Utah National Park Trip June 2018

I have camped in Arches NP in mid-June when it was 104 degrees and at Cedar Breaks NM on Memorial Day when it was snowing. You can't plan for weather 3 months before you go. Obviously, the parks in Utah would be cooler and less crowded if you could go in late May, before school gets out, than in June. But you just need to plan your trip to see the parks and monuments you are most interested in and go whenever you can go.

Personally, I would by-pass Denver and I-70 through the mountains and, in saying that, I live in the Denver area only two miles from both I-70 and the mountains. If I were traveling west on !-70 from Maryland, I would get off at Limon, CO and take US 24 to Colorado Springs. If you are so inclined, you could stay at Cheyenne Mountain State Park and drive the toll road to the top of Pikes Peak. From there, take CO 115 to US 50 at Canon City, go up the Arkansas River Canyon and over Monarch Pass to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP (electric hookups). Then take US 550 to Ridgway State Park (full or partial hookups), with a couple of days traveling to Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride in the Jeep (be sure to drive some of the easier Jeep roads in the San Juans, like Ophir Pass between Silverton and Telluride). Then head west on CO 62 to CO 145 to Naturita, then through the Paradox Basin on CO 90 and into Utah. There you will meet US 191 and can head to Moab and the rest of your trip. This route will get you off the interstate and into some of the more scenic parts of Colorado, but still not take you out of the way for getting to Moab.

If you happen to be interested in Anasazi culture, you could even take a short detour down CO 145 to Mesa Verde and hop on US 491 to get up to Moab. If you are doing that, consider staying at the Juniper CG at McPhee Reservoir (electric hookups) and commute the 10 miles to Mesa Verde in the Jeep. And your campground will be right next door to one of the best Anasazi museums in the US.

I would travel somewhere with 4runnerguy. Listen to him.

Navy Smoker wrote:
...Grand Canyon from there and return East on I40...

Going East on I-40 from Flagstaff are Homolovi Ruins State Park near Winslow where you can stand on the corner. Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest National Park are not far from the New Mexico Border. In Albuquerque there is Petroglyph National Monument, the Pueblo Cultural Center, the Turquoise Trail and the Sandia Crest Highway. In and near Grants are the Mining Museum, El Malpais National Monument, El Malpais National Conservation Area, El Moro National Monument and the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano. Acoma Sky City is between Grants and Gallup. It is said to be the longest occupied location in the U.S. They give tours of the pueblo and there is an RV park next to the casino. Santa Rosa is a Route 66 town and has the The Blue Hole and Santa Rosa Lake State Park which has a nice campground. Tucumcari still has dinners along Historic Route 66, numerous murals painted on buildings and other attractions like the foundry and dinosaur museum at the community college. In Amarillo, there is Palo Duro Canyon State Park and the Big Texan on Old Route 66.

RGar974417 wrote:
...I would suggest taking some time and go to Cottonwood and stay at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. You are very close to Jerome,and old mining town and Tuzigoot,Indian ruins from the 1300's. And Ft Verde,about 20 miles away is a restored cavalry post from the 1880's...

Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments, Tuzigoot National Monument, Palatki and Honaki Ruins, V-Bar-V Heritage Site, Verde Canyon Railroad, Fort Verde State Park, Cathedral Rock, Gold King Mine, Jerome State Historic Park, the town of Jerome, the town of Sedona, and
Schnebly Hill Road scenic backway are all in the area.

Use a weather website like weather.com or wunderground to check average highs and lows for June in the areas you want to visit. I have been in Moab during June; I think 1 day was overcast with upper 80s and the rest were upper 90s. If you plan to spend most daylight hours in air conditioning (either Jeeping or in your MH) and the shoulder hours walking on the trails, you could manage. Of course, only you and your wife know how much heat is too much for you.

Higher elevations tend to be somewhat cooler. I think Bryce Canyon is about 8000' (on the rim), GC North Rim is 8000', Cedar Breaks NM is over 10,000'. Much of Colorado NM (near Grand Junction is in the 6,000'-7,000' range, and it's very picturesque sandstone.

We are on our way to Jerome tomorrow
Looking forward to it.
We also have taken our boston with us most of the time.
We had to leave him home this time because of all the cancer treatment here. We are really disappointed, wish we would have brought him

First, disregard what these people say about your dogs hampering you. I have been camping since I was 12 and I'm now 65. I've been RV camping since the early 80's. For the past 20 plus years we have camped with our dogs. We have gone to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, the Black Hills,Florida and have never had a problem taking our dogs with. We stayed in Madison Campground in Yellowstone last May. Our dog traveled with us to most places.There are plenty of places to walk your dogs without going on trails.Most of our camping neighbors commented on how pretty and friendly our Lab was. We occassionly leave her in the trailer but it has never really kept us from doing things.The joy of having her with and the expense of leaving her in a kennel are 2 more reasons to take your dogs with.Since you will be in Arizona, I would suggest taking some time and go to Cottonwood and stay at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. You are very close to Jerome,and old mining town and Tuzigoot,Indian ruins from the 1300's. And Ft Verde,about 20 miles away is a restored cavalry post from the 1880's.

You need to get your reservations in right away as sites are filling up quick BTW. We have already made all of our reservations and I was surprised at how full some of the RV parks are already.

We are planning a similar trip but early in July and funny thing is we are also traveling with two mini Aussie shepherds.

We are only staying at private RV parks for the full hook-ups and so we can have the AC running. But yes, Moab and Zion will be hot that time of year so we have booked shaded sites. Moab has the Slickrock RV park, which is OK, nothing special, but they have the best tree coverage for shade.

You can actually stay in Glendale,UT which is about mid-point between Bryce and Zion so long as you understand there is a 30-40 minute drive to the parks.

The suggestion from 4runnerguy to see some of CO is also a good one as there are many great places to visit and relax. We love to hang out in Glenwood Springs so we are going there for the last few days of our trip to kind of cool off from being in the high desert areas of UT plus it makes travel back home for us a short one. That time of year it is just such a real pleasure hanging out around Glenwood Springs and surrounding area or even at higher elevation for cooler temps.

Moab and Zion will be very hot that time of year. While beautiful areas, you might want to limit your time there. Bryce and Grand Canyon will be better. Flagstaff will also be generally nice in June.

Consider spending part of the trip in Colorado on your way out and/or back. Much cooler and great scenery. The trip will go "smoother" if you have some cooler places during your travles. Near I-70, consider camping around Carbondale and visiting Maroon Bells, Marble, and Indenpendence Pass. Further west there are camping opportunities near Grand Junction with trips to Grand Mesa, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Colorado National Monument.

In the SW part of the state, stay around Durango (maybe a week?) and visit Mesa Verde, take the Million Dollar Highway to Ouray, ride the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge RR, day trip to Telluride.

Near Flagstaff, visit Sunset Crater, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon. In NM, consider the side trip to El Morro NM. Very interesting stop worth the drive.

The point about dogs is very important. Hational Parks really aren't very pet friendly. If you do elect to bring your dogs, minimize your time in National Parks and visit National Forests and BLM lands instead.

Hope you get great info.
We too want to make that trip.
We just went thru grand Canyon awesome, but we understand the others will be beautiful. Will be watching posts
Yes watch the temperature

First, June will be extremely hot in those areas so if you have other options about when to go, Sept/Oct would be better.

Secondly, your dogs might hamper you. They aren't allowed on the national park trails except for the Rim Trail at Grand Canyon. Zion can only be done using the shuttle and they aren't allowed on the shuttle.