Red Mountain is interesting. For a nice side trip: Just west of RM take the dirt road north along the mountain. You'll come to an intersection where you can turn west and head towards 89 .
Sounds like you're entering Utah at Kanab. ????....and asking about "highlights", so not planning a lot of time in Utah. If it were me...I'd stay at the RV Corral in Kanab, daytrip Zion and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in my Jeep, rumble up to Ruby's in Bryce, spend a day and night, take pretty much a full day to Torrey..visiting Calf Creek Falls on the way, maybe Hell's Backbone Cafe in Boulder if you're there when it's open. Several RV Park options in Torry and Capitol Reef (we've stayed in all, and they all work well). I'd skip Moab this trip...you need much more time....and I'd head west from Torrey on 24, catch up to 50 westbound, connect with US 93 in Ely (spend the night there), then north straighton to Sun Valley and Stanley. As you might surmise, I'm not much on freeways, and, as a nearby resident, I'm not much on I-15 for the stretch between Spanish Fork and Odgen. 93 is a good, two lane highway with not much traffic for the most part. Have fun.
"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US"
TWO OF US + THREE FUR KIDS (36 lbs, 44 lbs, 80 lbs)
SADLY, HEALTH ISSUES HAVE FORCED ME TO GIVE UP TRAILERING. MY EXCURSION AND TT HAVE BOTH BEEN SOLD. IT'S BEEN A HELL OF A RIDE.
Artum Snowbird wrote: A lot depends on whether you are hikers on your feet, or riders in the jeep.
Plus, how much time are you talking about. Zion Canyon itself is only accessed via shuttle bus, and you have to get out and walk to see the sights.
These parks aren't particularly close together. From Kanab, you can do Zion, but Bryce is much more of a haul. IMHO, I'd much rather stay in or near each park rather than spending several hours a day "communting". Also, Bryce and Zion NP's are only a small part of "Utah Canyon Country". There is a swath of parks from Zion in the SW to Arches in the NE that includes places like Capital Reef, Canyonlands (three different parts), Escalante-Grand Staircase NM (which is huge), Cedar Breaks, Natural Bridges, etc. etc. etc. One really needs to pick a few parks and explore them. Otherwise, with limited time, you'll only get the windshield tour. Moab is a good base from which to explore Arches and Canyonlands. Arches is a hikers park, Canyonlands is great for 4x4 adventures. We're heading to Moab tomorrow for a short break, probably the 30th trip I've taken there, and we'll still find new places to go.
I am quite experienced with the UT parks and feel ramblemutt and 4runnerguy have vast knowledge of it all.
There are so many beautiful UT parks and without knowing how much time you have it is really hard to fully make recommendations. At best entering Zion from the east you will have to unhook the toad thru the Hwy 9 tunnel. Unless you are a hiker Zion is a ride up and back the high canyon on a shuttle bus; i.e. very stiff neck. The best part, in my mind, is from the Vis Cen to the tunnel - with the toad. Love Bryce, Cap Reef, Arches, Island In The Sky, etc as well as Mon Valley. Unless you have a big time frame you will not be able to truly see and enjoy all the parks in one trip. And then there is Cedar Breaks, Kodachrome, etc, etc, etc.
If you want, go to www.LaurenBarbara.com Wanderings Utah National Parks for some photo work.
And Best Friends, as my friend ramblemutt, says is a very special place to visit - 4 or so miles north of Kanab.
DW of 50 great years, Barbara
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So much to see in Utah. Too much for a single trip. Zion is great but my fav is Bryce. If you got legs, do the day long hike down into the canyon floor. Its a long loop that takes all day, but you go right down thru the Hoodoos into wild scrub full of critters. Most folks never leave the rim. We only saw a few people down below all day. We had light snow on the rim but it was hot down below. Tough vertical hike back up, but worth it.
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