Central Florida to Grand Canyon

agesilaus wrote:
The Grand Canyon is the bottom of what's known as the Grand Circle, starting out at the North Rim (we much prefer the NR) it includes Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP and Capital Reef with many smaller parks in the area including Petroglyph SP (State Park), Pink Coral Sand Dunes SP, Vermilion Cliffs NM, Dead Horse SP, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges and many others.

Concur. And if you start at North Rim you can go north to Zion, then Bryce, then follow Utah 12 to Torry and Capitol Reef, then on to Moab and Arches. This will give you plenty in Utah, though there are many other possibilities. I'm suggesting this as a route with highlights that will not require much backtracking.

And if I were in Moab, I'd plan my return trip to go back across Colorado. Perhaps a drive down from Montrose to Ouray then back up to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, across to Salida and out to Pueblo--as an example.

As a driving route I suggest I-10 to MS, up to I-20, across to west of Dallas and US 287.

As a native East Texan I would suggest this variation on the section of the route above. Take something like US 69 near Tyler to go up to US 82 at Sherman, then pick up 287 near Wichita Falls. This will avoid most of the congestion of DFW and will be a much more pleasant drive.