Carlsbad Natl Park to North Rim Grand Canyon

Thanks for the suggestions. We should be leaving Florida sometime in the next week or so.

2gypsies wrote:
From Carlsbad/Guadalupe (the peak hike is awesome), you might want to head to White Sands Nat'l Monument, NM to add another to your list. Plan an early evening there or a ranger program in early morning or evening. It'll be hot.

Then continue north in NM to Bandelier Nat'l Mon outside of Santa Fe - very nice ruins. Continue on Hwy 84 (Georgia O'Keefe's country and Abiquiu COE campground is a great stay in the midst. On to Pagosa Springs, CO for an excellent hot springs experience - extremely clean concrete pools of various temperatures overlooking the river. Plan on 2-3 hours of soaking. Bring water and snacks!

Then on CO 160 head west to Mesa Verde NP. If you want to include Canyon de Chelly Nat'l Monument, AZ you could pick up Hwy 191 from 160. Then back on 160 to Hwy 89/89A to the North Rim of Grand Canyon. Continue on 89 north into Utah and pick up Hwy 12 taking you to Capitol Reef.

This sounds like a fantastic trip. We've done them all multiple times. Enjoy!

A good route choice and if you like fishing Abiquiu is known primarily for Bass and Crappie while Heron Lake near Chama is good for some Kokanee Salmon and trout. There are several good hiking trails around Heron and even in summer the temperature is mild.

Kaibab CampRVillage is the closest FHU CG to the North Rim. When we stayed there last fall, the electricity was running down around 105V. So that aspect of FHU was not too useful.

OTOH, the cookies at the Jacob Lake Inn really were worth the stop.

Check out Hovenweep while you are in SE Utah

From Carlsbad/Guadalupe (the peak hike is awesome), you might want to head to White Sands Nat'l Monument, NM to add another to your list. Plan an early evening there or a ranger program in early morning or evening. It'll be hot.

Then continue north in NM to Bandelier Nat'l Mon outside of Santa Fe - very nice ruins. Continue on Hwy 84 (Georgia O'Keefe's country and Abiquiu COE campground is a great stay in the midst. On to Pagosa Springs, CO for an excellent hot springs experience - extremely clean concrete pools of various temperatures overlooking the river. Plan on 2-3 hours of soaking. Bring water and snacks!

Then on CO 160 head west to Mesa Verde NP. If you want to include Canyon de Chelly Nat'l Monument, AZ you could pick up Hwy 191 from 160. Then back on 160 to Hwy 89/89A to the North Rim of Grand Canyon. Continue on 89 north into Utah and pick up Hwy 12 taking you to Capitol Reef.

This sounds like a fantastic trip. We've done them all multiple times. Enjoy!

Several NM's along potential routes. Chaco Culture and Canyon de Chelly are off the main roads. Near Flagstaff, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon, and Sunset Crater are worth exploring. If you take a more northerly route, you could head through Durango. A variety of NM's in the vicinity, including Hovenweep and Canyon of the Ancients. If you decide to check these NM's out, stop at the Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores for info on hiking trails. We really enjoy the Sand Canyon trail about 15 miles west of Cortez on Co Rd G. The part of Hovenweep in UT has an interesting loop trail through the ruins that's worth the drive to get there. While in Durango, take the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge RR. We're not big fans of touristy things, but really enjoy the scenery and feeling of this ride. Explore north from Durango all the way to Ouray. Loop back through Telluride. I think this area would have been a National Park were it not for all the mining activity in the 1880's.

While in the Capitol Reef area, make sure you hike to Calf Creek Falls off of UT 12. Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons are in Escalante Grand Staircase NM and a lot of fun to explore.

Gooseneck State Park in Utah should be a stop. Check out Monument Valley, UT. If you come up through New Mexico, I would recommend stops at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.