Need Itinerary for April

[joshuasigar]

<p>Just got my 2-week notice so I'm gonna go crazy taking pictures (finally!)--April, the whole month. Will southern utah be good? Maybe places with waterfalls, because the snow is melting, right? I shot anything: mountains, rocks, flowers, rivers, yeah, all the landscapes. I've done a trip along the west coast (Orange County to San Francisco) so I've had enough of beaches.<br>

Will drive, will hike. Possibly anywhere in the US. I live in Anaheim, CA.<br>

Anyway just drop me the name of the places and I'll look up it further. So many possible places just don't know what's in their best shape in April.<br>

Thanks in advance!</p>

[camallard]

<p>I vote for Southern Utah. I took a two-week trip there several years ago and it was one of the best vacations. You have five national parks to visit...Bryce with hoodoos, Zion with mountains, Capital Reef with red desert, Arches with arches, and Canyonlands with canyons. Plus there are several other areas like Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalanta, several national forests that you can drive through. If you have a month you will need it to really enjoy everything. It will be cold but warming up and be careful with spring rains.<br>

Ann</p>

[camallard]

<p>I forgot to mention also Glen Canyon. And if you get "bored" with S.Utah, the Grand Canyon and Mounment Valley are within driving distance in northern Arizona. <br>

Ann</p>

[Sunset-Lounge]

<p>here are a couple books to consider:<br /> <em>Day Trips with a Splash - Swimming Holes of the southwest</em> , by Pancho Doll; <br /> and <em>Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest</em> by Marjorie Gersh-Young.<br /> <br /> these involve watering holes that need to be hiked into. <br /> <br /> In SE Utah from Boulder (no, not Colorado) towards Lake Powell is <strong>Burr Trail Road</strong> - about 20 miles of stunning canyons on a little known and even less traveled 2 lane paved road. Fantastic!<br /> <br /> NE Utah from Kamas Hwy 150 north towards <strong>Mirror Lake</strong> is gorgeous up in the mountains. My wife saw a moose!<br /> <br /> But if you just want stunning, the hills around Paso Robles, hwy 41 and up around and towards Parkfield will be flowering in April - but for waterfalls why drive further than Yosemite? It has lots of them and in April the crowds won’t be there.</p>

[craig_gillette]

<p>There's always the potential for snow, either on the ground or storms, in the high country (Arizona, California, Utah, etc.). But as others have pointed out, there is a lot of potential in the lower elevations of the Sierras to have flowers in the foothills and increasing flow in the creeks and rivers. I've had trips with new snow in Flagstaff - a lot! - in early April causing a lot of temporary closures and late April on the Wawona Road, with snow as low as El Portal although it didn't last long. You may have to chase the weather. It might be worth suggesting a few spots which likely won't be open but still have interesting potential in the lower surrounding country. Mount Lassen will likely still not be open (don't know when they plow the roads or which ones) but you have areas like Hat Creek, MacArthur-Burney Falls, the upper Central Valley fruit trees may be blooming. From there you can go north to Crater Lake but again, I think access is limited.</p>

<p>The southern lower deserts will likely be more comfortable so Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego might worth checking on, also Organ Pipe Cactus national Monument.</p>

[joshuasigar]

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1897554">Ann Mallard</a> , thanks, yeah, those places are pretty much what I had in mind.<br>

<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5907380">tom winberry</a> , thanks! I didn't even think about those kind of places (watering holes). Definitely will check that out.<br>

<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=16706">Craig Gillette</a> , yeah road closures could be a bummer. I wanted to go to yellowstone but that won't happen. I think I'm gonna go to utah area first and around mid April to those areas you pointed out.</p>

 

[greg_campbell1]

<p>Southern Utah and Northern Az are AWESOME in April.<br>

Here are a few places to check out. http://tinyurl.com/yl6bcge</p>

[greg_campbell1]

<p>p.s.<br>

If you do wind up in Az/Ut, keep in mind the substantial elevation range. <br>

April weather is usually very changeable. You'll see everything from snow to mid 80's. When the weather's cold, head for the lower country between Zion and Page. If it starts to get hot, visit Bryce and other elevated locations.</p>

[joshuasigar]

<blockquote>

<p>When the weather's cold, head for the lower country between Zion and Page. If it starts to get hot, visit Bryce and other elevated locations.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Is that to avoid getting snowed in? Cool thanks. I'd better carry snow chains with me, and pack lots of goodies.</p>

[greg_campbell1]

<p>IMO, there's little chance of truly deep snow that late in the year. Even up in Bryce, elevation 8000+ ft, the monthly average is only 7 inches. OTOH, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the road conditions, some of the mountain passes might be closed or require chains following a storm.</p>