前7天走的是 Utah 和 Arizona Grand Circle路线比较靠南半圆的路线。从洛杉矶开始，途径Death Valley, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon and Sedona。第二篇是最后3天，开到San Diego, 然后回到洛杉矶。

因为想先试试效果，所以先把前5天的Post出来了

原谅我实在写累了，所以把自己部落格上的东西做了简介直接搬过来了, 原版链接:
Part 1  - http://simplevoyager.com/index.php/2016/05/29/travel-plan-west-coast-national-parks-pictures/ 
Part 2 - http://simplevoyager.com/index.php/2016/06/02/travel-plan-west-coast-part-2-the-way-back/ 

 	Part 1 (First 7 days) Locations: Death Valley, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Natural Bridge National Monument, Grand Canyon, Sedona
 	Part 2 (Last 3 days) Locations: San Diego, Pacific Coast Highway
 

Trip Overview


Note on Plan - The ones with pictures are the sites that I chose to visit. Ones without are places that I chose to skip because either I was saving time or bad traffic/road conditions.

Second Note - Days with a * symbol are ones that will require the whole day. This means leaving around 8am and arriving at your hotel somewhere between 8-9pm.

Note on GPS - The GPS that I took worked like wonder. As long as I know the specific name for a scenic spot, it had the coordinates in there. Since you will be driving through deserts, forests, and mountains, definitely get yourself a good GPS before heading out. Cell signals can become very weak at different places

Note on Ticket - Get the annual pass for $80 online before heading out. Every park costs $30 per vehicle for entry. You will be visiting 5+ national parks if you are following this guide. So it is definitely worth every penny.

 

Day 1* - Los Angeles -> Death Valley -> Las Vegas 	Death Valley Park - Link to Park Map

 	Route: Los Angeles International Airport -> Death Valley Park (Route 190)
 	Time: 3 hours and 45 minutes
 	On the road

  	 Racetrack

 	This is one of the most famous spots in the park. It features the moving rocks. The route is not easily accessible. It might take up to 3 - 4 hours round trip from Route 190. So I will leave the decision of whether going there or not to you.
 	Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

 	Route: Route 190 Intersection - > Mesquite Flat
 	Time: 33 minutes
 	You are now in the actual death valley


 	Titus Canyon

 	To visit this place, travel north a few miles after the sand dune 

 	Furnace Creek Visitor Center

 	Route: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes - > Visitor Center
 	Time: 24 minutes 

 	Badwater Basin

 	Route: Furnace Creek Visitor Center -> Golden Canyon -> Devil's Golf Course-> Badwater Basin
 	Time: 24 minutes
 	Note: After the visitor center, there is an intersection a few miles down, continue going south by going straight.
 	You are officially 282 feet below sea level, one of the lowest points on land.
 


 	A closer look at the salt flats


 	On the way there, there are two vista points

 	Golden Canyon
 	Devil's Golf Course 

 	On the way back to the intersection mentioned above

 	There is a narrow one-way road called Artists Drive, that leads to the Artists Palette

  	Zabriskie Point

 	Route: Badwater Basin -> Zabriskie Point
 	Time: 26 minutes






 	Dante's View

 	Route: Zabriskie Point -> Dante's View
 	Time: 26 minutes
 	Note: Again, you will come to a three-way intersection, take the route south for another 13 miles.
 	This view offers an overlook over the Badwater Basin from an altitude of 5475 feet.


 	There were a lot of interesting cloud formation as we were leaving the park. Not sure whether it was because of the weather in May or a year-round things here in the desert.

 	Accommodation Suggestion

 	Las Vegas

 	Route: Dante's View to Las Vegas
 	Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
 	Las Vegas offers a ton options for hotels, restaurants and  entertainment. I recommend the western part of town as it brings you much closer to both Hoover and Zion National Park.
 	What you planning to do here at night is completely up to you =)


Day 2* - Las Vegas -> Hoover Dam - > Zion National Park

 	Hoover Dam

 	Route: Las Vegas - > Hoover Dam
 	Time: 44 minutes if no traffic (BUT there will be traffic in the morning. So leave early!)
 	Note: If you want to save time, I would leave this part out. More on this later. 



