Need help with planning Utah trip 2014

[RudyD]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

I have been through that tunnel with a 12 foot high coach. But according to this website,
vehicles over 13' 1" are prohibited, as are vehicles over 40 feet long, so it looks like you will have to take a different route because of your length, not your height. A glance at the map suggests that you could backtrack to Cedar City and then take Hwy 14 to US 89.

I the same concerns you did about the tunnel and was confused by all the input from members here and also the national park website. It does say 40' but its wrong. I called the ranger station and they clarified 45' is fine. There's many prevost tour busses going through that tunnel. I have a 45' Tiffin Zephyr 12'10 high in middle and close to the same at the edge due to the Girard awning. You will have to unhook the tow but can reconnect on the other side of the tunnel. Being a newbie MHomer i was concerned and a bit nervous Track straight down the center line. no problem. You can watch also the center line in your rear camera to be sure you don't waiver. upon exiting there were a lot of people applauding and cheering.

this was my stays and associated camps
Monument Valley Gouldings RV Park not fancy but beautiful backgrounds and convenient to touring. one of the highlights of the trip
Lake Powell Wahweap Campground beautiful spot overlooking the lake.
Zion - Watchman campsite - really nice spot but very tight turns . Expect bushes and trees to scrape your rig.
Bryce - Ruby's - pretty typical camp, easy access. Had shuttle bus stop out front which we used religiously, much easier than driving
Goblin Valley - Goblin Park Campgrounds and Camping Reservations - ReserveAmerica. Again pretty typical but very open park, close to attractions, reasonable
Arch's - Portal RV resort - great spot right next to pool and spa - spoiled by the premium spot (this is an ownership type of spot) but for 45' was an easy in and out and very convenient to town short 5 minute drive
Salt Lake City - Koa This was my absolute favorite Koa i ever stayed in . Had a Premium spot with private garden, table swing, firepit etc. Close to the but shuttle to downtown as well. Definitely visit SLC - fun to experience a metro city with a fantastic park to put your 'home in'

[RobinfromCA]

Originally Posted by tcopeland

Planning the same during late May/June.
We plan on going to Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Utah parks - Salt Lake City - Yellowstone - maybe Banff.
Looking at all the post about tunnels and RV's.
Anything other than UT Hwy 9 in question?
Anyone know a good route from Monument Valley up north towards Bryce Canyon?

Hi Tom: Maybe we'll see you out there. We are also staying in Monument Valley and close to all the parks. With 6 weeks we can take our time and that is great.

Robin

[RobinfromCA]

Wow,everyone has provided wonderful information. I really appreciate the input and hope it keeps coming. I love that some of you attached photos, really helps. Hells Backbone is not going to happen probably. First of all, I am afraid of heights. On the larger passes I don't have an issue...guardrails make me happy and the lanes are wider. We will drive it in the Jeep though because I don't want to miss the wonderful scenery everyone mentions. Speaking of the Jeep I need to update the profile...we went out and traded in the Jeep Patriot for a Jeep Wrangler Sahara, the unlimited with 4 doors and hard removable top. Of course, 4WD. So now looking forward to doing a bit of the off road. My husband loves it so much he would be afraid of getting a scratch on it though...so mild offroad, nothing extreme.

One of the other issues we are concerned about is internet. I have a Mifi, the Verizon wireless solution. In looking at the coverage maps online, Utah has a few spots it will be hard to get coverage. I work from the motorhome while we are on the road. Certain times of the month I need to have access...so we changed our route around a bit so I could have coverage. We had planned to go straight from Moab to Monument Valley...but MV is one of the places with very limited coverage. Unfortunately, it is right when I really need to be online for work. So we are going to stop for a couple days in Blanding. Anyone ever been to Blanding? They show good internet on the coverage map, so it needs to happen. I think we can day trip in the afternoon from Blanding and cover some of what we had hoped to do from MV. But we will stay in MV also, I hear the view is worth the stop. When I get the itin settled I will map out where we are going and what we have booked. Rudy you mentioned Portal RV..we just discovered that park online and are thinking of changing to stay there. It looks like a great place.

I sincerely appreciate all the input and hope it keeps coming.

Robin

[RudyD]

Robin
I too use the verizon mifi for internet mostly when enroute if needed. I work from the coach daily. Candidly I don't recall any issues at Gouldings in MV which is where we stayed. We were there only two days. We used the parks tours and didn't even need to disconnect the toad in our pull through

I use Reviews of RV Parks and Campgrounds - RV Park Reviews a lot to check reviews of campsites and have found some secret spots not always listed prominently in the guides. If there are internet problems, often time reviewers make mention of it

You will love Portal by the way. We did the premium spot and had an amazing experience there.

For campground views for elucidation I added photos
Gouldings with the red dirt
Watchman in Zion. With large mountain in background
Rubys in Bryce with little airstream
Portal at arches concrete pad and pool
Koa in SLC with the swing
Watchman I remember had very poor internet on our mifi due to location. There was no park wifi there

Having trouble uploading photos for you of camps. If you like I can email to you

[Tom3205]

Please, please, do NOT confuse "hells backbone", with highway 12. Hells-backbone is hwy 153, and may not be paved. Hwy 12 is a must. It is only 65 miles from Escalante, to Torrey, Is paved, and it is AWESOME. Drive it nice and slow. Poor driver does not get to "gawk", but just use all the "pull-outs". Stop often. You won't regret it.

[ChileRick]

We took the same trip our 2nd time out in our new rig. It's a great trip. Here is what we would do, when we do it again and we will:

1. Zion national Park, we stayed at Zion River Resort. Nice park. We'd go thru the tunnel this time to get to Bryce,
2. Bryce Canyon, we stayed at Ruby's Inn. We wouldn't do that again, we would try another park. Probably Bryce Canyon Pines.
3. Torrey for Capitol Reef. We would not take the 12 in the coach, we would take the 89 to the 62 to the 24. The drive thru escalate was great in the toad. There are great back roads in Capitol Reef for the jeep.
4. Moab for Arches and Canyonlands 24 to 50 to the 191. We stayed at the portal and will stay there again. Very nice on the owners side. Lots of off road opportunities here in Moab and there are some nice sunset cruises down the Colorado river, not to be missed.
5. We missed monument valley. 😟 we would make a point to get there this time.
6. From there, we recommend you take a quick detour east to Mesa Verde National Park, near Cortez, CO. if you can. It is fascinating.
7. Then back to the Grand Canyon. We like trailer village. It's kinda worn and not really well maintained, but the location in the middle of everything can't be beat!

If you want to throw in a city, we'd recommend Park City, Utah, with a side trip to Sundance. It's not far from SLC. If that's the case throw that in after Bryce Canyon and before Torrey.

Have a great trip, whatever you decide.

[Krashqueen]

How hot does it get in May/ June ?

[ChileRick]

Originally Posted by Krashqueen

How hot does it get in May/ June ?

Moab and Zion can be hot in June, Bryce is cooler. We were in Moab in June and it was in the mid 90's. Most everywhere else mid 80's. Really depends on what you consider hot. Different for everyone. For the weather, I use the weather channel website or app to plan my trips.

[SeeTheUSA]

Originally Posted by Tom3205

. . . Hwy 12 is a must. It is only 65 miles from Escalante, to Torrey, Is paved, and it is AWESOME. . . .

TOTALLY AGREE! One of the best. Nice road, great turnouts.

[AKBradley]

Has anyone taken one of the boat tours out of Moab?
Which one would you recommend?