Zion to Monument Vally to Albuquerque to Kansas to Nashville

sunfan03 wrote:
Option 4a: scratch Monument Valley, so from St. George, Utah fly out of and back into Salt Lake City, then head East on 80 to Kansas

I would cross that one off the list. Even if the weather isn't bad (which it will be in April), the 80 through Wyoming is one of the most endless boring trips you can imagine.

Our kids went to school in Laramie (on the 80). I can still remember the text we got during finals week in May: "It's SNOWING. In MAY. What is this ridiculousness." Four years later when we drove up there for graduation, we got snowed in and the roads out of town were all closed. In May.

Even in good weather though, nobody ever realizes just how wide that state is. We got a late start (maybe 9:00 am) when we moved one of our kids stuff home and didn't even make it out of the state. That night in the motel in Evanston, I looked at the miles and then derped around on the map apps for a while. It turns out that Laramie to Evanston was about equivalent to San Jose to L.A., except that there's really nothing to see between Laramie and Evanston.

sunfan03 wrote:
Thanks dedmiston.

How do I know which highways are tribal?

That's a good question and I guess I don't know the answer. I can picture the highway signs in my mind, but I can't think of any designation that you'd see on any of the mapping apps.

Are you a AAA member? If so, go see them and ask for their "Indian Country" map. It's an outstanding map of the heart of the four-corners states. I've been using this map since the early 70s and it's a great way to find your way around the area. The only caveat is that the scale of the map draws little roads with big lines, and this isn't the time for that kind of exploring.

If you don't have AAA, here's a link to the map on Amazon. It's not cheap, but it's totally worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Country-Arizona-Colorado-Mexico/dp/B079QB2634/

I don't know for a fact, but I'd be shocked if their legend didn't show which highways are state, fed, and tribal.

You're aiming for one of our nation's finest regions and it's a shame that you have to avoid any of it. I love your plan though, to tour for a while, dart out of town for business, and then carry on. There's a decent KOA in Albuquerque that will put you pretty close to their airport.

I've done trips like that before where my schedule didn't match up with the family's schedule. On one trip, we all stayed together for about a week, and then I had them dump me at ABQ so I could get home and go back to work. On another trip they were visiting colleges and I didn't have time for the initial legs, so I met everyone in Phoenix and we continued on to Austin. I think my favorite though was when we took kid #2 to school in Laramie, WY and kid #3 had to get home quick to start school, so I dropped my wife and son off in Denver to fly home while I slowly picked my way home by myself. I stayed off the interstates and did lazy loops through the four-corner states until I got home. I miss that kind of freedom.

Seems like you're on the right track with your plans, and you have the right attitude towards the locals. This should be do-able.

Thanks dedmiston.

How do I know which highways are tribal? TBH, I need access to an airport after visiting Monument Valley and ABQ seemed most convenient to fly out of.

2 day work trip is what's causing the complications in travel-planning, so I have to leave family and RV behind. Thankfully DH can drive the RV to convenient airport to pick me up.

I'd rather go to Denver airport, but traveling East on 70 (from Monument Valley) still seems sketchy weather-wise around Apr. 21. Thus, thought of flying from ABQ to Seattle.

Option 1: fly out of ABQ, fly back to ABQ (sounds like I should avoid this)
Option 2: fly out of ABQ, fly back to Denver (ABQ north on 25 to Denver...any steep inclines?)
Option 3: fly out of Denver, fly back to Denver (what route to take if we're coming from Monument Valley?)
Option 4a: scratch Monument Valley, so from St. George, Utah fly out of and back into Salt Lake City, then head East on 80 to Kansas
Option 4b: scratch Monument Valley, so from St. George, Utah fly out of Salt Lake City and fly back to Denver (DH drives 80 East to 25 South - any steep inclines?) and then take 70 East to Kansas. We have family in Denver that they could stay with while waiting for my return.

I think we're leaning towards Option 4a or 4b. We've visited Colorado plateau in years past and the teens are flexible....they just want to get on the road ;)

After that, we're hoping to get to Northeastern Kansas for a college visit before continuing onto Branson Missouri.

ndrorder wrote:
Sunfan, Here are a couple more suggestions based on your reported interests. Check out the hikes and camping in the bisti badlands near Farmington. Its a great stop on the way through. There are several hiking trails in the Cibola National forest and Sandia mountains just outside Albuquerque that may be buried in snow in April, but may be not. If caving is an interest, check out Sandia cave. Its a nice hike, with the option for spelunking at the destination. Also the la Luz trail down from the top of the crest after riding the tram to the top. There are short hikes through the petroglyph monument on the west side of Abq.

Bisti is a trip. We were hiking through a narrow slot canyon there one time (narrow enough to be able to touch both walls) and startled a big ol' owl when we came around a bend. The owl woke up and flew off over our heads. He tried to land in the bend behind us, but our kids were back there out of sight from us (and the owl). The kids startled the owl and the owl startled the kids. I think we remember it more fondly than the owl does. We had a great time hiking around there though. It's a lot to see. And if you're up near Farmington, I'd add Chaco Canyon to ndrorder's list.



As far as NM as a destination right now though, unless something changes ASAP, I would consider NM as off-limits during the pandemic. They've been hit harder than a lot of states, and the damage to the tribal communities is infinitely worse. Show them some respect though, and either divert around the state or just keep on trucking and get through as fast as you can.

From a navigational standpoint, stick to the interstates and stay off the tribal highways, period. A lot of the tribal highways are roadblocked to help combat covid. Be respectful though and don't be part of the problem.

Sunfan, Here are a couple more suggestions based on your reported interests. Check out the hikes and camping in the bisti badlands near Farmington. Its a great stop on the way through. There are several hiking trails in the Cibola National forest and Sandia mountains just outside Albuquerque that may be buried in snow in April, but may be not. If caving is an interest, check out Sandia cave. Its a nice hike, with the option for spelunking at the destination. Also the la Luz trail down from the top of the crest after riding the tram to the top. There are short hikes through the petroglyph monument on the west side of Abq.

ndrorder - thanks for the suggestions - definitely hoping things open up a bit more by April. If not, figured there were some hikes we could do. We enjoyed Mesa Verde NP a few years back, so we're skipping that this time around. And the teens did not want to spoil their fond memories of White Sands NP, so we're not going there either..DH and I are a little disappointed, because we think it would still be fun - but I guess it is a lot more fun when you're young and can trek up the hill to sled down it - LOL.

Lwiddis - I did notice that the Navajo Nation Tribal Parks are closed, but also read that we could drive Hwy 163 for the general effect and then dry camp at Gooseneck State Park. We're traveling with grandparents too, so while my teens might want to hike, the grandparents are fine with a view and not much effort ;)

enblethen - not pulling a toad. And apologize for the confusion. We're visiting Zion and Bryce beforehand and then dropping off the rental car in St. George before heading east towards Monument Valley. Do you think we should still go through Zion or from St. George take 59 to 389 to Kanab and back on 89? Google maps is saying from 89 take 98 to get to 160. But if you think going through Tuba City is better, we'll plan for that.

Google maps does well in the UT, CO, NM area. On the other hand, there aren't very many route options. We enjoyed the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park in CO. The governor of NM has kept us very locked down. If things have opened when you actually travel, the tram in Albuquerque is worth a ride and lunch/dinner at the mountain crest. Some enjoy the history and culture in Sante Fe - the oldest capital in the country. There is also the Atomic History museum in Albuquerque which is unique to the area.

I would guess, to save manpower, the pak service as traffic signal to alternate traffic.
Tunnel

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OP said “Going from St. George Utah to Monument Valley...”