 	Zion National Park - Link to Park Map 

 	Route 1 : Hoover Dam -> Zion National Park South Entrance Visitor Center

 	Time: 3 hours and 15 minutes


 	Route 2 : Las Vegas -> Zion National Park South Entrance Visitor Center

 	Time: 2 hours and 35 minutes


 	Time Zone Alert: if you visit anytime between March and November, the moment you enter Utah, you will be in MDT. You essentially lose one hour. The reason that I bring up this specific time period is because Arizona (where Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are) operates under MST. During summer, Arizona and California actually have the same time. I will have this alert every time zone switches.
 	You can only enter the park via park shuttle. Therefore, you will have to park your car either at the visitor centre or at Canyon Junction, which is the third stop for the shuttle. Just a hint, there are much are parking spots at the visitor centre.
 	There are 8 stops in total and it takes 40 minutes to get to the last stop, which is called Temple of Sinawava. If you take a look at the map by clicking on the link above, all the stops are marked with a shuttle symbol. Find the link for shuttle bus's schedule by clicking here.
 	If you are following this guide, by the time you arrived here, it will be around 3pm MDT. So there isn't a lot of time to tackle the strenuous hikes such as the full Angel's Landing trail (round trip: 4 hours), Observation Point trail(6 hours) or the Narrow walk (up to 8 hours).
 	Note: Let me first tell you how my day went (if you are not planning to visit for more than 3-4 hours anyways, I would recommend following this short guide). Then I will let you know how I would re-arrange the whole day.
 	Overview: We stopped at Court of the Patriarchs (Stop #4) and hiked our way to The Grotto (Stop #6). We then took the bus to the last stop and took some pictures along the way. That was about all the time we had.
 	Trails connecting Stop #4 and #5 (Time used: 1 hour) 	Court of the Patriarchs
 	A small trail behind the shuttle stop. It takes less than 10 minutes. There is more than enough time to take a round trip and catch the next bus.

 	Upper Bench Sand Trail

 	This trail begins on the opposite side of the shuttle stop.
 	While on Upper Bench Sand Trail, the benefit is that you get to see the three peaks up close. The trade - off is that this trail is shared by hikers and horses. Imaginations required here =)
 	Trails connecting Stop #5 and #6 (Time used: 2 hours)


 	Lower Emerald Pool Trail

 	Cross the bridge connecting shuttle stop and trail and head north

 	Upper Emerald Pool Trail

 	The ascend and descend is a bit difficult compared to what you have seen so far. However, it should not be a huge issue.

 	Kayenta Trail

 	The third trail on this route. It offers a great view of the canyon. Definitely consider this trail if you are not planning to hike up Angel's Landing or Observation Point.

 	Temple of Sinawava

 	If you do not have the time to do the hike, at least pull a quick 20 minutes stop here to walk around. It is a really peaceful place.


 	Canyon Junction (Stop #3)

 	Got off at the third stop on our way back.There were a number of photographers waiting here with their tripods. I wasn't sure what they were all waiting for. If I had to guess, it must be a great spot for photography.

 	Accommodation Suggestion

 	There are actually a number of options in Springdale, which is right next to the Zion park. Since it is so close, you can take advantage of Zion's dark sky as it is one of the dark international sky preserves.
 	If you want, a town called Hurricane is only 30 minutes away. Hotels in this town are more affordable.

 	The benefit of staying here is that you can visit Cedar Breaks National Monument on Day 3. This means that you will not be coming back to Zion Park in the morning.
 	If I had the chance to do it all over again

 	I would ditch Hoover Dam. Not because it is not a great place to see, there are just simply not enough time to enjoy both Hoover and Zion on the same day.
 	Day 2 then becomes

 	Drive to Zion

 	Leave around 8am and arrive around 12pm local time
 	Hike Observation point (6 hours round trip) if you want the challenge. It offers a great view.
 	Alternatives, take the Riverside Walk at the last stop and try your luck at the Narrow. It is one fo those narrow water trails. So it is definitely worth a go. Do watch for flash flood alert!
 	The reason that I do not suggest Angel's landing (4-hour round trip is because there will be a lot of people on the trail if you arrive around noon.

