San Diego to Durango road trip
Jan 24th, 2018, 11:05 AM
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San Diego to Durango road trip
Hello fellow fodorers -
I need thoughts and advice on a road trip we are planning over the Memorial day weekend.
About us - We are a family of 3 from San Diego and we love driving and going on road trips. We want to spend most of our time exploring nature,maybe some easy hikes (<4 miles RT) as opposed to exploring restaurants, museums and city spots. Being from southern California, we love to visit places with snowcapped mountains and green landscapes. So we included the San Juan loop to get a different kind of scenery in addition to Arizona and Utah's largely red colored landscapes.
Thu - Drive to Grand Canyon from San Diego
Fri - Explore Grand Canyon
Sat - Explore Grand Canyon
Sun - Drive to Page (Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend)
Mon - Drive to Durango via Monument Valley (stop at Mesa Verde NP for tour)
Tue - Durango to Ouray (Stops along Million Dollar Highway, Spud Lake hike)
Wed - Ouray to Cortez (Telluride, gondola ride, Hope Lake hike)
Thu - Drive to Moab (Arches NP)
Fri - Mesa Arch in Canyonlands for sunrise, back to Arches NP for more short hikes
Sat - Drive to St George via Capitol Reef NP (drive scenic route 12 via Bryce and Springdale, time and energy allowing)
Sun - Back to San Diego
So... 11 days and approximately 2500 miles. We have been to Zion/Bryce NP and Vegas many times so I deliberately excluded those stops.
The south western part of Colorado is unknown to us, as is Utah (apart from Zion/Bryce). Is the train ride from Durango a must-do? The train looks very interesting, but it would take up most of the day and it looks like we would cover the same route by road. What are considered the most scenic spots along the San Juan loop?
I need thoughts and advice on a road trip we are planning over the Memorial day weekend.
About us - We are a family of 3 from San Diego and we love driving and going on road trips. We want to spend most of our time exploring nature,maybe some easy hikes (<4 miles RT) as opposed to exploring restaurants, museums and city spots. Being from southern California, we love to visit places with snowcapped mountains and green landscapes. So we included the San Juan loop to get a different kind of scenery in addition to Arizona and Utah's largely red colored landscapes.
Thu - Drive to Grand Canyon from San Diego
Fri - Explore Grand Canyon
Sat - Explore Grand Canyon
Sun - Drive to Page (Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend)
Mon - Drive to Durango via Monument Valley (stop at Mesa Verde NP for tour)
Tue - Durango to Ouray (Stops along Million Dollar Highway, Spud Lake hike)
Wed - Ouray to Cortez (Telluride, gondola ride, Hope Lake hike)
Thu - Drive to Moab (Arches NP)
Fri - Mesa Arch in Canyonlands for sunrise, back to Arches NP for more short hikes
Sat - Drive to St George via Capitol Reef NP (drive scenic route 12 via Bryce and Springdale, time and energy allowing)
Sun - Back to San Diego
So... 11 days and approximately 2500 miles. We have been to Zion/Bryce NP and Vegas many times so I deliberately excluded those stops.
The south western part of Colorado is unknown to us, as is Utah (apart from Zion/Bryce). Is the train ride from Durango a must-do? The train looks very interesting, but it would take up most of the day and it looks like we would cover the same route by road. What are considered the most scenic spots along the San Juan loop?
Last edited by abbie379; Jan 24th, 2018 at 11:22 AM.
Jan 25th, 2018, 07:39 AM
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Wow, an average of 200 miles a day doesn't seem to allow much time for anything except for a wave on the drive by. The big item that you are missing in SW Colorado is Mesa Verde. That is probably one of the premier attractions in all of Colorado. But it cannot be seen in an hour. It is best if you overnight in the park. Second, there is absolutely no comparison between the route of the train and the road other than they both run north and south - more or less. To save time you could take the train one way and the bus for the return.
Jan 27th, 2018, 08:59 PM
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You are trying to squeeze way too much into this trip.
You can see some nice scenery driving from Page to Durango via Monument Valley but you will miss the real highlight of Monument Valley which are the sunrises and sunsets.
