paulalou

I have always wanted to vacation in the southwestern US - I am planning our first (and certainly not last) trip this fall. My question is - what would people suggest doing with an 8 day trip. One particular state or area? Or multiple states? Any particular "must-see" for first timers? We will have a rental car, so we are open to driving around and changing hotels during our stay.

I would love to take in some scenic points of interest along with some of the cultural aspects as well.

Can a southwest fan give me some pointers? I have sent for multiple travel guides and will continue to research online, but some of the best travel info is obtained from the people who have been there, done that...thanks for your help!

utahtea

There are so many areas to pick from!

With 8 days I'd do one of these routes.

Fly into Las Vegas see South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. Makes a nice little circle and gives you three totally different parks.

Fly into Salt Lake City or Grand Junction, CO and do Capitol Reef National Park and spend most of your time in the Moab, Utah area. Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park, scenic Hwy 128.

Fly into Grand Junction and do Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, drive scenic hwy 550 (also known as the Million Dollar Highway) to Durango. Spend time in Mesa Verde National Park.

Fly into Phoenix, do Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Montezuema's Castle.

fly into Albuguerque and see Bandlier National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historic Site, drive down to Carsbad Caverns National Park.

You might want to check out these websites to narrow down where you want to go to first.

http://www.desertusa.com/park.html

http://www.americansouthwest.net/

Planning is half the fun! Good Luck!

Utahtea

sfamylou

I posted a similar request recently, and didn't get a response. So I'll just tell you what we're planning and maybe someone will jump in and help us both out.

We're leaving on a Friday, driving from So Cal to Williams, AZ. The next day, we'll drive to the Grand Canyon to check it out. We wanted to spend more time there, but couldn't get a room, so we're just going to look and leave. (Return another vacation.) Spend that night in Gallup, NM.

On Sunday, we'll drive to Santa Fe, where we're staying three nights. I just added the third night and was thrilled to learn the Inn on the Alameda was having an anniversary special, so our suite will be jut $19.86 that third night. We love Santa Fe and the galleries and the cowboy boot shops and the food. Sigh. Maria's Kitchen. Some friends suggested we visit Bandelier National Monument, and we plan to do some exploring of pueblos.

We will leave early Wednesday and go to Roswell, because I like X Files and want to go to the UFO museum and get a shirt that says Everyone is Welcome at the UFO museum. I hope they sell them. Then we plan to visit Carlsbad Caverns. I've heard our exploratin there will be limited with two little kids, but I don't know when we'd get back. Not sure how much time to allot for this.

We're spending that night in Artesia based on horrid Carlsbad hotel reviews on tripadvisor. Thursday, we plan to visit White Sands Monument and explore the areas of Alamogordo and Ruidoso. We're not sure if we'll spend an extra night or head for home. We will drive home via Tuscon.

Hope this helps you, paulalou.

Any other thoughts, anyone?

zootsi

We did something similar a few years ago - we flew into Phoenix, drove up to Sedona did some hiking there, saw Montezuma's Castle. We then drove on to GC South rim, stayed two nights there. Then on to Powell, stayed a night, saw Horseshoe bend. Then on to Bryce for a night, then Zion for two nights, then to Vegas for two nights, and flew home from there. It worked out great, we loved the southwest. After driving thru desert and rocks for a week, the glitz and tackyness of Vegas was actually fun. If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be Zion. Doing an open jaw gave us a lot more freedom, and the extra car rental drop off fee was worth it.

paulalou

Thanks for the suggestions - they DO help. It is so overwhleming to plan the first one as there are so many places on my "hit" list. These sample itineraries at laast give me an idea of what is reasonable to accomplish in that kind of time frame.

paulalou

What about the native American aspect of this area - are there reservations or ceremonies that one can visit/observe??

christy1

At both Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly (both on the Navajo reservation), the only way to access most of these areas is to take a guided tour, led by Navajo guides. There's lots of info about these places and guided tours online, so you can see if that sounds interesting to you.

vegasnative

I guess depending on where you are coming from, for example if you are not near the ocean then I would for sure make So. Cal (even not tech. the SW) but I would make the beaches a must do. I agree with Utahtea that going into areas such as Zion is also a must see. I also think that the GC and Sedona is a must on a SW trip. I have the same dilema, I have never really been to the northeast and would love to one day. We went briefly to Newport, RI for a wedding (drove from Montreal) and drove right through Boston, I really want to go and visit one day. Just seems as though there are so many places to go and not enough time to do it all in one trip as I am sure you will discover the more you research for this trip. Have fun!!!

enzian

Paulalou, your first step should be to make your reservations at the Grand Canyon (assuming you want to stay there a night or two). I just did a check on dates on October, and two of the lodges---El Tovar on the south rim and the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north, are almost completely booked for all dates in October already. The other lodges, all at the south rim, still have some rooms on most dates in October. But to avoid disappointment, you should book now, even if your plans change and you cancel later.

paulalou

Thanks once again for the advice - I will look into those reservations right away.

Vegasnative -I am from the Boston area so your comment about the norhteast struck me. I'd be glad to help if you ever decide to make a trip this way!! But you hit the nail on the head....so much to see, so little time. We are definitely going to be making multiple trips to the SW US.