I am planning a southwest road trip from Los Angeles for 20 days…currently planned for May 12 to May31st. This is a long-awaited visit to the New Mexico area… along with revisiting Moab / Arches….and seeing some of the special southwest natural beauty that I can efficiently include in this area / route. This will be a uniquely solo drive trip as I just retired a year before my wife….and we have other travel plans for the future together. (We have visited Grand Canyon south rim, Zion, and Canyonlands in the past…which is why I am not including them.) I value southwest beauty rather than shopping or food.



I would appreciate….

· Any advice / comments about potential adjustments to this route or plan.

· Any suggestions for specific places to visit or stay at. I can enjoy a clean motel / hotel …but able to pay more for better locations / views / balcony / porches.

Gratefully,

Brad



May 12 (M) - LA to Flagstaff (7+ hrs)

May 13 (T) - Drive Flagstaff to Albuquerque (5 hrs) / Late day walk Old Town Albuquerque

May 14 (W) – Morning -Albuquerque / Afternoon - Turquoise Trail to Sante Fe

May 15 (Th) - Sante Fe: Visiting town: Santa Fe Plaza, San Miguel Chapel, The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Museum of International Folk Art

May 16 (F) – Sante Fe: Bandelier National Monument and elements of town / museums / galleries not seen in previous day.

May 17 (S) - Sante Fe to Taos (high road) / Enjoy late day in Taos town

May 18 (Sun) – Morning - Taos Pueblo & Bridge / Afternoon in town galleries

May 19 (M) - Taos to Durango (Stops at Tres Piedras, Charma, Pagosa Springs, then stay in Durango)

May 20 (T) – Durango to Moab / Sunset hike

May 21-22 (W-Th) - Moab / Arches (various hikes)

May 23 (F) - Moab to Oljato-Monument Valley (3 hr drive then take later day / sunset tour / Stay overnight at the View hotel)

May 24 (Sat) – Enjoy sunrise in Monument Valley / Drive to Page AZ (2.5 hrs + stops) – Visit Horseshoe Bend late day / Stay on Page AZ

May 25 (Sun) - Late morning visit both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons / Drive to Grand Canyon North Rim (2.5 hrs)

May 26 (M) - Grand Canyon North Rim

May 27 (T) – North Rim / Drive to Bryce (GC to Bryce 3.5hrs)

May 28 (W) – Bryce

May 29 (Th) - Bryce

May 30 (F) - Bryce to Valley of Fire SP near Vegas (3.75hrs) / Visit Park / Stay in nearby hotel

Day 31 (Sat) - Valley of Fire to Los Angeles (5.5hrs + stops)

TOTAL - 20 days

Moved to the United States forum and added three state tags

I would include Mesa Verde in your itinerary


and Hovenweep National Monument

I agree with Michael about Mesa Verde -- it was a highlight of our trips. I would recommend staying in the park, as the drive from the entrance is quite long. We stayed at the Far View Lodge which was perfectly adequate and had a surprisingly more than adequate restaurant. Sign up for a ranger tour for access to the sites. I think we took the "700 Year Tour" which I thought well done.

When in Alb. go to Old Town. It has an historic Plaza which features the 1706 San Felipe de Neri church and 300-year-old adobe homes converted into art galleries and boutiques selling Native American pottery and jewelry. Be sure to eat traditional New Mexican food (different from TexMex) which includes green-chile stews, blue corn dishes, purple pinto beans, Chile rellenos, blue-corn enchiladas and Sopapillas.

If you do include Mesa Verde I recommend staying in Cortez. I liked the Retro Inn motel and The Farm Bistro.(M-F).

In Kingman the Best Western Plus King's Inn has great breakfast. Ask for a room near the (only) elevator.

In Flagstaff the EconoLodge on Rte 66 is surprisingly comfortable for the price.

The original suggestion to stay in the park is preferable to staying outside. The drive from outside to the main sites is long. On the other hand, you can plan two tours in one day and make the reservations at the information desk at the entrance of the park.

From another traveler:

Depends where you stay in Cortez. Just know that from the entrance of the park, it'll take another 40 minutes to get to where the tours start. Staying at the Far View Lodge is a bit more convenient. We did two nights there. That allowed us to just hop over to the tours the next morning and do a hike in the afternoon with no pressure of time constraints. The hike we did was the Petroglyph Point trail. I would consider it a must do.

Just want to say that you need to follow the Grand Canyon North Rim NPS website closely for road openings. Although the website says the NR opens May 15, it can be delayed depending on snow. When we went in 2022, the road to NR didn't open until early June, so you need to be prepared for that and be flexible.

Originally we had booked to stay at the GC Lodge at North Rim, but that year they had a water main break and cancelled our reservations just 1 month prior. We ended up staying at Kaibab Lodge, which is the closest accomodation from NR.

Happy planning

Similar warnings re checking the Mesa Verde (or any) Park website for "Plan Your Visit' and closures. Some of the places that used to be on tour or available for self-guided hikes are closed.

It's all of nine miles from the Cortez Inn to the entrance to Mesa Verde. Not every one takes the ticket tours. There are sights before the visitor center, including some great lookouts.

Have never had the best experiences with things like check-in and dining at lodgings operated by concessionaires such as Aramark. Drive time gains are offset when you check out, since it takes one just as long to leave as to arrive, LOL.

IMO there really are only a few spots worth booking the in park lodging, Bryce and North Rim. South Rim we usually do stay inside the park, but often at the Maswick Lodge. And don't expect any food worth the cost there. It's all Sysco.

