Women's hiking vacations: Exploring Utah's Canyons

"What a fabulous adventure! I saw so much and was taken care of like a queen. Seeing the parks with experts and hiking all over made the trip very personal and exciting." DL, Colorado

Highlights:

climbing the Angel's Landing Trail in Zion National Park
walking among the hoodoos of Bryce
learning about the natural bridges at Natural Bridges
hiking to Delicate Arch in Arches
Staying at National Park Lodges and condos in Moab

Southern Utah is home to four of the most well known national parks, and each has its own special magic and unique attractions. Zion National Park, located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces, is known for its sculpted canyons and soaring cliffs. Nearby Bryce Canyon is a testimonial to the erosive power of ice and rainwater, carving its colorful limestone into windows, finds, and soaring spires called hoodoos. Capitol Reef is a monument to the amazing power of uplift. And Arches National Park lives up to its name with over two thousand sandstone arches of all shapes and sizes. On this “tour du parks” you will gain a new appreciation of just how diverse (and beautiful) the geology of southern Utah truly is.

This trip is for: any healthy woman who enjoys hiking and wants to explore the parks of southern Utah. Being in good condition is essential for completing all the hikes but it is possible to opt out of the longer hikes or to turn back early.

Accommodations:

one night at a motel in Las Vegas
one night at the National Park Lodge in Zion
two nights at the National Park Lodge in Bryce
one night at a motel in Hanksville
two nights in condos in Moab

Maximum group size: 10

Trip price: $1620-$1720 There is a $50 deduction for registration prior to 12/20/08 and 3% of the entire trip fee if the balance is paid by check. $300 deposit.

Trip price includes:

experienced guides
seven nights of double occupancy accommodation
all meals from breakfast on Monday to breakfast on Sunday except for one dinner
transportation during the trip
National Park entry fees

Trip starts: arrive in Las Vegas anytime on April 12

Trip ends: on April 19 in Grand Junction, Colorado. The exact time will depend on the flight schedule of Allegiant Airlines, a low cost airline that flies to Las Vegas. It is also possible to drive back to Las Vegas with your guides, in which case you can plan to fly out Monday morning. Please do not make your plane reservations before checking with us.

More information: These have not been updated for 2009 so check back for the most recent versions; we do not anticipate significant changes packing list, notes on packing list, and general information (must have Adobe Acrobat Reader)

For pictures from last year's trips, click here.

Register for this trip or Contact us for more information

Itinerary

Sunday: Arrive anytime today at our hotel in Las Vegas. There is a convenient shuttle from the airport. If you arrive before 6 pm, you are welcome to join your guide and other participants as we explore the culinary options available in the city that never sleeps.

Monday: The drive to our first destination, Zion National Park, is about 2.5 hours. Our first stop will be the Visitors Center, which has a short movie that is worth watching and provides a good introduction to the park. That afternoon we’ll hike the Emerald Pools Trail System. The hike to the Upper Pool is about 2.5 hours round trip and passes both pools and waterfalls, as well as the lush environment of the lower pool and the dry environment of the upper pool. Overnight Zion National Park.

Tuesday: Today we’ll do one of the classic hikes in Zion: Angels Landing. This trail switchbacks up the side of a cliff and then follows a narrow ridge (there are chains there to hang onto) out to a fantastic overlook high above Zion Canyon. Even if you choose not to go out on the more exposed part, there is a great view from the area where you can wait for others to return. After our hike we’ll drive to Bryce Canyon, arriving in time to settle in before dinner. Overnight Bryce Canyon National Park.

Wednesday: Another park, another classic hike: the Peekaboo Loop. In contrast to yesterday where we climbed out of Zion Canyon, today we’ll start by descending into Bryce Canyon. This 6 mile trail follows a loop around a major formation with constantly changing views and provides an excellent opportunity to see hoodoos from the bottom up. That evening we'll have the chance to watch the sunset over some of the most amazing geology you'll ever see. The stars are brighter in Bryce than almost anywhere else, so if stargazing is appealing, this is the perfect place to do it. Dinner is on your own tonight. Overnight Bryce Canyon National Park

Thursday: We start the day with a drive to Capitol Reef National Park and the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinle in the earth's crust. The Park contains over 300 square miles of colorful canyons, buttes, mesas, and monoliths. We'll explore a small portion with a 7 mile loop trail through Cohab Canyon to Cassidy Arch and out Grand Wash, the perfect introduction to this unique park. If there is time and interest we'll also take a short drive down to Lake Powell, the lake that was created by damming the Colorado River. Overnight at a motel in Hanksville.

Friday: What's the difference between an arch and a natural bridge? We'll answer that question today at Natural Bridges Monument, as we hike a loop trail that takes us past 3 bridges, all at different stages of development. The trail is a little over 8 miles, with shorter loops for those who prefer. From there we'll continue on to our condos in Moab, one of the most charming small towns in Utah, known for its great shops and limitless outdoor opportunities. Overnight Moab.

Saturday:Today you can choose between two options. The first is to give your legs a break and experience a great white water trip on the Colorado River. The river is known for combining great scenery with exciting rapids and is guaranteed to get your adrenaline flowing. Our guides are expert river runners, however, and will get us through in fine style (no experience necessary). If rafting doesn't interest you, a full day in Arches and/or more time in Moab is an excellent option. There is one hike that takes you to 8 different arches that is the best way to see Arches backcountry. And Moab is the type of town you can always spend more time in. Tonight we'll go out to one of the many great Moab restaurants fo rour final farewell dinner. Overnight Moab.

Sunday: We want to leave this day a bit more open for all those final things you might want to do before leaving this area. For sure, however, we'll do an early morning hike to Delicate Arch trail. We’ll take the short spur trail to a Ute Indian Petroglyph and then walk up slickrock to a small valley surrounded by red rocks on the way to the arch. This is the classic Arches hike and not to be missed - unless of course a more relaxed final morning is to your taste, and that is fine too. Depending on flight schedules, we'll leave for Grand Junction, Colorado where flights can return you to Las Vegas or directly to your home