Utah Red Rock Region

So, I will be in Southern Utah the first week of July to pretty much explore. Its an area I have always wanted to spend some time in. I know there are way more places/things to see than what I can fit in to 7-10 days, so I need opinions on how to prioritize my time. I would like to seen Zion NP, Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce, maybe the Capitol Reef but I dont know where to begin. What to cut out and what to see. Anyone from the area familiar with all the national parks?

There is more in that country than you can "see" in a lifetime, so don't worry about it. You can't go wrong - you will have a great time, wherever you go.

Take a map of the area. Put it on the wall. Throw a dart at it. Go to the spot where the dart lands. Alternatively, put slips of paper with names of the parks in a hat and draw one or two. Seriously.

Consider going to the websites of the parks and read about the park, paying particular attention to the back country and the types of hiking available. Pick a trip that appeals to you and go for it. Pay close attention to the altitude; Bryce is kind of high if you are prepping for the heat of the Grand Canyon.

So many park visitors try and "see" it all in an impossibly short time; the result is that they experience very little. I actually had a visitor ask me - "We've only got fifteen minutes to spend here (Mesa Verde). What should we see?" I advised him to relax and go have a nice cup of tea. Go deep rather than wide.

Don't overlook Glen Canyon. Of course, it is "only" a National Recreation Area, not a National Park. Well, it should have been a National Park. Trust me, I saw some of that country before the dam was built. Even with the lake, it is still a very fine place. And there are other gems, like Natural Bridges and Rainbow Bridge. The official designation (park, monument, or whatever) has very little to do with the value of the personal experience you might have there. For that matter, the NPS does not have a lock on all the groovy stuff that is rewarding to visit, in Utah or elsewhere in the country.

Visiting the parks, in the final analysis, helps us discover and enhance our personal values, those things that are meaningful and significant to each of us individually. Do a bit of homework. Check the websites and some of the guidebooks (National Geographic has a pretty good series, although they are a bit superficial), and find what appeals to you - geology, birds, solitude, long wilderness treks, history, and pick a likely area and go for it.

I doubt there is a person on this earth who is truly familiar, in any deep, realistic sense, with all the national parks (even in the Utah Red Rocks). I spent sixteen years working, and recreating, in just one national park, not as obviously spectacular as any in Utah, and I never got to know it completely. There is a lot out there.

I've been to these parks and I would have to say that the most impressive is Zion's. Bryce is fascinating to look at, kind of like the surface of mars, and arches has some cool things too. But Zion's just leaves one at a loss for words. The grandeur of the place is incredible. Everyone should see it in real life at some point.

Now Zion's is also very popular, there will be thousands of people there on any given day. It's not a place for solitude. But you should definitely hike the narrows if the weather permits. You'll be hiking through water much of the time but it's very cool to do.

Yep, my sentiments exactly.

One place I would not miss especially if you like wild and untamed places is the Grand Staircase Escalante. It is beautiful and pretty unspoiled. It is my fave place in Southern Utah. If you are doing the circle (Zion, Bryce, Cap Reef, Manti La Sal and North Rim of the Grand Canyon) you will pass right through it. Grand Staircase Escalante I agree with the others you really can't go wrong. I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the whole world.