We will be arriving in the Moab area around
3:00 PM on a Saturday, and leaving on the following Monday morning for Zion. Please gives us suggestions on what sites are most important to see in Arches and Canyonland, and what would be a good schedule to follow to make the most of our time.
Thanks

Definitely do a few hikes in Arches

See the view from Dead Horse SP

NatlParkLover,

It would help to know what time of year you will be going so I know how long a day you will have and what kind of weather. Also which routes will you be taking coming and going.

In Arches will want to drive the scenic drive in Arches and do all the turnouts to see the different views like Park Avenue, Balance Rock, the Windows, Double Arch, Delicate Arch view point, Salt Valley Overlook, Fiery Furnace overlook and Devils Garden. If you plan on doing any hiking then I suggest either Delicate Arch or Landscape Arch. Those are the two biggies.

In Canyonlands, Island in the Sky District, the places I like in the order of favorites are Green River Overlook (this rivals the Grand Canyon IMHO!) Then Grandview Overlook. You can see fantastic views from the parking area, but I like the easy 2 mile round trip hike too. If you don't have time for a lot of hiking then at least take the short 1/2 mile round trip hike to Mesa Arch. If you have time do the Upheaval Dome Overlook which you can't see unless you do the 1 mile round trip. You can hike more in this area but it's always been to hot.

Stop at Dead Horse State Park after you leave Canyonlands.

Utahtea

Thank you both for your recommendations.
We will be traveling there in mid April.
We do not do much hiking. We prefer to drive to the sites and maybe walk a short trail to an overlook.
The plan is to fly into Grand Junction Co. and drive to Moab. When we leave we plan to take Hwy 70 to Hwy 15, down to Springdale.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated, as we like to make the most of our time.

i agree with the posters, but if you have the time when leaving moab, drive up to i-70, then turn south on route 24 past green river through hanksville to torrey. then the piece de resistance, route 12 to bryce, and 89 and 9 to zion. a beautiful drive.

there are many posts on this area.

when you are leaving grand junction for moab, turn left at cisco and take 128 to moab. after awhile it follows the colorado river. beautiful red rock scenery. be sure to fill your gas tank in grand junction since it's the last stop until moab.

this is the dream trip through southern utah.

I was in the Moab area last June, and it was my favorite vacation to date. There is a lot to do in and around that small city. Arches is very close by and the sights are many and are located close together. You can definitely drive (without too much hiking) and see a lot of incredible sights. Canyonlands is a comparatively far distance away and the sights are much more spread out. You can drive through Arches and get a full experience in one day. It would take more that a day to experience what Canyonlands has to offer. I also agree with an earlier poster - Dead Horse State Park offers one of the most incredible views ever! You can do that in a 1/2 day as a 2nd day recommendation. Arches is #1. That whole area of the country is wonderful. You'll have a great time!

I agree with seniormsuedo. As you are traveling east on I-70 you will want to take exit # 202 at Cisco, Utah and take Hwy 128 into Moab. This way you will see this very scenic highway that makes a dramatic entrance into Moab.

http://www.milebymile.com/main/Unite...el_guides.html



In mid-April the sun doesn't set until almost 8 P.M. so you have about 5 hours of good sunlight to explore Arches. I would do as many overlooks as you can until the sunsets and then head back to Moab.

On Sunday you can do a little more exploring of Arches if you need to before you head to Canyonlands.

I also agree with seniormsuedo recommendation to take I-70, Hwy 24 to Hanksville, Capitol Reef and Torrey and then head south on scenic Highway 12 over the Boulder Mountains, the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, Bryce Canyon and then take Hwy's 89 and Hwy 9 into Zion National Park. I will warn you that this route is only about 10 miles longer than I-70 and I-15 but it is a lot slower driving than the interstates so it will take at least 9 1/2 hours to drive. This is an all day thing but WELL WORTH it if you liked driving and siteseeing. I-70 and I-15 will take about 5 1/2 hours. The section between Hwy 24 and I-15 is called the San Rafeal Swell and is also scenic.

Utahtea

NatlParkLover,

You may want to consider a short stop at Sego Canyon on your way to Moab. At Sego Canyon there is maybe the best set of petroglyphs you can drive to anywhere in that area. 4 different cultures are represented. To see this you will have to miss the Cisco turnoff.

From Grand Junction go west on I-70 to Thompson Springs, Utah (exit 185) and drive 3-4 miles east on a dirt road. The BLM parking will be on your left shortly after entering the canyon. Ute, Anasazi, and Fremont petroglyphs are on the first two walls, then walk north around the corner and see my favorites, the tall paintings by "the Ancient People". Barrier Canyon style.

Enjoy and don't touch them please.

BeanMan

Oh yes, the Sego petroglyphs are fascinating - and they are only a mile or two off of I-70. If you are fascinated by rock art, as I am, there are several places around Moab to see some. The Potash scenic highway near Moab has several panels of art. I really wanted to see Newspaper Rock State Park,which is south of Moab. We did so much driving on our last vacation that my husband and kids did not want to drive 45 miles (round trip) out of our way to see Newspaper Rock. Next time....

Thank you all for your great ideas. Actually last April we stayed in Springdale, and saw Zion, Bryce, and drove Route 12 as far as Boulder , Ut, before we had to turn back to Springdale for the night.
We are looking forward to seeing many of the areas you all have suggested.