Grand Canyon and Utah

That is a lot to do in 2 weeks. A couple of years ago we spent 6 days at Trailer Village and then headed to Moab, UT for 4 days to see Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky). We drove from Florida. We like to hike and found the 6 days in Trailer Village was great, and maybe could have used an extra day or two in Moab. Terrific trip though.

We recently hit all the spots you mentioned but took four weeks doing it. I recommend trimming the list or it will be one hectic trip. Many say all you will want at the CG is a day or two. That's probably true for those that can only enjoy from the view at the visitors center. We had 5 nights and enjoyed every minute. Zion...again if all ya want to do is ride the bus and get a windshield tour a day is plenty. We needed 5 days to take in the hikes. Some of the other Utah parks can certainly be done in less time if need be. Except Moab you'll want for a few days there IMO.

I agree that is an ambitious itinerary for 2 weeks. I think I would try to break it into 2 - 2 week trips.

If you go to Durango and ride the Silverton Railway, try Soaring Treetop Adventures, a zipline place at about the halfway point on the train ride. It is the best zipline adventure I have ever been on. The additional plus is that you don't have to complete the whole train ride. You are dropped off for several hours of zip lining while the rest of the poor souls have to brave 4 more hours on the train. Don't get me wrong, the train ride is fun, just not 8 hours worth. When we got back on the train as it returned back to Durango, there were some haggard passengers with envious looks in their eyes.

MoRookie wrote:
We are starting to plan for next summer 2018 going to

Grand Canyon and Utah we are leaving from Missouri. We have two kids 16 and 13. Trying to figure out

where to go first thinking of starting at Grand Canyon then traveling to

Zion,
Bryce,
Canyonlands and
Arches. Trying to figure out

how many nights for each stop thinking of Trailer Village at Grand Canyon. We will have

two full weeks to travel. On our way home we might

also stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado and also at

Silverton and

Durango to do the train ride.. Any help would be much appreciated trying to figure out our

first stop either petrified forest or

Albuquerque New Mexico.

We like to
hike,
kayak,
fish, and also
horseback riding if you all have any tips.

OK let's look at this - 1,400 miles to the furthest point - time 14 days? - 17 days? - how many days of TRAVEL? - How many days of Camping? - 16 an 13 - boy - girl ? boy - boy ? Girl - Girl? Not that it really matters, but in my experience they do have very different likes/dislikes.

So time is critical - likely 6 days of just driving - not really fun.

Hiking - Fishing Boating/Water time - Horseback riding. not really a lot of this in Utah's desert - in the Summer = HOT.

Suggest you look for Water - Hike to it - Stay by it - fish in It - PLAY in IT - so that means we need to focus on IT. (JMHO) -WATER IS THE MISSION!

These are the places that come to Mind (1)- Buena Vista - Twin Lakes - Arkansas River - Collegiates (2) Ridgway State Park - Ouray - Silverton - Telluride - Montrose (3) Slip into Utah hit Moab/Arches/Canyonlands/Colorado River/RT 128 (4)then Back to Colorado for Glenwood Springs - more Colorado River - slip down towards Aspen/Maroon Bells - back to I-70 to Minturn RT 24 back to Leadville - Camp Hale - Turquoise Lake/Quincys and then back on the road home.

If you have your Sprinting Shoes on you will have a chance - need to eat well and be rested - lots to do everyday - not a lot of time to waste -

Two days at each stop - will allow you to see them, touch them, want to have more time with them, if my timing is wrong just add more time do more things at every stop - Next trip if this is a bust just try to Tackle Utah.

Any chance/ or am I just Crazy?

Look over THIS MAP - Zoom in - see the water - see the FUN - Just say I WILL. The Kids will love you - I know, I have two Boys, one lives there, Colorado and the other wishes he did.

JMHO,

Start at GCNP for a couple of nights. Then to Zion for a couple, then Bryce. Forget about Moab and Arches this trip. Not enough time and really hot in the summer. Instead, head straight to Durango. Do the NGRR. One or two FULL days at Mesa Verde. Make sure you get reservations for the guided cliff dwelling tours.