Mesa Verde is a not right off 160 so it will take some time to get to the cliff dwellings. While it's not necessary to spend the night there, since you are driving all the way from Page, you may not be able to see Mesa Verde the same day.
There are several hikes north of Durango that are nicer than Spud, e.g.Hermosa, Cascade, Engineer and Molas. Between Durango and Ouray is the old mining town of Silverton. The drive from Durango to Ouray is scenic but if you want scenery, the train will be great. It is quite long and will take most of your day even if you take the bus return to Durango.
cortez has nothing of interest. You would be better off to spend the night in Telluride and enjoy this charming little town. The drive from Telluride to Moab is 2-2 1/2 hours.
Make sure you get an early start if you want to catch the sunrise at Mesa Arch. At Arches, Delicate Arch is a highlight and worth the extra time to see it. Overall, there are a lot of great things to see at Arches. I would recommend a couple days.
Your drive on Sat. From Moab to St. George will not allow for much time to enjoy anything in between.
You can see some nice scenery driving from Page to Durango via Monument Valley but you will miss the real highlight of Monument Valley which are the sunrises and sunsets.
Mesa Verde is a not right off 160 so it will take some time to get to the cliff dwellings. While it's not necessary to spend the night there, since you are driving all the way from Page, you may not be able to see Mesa Verde the same day.
There are several hikes north of Durango that are nicer than Spud, e.g.Hermosa, Cascade, Engineer and Molas. Between Durango and Ouray is the old mining town of Silverton. The drive from Durango to Ouray is scenic but if you want scenery, the train will be great. It is quite long and will take most of your day even if you take the bus return to Durango.
cortez has nothing of interest. You would be better off to spend the night in Telluride and enjoy this charming little town. The drive from Telluride to Moab is 2-2 1/2 hours.
Make sure you get an early start if you want to catch the sunrise at Mesa Arch. At Arches, Delicate Arch is a highlight and worth the extra time to see it. Overall, there are a lot of great things to see at Arches. I would recommend a couple days.
Your drive on Sat. From Moab to St. George will not allow for much time to enjoy anything in between.
Jan 28th, 2018, 07:33 AM
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If you get to Grand Canyon in time for sunset on Thursday, one night and half a day should be enough time to see it given what else you want to see.
You are really short changing Mesa Verde. Once you leave 160, it takes about an hour to get up to the dwellings. You need to stop at the new VC and sign up for a ranger led tour to see inside the cliff dwellings if you have not arranged for that ahead of time. Just driving the mesa loop top and stopping to see the sights will also take about an hour. If you go out to the Wetherill mesa area that will add a lot of time
You are also short changing the Moab area. To get to Mesa Arch trail head you will need to drive at least a half hour from 191, then you will be hiking out to the arch in the dark, do bring flashlights.
The drive from Durango to Ouray is pretty, but I would just go as far as Silverton or even save that area for another trip.
If you click my screen name and scroll down, you can find TRs for the area. The 2015 trip went up the million dollar hwy.
You might find that even this early, getting lodging in/near Grand Canyon and Moab might be tight. I'd get that nailed down first. It looks like you are doing a loop, so it might work better for lodging if you did it in the opposite direction. Check on that.
You are really short changing Mesa Verde. Once you leave 160, it takes about an hour to get up to the dwellings. You need to stop at the new VC and sign up for a ranger led tour to see inside the cliff dwellings if you have not arranged for that ahead of time. Just driving the mesa loop top and stopping to see the sights will also take about an hour. If you go out to the Wetherill mesa area that will add a lot of time
You are also short changing the Moab area. To get to Mesa Arch trail head you will need to drive at least a half hour from 191, then you will be hiking out to the arch in the dark, do bring flashlights.
The drive from Durango to Ouray is pretty, but I would just go as far as Silverton or even save that area for another trip.
If you click my screen name and scroll down, you can find TRs for the area. The 2015 trip went up the million dollar hwy.
You might find that even this early, getting lodging in/near Grand Canyon and Moab might be tight. I'd get that nailed down first. It looks like you are doing a loop, so it might work better for lodging if you did it in the opposite direction. Check on that.
Last edited by emalloy; Jan 28th, 2018 at 07:36 AM. Reason: wrong date
