Plans

Meals

Thursday (Mom, dad, Mitchell)

Friday

§  Breakfast * individual

-        Oatmeal

§  Lunch

§  Dinner *Kelso, Dylan Mitchell

-        Bratwurst

-        Instant mash potatoes

Saturday

§  Breakfast * Bobby and Larissa

-        Dutch oven

§  Lunch *AJ & Steph

-        Sandwich makings

§  Dinner * mom and dad

-        Catalina Chicken

Sunday

§  Breakfast * individual

-        Bagels

§  Lunch * Aj & Steph

-        Sandwich makings

Gear

-        Dutch ovens

-        6 man and two 3 man tents

-        Pads

-        Toiletries

-        Everyone brings their own kitchenware

-        Matches

-        Charcoal

-        Sleeping bags/ pillows/ blankets

-        Camelbacks/ nalgene/ etc.

-        Own snacks

-        Flashlights/ lamps

-        Dish soap

-        First aid kit 

hikes tours etc

These are links:

guided Tours

Hiking Trails

HIking

Slight change of plans

I have booked the campsite for July 28-31 however looking at my AL, I dont think I will be able to take that Thursday off to go down. Maybe Bobby and Mitchell can still go down with out me and do it... Let me know if anyone wants to go down that Thursday otherwise I need to change our reservation to the 29-31st instead.

Mesa Verde here we come! July 28-31

Morefield RV Park and Campground
link to campground info

Here's the scoop- There is only ONE campsite and Lodge IN the Mesa Verde Park. It looks very nice.

Barbecue grill, picnic table and bench, access to firewood, potable water, comfort stations, cafes, hot showers, coin op laundry, etc.
The total amount of the campsite came to $72.63 which covers all of us camping.

Bobby and I will be down Thursday so when everyone comes in on Friday we will be set up.
We should discuss how we want to handle food, camping gear, etc. 

• Do we want to just take care of ourselves or do community food? Give input please.

AJ and Steph-  Farview Lodge is located here as well (Far View Lodge $120-185). Super cute. There are a couple lodges outside Mesa Verde (only a few minutes): 

• Sundance Bear Lodge $115-350
• Budget Host Inn $80-150
• Willowtail Springs $199-360

Here is the link to the above hotels: http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/mesaverde.php

There are two more that are located farther away (8-9 miles away from Mesa Verde) but are cheaper- Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn. Rates are $84-88 a night.

Vote

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$$$ Cost Estimate

Budget needs to inlcude:

• Gas
• Food
• Lodging
• Park Entrance Fees per vehicle
• Activities like rafting, horseback riding, etc.

So here is the quick and dirty version of the cost of the trip. I am looking at prices for each choice and averaging FYI. Also, this is by vehicle and going by cost for two people. So those who are paying just for themselves can break it in half and those paying for more than two can add a half of the guesstimate below to their total.

Gas $100     Lodging $10x3     Park Fee $15     Misc. $50     Food $ 80-100

TOTAL $275-295 for 2 persons

So the trip for two people would run around $300. One person, $150, three people $450

You can of course go more expensive or cheaper depending on food choices and activities we might decide to participate in.

If you are wondering about lodging- the average cost of a site is $20 but because of the size of our group we would have to book two so thats $40 a night. So each group of four is paying for $20 a night divide into couples and that $10 a night per two people. If you care.

Henry Mountains

Um.... Mom, can you provide the information you have on the horseback riding trip here? I cant find it.

Garfield County Trails - Henry Mountain Area

This is around Hanskville which is close to Lake Powell so the Drive is around 5 Hours

It looks really pretty. This is part of Bryce Canyon National Park. Very near Capital Reef and Escalante as well as San Rafael.

There is horseback riding however I am not finding a multi day camping trip by horseback. Sorry I cant find more.

Weather will be in the 90s

Gas would run around $90-120

Escalante - Grand Staircase & Calf Creek

The Grand Staircase is a geological formation spanning eons of time and is a territory of multicolored cliffs, plateaus, mesas, buttes, pinnacles, and canyons.

