Much as I love Yosemite, at that time of year with your location I agree with the above and I'd choose Zion/Bryce instead. (Note, I'm not sure how accesible Bryce would be either as for snow!)

Thank you both for your input. If we choose not to go to Yosemite, then our alternative is to focus on the Utah/AZ loop. We would do a modified version of tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28965-i411-k43258… or tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28965-i411-k43305…

It would just be such a shame to miss out on Yosemite - I'm from NY and the other two travellers are from the UK, so this is the closest we will be for who knows how long. I know we're right on the cusp of Winter/Spring so I'm just not sure what to expect. If we were planning this trip in the middle of the summer there would be no doubt in my mind about Yosemite, but alas that is not the case :)

End of March, you can be pretty much still in winter at Yosemite, from what I know/remember. Did a cross country ski day one March and by time we came back across the meadow towards the Awahnee there was hardly enough snow to even cross country. I think we took skis off and carried them to the ski shop. Beautiful weather, though, but a very iffy time of year.

What I would do if you want to go to Yosemite, and it would cost you more but it would save you valuable time, is this:

Fly from Las Vegas to Merced, California (MCE) on Great Lakes Airlines. They have 3 flights a day and the flight is only 90 minutes. Then from the Merced airport take a YARTS bus up into Yosemite Valley. See http://yarts.com for the Highway 140 route. Spend 2 nights in Yosemite Valley, such as the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls or a heated cabin. It will be too cold to stay in an unheated tent cabin. That would give you 1 full day in Yosemite Valley.

Then take the YARTS bus back to Merced and fly from Merced to Las Vegas, again on Great Lakes Airlines. Doing this will take 3 days of your trip, but you would get a full day in Yosemite Valley, and you would not have to do any driving at all.

Then for the other 5 days of your trip, choose one or more from the following possibilities: Grand Canyon National Park, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Zion National Park, Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Mt. Charleston (snow skiing), Death Valley National Park, Lone Pine, Alabama Hills, Whitney Portal, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Havasu City (water skiing), Palm Springs Aerial Tramway or Glamis, California (dune buggy and ATV riding on sand dunes). Whichever of these appeal to you the most.

Thank you for your suggestions. I did think about a flight making it easier to see Yosemite but that might be a bit out of our budget. Also, it does seem like it would be an injustice to have only a day in Yosemite.... I've read about people dedicating a week, they say there is that much to see and do (tho I'm sure the time of year affects that).

it looks like we have a tough decision to make. I'm starting to think we should have planned more time off! :)

Just to add my pennies worth - I'm from London UK too and last year in early April we did Zion, Bryce, Peak-a-boo & Spooky (our all time favourite slot Canyon!), Capitol Reef and Needles (Canyonland) in 10 days.

People find it strange when I say this, and of course has a lot to do with personal preference, but the Utah Canyons is easily my #1 favourite place in the world I've been to, beating Machu Picchu, Galapagos diving, Petra and Patagonia.

I am in the middle of planning my Yosemite trip this May, but I doubt that it'll beat our Utah canyon experience.

I guess what I'm saying is that for people who's never been or never considered the Utah canyon (most people in the UK would go like huh? Utah? Why would you want to go to Utah?) they would be very amazed and very surprised with it.

So I think don't feel like you're short-changing your friends if you decide to do the Utah loop instead of Yosemite.

Have fun planning!!

Thanks for your input PD! I'd be curious to hear about your Yosemite trip in May and how you found it compared to the Utah Canyons :)