 	The last part of Angel's Landing (Requires you to hold on to chains and walk on all four at times) is a one-way road. There will be a lot of waiting around if there are lots of people. Normally it will be a 1-hour round trip for this last part. Imagine waiting for tons of people to pass by while standing less than 1 foot away from a cliff.
 	It is also the hottest part of the day if you choose to climb at this time. You will have to prepare more water and watch your fatigue. This trail is not for anyone fear of height. Thi is no joke.


 	One way to tackle this is to first spend some time in the park and start your hike around 3 pm. Everything prior to the last part of the trail is relatively easy as long as you have a good hiking boot or anything not slippery. The round trip (excluding the last part) is around 3 hours. The view is also stunning (for pictures, please see Day 3).
 	If you want to tackle the full trail, go home early and have a good night sleep on Day 2. Wake up around 7am on Day 3 and go in the early morning.  There will be fewer people and better temperature. This is what I ultimately decided to do given the time constraint. 
Day 3* - Zion -> Bryce -> Page

 	Zion Continued - Angel's Landing

 	We geared up in the morning like I mentioned previously and arrived at the Trail around 8:30 am. There are already a number of people on the mountain. But compared with the number we saw when we were coming down, early morning is a much better time for hiking.
 	The trail can be broken down into 5 distinctive sections.


 	Section 1 - Really easy section on mostly flat surface. 


 	Section 2 - The trail is still paved. You have to climb several hundred feet on this wiggly trail. Below is a picture overlooking section 1 and part of section 2.



 	The last part of section 2 is quite steep.

 	Section 3 - The road is relatively flat. The most important distinction is that you will be hiking in between two peaks. So there will be shades.

 	Section 4 - Much steeper ascension trail. Walk  carefully as it is a two-way road.

 	Section 5 - As I mentioned repeatedly, it is the last part. Hiking boots will make it much easier as there are tons of sand on the rocks. The final destination is on top of this peak.


 	Take in the view


 	As you leave Zion, keep an eye out for goats

 	Bryce Canyon National Park - Link to Park Map

 	There are two possibilities here

 	Route 1: Zion National Park -> Bryce Canyon National Park

 	Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
 	If you visited Angel's Landing or hiked in Zion for some time, I would strongly recommend that you keep an eye out for time. Try to leave before 1pm.
 	Route 2 (implies that you skipped Zion this morning): Hurricane -> Cedar Breaks National Monument -> Bryce Canyon National Park

 	Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes 	Drive all the way down to Bryce Point (See map) and start working your way north either by hiking or driving. This depends on your energy level. Driving is probably easier. If you feel like hiking, Queens Garden Trail and Navajo Loop Trail at the Sunrise point are the most famous trail in the park. Together they are ranked among one of the world's most beautiful 3 miles hikes.

 	Note: I would recommend that you book a hotel in Page, which is another 2.5 hours of driving. More on this later. This is here for you so that you remember to leave time and energy for driving. 	Bryce Point

 	Highest point among the 4 points. Standing at 8294 ft



 	Inspiration Point


 	A quick closer look


 	Sunset Point

  	Sunrise Point 

 	Queen's Garden Trail

 	It is not a long hike even if you choose to do the Navajo Loop Trail. The only thing is that it is a high altitude hike. Sunrise point has a height of 8017 ft. So it can be a bit more tiring comparing to lower altitude hikes.


 	Queen Victoria Rock in the distance


 	Accommodation Suggestion

 	Page offers both good hotels and convenience for next day's sightseeing. Antelope has the best lighting effect around 11 am - 1pm. Horseshoe Bend also looks better in the morning (Around 9 - 10 am). After 3 long days of traveling, you now have a good reason to sleep in for an extra hour or two on Day 4.


