The Incomparable Bryce Canyon / Capitol Reef Fall Leaf Drive

Friday Sept 23rd – Sunday Sept 25th By: Valerie Francis

 

It’s On! The plan is coming together for a fun and beautiful drive to Bryce Canyon and Torrey / Capitol Reef National Parks. We are still finalizing some of the lunch plans so this is a heads up so you can put this on your calendar and reserve your hotel rooms.

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Friday Sept 23: SLC to Bryce via Nephi, Salina, Gooseberry Road and Fish Lake

1. 9:00 AM Meet at Harmons Bangerter 125 E 13800 S, Draper.

2. 9:15 AM Head out to Nephi. Bio-break at Nephi Phillips 66 or Chevron (815 E 100 N, Nephi).

3. From Nephi to Salina via Hwy 132, merging with Hwy 89 south of Moroni. Your choice: Lunch at Mom’s Café (10 E Main Street) or Salina City Park (go south on 300 East until you reach the park).

4. After lunch regroup at Maverick Gas station next to I-70 interchange (260 E Industrial Park Drive)

5. After topping off gas at Maverick, we head east on I-70 to exit 63, then follow Gooseberry Road over to Fish Lake on Hwy 25. Bio-break at Fish Lake.

6. Fish Lake to Bryce NP via short jog north on Hwy 24 turning at Hwy 62 south through Koosharem, then continue south till we reach Hwy 22 through Antimony to Bryce.

7.   After checking into Ruby’s Inn, dinner about 5:30 – 6:00 depending on our arrival time,          at Ruby’s Cowboy Buffet and Steak Room, or dinner on your own.

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Saturday Sept 24: after a group ride through Bryce or free time to explore Bryce we head to Torrey / Capital Reef via Scenic Byway 12 through Escalante, Boulder/the Burr Trail, to Torrey. 

1. 8:30 AM meet in Ruby’s parking lot ready to drive through the park at 8:45 AM.

2. 11:00 AM meet in Ruby’s parking lot to pick up box lunches.

3. 11:15 AM head out to Torrey via Hwy 12 with Bio-break at Escalante Visitors Center (755 W Main St, Escalante).

4. Drive through Escalante, Boulder, (side trip to Burr Trail, OR Anasazi State Park Museum, your choice as not enough time to do both) with Bio-Break possible at State Park Museum or at one of the view point pull-outs on Boulder Mountain.

5. Arrive and check into Torrey hotels. 5:00 PM meet at Rim Rock Restaurant (2523 UT-24, Torrey) for dinner. After dinner, sunset drive through Capitol Reef NP.

 

Sunday Sept 25th: Head home via Hwy 72 and Hwy 10, past Ferron, to Huntington, up Huntington Canyon and down Fairview Canyon, then home via Hwy 89 Spanish Fork Canyon. 

1. 9:00 AM Meet at Phillips Gas Station at the intersection of Hwy 12 and Hwy 24 (675 Hwy 24).

2. Drive Hwy 24 past Bicknell and Lyman, turning onto 1100 East Lyman to hook up with Hwy 72 taking us past Fremont.

3. Bio-break at Ivie Creek Rest Area, left turn on frontage road when we reach I-70 interchange.

4. After Bio-break, back along Hwy 72 frontage road to Hwy 10, following Hwy 10 through Emory, Castledale to Huntington.

5. Lunch in Huntington OPTIONS: 1. before leaving pick up something at store in Torrey, 2. Lamy’s Mexican Restaurant (about 190 S Main St, Huntington) or 3. Subway about 195 S Main at Phillips 66 gas station. (They are next door to each other), can eat the City Park (99 E Center Street).

6. After lunch, regroup at the Huntington City Park to head up Huntington Canyon, and down Fairfield Canyon.

7. Bio-Break in Fairfield as needed, then everyone on their own to go home, probably via Hwy 89 to Spanish Fork Canyon and I-15.

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Friday 9/23 Best Western Ruby’s Inn discount information and link for booking at the discount:

The rooms will be QQ (Double Queen) in the outlaying buildings by the main lodge for $200.00 + 13.87% sales tax for one night, September 23, 2022, for 2 people.  A 3rd or 4th person can stay in one of these rooms for an additional $10.00 per person charge.  Some have a lake view and others may not. We cannot specify which building at this time when reserving the room. We have a block of 20 rooms set aside for our group, on a first come, first served basis. Check out is 11:00 a.m. A full breakfast is included in cost of room. (Reg. $13.50).

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This is a link to book your room: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.45040.html?groupId=4P9NK4S0 

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Note: Cancellation Policy: There is a 48 hr. cancellation before arrival date if anyone needs to cancel for any reason. If you do not want to stay at Ruby's Inn, there are other small motels on the main road by Bryce Canyon City that you are welcome to check out.

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Meals: A dinner is planned for Friday evening at the Ruby's Cowboy Buffet and Steak Room.  Mike does not have the time reserved yet, but we will know prior our trip. We can order off the menu, either a specific meal available or the dinner buffet.  The price is the same as it was on our 2020 trip at $23.25 each person.  You may choose to eat with the group or not.  The conference rooms are currently booked but Mike is trying to get a room or private section of the restaurant for our group. See menu on UMC website.

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Box Lunches for Saturday:  Box Lunches are available to purchase for $12.50 each.  A form will be passed out at meetings that has to be filled out and sent to Ruby's Canyon Diner at least 5 days before our arrival in Bryce for them to prepare these meals.  We may collect these forms and send in as a group.  We will pick up the box lunches after we finish our Saturday morning drive to Bryce Canyon before we head out to travel to Torrey, the same as we did on our 2020 trip.

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Saturday 9/24: your choice of several hotels in Torrey (some have already reserved rooms at Broken Spur Inn).  A group dinner is still being worked on.

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Heads up so you can put this on your calendar and get your rooms reserved. This is the ultimate end of top down season driving adventure!  For questions contact Val and Doyle.