How late in the year is to late for Monument Valley

[Atlee]

Late May or very early June, we plan on leaving the Grand Tetons. Right now I thinking about driving down through Moab, Utah and visiting Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks. From here heading down to Monument Valley.

Has it gotten too hot to travel around Monument Valley in early June?

[2gypsies1]

Your idea to reverse the trip is excellent.

[CloudDriver]

Atlee wrote:
That's too hot for me.

DW really, really wants to be in Omaha, NE the first weekend in May. But considering all the responses so far, mid May seems a little early for the northern plains and especially Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. So, I'm now considering routes from Omaha down to Monument Valley and slowly working my way backwards from my original trip route.

Any preferred routes from Omaha to Monument Valley that uses interstates as little as possible. I like to drive the blue highways as much as possible.

Nutinelse2do wrote:
To answer your question, If you consider mid 90's to 100 degrees plus too hot, then yes. It will be right at, or over 100 in Moab, and Monument Valley in June.

Two years ago we took route 36 across most of KS on our way to southern UT. From Omaha, you could head south on route 75 to pick up 36 at Fairview. We did an overnight at Prairie Dog State park near Norton then drove southwest to I70 near Colby. Took I70 to Limon CO then route 71 south to route 10 then route 160 to visit Great Sand Dunes. We continued on 160 over the Wolf Creek Pass (lower gears needed) to visit Mesa Verde. We continued on routes 160 and 98 to Page, but you would want to hop off onto route 163 to Monument Valley. Continuing north on 163 puts you on route 191 to Moab. From there you can continue north on 191 to Grand Teton.

FYI, we spent the first two weeks of June this year in Yellowstone, then moved down to Grand Teton for the next two weeks, as Yellowstone was getting too crowded. Weather was cool early in the month, but nice. It snowed on us at Grand Teton on June 17th, but didn't stick.

[TenOC]

[TenOC]

I was at GT 2008/5/17 at GV -- See date on photos. I think that was the week the campground opened. The elk were moving for the valley up to the mountains. Some snow on the SIDE of the roads but roads were clear. The next week we went to YS. One day had about 5 inches of snow and the roads were closed until noon. I think mid-May is the best time to see the mountains with the snow on them.







MV the days were hot, the nights cool. We dry camped at Goosnecks SP -- one of the best dry camp spots in the area. We stayed up late at night and watched the stars . Have you ever seen the Milky Way?? . . . :B

I suggest you start south and follow the snow-melt north. The northern campgrounds will not be open until mid to late May

[n7bsn]

Yellowstone, it really depends on the year.
I've seen the roads 100% open by mid-April, I've seen it snow in mid-July
Most years the roads are all open by mid-May. Not all campgrounds are open until June.

Personally I would start south and work north, rather then the other way around

[Atlee]

That's too hot for me.

DW really, really wants to be in Omaha, NE the first weekend in May. But considering all the responses so far, mid May seems a little early for the northern plains and especially Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. So, I'm now considering routes from Omaha down to Monument Valley and slowly working my way backwards from my original trip route.

Any preferred routes from Omaha to Monument Valley that uses interstates as little as possible. I like to drive the blue highways as much as possible.

Nutinelse2do wrote:
To answer your question, If you consider mid 90's to 100 degrees plus too hot, then yes. It will be right at, or over 100 in Moab, and Monument Valley in June.

[Nutinelse2do]

To answer your question, If you consider mid 90's to 100 degrees plus too hot, then yes. It will be right at, or over 100 in Moab, and Monument Valley in June.

[Atlee]

I'll be in Yellowstone near the end of May. I'll be in Omaha, NE the first weekend of May. Then we are heading to Yellowstone by way of the Blackhills, the Badlands, Little Bighorn, and other places.

Golden_HVAC wrote:
Forgot to add, Grand Tetons, I guess you live in deep snow, so don't mind campgrounds with 5 or more feet of snow? If you are planning on visiting Grand Tetons first, expect that early May there can be deep snow there.

Check Weather.com first!

My buddy was working in Yellowstone in 92, 93 and 94. When I saw him in 94, he said that 92 was great, but in 93 they plowed out the campsites with a snow thrower, and piled it up high between the sites, so that he could look out his fifth wheel bedroom window and it was that high the first weekend of May. You might consider reversing the trip timing or direction.

Good luck!

[Golden_HVAC]

Forgot to add, Grand Tetons, I guess you live in deep snow, so don't mind campgrounds with 5 or more feet of snow? If you are planning on visiting Grand Tetons first, expect that early May there can be deep snow there.

Check Weather.com first!

My buddy was working in Yellowstone in 92, 93 and 94. When I saw him in 94, he said that 92 was great, but in 93 they plowed out the campsites with a snow thrower, and piled it up high between the sites, so that he could look out his fifth wheel bedroom window and it was that high the first weekend of May. You might consider reversing the trip timing or direction.

Good luck!

[Golden_HVAC]

Check with Weather.com and enter the zip code for the campgrounds you might visit, or city names. I think that summer is a OK time to visit, but some might like it cooler. Winter will bring snow during most winters. It is high enough altitude that it can be cooler all year around.

I recall my first time driving in snow with my motorhome was in a September trip, where I started in Moab, then went south to Hite Marnia, and leaving there, I hit some snow. OK It was not sticking to the road, and it was barely sticking to the windshield, I was still wearing a t-shirt, but it was snow. .. Later that day we where in Mexican Hat (the rocks look like that in one area) and wearing shorts and t-shirts.

I know it was late September, because later in the trip we made a decision to go to Albuquerque, instead of Grand Canyon and more rocks. Albuquerque happens the first full week of October - a huge balloon fiesta that I have been to more than 10 times since 1992.

I consider the Moab trip the "Rock Tour" as we saw a lot of rock formations, very pretty! My favorite campground was overlooking Monument Valley, and run by the Indians. Such a wonderful overlook, it is now occupied by a huge hotel!

To the northwest of Mexican hat is a dirt road that connects to two sections of highway 261. It is very steep, we towed our Honda CRV down that hill, it is in good condition. Later we went back to take pictures in the car. That road might have been paved in the past 10 years, yet still is a wonderful place to take overlook pictures of the valley below. You can google https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2603223,-109.9400557,13z/data=!5m1!1e4 and click on Terrain and then look for highway 261 going northwest out of Mexican Hat.

Hite Marina is where highway 95 crosses the Colorado River, and also the Colorado and "Dirty Devil" rivers meet. Now that Lake Powell is drained a lot, the marina boat ramps are far from any water. Yet when the lake is full, the water covers this area, and you can dry camp near the water's edge. Looking at satellite pictures I can pick out the boat ramps, about 300 feet long, and over 800' from the river channel, high and dry. It is where tour boats leaving Moab take out after a three day tour of the canyons!

Have a great time visiting all the National Parks, and there is plenty of dry camping available in the areas. Some of the best places to park will overlook one of the many canyons in the area. Natural Bridges is also another great place to visit.

Check the elevations when you plan your camping, the higher elevations, the more likely it will be cooler. I think that Natural Bridges is where we where when we saw snow, even if it was barely 32F out. .

Have fun!

Fred.