rach083084

Mainly a lurker, but for the first time I'm pretty stumped on my travel plans. Never done anything like a road trip before, staying in different cities and on the move. So I'm seeking some tips and advice and how I can make this work!

We'll be flying from Atlanta to Phoenix or Las Vegas (currently waiting for SW to release prices but at the moment Phoenix looks much cheaper). We have never been to the area before. I've read through several post and sites before finally booking our accommodations and I just want to make sure I am thinking realistically, there are two days in particular I'm concerned with towards the end. However, I'll be traveling with 2 kids, who are use to traveling, and we must go during their Fall Break...and the adults going can really only take a week off work. I read October is a great time to go and I don't care for the summer heat.

So here is out itinerary.

Day 1: Fly to Vegas or Phoenix and drive to Page, AZ to spend the night.

Day 2: Do the raftthecanyon tour , 1/2 day slots canyons and 1/2 day Colorado raft. This tour ends at 3:30 and we'll head over to horseshoe bend, then grab dinner to go and drive to Zion Lodge to spend the night, what time should I leave Page in order to not be driving in the dark and miss scenery?

Day 3: Explore Zion and spend a 2nd night in the lodge.

Day 4: Drive to Bryce Canyon, Explore Bryce Canyon and spend the night in a Western Cabin.

Day 5: Leave Bryce after sunrise and drive RT 12 to Torrey, UT...Stopping at some points along the way to take pictures. Explore Capital Reef. I do not know how much time we'll have once arriving, but would like to do the Scenic Drive (how long does this take?) at least adding Hickman Bridge hike if time (how much time does this take?). Spend the night in Torrey, UT.

Another option for day 5 would be to leave Capital Reef after touring and drive to Hanskville to stay at the Whispering Sands Motel. The reason for this would be to have a head start for my tightly booked day 6 (see below). It looks like I would need to leave Capital Reef 1 hr before dark (what time?) in order to enjoy the scenery through Capital Reef on 24 before arriving in Hanksville, so, giving the limited time in Capital Reef already, I don't know if that's even possible.

Day 6: This is where it gets tight I think. Drive from Torrey (or Hanksville), UT (EARLY) to Four Corners. Not sure what we'll do for breakfast? Maybe snack until Blanding. I realize we won't have time to stop along 95 for hikes. But we just can't do everything in our time. I'm thinking swinging into Blanding to the Subway and grabbing lunch to go for when it's lunch time. My son has personally requested Four Corners. Is Four Corners and Monument on the same time zone with Mountain and DST? We of course won't spend a long time here....We'll then drive to The View Hotel and see if they'll allow us to check in. My big question is what time is reasonable to think we'll arrive? We have a 2.5 hr tour booked for 3:00 (the latest they offered and this is a sunset tour). My biggest concern is will we make this tour. We'll then spend the night at The View. My tour is with Monument Valley Safari. I did however just get an email from Majestic Monument Valley Touring who claim to offer a 4:00 3 hr tour (for cheaper), so switching that is an option.

Day 7: Drive to the Grand Canyon South. Will we gain or lose an hour here due to DST? Spend the rest of the day at Grand Canyon, checking into El Tovar at some point....Spend the night.

Day 8: Spend most of the day exploring more of the Grand Canyon. Is this enough time? Then driving back to Phoenix or Vegas for the night.

Day 9: Fly home.

Thanks for any input!

emalloy

October is a great time for this kind of a trip. You should get a map out and plan a loop, as your plan has you zigzag around a bit, and if you aren't used to a fast paced road trip you might want to scale back a bit. Days are getting short in October and you don't want to be on curvy steep roads with large animals crossing them after dark.

Arizona does not observe daylight savings time, so it will be the same as Nevada (Pacific Daylight Saving Time), except when you are on Navajo Tribal land which uses Navajo time (Mountain Daylight Saving Time) the same time as New Mexico and Utah. Your 3 hour 4:00 tour in Monument Valley (Navajo Time) will end pretty near sunset which might be very nice. Four Corners is Navajo Time and I'm not sure how early you can go to it, you might want to check.

Be sure to look at both airfare and car rental costs before you book the trip. Sometimes Vegas will be less for both, sometimes more for air, but usually cars are much less there.

Do pick up an inexpensive cooler, fill it with ice, drinks, snacks, etc. and anytime your gas tank is below a half fill it at the next station.

