Seattle Wa. to 4 Corners mid to late Oct.

I am doing a similar trip now-from the northern Vancouver. Hit Lava Hot Springs in Idaho before SLC. Found the blue pig-bbq, live blues and brews new in Moab since I was there last.Got a bunch of Moab on on the truck-gotta love the off road trails in the area. I,ve been at Mesa Verde for the past few nights-suggest reservations at Morefield to get one of the few full hook up site. It's been going to freezing and a couple of degrees below at night. Hovenweep is worth the stop. Going to try the dirt road into Chaco Canyon tomorrow-Aztec as a waypoint.

'4 corners' can be taken in the narrow sense of the geographical point and surrounding tourist shops, or the broad sense of the 4 surrounding states.

On one trip I came south from Canada on I15, crossed from Provo to Moab on 6 and 191 (via Price). After some backroads in the Moab area I went south to Hovenweep (nice small scale ruins), through the Navajo and Hopi lands to Albuquerque. Then north to Durango via Santa Fe and Taos. Then through Silverton and Ouray and north.

On another trip I left I15 north of SLC, cut through the mountains to Duschane, and south to Moab. Then SE to Telluride and the San Juan Mtns. From Cortez I took a good county road to Utah (past the turn off to Hovenweep), and across southern Utah (Bullfrog ferry, Capitol Reef, UT12, Bryce, etc. On this trip we had a couple of days of wet weather, due to the remnants of a tropical storm from the Pacific. It kept us off some backroads, but added some nice color to the dessert.

Mootpoint wrote:

Dick_B wrote:
Is there some compelling reason to visit the Four Corners at any time of the year? It's a vast wasteland. The only reason to visit there is the taco pizza.

I know you are just putting forward your own opinion but I think you should try another search engine. I did some research on the area before posting this request so now I am using these responses to coordinate my travels to make sure I don't miss anything. There is lots there.:h

Excellent response, Mootpoint. Dick B is certainly hung up on his search engine. That's his comment when anyone asks for help. If everyone went directly to search instead of posting for help then there would be nothing in the search engine to search for. :W

Dick_B wrote:
Is there some compelling reason to visit the Four Corners at any time of the year? It's a vast wasteland. The only reason to visit there is the taco pizza.

I know you are just putting forward your own opinion but I think you should try another search engine. I did some research on the area before posting this request so now I am using these responses to coordinate my travels to make sure I don't miss anything. There is lots there.:h

A must is Hovensweep East of Blanding if you are going to Monument Valley, worth the side trip. In Blanding they have 2 nice museums, one at the visitor's center and one at a state park in town. enjoyed both.

Dick_B wrote:
Is there some compelling reason to visit the Four Corners at any time of the year? It's a vast wasteland. The only reason to visit there is the taco pizza.

A vast wasteland :h You must have been looking out of your front window when you posted that comment & exactly where did you get your so called Taco Pizza (Chicago)? They have plenty of Navajo Tacos and Mutton burgers (yum yum), but never have seen a Taco Pizza in the 65 yrs I've been in the neighborhood.

I've been in that area several times, mostly in early to mid October. It's absolutely beautiful. There's plenty to see and do there, not just at the 4-Corner monument itself. Anyone who thinks it's just a wasteland is spending too much time at the video console.

We've had a few chilly nights, but no nasty weather on our trips there -- however, I agree it's into the unpredictable time of year.

Consider bypassing SLC: 84 to Twin Falls, then 93 south to 50 east to 15 again.
Mostly all 2 lane, but good road surfaces -- again, not the way to go if bad weather is likely.

After a Moab/Arches/Canyonlands stop, take US 491 to the Cortez/Mesa Verde area, if you are interested in the Anasazi ruins. Camp at Juniper Campground at McPhee Reservoir near Dolores (electric sites available) and spend at least a half-day at the BLM's Anasazi Heritage Center and another half-day driving out to Lowry Pueblo in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Then go to Mesa Verde with a much more in-depth understanding of Anasazi history and culture than you can get just visiting Mesa Verde alone.

Drive over to Durango and take US 550 south to Aztec (more Anasazi ruins). Then head south to the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site. There is a dry campground at Chaco (water at visitor's center and flush toilets), but you should check the road conditions before taking a 35' trailer out there. Be sure to check the schedule to see if the Albuquerque Astronomy Club is having a dark sky viewing program. If not, don't miss a night program in the Chaco observatory. Then you can head further south on 550 to Albuquerque or detour east to Los Alamos, Bandelier National Monument, and Taos/Santa Fe.

We are planning much the same trip for 2016 Figure to take 84 down to SLC and then down to Moab to spend some time there. We want to check out Monument Valley so might do that and then double back to Farmington and Chaco passing by 4 Corners on the way. There isn't much to do at 4 Corners but I've heard the Navajo sell Fry Bread there in a van and that it's pretty good. Our ultimate goal is to tour New Mexico....

Thom02099 wrote:

Mootpoint wrote:
Seattle Wa. to 4 Corners mid to late Oct.

We are considering going in this direction on our way south this year probably through Salt Lake City.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to routes/highways and possible weather warnings.:h
We have a Ram 3500 4x4 diesel and a 35' 5th wheel.

Of the 4 possible "corner" areas, I think that Cortez/Mesa Verde/Durango/Telluride area would be the best of the 4, followed closely by the Moab/Bluff/Monticello area and access to the National Parks in the area. AZ and NM are more desert areas, and while beautiful in their own way, for many folks they are an "acquired" taste. There are more mountains in UT and CO to break up some of the sameness of the desert.

Weather in those areas can be very changeable. This time of year and going in to October, we here in Colorado keep an eye on low pressure systems that come across AZ and NM and set up in the OK panhandle, for nasty weather to hit along the eastern Front Range. That nastiness usually hits the 4 Corners area a day or two prior, so watching forecasts for the Flagstaff area would certainly be appropriate. Systems come primarily from the W/SW that impact the 4 Corners.

There's several routes you could take from SLC, just depends on how much time you want to spend driving, and on what kind of roads.

Great! Thank you!

That's basically what I want to hear. We are on no schedule so hunkerin' down for a day or two for it to pass is not a problem.