D.P. Roberts
Conductor
This post is very convoluted, so here's the TL; DR version:
1. We have about a week in mid June to see some national parks of the West.
2. We're taking the CZ from Chicago, & detraining somewhere in Colorado or Utah.
3. We're driving from SLC, Provo, or some other station (which station?) to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
4. What other parks should we see that aren't too hot or crowded in the summer?
5. What is the easiest station / return route to train #6 back to Chicago?
We're trying to plan a trip for next summer (2016). My spouse really wants to see the Grand Canyon, I'd really like to take the CZ (we've ridden the SWC several times, but never the Zephyr). So, I'm thinking that taking the CZ to see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon would be a good compromise, especially since the North Rim is allegedly quieter, less crowded, and cooler than the South Rim (we're probably going in mid-June). Our other top National Park choices right now would be Bryce and Zion, if we can do all 3 within about a week (our usual vacation allotment).
The real problem (as I've read in other threads researching this sort of trip) is the CZ's schedule. Heading west on train 5 isn't all bad, as it goes through Utah in the late evening / early night hours. But the return trip at 4:00 am is problematic.
So, I'm trying to figure out which station(s) to use. SLC would be a slightly longer drive than Provo, but it sounds like there are more hotels, taxis, rental cars, etc. in SLC. Also, it appears that there's a light rail station to the airport, where rental cars may be cheaper.
What to do about the return trip? Assuming we return the car in the afternoon / early evening, I just don't see getting a hotel room for a few hours until we catch the train at 3:00 am. But what else can we do? I'm considering returning the car somewhere in Colorado (Grand Junction?) just to make an easier return there, but some places don't allow one way rentals (or charge an arm and a leg for them). So, perhaps we detrain in Grand Junction & rent a car round trip from there - but then we'd miss any interesting train scenery from Grand Junction to SLC, especially during the daylight hours westbound.
OTOH, if we're returning the car in Colorado, perhaps we shouldn't see Bryce and Zion, and should substitute a park in Colorado or Northeast Utah instead? We don't like the heat, and Zion sounds like it's the hottest of the three in the summer, so I think it would be the first to go.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
1. We have about a week in mid June to see some national parks of the West.
2. We're taking the CZ from Chicago, & detraining somewhere in Colorado or Utah.
3. We're driving from SLC, Provo, or some other station (which station?) to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
4. What other parks should we see that aren't too hot or crowded in the summer?
5. What is the easiest station / return route to train #6 back to Chicago?
We're trying to plan a trip for next summer (2016). My spouse really wants to see the Grand Canyon, I'd really like to take the CZ (we've ridden the SWC several times, but never the Zephyr). So, I'm thinking that taking the CZ to see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon would be a good compromise, especially since the North Rim is allegedly quieter, less crowded, and cooler than the South Rim (we're probably going in mid-June). Our other top National Park choices right now would be Bryce and Zion, if we can do all 3 within about a week (our usual vacation allotment).
The real problem (as I've read in other threads researching this sort of trip) is the CZ's schedule. Heading west on train 5 isn't all bad, as it goes through Utah in the late evening / early night hours. But the return trip at 4:00 am is problematic.
So, I'm trying to figure out which station(s) to use. SLC would be a slightly longer drive than Provo, but it sounds like there are more hotels, taxis, rental cars, etc. in SLC. Also, it appears that there's a light rail station to the airport, where rental cars may be cheaper.
What to do about the return trip? Assuming we return the car in the afternoon / early evening, I just don't see getting a hotel room for a few hours until we catch the train at 3:00 am. But what else can we do? I'm considering returning the car somewhere in Colorado (Grand Junction?) just to make an easier return there, but some places don't allow one way rentals (or charge an arm and a leg for them). So, perhaps we detrain in Grand Junction & rent a car round trip from there - but then we'd miss any interesting train scenery from Grand Junction to SLC, especially during the daylight hours westbound.
OTOH, if we're returning the car in Colorado, perhaps we shouldn't see Bryce and Zion, and should substitute a park in Colorado or Northeast Utah instead? We don't like the heat, and Zion sounds like it's the hottest of the three in the summer, so I think it would be the first to go.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
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