WY, UT, AZ - Teton to Grand Canyon scenic route advice

Captain_Happy wrote:
Important little fact, the road going into the North Rim doesn't open until June 15th.

Don't think that's the case.

It will be open as soon as the snow Melts - usually May 15.

Least that's been the story in the past.

Busskipper wrote:
...SITE will not let me cut and paste off Word...

It must depend on what version of Word you are using. I copy and paste from Word 2007 all the time. In fact, the links in my last post and most of the links I post are copied and pasted from a Word document.

This is from a word document:
Near the Valley of the Gods are: Goosenecks State Park, UT-261 (the Moki Dugway)Scenic Backway, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Bluff Fort, South Fork of Mule Canyon and House on Fire, Edge of the Cedars State Park, and The Dinosaur Museum if you have not seen them and are interested in visiting the area.

There are several scenic byways and backways in the Fishlake area. There are several others not to far away: Scenic Backways off UT-12, Hells Backbone, and the Burr Trail.

We are planning a 2-3 month trip from the east coast to the west, then back.

Would Love to get my answer to you but SITE will not let me cut and paste off Word.

Sent you a PM

Important little fact, the road going into the North Rim doesn't open until June 15th.

I would add Colorado National Monument in between Dinosaur and Arches. Goblin Valley is an interesting spot worth seeing. If you decide to head down US-191 to Monument Valley, plan on short stops to see the Twin Rocks at Bluff and the Hat Rock at Mexican Hat. Also drive through Valley of the Gods. I've never been to Goosenecks SP, but many rave about the view. Moki Dugway is along that route also... good views.

With your B, you should plan to spend a night at the Navajo National Monument cg (very nice, but small campsites only) and perhaps hike to see some of the ruins. I stayed there with a 17' trailer last summer but I could have fit into only a few of the sites. From there it is an easy drive to GC.

Dinosaur National Monument has a nice campground along the Green River not far from the Visitor Center/Quarry. If you can not get into the Fruita Campground at Capitol Reef, in the Torrey area, there are campgrounds and dispersed camping opportunities in the Dixie and Fish Lake National Forests. In the Moab area, there are a number of BLM campgrounds along UT-128 and other routes. There are also dispersed camping opportunities in the Moab area, but the link I have no longer works Contact BLM for the areas where dispersed camping is allowed). In the Monument Valley area, there is dry camping at Goosenecks State Park and boondocking on BLM land in The Valley of The Gods. There is also a BLM campground in the Sand Island Recreation Area.

CloudDriver, thanks for the route. I'll map it out and see how that works for us. Lots of good info.

Tow Hands, I don't want to try to do too much in one trip. Leaving Yellowstone guarantees a return trip and exploring Yellowstone, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, which will be the last few states to complete the US states I've visited with the exception of Alaska (a trip all on its own). I'm afraid if I do Yellowstone, I'll probably never get to those other states. It won't be easy fighting the temptation though :)

You mention the Tetons, Zion, and the Grand Canyon, but what about Yellowstone. Just a little north of the Tetons and one of the most beautiful national parks in the United States.

Take route 191 south out of Jackson to Rock Springs and continue south on 191 to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Take the tour of the dam. IIRC it was free. Others will suggest camping there, we just drove on. Continue to Vernal for Dinosaur National Monument to see the bone wall. Continue on 191 to I70 east to 191 to Moab. Arches and the Island in the Sky portions of Canyonlands are right there. Before leaving moab take a 1/2 day trip up route 128 along the Colorado River as far as Fisher Towers. Go back up 191 to I70 west to route 24 south. Stop at Goblin Valley State Park. Continue on 24 to Capital Reef NP. Try for the Fruita campground in the Park. If not, Thousand Lakes RV Park in nearby Torrey was great. Take route 12 from Torrey to Kodachrome State Park and Bryce Canyon NP. Continue through Red Canyon to route 89 south to route 9 into Zion NP. Return on 9 to 89 south to 89A to Jacob Lake for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Nice Forest Service campground at Jacob Lake and another on route 67 near the North Rim entrance station. Continue on 89A past the Vermilion Cliffs to join route 89 south to route 64 to the South Rim.

Good scenic routes with minimal interstate highways and at least two weeks of activities. Enjoy!