Have a great trip

janisj

I haven't read your whole post -- about to get things out of the oven . . . but your day two . . . I;d definitely stay that night in Page. You will be tired and busy and it is a two hour drive to Zion.

starrs

Stopping at Four Corners will just take a few minutes but is a great photo op. Some of the kids' favorite travel memories was getting on the horses for staged photos with a Native American. As hokey as can be, but I have our equivalent from Cherokee NC as a child.

If you go before Oct. 15th, I HIGHLY recommend an overnight stay at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon too. It's truly my favorite and what I always imagined a national park would be like when I was a kid. Smaller area, more wooded, much cooler and just a more relaxed experience. The south rim views are more expansive but much busier. If you go in the fall it would be as busy as summer, but I love the north rim.

I apologize in advance for the next bit of unsolicited advice. I notice that you just registered so this change would be an easy one to do. I'm guessing you've used your birthdate as part of your screenname and if you post a lot on public forums, I wouldn't do that. IMO that's too much personal info on a public forum. I'm not referring to Fodors (we're mostly a great group of people) but for public forums in general. Again, my apologies in advance for the unsolicited advice.

Now I'm going to map your route to see if I have other recommendations. I've traveled the SW since about six years before you were born (I'm guessing) with my first visit during school spring break and there's only one place I really want to see in Monument Valley. If you don't know about Goulding's, consider an overnight there.

starrs

This is a great read -
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/fe...t-valley200903

starrs

Here's a general time zone map, but it may help sort out the differences -
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworl...mezone_map.htm

The problem is in AZ. You know that you AREN'T in DST when you are in AZ, EXCEPT when you are within the boundaries of the Navajo nation. But you have to look at a map to see the boundaries. I'd order a good map, either from an AZ tourist board or AAA - or buy one at a bookstore.

Your routing looks good. Other than the drive from Phoenix, everything is less than 3 hours. As emalloy said, the days will be shorter so dusk will come sooner.

I just used this link to make a chart -
http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calendar.asp
In Page, sunset will be 6:11 on Oct. 15, 5:51 on the 15th and 5:31 on the 31st. Plan accordingly. Your loop is pretty tight so you COULD make a drive at night if you needed to. Sunrise varies from 6:21 - 6:48 so you're going to have short days. You're planning a great trip.

To answer you main question - I'd spend more time at the Grand Canyon but I don't see where you'd fit it in. You're planning a great trip so fit in what you can. I promise you, you'll want to come back.

Most people usually plan around when they can get a room inside Grand Canyon NP. That's usually the hardest part of planning a trip in the area. In October, that task will be much easier.

sludick

About a month and a half ago, we were able to book a room this October at the North Rim. But only for 1 night, as they are already sold out most other dates. We have been advised to keep checking by calling in for cancellations, and will very possibly get that second night that way. So don't be discouraged by lack of availability online, but do call them.

rach083084

Thank you!

So it seems I need to move my night on day 2 to Page and drive to Zion on day 3....and just spend one night? That shouldn't be a problem, I just wanted to get to Zion and settled but I understand the reasons. Won't I gain an hour though going from Page to Zion? Then I'll lose from Monument to GC.

Thanks starrs for the sites, I've printed out calendars for all our cities, we will be going later in October. The thought of day 6 is stressing me out, I know I'll be rushing and leaving early but I still think it is doable. But then again, I've never done it. My son is REALLY looking forward to 4 corners. I assume it is the least I can do dragging him around in the car and on hikes so much! Still trying to decide if I'll have time to drive to Hanksville after Capital Reef to save time the next day and if I should take the 4:00 3-hr tour or the 3:00 2.5 hr tour of Monument. Or since I'm pushing time, is the 1.5 hr enough? I worry about doing the 4:00 and getting back to the room to dark to even see a view. LoL. So stressful, but I'll get it together.

sludick

Your son will likely enjoy eating a Navajo taco at Four Corners, too, so plan on that. There will be some vendors selling native crafts, good opportunity for him to pick up a souvenir for that visit.

And, is your son familiar with the story of the Navajo code talkers and the role they played in WWII? If not, take some time to learn about that. Then, once you are on reservation land, tune the radio to a local station and just listen to the conversations in Navajo. http://navajocodetalkers.org/

At least, when we took our son and his friend to Four Corners, those were their highlights.

starrs

I know you'll think I'm just trying to mess up your trip, but the hike to Delicate Arch at Arches NP is my very favorite. Others can weigh in to assure you that it's not that big of a deal. I didn't realize how lucky we were to be there solo. It was spring break (last week of March/first week of April) and it's still one of my favorite travel memories. Of course, I had wanted to see Delicate Arch for years.

