If you go to Southern Utah

Lodging: Of the national parks we visited, the only ones with lodging inside the park are Bryce Canyon (Bryce Canyon Lodge), Zion (Zion Lodge) and the Grand Canyon North Rim (Grand Canyon Lodge). These lodges are extremely popular, so unless you plan months in advance, it's doubtful you'll get into any of them. We made our reservations only about a month before our mid-September trip but were lucky enough to snag a room at Bryce, due to a cancellation. All three are run by Xanterra Parks & Resorts: 888-297-2757; www.xanterra.com.

There are plenty of hotels in nearby towns. Among those we sampled:

Aarchway Inn, Moab, convenient for Arches and Canyonlands; $89.95 to $150; 435-259-2599 or 800-341-9359; www.aarchwayinn.com.

Best Western Capitol Reef Resort, near Torrey, convenient for Capitol Reef; $59 to $159; 435-425-3761; www.bestwestern.com.

Cliffrose Lodge, Springdale, convenient to Zion; $59-$165; 435-772-3234; www.cliffroselodge.com.

Kaibab Lodge, convenient to Grand Canyon North Rim in Arizona; $80-$150; 928-526-0924 (January-April) or 928-638-2389 (May-October); www.canyoneers.com/pages/lodging.html. Open only mid-May to mid-October; about 5 miles from the park. The Jacob Lake Inn (928-643-7232; www.jacoblake.com), about 40 miles from the park, is the only other lodging near the North Rim entrance.

Eats: Most of what you're going to find is pretty basic food. One major exception: Cafe Diablo, a fine-dining experience where shorts and jeans are the costume of the day, located in Torrey (pop. 171), near Capitol Reef N.P. Great food with a Southwestern flair. Reservations can be a must. 425-3070; www.cafediablo.net.

Practicalities: Much of this is desert, so summer months can find the thermometer well over 100. Even in the third week of September, the temp was 96 one afternoon when we were in Zion. Thankfully, though, super-low humidity (think under 20 percent) made it feel more like 80. Nights can be cool in the higher elevations; Bryce, for instance, is at about 8,000 feet. The individual parks' Web sites (see below) give temperature ranges throughout the year.

Parks and places: National parks charge variable fees. A good choice is to buy a National Parks Pass for $50 — good for all parks and many other National Park Service sites for a year.

State parks also charge variable fees and sometimes rely on self-registration.