Your schedule is already full, but I’ll add some standout over a lifetime memories for your consideration.
My family crisscrossed the West on numerous car trips beginning in the 80s and extending into the early 2000s. The bleak yet haunting beauty of the Navajo and Hopi reservations and the opportunity to experience some of their history and culture has stayed with me. Highlights:
A tour of Walpi, https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...a_Arizona.html
Purchasing Navajo rugs from Bill Malone, who was a longtime trader at the Hubbell Trading Post, a National Historic site

In addition, a tour of Acoma Pueblo, https://www.acomaskycity.org/page/tours, not too far off I-40 between Flagstaff and Albuquerque

A big THANKS for all the insights and advice. I have explored every bit of it. There are so many potential stops of this southwest road trip. Part of what has influenced choices is approaching this as a solo trip (my wife is not retiring for another year...and this is a more a personal bucket list... to see or further see places we had not visited previously. (We have been to south rim Grand Canyon and Zion.) I will certainly check weather and other related potential closures. I have booked more moderate hotels everywhere...but with options to cancel...as I could decide to shift to camping if weather and availability looks promising. My current plan is below.May 12 (M) - LA to Flagstaff (7+ hrs)

May 13 (T) - Drive Flagstaff to Albuquerque (5+ hrs)/ Late day walk Old Town Albuquerque

May 14 (W) –Albuquerque to Sante Fe on Turquoise Trail

May 15 (Th) - Sante Fe: Visiting town: Santa Fe Plaza, San Miguel Chapel, The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Museum of Int’l Folk Art

May 16 (F) – Sante Fe: Town / museums / galleries not seen in previous day.

May 17 (S) - Sante Fe to Taos: Bandelier National Monument and “high road” to Taos with stops in Chimayo and Ranchos de Taos for churches. (3+ hrs drive)

May 18 (Sun) – Morning - Taos Pueblo / Afternoon in town galleries

May 19 (M) - Taos to Mesa Verde via Durango ({Potential stops at Rio Gorge Bridge, Tres Piedras, Chama (train), Pagosa Springs (hot springs), Durango)

May 20 (T) – Mesa Verde (Will book 1 or 2 of the ranger required tours)

May 21 (W) – Mesa Verde morning hikes / Drive to Moab (2.75 hrs+ stops)

May 22-23 (Th-F) - Moab / Arches (Booked morning entry 8am each morning; various hikes)

May 24 (Sat) - Moab to Monument Valley (3 hr drive / possible later day drive 17 mi. loop or/ sunset tour / Stay overnight at the View hotel)

May 25 (Sun) – Sunrise in Monument Valley / Drive to Page AZ (2.5 hrs + stops) – Tour Upper Antelope Canyon (12:25 tour) / Stay in Page AZ

May 26 (Mon) - Morning – Horseshoe Bend (15 min) / Drive to Grand Canyon North Rim (2.5 hrs) Explore north rim (Sunset is 7:20pm)

May 27 (T) – Morning GC North Rim / Drive to Bryce (GC to Bryce 3.5hrs + stops)

May 28 (W) –Bryce

May 29 (Th) – Bryce (Final day with potential for “down time”)

May 30 (F) - Bryce to Valley of Fire SP near Vegas (3.75hrs) / Visit Park / Stay in nearby hotel

May 31 (Sat) - Valley of Fire SP to home (5.5hrs + stops)

Hello again,
A few more comments:
Page - when we were in Page, besides touring Antelope Canyon, we also took a boat cruise on Lake Powell, as well as visited the Glen Canyon NPS Visitors Center, which has an excellent display. You can read about our June 2022 trip here (starting from Page) yk + family 10-day trip to Zion/Bryce/Page/Grand Canyon North Rim/Vegas

Horseshoe bend takes a lot more than 15 minutes (see my TR). The parking lot is almost 1 mile to the view point, and if it's sunny and hot, you may need to stop along the way for rest (there are 1 or 2 shelters with shades along the path). Enroute to GC NR, you will also pass by the Historic Navajo Bridge, worth stopping (see my TR segment here yk + family 10-day trip to Zion/Bryce/Page/Grand Canyon North Rim/Vegas )

REgarding VoF state park, we haven't gone yet but we are going there next month. Based on my research, if you start your day early from Bryce, you probably can be done seeing everything there by end of the day. I don't know what you have in mind for VoF, but unless you are an avid hiker planning to do the long hikes, most of the more popular hikes are just between 1-2 miles. So, if you finish VoF within a day, you can consider staying in Boulder City that evening, and on your last day you can tour Hoover Dam first thing, before driving home.

Due to forgetting my wallet one year, I drove Long Beach to Albuquerque in one go! It's less than 12 hours with stops, barring traffic jams.

If you have time, I liked Petrified Forest. And yes to Acoma Pueblo (Sky City). They had been closed for a while but seems now they are back open.

PS gas up in Arizona, when I reached the gas station across the border, I realized I didn't have it. Called Motel6 (probably in Kingman) and they let me cancel.

Quite honestly downtown ABQ isn't all that as well as a bit sketchy. Went to a conference there a few years back, stayed at Midtown La Quinta, which was decent for the price. Be sure to have a green chile cheeseburger somewhere in ABQ. Other than using ABQ as a base for Acoma, I wouldn't stay there again.

On my way back home I took the "southern route" and stayed in Lordsburg which has an excellent Motel 6. Detoured to visit Silver City which has a horrible one! Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and did the guided tour which was excellent.

If you click on my user name you will find trip reports for Moab, the 4 corners region, and Mesa Verde. Lots of good info there.