as fuuuuuuuuck in Barstow. I was in such a shit dad mood cleaning it up while my wife nursed her. She fussed and fussed alllll the way to Baker. We stopped for shitty, sugary Del Taco iced coffee (as is tradition) to keep us wired (it worked) and my wife nursed her more. She fussed & fought sleep ALLLLL the way to Vegas (play Viva Las Vegas as soon as you roll in) where we ate at some stupid Cheesecake Factory that was so fuxking hard to find and the dinner kinda sucked but we each drank a Sierra Nevada. Oh and it was snowing. On to Springdale. Don't forget that after the Virgin River Gorge the time jumps ahead an hour because Utah. Boom, just added an hour to your drive in the blink of an eye. Don't be surprised like I was when I was expecting 1145 and it was fkng TWELVE 45 and we were only in St. George, an hour from Springdale. Ugh. Got in to Springdale at 0145. Fresh dusting of snow and a sleeping wife & kid were a plus. All told and after the time change it was about a 12-hour day.

Our drive from Springdale to Park City was less spectacular. She didn't do well in the hotel room in Zion (like, at all) but did really well on the ~6 hour drive from Springdale to Park City. The 89 is awesome. So beautiful covered in snow and parallels the 15. We stopped in Provo and went to the Brigham Young Library (PRO TIP: libraries on road trips are your friend now because they all have kids areas and she can get some ya yas out) for about 45 minutes and the drive up to PC was uneventful. Beautiful and it was dumping snow, 4HI was my fren. Got to the cabin at 6, just in time for pizza.

We booked a room at the La Quinta in La Verkin (brand new, so clean, huge rooms for Zion tourists) for the trip home which is basically the last building you will see on the 9 when you're heading toward Springdale. Stopped at Hermie's Drive-In for burgers in Cedar City and were at the LQ around 9 or something. Tons of underprepared, pasty midwest tourists in cheap athletic clothing (sorry if that was anyone reading this [there were T4Rs in the parking lot, it's possible] but what were you thinking?) at the free breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT stop at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. It is a fuxking dump. I can't believe I let my kid crawl around at the park there. V surprised the didn't get find a hypodermic needle or contract hepatitis. Headed home, got stuck in Sunday Vegas/Presidents Day traffic. Took us an hour and a half to get from Victorville to the 138. Got home at 10. Sighed relief and watched some PEN15.

Thank you for reading my stoney baloney trip report. From one dad to another, I hope maybe you learned something from it and I also hope that you achieve your road trip goals. Dad strength.

 

[Brittrick]

I think [MENTION=306890]MAST4R[/MENTION] has the right idea. Real talk, OP, those are some lofty road trip plans. St. G to Antelope Canyon to Moab in one day with a 1 year old? That's a 7-8 hour drive with no scenic routes/Instagram stops and no children. How is your kid in the car normally? We just did a similar trip with our 14-month-old daughter and she was a fuxking disaster for the first four days. She's usually good in the car (we regularly drive places that can take an hour or more to get to and we know her habits) but was teething & fussy on Friday & Saturday and we were worried about leaving Sunday. Our plan was:

Sun - leave SD around 2 after her nap, she'll be awake for a while then sleep for a couple hours. We'll push her a bit, have dinner in Vegas, then on to Springdale/Zion. Budgeted 10 hours for the day.
Mon - Zion
Tue - Zion
Wed - Drive to Park City via Hwy 89 → 20 → 15 → 189. Stop somewhere for lunch. Be in PC by evening. Budgeted 5 hours to make the wife happy when I knew it'd be around 6.
Thu - PC
Fri - PC
Sat - Start the drive south around 2 after her nap, she'll be awake for a while then sleep for a couple hours, stay somewhere along the way. 15 all day and straight on 'til morning (evening). Budgeted the entire day.
Sun - Drive home.

The drive to Vegas was awful. We stopped for gas in Barstow and as we pulled up to the pump our kid puked all over herself in her brand-spanking-new car seat. We had gotten a new mirror for the headreast so we could look at her and it was super bouncy and we think it made her car sick. Lesson learned: DON'T CHANGE HER IN-CAR ROUTINE! That mess took forever and 50 wipes to clean up and it was windy as fuuuuuuuuck in Barstow. I was in such a shit dad mood cleaning it up while my wife nursed her. She fussed and fussed alllll the way to Baker. We stopped for shitty, sugary Del Taco iced coffee (as is tradition) to keep us wired (it worked) and my wife nursed her more. She fussed & fought sleep ALLLLL the way to Vegas (play Viva Las Vegas as soon as you roll in) where we ate at some stupid Cheesecake Factory that was so fuxking hard to find and the dinner kinda sucked but we each drank a Sierra Nevada. Oh and it was snowing. On to Springdale. Don't forget that after the Virgin River Gorge the time jumps ahead an hour because Utah. Boom, just added an hour to your drive in the blink of an eye. Don't be surprised like I was when I was expecting 1145 and it was fkng TWELVE 45 and we were only in St. George, an hour from Springdale. Ugh. Got in to Springdale at 0145. Fresh dusting of snow and a sleeping wife & kid were a plus. All told and after the time change it was about a 12-hour day.