Petrified Forest is barely OK in my book. Consider getting to Flagstaff for Walnut Canyon, Wupaki, and Sunset Crater NM's. At 7700', not bad weather even in the summer.

With two weeks including travel time, you'll be beyond busy with this itenerary anyway.

Just did the exact same np tour. Are you hikers? If yes, then 2-3 days per park. More days obviously lets you hike more. GC down to river and back up takes two days itself. If like us you are not hikers, then you can do 2 days GC, 2 Zion, 1.5 Bryce,, 0.5 Arches, plus other stuff at Moab. There is not much at Capitol Reef. We skipped Canyonlands so no idea on that one. By that point we had seen enough canyons, lol.

I agree with a post above that if you go quality over quantity, then skip Moab and maybe spend time on a river or lake on the way home. I doubt if your kids are gonna care for Silverton or Durango unless you do some rafting, kayaking, jeeping.

I recommend not including Petrified Forest on the list. Really not that much to see and it is a long trip from GC and Utah. In Utah, Bryce, Arches, and Canyonlands are our favorites--we have been to each at least twice or more. Fishing in the desert is tough and the streams are isolated and maybe privately owned land on both sides.
At Bryce, the Ranger led Star parties with their telescopes are great. Have a great trip! And the other RVers have provided great advice.

I'll assume those citing Moab are really referring to CanyonlandsNP, JFYI, Moab is a cool town but a few hours is more than enough, unless you want to shop.

I would hold off and save Arches for another trip. There is a lot of work going on in ANP, road work, parking areas, and waits and blockages are going to happen.

I would split the Utah adventure into at least three areas, North of Moab, Arches, Island in the Sky, Dead Horse Point and the other areas near there. North of that would be Bryce and Zion NPs. And the immediate area South of Moab as far say as a drive by at Medicine Hat, but include The Needles District of Canyonlands, Muley Point, Natural Bridges, Goosenecks, Mokey Dugway and Valley of the Gods.

The State of Utah will send you information on all those areas and if you are a AAA member, they have some great maps and Tour Books. Also visit the National Parks website for Parks information.

As far as the GCNP, there is so much to see, do and learn in the developed area alone that several days would not be enough. The Ranger programs are unbelievable, the NP Visitors Center is fascinating, WALK of Time(or Ages), along the rim gives you a sense of the content of the various geologic layers of the canyon and the time frame of the creation of the Canyon.

The First Nations People are returning to the Canyon and they have demonstrations of their rituals and dances that are held near the Trading Post, there are demonstrations of their arts and crafts, daily life and history in the facilities surrounding the new restored Watch Tower.

The vistas of course are remarkable but don't be a ten minute tourist. The things I have mentioned are within walking or shuttle distance and in the case of the Watch Tower a very short drive. To me and my DW those man made things that are must see are the Coulter fireplace in the hotel, the Trading Post, the Kolbe Studio and home, the Watch Tower was also designed by Coulter and Hermits Rest, also Coulter.

A natural event if you are lucky enough to be caught in it is a monsoonal weather cell. The lightning and the rain in those cells are fantastic. There is all this and there is the unbelievable experience of hiking or riding a mule to the bottom of the Canyon.

And don't forget the ice cream at the hotel gedunk stand.

Snowman9000 wrote:
I doubt if your kids are gonna care for Silverton or Durango unless you do some rafting, kayaking, jeeping.

Silverton is a great experience with the wooden sidewalks, etc. A real step back in time. Even w/o a jeep, one can see a lot of cool mining ruins, etc. in the area. Some amazing hiking, although the elevation can be a challenge for the first few days. Be warned that in a typical year, the snow higher up will still make some trails wet/snowy until mid June. Wildflowers really kick off after early July. Fishing isn't so good up there as many of the streams were contaminated by mining runoff in the 1880's killing of the trout.

Never done it, but seems like the Animas River through Durango might have some interesting kayaking stretches. Some parts are pretty tame right through town. Popular place to tube on a hot day. I'm sure it gets a little more challenging north of town as one gets closer to the mountains. I see some of the rafting companies offer Class III, IV, and V trips on the Upper Animas.

I see in another post you are bikers also. Mountain or road?

