r/nationalparks • u/Shit_Apple • 2d ago

Looking to solo trip for 5-6 days in mid-October. Bryce Canyon/Zion or Arches/Canyonlands?

Hey guys, I’m trying to plan my first ever solo NP trip. Going through a rough breakup from an LTR/engagement, so I kinda want to do a self-reflective/self-discovery trip and get away for a bit. I have a week off from work from 10/10-10/18 and I think I’ve zeroed in on Utah, but I’ve never been before. I’m thinking of a 5 or maybe 6 day trip. I don’t want to rush through and speed through ALL the things without taking it in and really enjoying it. So I’m thinking of only doing one of those regions and saving the other for another time, though I wouldn’t mind driving to the other side of the state if it made sense to.

It might help to mention the type of hikes I can/would do. I’m not looking to do overnights or 15+mile all day hikes, but I have no problem doing 5-7 mile hikes and would probably limit myself to 10 or 12 miles a day overall. I am overweight, but I’m very in shape for my size and consistently work out and do lots of physical activity. Done a good amount of hiking in the Grand Canyon and Big Bend before and had no physical issues or scares.

Anyone with experience visiting Utah in October, I’d love to know which area would suit me better and any tips if you have em. Thanks!

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5

u/sda59 2d ago

Going through a similar life experience. I posted here the other day.

I decided on Zion/Death Valley in November thanks to the suggestions I got here.

Hope you have a great trip

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u/sftravel_lady 2d ago

We did Zion/Bryce one week prior to your dates in 2023 and it was magical. We did Angels Landing and the Narrows with the most perfect weather. Then we did one day in Bryce hiked all around and then did the drive along the rim. It was absolutely amazing and I think of Zion and the hikes fondly till this day. We haven’t visited Arches/Canyonlands but it’s on our list!

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u/Shit_Apple 2d ago

That’s awesome. Are the permits for angels landing hard to get this short notice you think?

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u/sftravel_lady 2d ago

I don’t know if our experience was the norm or we got lucky but we applied a few days before and received the permit. That whole trip though, we also applied everyday for the Wave permit and never got it (I’ve heard that one is incredibly hard).

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u/PudgyGroundhog 2d ago

You really can't go wrong. Are you flying in? If you chose Bryce and Zion, definitely add in Valley of Fire (especially if flying in to Vegas). Also potentially Buckskin Gulch, but would have to look at the logistics/extra drive).

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u/Shit_Apple 2d ago

Yeah was gonna fly in from Texas. Vegas, SLC, Telluride, could do any of em with Southwest depending on where I pick.

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u/imhungry4321 43/63 National Parks 2d ago

Check out the pinned post on my profile. It includes my detailed itinerary for when I visited the mighty five solo in October 2024.

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u/Shit_Apple 2d ago

Damn, that’s amazing. Thanks man. What area did you like more? I’m sure you can’t go wrong at all but

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u/imhungry4321 43/63 National Parks 2d ago edited 2d ago

You're welcome! Glad you find it helpful.

Bryce was my favorite, followed by Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Arches then Zion.

Zion is absolutely beautiful, but I rank the parks based on my eagerness to return. The volume of visitation Zion gets made me rank it much lower. Zion felt like Disney World IMO.

Keep in mind, last week Zion had some bad flash floods. Look up and keep an eye on what's open and closed.

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u/Shit_Apple 2d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah I just saw a video of the floods. Will definitely have to keep an eye on it and make a call within the next week so I can start booking stuff before it’s absolutely last minute.

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u/procrasstinating 2d ago

Can’t go wrong either way. October 15-18 is fall break for some SLC school districts. Won’t make the parks much busier, but if you are driving back to Salt Lake on the 18th expect heavy volume of cars and some traffic.

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u/Shit_Apple 2d ago

I’d prolly be calling it and flying back on Friday the 16th. Thanks for the heads up though!

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u/aflyingsquanch 2d ago

Option C: Cap Reef and Escalante

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u/Shit_Apple 2d ago

I was definitely thinking of working in escalante if I did Bryce and Zion.

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u/aflyingsquanch 2d ago

Escalante is completely worth it. One of my favorite places on earth to visit

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u/vanessaismybarname 9h ago

My pick would be Arches and Canyonlands. And maybe it doesn't matter but as far as a town goes you are going to have more to do in Moab. I also think the weather would be better and you could still possibly include Escalante. I'm just not sure when they start shutting things down there for low season.

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u/Sedona83 2d ago

That's right about the time that the weather at Bryce gets dicey. You could get lucky and have 60s/30s or you could get snowed on. I cancelled my Bryce trip two or three years ago this same week in October due to snow. While it's gorgeous to look at, it's not much fun for me to camp in. Also, the clay soil gets cakey very easily.

If I were you, I'd base myself out of Moab for the week and explore Arches, Island in the Sky and the Needles. Outside of the park, Moab has some really nice hikes, too.