Our drive from Springdale to Park City was less spectacular. She didn't do well in the hotel room in Zion (like, at all) but did really well on the ~6 hour drive from Springdale to Park City. The 89 is awesome. So beautiful covered in snow and parallels the 15. We stopped in Provo and went to the Brigham Young Library (PRO TIP: libraries on road trips are your friend now because they all have kids areas and she can get some ya yas out) for about 45 minutes and the drive up to PC was uneventful. Beautiful and it was dumping snow, 4HI was my fren. Got to the cabin at 6, just in time for pizza.

We booked a room at the La Quinta in La Verkin (brand new, so clean, huge rooms for Zion tourists) for the trip home which is basically the last building you will see on the 9 when you're heading toward Springdale. Stopped at Hermie's Drive-In for burgers in Cedar City and were at the LQ around 9 or something. Tons of underprepared, pasty midwest tourists in cheap athletic clothing (sorry if that was anyone reading this [there were T4Rs in the parking lot, it's possible] but what were you thinking?) at the free breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT stop at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. It is a fuxking dump. I can't believe I let my kid crawl around at the park there. V surprised the didn't get find a hypodermic needle or contract hepatitis. Headed home, got stuck in Sunday Vegas/Presidents Day traffic. Took us an hour and a half to get from Victorville to the 138. Got home at 10. Sighed relief and watched some PEN15.

Thank you for reading my stoney baloney trip report. From one dad to another, I hope maybe you learned something from it and I also hope that you achieve your road trip goals. Dad strength.

Oh man... haha. That sounded horrendous. Thanks for the tips and advice. She’ll be about that age, so hoping for the best. We’ve taken a few road trips, but nothing past 6hrs. So far so good, but with age comes opinions and attitude. Haha

Maybe we will stay in Page and leave in the morning for Moab. Haha

 

[APhelps]

@Fern, I’ll see you and raise you a third daughter... and a female cat... and a female dog...

I took my dog on hells revenge like two weeks ago, he did not like it. He did however thoroughly enjoy Moab.

 

[jhmoore]

Day 1: LA-Vegas(lunch) to St George (stay the night)
Day 2: drive to antelope canyon then drive to Moab?

Day 2 sounds like one of the rings of hell.

St. George, out to Zion, through Zion, down to Kanab, across to Page, couple hours or more for Antelope Canyon, then continue all the way south from Page to pick up the road to Kayenta, up through Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Blanding, up to Moab... and just booking it all freaking day through amazing country but not seeing any of it.

Having said all that, Google Maps tells me that the "fast" way to Moab from St. George is 5 hours and your Ring of Hell way is only 7 hours, so clearly I'm wrong.

 

[jhmoore]

I took my dog on hells revenge like two weeks ago, he did not like it. He did however thoroughly enjoy Moab.

Hey, at least your dog is a guy!

 

[jhmoore]

[MENTION=142678]grave[/MENTION] -- ouch. Just ouch, man. Yet another (of so many) reasons not to like Barstow. And the drive back from Vegas on a holiday weekend is about enough to drive a guy around the bend.

Let me introduce you to our friend, "B.B.", who goes everywhere with us. Has saved our cars many times. Of course, your kid has to be old enough to hold B.B....

("B.B." = Barf Bucket)

 

[grave]

Day 2 sounds like one of the rings of hell.

St. George, out to Zion, through Zion, down to Kanab, across to Page, couple hours or more for Antelope Canyon, then continue all the way south from Page to pick up the road to Kayenta, up through Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Blanding, up to Moab... and just booking it all freaking day through amazing country but not seeing any of it.

Having said all that, Google Maps tells me that the "fast" way to Moab from St. George is 5 hours and your Ring of Hell way is only 7 hours, so clearly I'm wrong.

7 hours driving straight through with only gas stops. we all know that doesn't work with babies!

Barf Bucket, eh? I think we have something we can use..

 

[MAST4R]

I believe we have done as much as anyone with babies and toddlers. It all depends on whether the parents are on the same page. If not, forcing a long trip early may come back to bite the overly optimistic partner down the road.

When it comes to offroad, maybe choose extremely scenic, short, and smooth trails if you are trying to convince your partner that offroad is fun. Obvious candidates would be Shaffer Trail, Long Canyon, and Hurrah Pass (return from the pass though, don't get on the other side as it will get bumpy, easy but bumpy all the way to CC). Also great smooth trail is Spring Canyon Bottom, just make sure you don't continue by mistake into Hey Joe canyon as that might ruin everything! I would stay far away from trails like Top of the World or Poison Spider. Otoh, Fins and Things is rocky but smooth, not bumpy--but avoid the first half of the northern loop as that part is a little bumpy and not interesting plus it has a tippy spot that can scare some folks very seriously. Also, Fins and Things has 3 extremely steep spots (excluding the two optional obstacles) so I am not sure how your partner would feel about those. Maybe pass on it for now.

In Arches, Tower Arch/Eye of the Whale is superb in winter, may be less fun in hot weather.

