6 states, 10 days, 8 NPs, 1 wedding!

[LanaDelNeigh]

So just wondering if i'm planning a little out of my league here.... in a couple weeks we are doing an overland trip up to northern OR from Phoenix for my best friends wedding then overlanding for a couple days on the way back. We are planning to hit a bunch of National Parks (getting the America the Beautiful pass), stay at some forests near the parks and see some national monuments.

My biggest concern is not having enough time in the day to see the parks, it's gonna be a quick trip but I want to try and squeeze in as many as possible. Looking for opinions and 2 cents on how long we should stay at Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, and Great Basin, and the must-see parts.
On the way back we are going though Crater Lake NP, Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoias, but have a full day each to explore those. Any tips on those would be appreciated.

Plan is to hit Horseshoe bend and Bryce NP on day 1 and stay around Fish Lake area.
Day 2 is Capitol Reef and Zion and camp either in Zion or the Dixie NF.
Day 3 is Great Basin and the Hangerman Fossil Beds and camp in the Sawtooth NF.

 

[M Rose]

Where at in Northern Oregon are you heading?

Kings/Sequoias NP is awesome, you will want as much time as possible to visit this one. Crater Lake is beautiful, but a couple hours at most is needed for the park itself... spend the rest of the time here exploring the nearby NFS. Lots of places to see in the Sawtooths. And they are on my bucket list of exploration. @reaver has some good camping locations picked out up in that area.
It sounds like your trip is coming right through my area... if your coming over I-84 from Idaho to Portland, hit me up when you come through La Grande and I’ll show you some of the best burgers or steaks in the northwest...

 

[reaver]

Where at in Northern Oregon are you heading?

Kings/Sequoias NP is awesome, you will want as much time as possible to visit this one. Crater Lake is beautiful, but a couple hours at most is needed for the park itself... spend the rest of the time here exploring the nearby NFS. Lots of places to see in the Sawtooths. And they are on my bucket list of exploration. @reaver has some good camping locations picked out up in that area.
It sounds like your trip is coming right through my area... if your coming over I-84 from Idaho to Portland, hit me up when you come through La Grande and I’ll show you some of the best burgers or steaks in the northwest...

Correction, I've got some THEORETICALLY good campsites out there, as I've not actually managed to make it out there yet.

 

[LanaDelNeigh]

Where at in Northern Oregon are you heading?

Kings/Sequoias NP is awesome, you will want as much time as possible to visit this one. Crater Lake is beautiful, but a couple hours at most is needed for the park itself... spend the rest of the time here exploring the nearby NFS. Lots of places to see in the Sawtooths. And they are on my bucket list of exploration. @reaver has some good camping locations picked out up in that area.
It sounds like your trip is coming right through my area... if your coming over I-84 from Idaho to Portland, hit me up when you come through La Grande and I’ll show you some of the best burgers or steaks in the northwest...

Going to Hermiston. We will be going right through there, so we could definitely meet up! Ill DM you and we can talk more.

 

[genocache]

I'd just caution that those are loooong distances and make plenty of allowance for travel time. Maybe skip a park and stay a day at one of maximum interest. Unless you are going on day hikes most of Zion and Bryce are drive thru as is Crater, Visitor Center and drive around stopping for a happy snappy(pics), then rolling on. Enjoy the trip and don't get into the "If today is Tuesday this must be Belgium." mindset.