 	Note on Page

 	Route: Bryce Canyon -> Page, AZ
 	Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
 	Time Zone Alert: Arizona runs on MST. This means that you will be dialing your clock back for an hour. Essentially gaining an hour tomorrow morning. You know what this means.
 	To compensate you for missing the sunset at Bryce, here is a picture of sunset while traveling to Page

 

Day 4 - Horseshoe Bend -> Oljato-Monument Valley -> Goosenecks State Park->Natural Bridge National Monument

 	Horseshoe Bend

 	Route: Page -> Horseshoe Bend
 	Time: 9 minutes
 	Note: It is a short drive no matter where you choose to stay in Page. Once you park your car at the parking lot, it is a short 10-15 minutes hike to the actual cliff.

 	Oljato - Monument Valley Park

 	Route: Horseshoe Bend -> Oljato - Monument Valley
 	Time: 2 hours (There might be road work, which will lengthen the drive)
 	Note: Your annual national park does not work here. So do not be surprised.
 	There are a few trails. But the main attraction is a driving around the park. There is a paved road that takes you all the around and visits each individual monument site.
 	These are the iconic three Butte at the entrance of the park. This is a shot from the visitor center's vantage point. For the first picture, from left to right, West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, and Merrick Butte. You can also get a peek of the road that takes you into the valley. The other two pictures are formations that you will see while driving.





  	Below is the famous 13-miles mark from the movie Forrest Gump. It is north of the park. Once you exit the park, turn right on the main road and continue north for 13 miles. There is a parking lot on top of this hill. So you do not have to park on the side.

 	If you follow this guide word for word, then come back tomorrow morning. The soft light from sunrise will give you a much better shot (as long as it is not too cloudy).


 	Goosenecks State Parks

 	Route: Monument Valley -> Goosenecks State Parks
 	Time: 40 minutes
 	If you think Horseshoe Bend was impressive, Goosenecks Park has three consecutive bends. However, the colors are not as stunning as Horseshoe.
 	Time Zone Alert: You are not in Utah again. MDT will be in effect. This means dialing your clock forward for an hour.


 	Natural Bridges National Monument - Link to Park Map

 	Route: Goosenecks State Park -> Natural Bridges
 	Time: 1 hour
 	In case you missed it, you are in Utah (MDT) Time Zone
 	Note: You annual national park pass does work here.


 	There are three bridges in this park. Sipapu Bridge is the first one

 	Second largest natural bridge in the world .Glen Canyon's Rainbow Bridge is the only one that is bigger.
 	The round trip hike to Sipapu is 1.2 mile in distance and takes 1 hour in time. There are places with cliffs and dropoffs.


 	Kachina Bridge

 	1.4 miles round trip and also takes roughly 1 hour


 	Owachomo Bridge

 	This one has a much shorter and milder hike. It is 0.4 miles in length. It roughly takes 30 minutes to complete the round trip. Even if you choose not to do any of the ones above, this one is worth it.

 	Note: This monument received the honor of being named one of the first International Dark Sky Preserve. Due to low light pollution, the sky lights up by stars at night. It also makes a great spot for checking out the center of the Milky Way. You do need to download an app that can predict the specific time the center rises over the horizon. SkyView (in Apple App Store) has a free version that is really accurate. This brings me to my next point, accommodation.
 	Accommodation Suggestion

 	I chose to stay at Blanding, UT. It is 45 minutes away from the park. It was one of the closest hotels that I could find at the time. If you are looking to come back to catch the stars, try to find hotels within the vicinity.
 	If you are not planning to come for the starry skies, try to find something that brings you close to Page, AZ. You have to wake up early and drive back to Page for your Antelope tour at 11 or 12pm. Most of these tours require you to check in 1 hour and 30 minutes prior to the actual tour.

 	At the same time, watch your energy level after an intense day of driving.
允许我在最后打个小广告
 等不及的小伙伴， 或者正好在旅游想看啊可能旅程的， 就上部落格看吧 - www.simplevoyager.com 

Part 1  - http://simplevoyager.com/index.php/2016/05/29/travel-plan-west-coast-national-parks-pictures/ 
Part 2 - http://simplevoyager.com/index.php/2016/06/02/travel-plan-west-coast-part-2-the-way-back/ 
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