Link

Okay so This is all falls under Bryce Canyon National Park
Hikes including Calf Creek (calf creek falls, coyote gulch, death hollows, devils gardens, escalante river, hole in the rock, Peek-a-boo gulch, and more)

Calf creek- "Calf Creek Falls is one of the most enchanting areas of the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, a verdant oasis amid the tumbled stone monoliths..."

Drive Time is about 5 Hours

Gas is around $37 each way so estimate around $90-120

Park Entrance Fee $25

Average temperature for July is 70-90 Degrees

Camp sites run at about $14 a night.

Hotels run around $65-80 a night

Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands

Link

White Water Rafting on West Water or Cataract Canyon, Hiking, climbing, biking, canyoneering, horseback riding, 4-wheeling, etc.

So really here its a matter of what we want to do.... I would want to Hike, raft, canyoneer, and climb... and all the other stuff but we cant do it all :)

Campgrounds with showers and some ammenities Sites Run around $20-30 a night + tax

Moab is 4 hours from SLC

West water runs around $150 a person to do.... Yikes I had no idea- AJ, see if Tanner knows of better deals or if he can get us one eh?

Park Entrance Fees run at $10 a vehicle

Gas per vehicle is about $32 each way plus driving while down there- Estimate about $85-100 per vehicle

An average day in July would be around 98 Degrees in Moab

Yellowstone

America's First National Park!

http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm

Hiking  (over 1,100 miles of trails are available for hiking), biking (both road and mountain), fishing, backcountry camping, horseback riding etc.

There are many options for camping ranging from $12-37 a night + tax.  Link

Hotels are like $200 a night but I bet there are better deals- still, I dont think its worth it.

It takes about 7 hours to Drive here from SLC.

Average Temperature is mid 70s to mid 90 Degrees

This will not be a very long post as most of us know what Yellowstone has to offer. Its gorgeous and we would have our pick of things to do. So much in fact, we would really have to make decisions on what we will go and see and what not to. Its the Disneyland of Nature. You can't do this in a day. Each of the activities listed above are links to each. Take a look at the hiking one as there is so much!

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park Link

(For those internet impaired, the above line is a link that you click on and it takes you to the website. Follow the same formula for all links through out the blog)

Ancestral Pueblo people who made this their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300.
The park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.
To see the Cliffs the website says you have to purchase tickets to many of the sites... Here is a link to what is free and what is open during the dates we are looking at.  PDF of Park visiting sites
Park Entrance Fee is $15 per vehicle.
Morefield Campground is the recommended site just 4 miles inside Mesa Verde.
Rates: Start at $23 per campsite, per night + tax. Maximum of two vehicles, two tents. Reservations accepted.
Hotels Run at about $80 a night
Phone 1-800-449-2288
Hiking in Mesa Verde National Park is restricted and allowed only on designated trails. Visitors may not enter cliff dwellings unless accompanied by a uniformed park ranger.

Gas for this trip would be around $50 each way per vehicle + driving while there- Estimate around $120-180

Weather for Mesa Verde in July averages 75-93 Degrees during the day
The website lists about 8 different hiking trails that are available without a guide and free. They Range from a quick 1 mile to the longest at 7.8 miles. They look beautiful. Link to the different hikes

It takes about 7 Hours to drive there from SLC.

For some reason I can't get a picture to upload. If anyone can, please do it otherwise just go to the parks website Link at the very top of this post.

July Family Trip

The tentative dates we discussed were July 28th-31st. That is a Thursday - Sunday Trip. For most places this means Thursday we drive, Friday and saturday we play, and Sunday we drive. Another option is to Drive down late Wednesday. Those of us that could do that could go down and set things up and everyone else can meet there the following day. The possible places we discussed were:

• Mesa Verde
• Yellowstone
• Moab
• Escalante
• Calf Creek
• Henry Mountains

I will will post information for each of these places including drive time, things to do, pics, and possibly the amount of $ it will be (if I can realistically do that at this point). I will try to get some of it done today. If any of you happen to know or find something cool about any of these places (camp sites, hotels, hikes, good deals, pics, etc) PLEASE post it!