If using Charlie Wells, Dallenbaugh tunnel is very short. Wipe Out Hill Loop is short though a little bumpy. It does not include the hill, of course, but it is very scenic and the bottom of the hill is great place for lunch and kids to play though not really for a 1yo. Quick drive from Moab to this loop.

Long dirt roads that are bumpy or washboarded should be off the table as much as rough 4x4 tracks.

On the way there, Smitthsonian Butte near Zion is a good one. The Burr Trail through Capitol Reef and back again (instead of exiting via Nottom or Bullfrog) would be extremely scenic and easy on everyone. But Cathedral Loop and the like are too much for a 1 year old unless both partners are excited about the trip.

Antelope Canyon is not easy to visit, you cannot just go on your own as you please. So maybe just follow Utah 12 on this first trip with the kid.

Just some random thoughts...

 

[DannyLlama]

Just throwing this out there, going any where semi-technical off road with a one year old is not a great idea, as their necks are't fully stable and supported. I waited until mine were 3 at least.

Man time goes by quick my boy is almost 7.

I've never been to Utah but it is on my list of things to do with the family. I will be subbing to this forum and referencing it in the I future.

I bare no answers but I will add a question ..... how are the campgrounds up there? in abundance or scarce? how long in advance do you have to book?

 

[jhmoore]

Just throwing this out there, going any where semi-technical off road with a one year old is not a great idea, as their necks are't fully stable and supported. I waited until mine were 3 at least.

Very good point [MENTION=75328]DannyLlama[/MENTION]

My youngest (of three) turns 11 next week, so I’m apparently too far from thinking about that... but you are absolutely right.

 

[Brittrick]

Just throwing this out there, going any where semi-technical off road with a one year old is not a great idea, as their necks are't fully stable and supported. I waited until mine were 3 at least.

Man time goes by quick my boy is almost 7.

I've never been to Utah but it is on my list of things to do with the family. I will be subbing to this forum and referencing it in the I future.

I bare no answers but I will add a question ..... how are the campgrounds up there? in abundance or scarce? how long in advance do you have to book?

Good point... may just need to stick to fire roads hopefully leading to beautiful scenery and off the road sites

 

[MAST4R]

Just throwing this out there, going any where semi-technical off road with a one year old is not a great idea, as their necks are't fully stable and supported. I waited until mine were 3 at least.

That's a great point. We were not really equipped to handle actual 4x4 trails when our little one was 1yo. We drove some muddy dirt roads, but that's it.

Well, there are three ways to camp in the area, generally if you open Google Maps, you will go "WHOA!". The situation is not as rosy as the map would make it seem, but is fine.

1/ Developed campgrounds:

The campground situation around Moab is neither great, nor bad. You have a KOA outside of town, a little to the south with kinda shaded tent sites (not really shaded) and cabins; they just made upgrades so I am not sure how many cheap vs pricey cabins. It is not the best KOA, but good and you know what you get.

In town, there are two I have stayed in. The one on the northern end, which I think is called Slickrock Campground, is more cramped than the KOA but ok for short stays. Good facilities. The one that is on the south-central part of town (it is really a 5 min drive from the other one), Canyonlands RV and Campground offers more room and more options, but in my experience also a higher chance for noisy neighbors, etc. Then there is a third, called Up the Creek Campground.

So all three are acceptable, none is great. The KOA requires you to drive to town; too far to walk. So that's a big plus for the other two, especially the one on the southern side, near the City Market.

To the north of town, there is a campground called Archview Resort and Campground right at the intersection with the paved road that goes to Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point SP. I have not tried it. It is very exposed and definitely out of town but it is also very conveniently located with respect to north side trails.


II. Park and BLM semi-developed campgrounds:

The Arches and Canyonlands campgrounds, good luck. The same applies to all the campgrounds along the Colorado river. I am sure there is a special way of hunting for the cheap campsites there.

I am not sure how bad the large campground at the TH for Kane Creek and Hurrah Pass gets in season. I always see it rather empty. Don't think it has any facilities besides the vault toilets. There is another large campground along Sand Flats rd. You can bet on noise and heavy traffic on that one. That's where Hells and Fins and Things are as well as some less known 4x4 trails (Porcupine 4x4 Trail, Porcupine Rim, Mill Creek Rim). Sand Flats also connect up to the paved mountain road, so lots and lots of traffic.

III. Open camping

There are many areas where you could camp on your own. There is a wide, open BLM area beyond Arches NP that is accessible only via one 4x4 trail, which is called Cache Valley. The portion inside the park is a moderately rated Massey trail (but clay so stay out if wet), but beyond that you have to get past Limo Hill. Limo Hill (Limo for JKU Rubicon) is so named because it is likely to turn a stock JKU Rubicon back. I have not been there, but you could have a very large area entirely to yourself. Or a very large problem to solve if you insist but fail

Good point... may just need to stick to fire roads hopefully leading to beautiful scenery and off the road sites

Hurrah Pass is very smooth and short. The dirt road that leads to the TH is super beautiful in its own right.