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I would hold off and save Arches for another trip. There is a lot of work going on in ANP, road work, parking areas, and waits and blockages are going to happen.

OP is going in 2018. Construction is due to wrap up in late October 2017.

I would still skip Moab/Arches/Canyonlands this trip as it will be hot mid-summer. If Moab is a must-do, then maybe skip Grand Canyon given your limited time. In many ways, I like the views at Canyonlands better than the Grand Canyon anyway. If you do go to Moab, avoid too many activities in the heat of the day. We go to the pool then, or hike up to a popular swimming hole up the north fork of Mill Creek right out of town. Stop at Milts on the way back for a malt or float.

BTW, try getting a spot at Watchman CG in Zion. Right by the Virgin "River", a great spot to wade and play in the water under huge Cottonwood trees. Great place to relax if it's hot.

In two weeks, you will only be able to hit the highlights of a Western swing through AZ, UT, and CO. I realize your kids are a little too mature for the "Cars" movie franchise, but a fun 15-minute stop along I-40 in Arizona is the 1950-vintage Wigwam Motel in Holbrook. It has the full-size concrete teepees with Route 66-era cars out front, just like the movie. And, if you happen to be an "Eagles" fan, a similar short stop in Winslow can be a photo op at the "Standin' on the Corner" statue. After Grand Canyon, I would head to Zion NP via Las Vegas and the new bridge at Hoover Dam. If your kids like to hike, take them on the "wade" through the Narrows, although you now have to get a permit to do the hike.

From Zion, you have a decision to make. Northeast will take you to Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, and, possibly, Arches NPs, Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon NP, Pikes Peak, and rapidly home on US 50 to US 24 to I-70 (a route that completely avoids Denver traffic). If you decide on this route, don't miss driving spectacular UT 12 between Bryce and Capital Reef. At Capital Reef, the Fruita first come-first served cg is definitely worth getting there early in the day to stay in. And, if the Devils Garden cg at Arches is full, an even more scenic alternative is the electric-only campground at Deadhorse Point State Park on the Island-in-the-Sky portion of Canyonlands NP (just be sure to fill your water tank before going there). Black Canyon NP has electric hookups in their cg, but Colorado National Monument doesn't. If air conditioning is a necessity for maintaining friendly family relations on your trip, stay at the tree-shaded, FHU, James Robb Colorado River State Park cg in Fruita and just drive your toad or TV up the cliff to Colorado NM. And, if you stay on US 50 after Black Canyon, your kids would love a raft trip through Brown's Canyon on the Arkansas River. You can schedule it from either Buena Vista or Salida, depending on the route you want to take home.

Traveling southeast from Zion will take you past the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon Dam, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde NP, Durango and the train ride, Great Sand Dunes NP (which the kids will love!), Bent's Fort NM, and home on the Santa Fe Trail. If you go this route, I recommend staying at the Juniper CG at McPhee Reservoir/Rec Area near Dolores instead of camping inside Mesa Verde NP. This USFS electric-only campground with paved sites, water, and flush toilets will keep you from having to take your RV up that long grade to the Morefield campground. And be sure to take time to visit the Anasazi Heritage Center next door to Juniper cg. It's the best Anasazi museum in the Four Corners; the kids will love the interactive features designed just for them. They might even learn more about Anasazi culture there than at Mesa Verde. They can even hike up the hill from the museum to a small Anasazi pueblo.

A great adventure for the kids at Mesa Verde NP, now that there is no shuttle service, is to sign up for the Weatherill Mesa bike tour. However, your vehicle must be less than 25 ft long and under 8,000 lbs. (are you pulling a trailer or have a toad?) to use the road into Weatherill. Check it out on the Mesa Verde NP website. If, after Mesa Verde, the kids are not "Anasazi-ed out", you might want to stop at new Chimney Rock NM between Durango and Pagosa Springs for a hike to the top of the mountain. There you can view an Anasazi pueblo located specifically as a once-every-18-years lunar observatory.

Finally, the SE route lets the kids put their hands and feet in 4 different states at the same time at the Four Corners Monument on US 160 SW of Cortez. It's a 15-minute stop/photo op that every teen will want to put on social media for their friends to see.