Arches natl park,Canyonlands & Monument valley in april?
 

Hello guys,
my husband and I are planning a trip to Arches natl park,Canyonlands & Monument valley in late april or May starting week. how would the weather be at this time of the year?
how many days do u think we shud spend? would 5-6 days be enough to explore the area? we r not planning on a long hiking trip since we have a 2yr old with us... is this a good idea? please suggest... we r planning to fly from Atlanta, which airport would be convenient to get around?
thanks.

I would guess that the closest airport of any size would be in Grand Junction, CO - about 60 miles or so down I 70 from the road that leads to Arches and Canyonlands. There are probably very small airports much closer but I'm sure they would involve extra plane changes and extra time. If you are mostly planning on a drive through, look see, then you will have time to visit the parks in 5-6 days. There are some hikes though that will get you to some fantastic sites along the way. There is plenty to do in the Moab area and there are outfitters that will take you on jeep tours or boat tours in the area also. If you need to limit your trip, I would cut out Monument Valley. It is beautiful but there is not as much to do in the area and unless you hire a Native American guide, all you can do is drive through a loop road. Go to www.nps.gov for information on Arches and Canyonlands and google Monument Valley for information on it.

I forgot to say, the temperature should be fine, in April/May but it may be windy. You could also go to Denver and drive across Colorado on I 70 but that would take about 7 hours and I would feel bad for a 2 yr old after being on a plane from Atlanta.

I've spent time in the area several times and have flown into Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix and Albuquerque. Each has their pros and cons. With only 5-6 days, I'd choose between the three (leaving out Denver) based on airfares. I've done weekend trips to the Monument Valley area (when Delta has their weekend escape program) and flew into Alb. with a late night arrival, staying at an airport hotel and then heading north seeing Santa Fe, driving across the high desert into Durango, and then on into MV. Add in Mesa Verde NP if you go that route. If you fly into Phoenix, add in Sedona (and the Grand Canyon if you haven't seen it). Salt Lake City really has great rates from Atlanta a lot of the times and may have the shortest drive times for your 3 destinations. With a 2yo, I'd prefer a direct flight, rather than a connection into Grand Junction (but that's a personal preference).

Flying into Salt Lake City is also another option. It's 234 miles, about a four-hour drive, to Moab. Grand Junction is only about two hours away, but you'll find it's a lot more expensive to get there than Denver or SLC. It's about a six hour drive from Denver.

That time of year is the best time to be in Moab. Temperatures will be a lot more tolerable than later in the summer, in the 70s-80s. You may get some rain, but that brings out the wildflowers and showers usually don't last long. One time, I was at the top of Canyonlands during a storm and when it cleared, there were rainbows in the canyon - amazing photo ops!

There are plenty of short, easy hikes to do with your child. Even if you have to stay close to the car, the views all over are spectacular. Don't forget to include the drive to Dead Horse Point State Park, near Canyonlands, for another incredible perspective of the canyon.

thanks everyone.yes, we've been to Sedona,GC,Zion and Bryce before..tried to get information on fodors and the nps.gov website.. but wasnt sure. ur replies will help. we r both very much interested in photography,so was trying to plan accordingly. thanks again, any more suggestions will definately help.

If you've done those, then come in from St. Lake City. Usually good rates from Atlanta and easy to navigate.

I have no idea why I just used that abbreviation. Salt Lake City. (geez)

Aashlesha,

April and May are PEAK season in Moab, so be sure you have reservations. Have a wonderful time. I'll be there in May too.

Check AirTran's website for fares. Their partner, Frontier, will be listed there. Great rates and nice planes. Sometimes Delta will match the fare but AirTran is usually the best deal.

thanks

Aashlesha

We live in Southern UT so am very familiar with the areas you mentioned and agree with the comments above.
Prior to moving here we did fly into Grand Junction from Memphis and I don't recall the fares being a lot higher than Denver or SLC so worth a check first as a much easier trip.
May is prime time in Moab so lodging tends to be high, but there are lots of good deals on condo & house rentals right now....not much higher than a decent motel.
Particularly with a child you might want the convenience and amenities of a home.
A good website is Moab vacation rentals VRBO. I just booked a beautiful 3bdrm/2bth home, with La Sal views, on the Colorado, a mile from town, for 3 nights (3 adults) the middle of May for $175 a night. Can't beat it.
You'll love that area and 5-6 days allows you to see & do a lot.

Randi,

If you live in southern UT, you might like to look into home exchanging. I've just done my first two, and both worked out so great, I can't wait to do more! My trip to Moab will also be another house exchange.

This is the one I joined, but there are others. www.homeexchange.com

yes,infact the rates are much higher in Denver and SLC.Grand junction is the lowest,Moab being the highest!i havent looked into lodging yet, but will try to find out house rentals, do u know any website that shows house rentals around Moab area? i tried craigslist but it shows SLC not Moab...

vrbo.com

sorry, found a few sites on Google.will try them out.thanks again!

vrbo.com looks good! thanks.

Dayle,

Thanks for reminding me about home exchange. I did consider it at one time and never followed through. We have a nice home, with good mountain views, in a great location; 55 min. to Zion, 80 min. to Bryce, 15 min. to Kolob (backside of Zion)and 2 1/2 hrs. to Lake Powell so do get many summer & fall tourists in Cedar City. We're also about 1/2 way between SLC & LV. My husband and I are retired so flexible in schedule, which is probably a benefit.

Based on your experiences so far, what would be your recommendations for the application/screening process? Did you and your guests also trade vehicles?

Thanks,
Randi

Randi,

We just traded e mails and made our agreements that way. It's really very much trust-based, which is something I and those I've exchanged with like about it. The people I've made arrangement with so far have been absolutely super people.

We did not change cars. One trip was a driving exchange for both parties, Park City x Springdale. That was a super easy one!

The one I just did was a non-silmutaneous exchange. A couple from NC came and stayed as my guests for 9 days to ski in March. They chose to rent a car. I'm going to their vacation home in the NC mountains for fall colors and I will also rent a car.

The Moab exchange, I'm going to the Moab exchanger's home in May while he is on another exchange to France for 6 weeks! He hasn't even decided when he wants to come to Park City, so we are leaving it open.

Very nice experience so far. I know international exchanges take a bit more doing and I'm starting to work on a couple for this next ski season.

Cedar City's pull might be for people who want to go to the Shakespeare Festival. Try putting that in your listing info. You will find that the location of homes (town you live in) will make all the difference, both for you and the potential exchangers.

Good luck!