If you are going in late October, the north rim won't even tempt you. Follow sludick's excellent recommendations re the tacos and the code talkers. The last code talker died recently.

Maybe useless info, but on the way to the north rim, we stopped at the Navajo Bridge and I glanced at the jewelry the vendors had for sale. I wanted to mix and match basically, so while we walked to the overlook and back, the lady took a stone off one necklace and made matching earrings. So if you see something you almost like, just ask. Also, after we left we stopped for gas nearby. I walked into the station (I think it was a Chevron) and there was a crock pot with homemade tamales. I got some, took them back to the car and offered one to my sister. I knew she'd say "no" so enjoyed them all to myself. Every other year we had summer meetings in Phoenix/Scottsdale and I've used those as launching points to enjoy road trips for years. I've tried tamales at gas stations and tacos like sludick describes. You may be cautious like my sister, but I love street food in NYC, food trucks all over and have never had a bad experience with homemade food in the Navajo nation.

sludick

stars - we are going to visit Arches NP for the first time this fall (early October). Will be sure to do the Delicate Arch hike that you recommend, thanks.

starrs

sludick, enjoy! It's my favorite -
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Park_Utah.html

I used to teach Earth Science and we were young and stupid on that trip. I'm amazed at how little we knew. We lucked up and were the only ones there and it was a magical moment for me. There was a bit of ice on the trail in the shadows but the hike wasn't bad and to turn around a corner and see it? Magic. I went on to lay down underneath it and take photos of the sun from under the arch. I did have a bit of a panic attack as I walked on too steep, slippery sandstone so I sat down and waited for it to pass. (The same thing happened outside Hays, KS trying to climb the towers). I was just pushing the envelope. Later that trip we headed toward the south rim of the GC and were clueless that we needed reservations. Snow started pouring and cars started pouring out of the park. We got a rim right on the canyon. I used a complete roll of 36 film each day over three days. I learned later that all GC photos look alike but the shadows and the dusting of snow was spectacular. It looked like powdered sugar on the ledges. Best. Trip. Ever. Ended that week skiing in Colorado. Amazing. I know that word is overused, but still. Amazing. Two of my three bucket list items on one trip. The other was seeing the aurora borealis, and that still hasn't happened. I've been to Whitehorse in the Yukon in November and Fairbanks in Feb. and STILL no luck.

RVvagabond

Hanksville is a tiny town (450+ people). Of the motels there, you picked the better of the bunch. It is not luxury. We always dine (well eat) at the Red Rock Restaurant and always ask what the latest road kill is being served. Hanksville is named after polygamist Ebenezer Hanks who is buried at their local cemetery. He died falling off a roof.

Joy's B&B is really nice, if you like B&Bs Phone 435 542-3252.
When there you must absolutely visit the BLM office and do a 30 minute self-tour of the Wolverton Mill.
http://www.waterhistory.org/histories/wolverton/

If you like to wine with dine, be aware most towns do not sell hard liquor/wine. So stock up.

4-corners - Is it where it should be?
This is an government article answering that question - I've copied one para to understand the confusion (hmmm - how do you do that?)
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/INFO/fourcorners.shtml
" Nonetheless, there remains the question of how close the Four Corners monument is relative to its intended location. In fact, there is a discrepancy between the actual location, which we know to a high degree of accuracy, and our best knowledge of where it was intended to be located. But, instead of a 2.5-mile discrepancy, as reported in the initial news items, this offset is in fact only about 1800 feet, or less. Not only is the offset only about one-tenth of the alleged location error, it is in the opposite direction; the intended monument location is west of the actual monument. There is, however, uncertainty in precisely quantifying the relationship between the intended and actual monument locations due to changes, since 1875, in some technical details of the geodetic reference systems utilized. The actual offset might in fact be considerably less than our estimate. "
That certainly is clear ?

Vaga

PS. Starrs - Wife/I flew/drove to Yellowknife (Northwest Territories)to see the aurora borealis last year. Between clouds and several constant forest fires, we saw nothing. Alas.

starrs

RVvagabond, I've resigned myself that a trip to Scandinavia is the only possible solution.