Arches Park/Mesa Verde
 

We are contemplating the following itenary for two weeks, end of August, beginning of September 2004:

Fly into Denver

Drive to Arches National Park (perhaps half way one night stopover)- 2 nights in or near park
Mesa Verde - 2 nights
Monument Valley - Gouldin's Lodge - 2 nights
Grand Canyon - 2 nights
Las Vegs - 3 nights and back to Newark, NJ

Any suggestions, comments etc. regarding drive, hotels, etc. are very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance

Although I can't recommend hotels there, Glenwood Springs would be a good place to spend the night between Denver and Moab. Last fall, my parents liked the Comfort Suites Hotel in Moab, and if you do a search on this site, you'll find several other hotel recommendations from posters

At Mesa Verde, try to stay in the park at the Far View Lodge, if possible.

If you're not in a huge hurry to get from Denver to Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (off highway 50 - http://www.nps.gov/blca/) is definitely worth the dip south. It might also be a good idea to plan for a little extra time for the ride from the Utah border to Arches (Rt. 128) - the scenery is breathtaking, and there are many opportunities for stops along the way. Moab's also a nice little stop once you hit Rt. 191 - good chili verde at just about any of the restaurants..

It's a 6 hour (350 mile) trip from Denver to Moab, Utah. Moab is only 4 miles from the entrance to Arches and will be the best place to find lodging. If you are flying in that same day then you might want to stop on the road, but if you can make it before dark then I suggest making it all the way. 2 nights in Moab only gives you one day to see all there is to see in the area. Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky District, Dead Horse State Park.

I recommend entering Moab, Utah via the Colorado River Scenic Byway, Hwy 128. This is a very scenic drive. You get off I-70 at Cisco and once you cross the Colordo River near the Dewey Bridge, you follow the Colorado River and the canyon walls start getting closer and closer and taller and taller until you reach Moab.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is beautiful BUT it will add another 160 miles and at least 4 hours of driving time to your schedule.

Just outside of Grand Jucntion is Colorado National Monument but even though it's only about 20 miles of extra driving it will take about 1 1/2 hours longer to drive though the park. Roads are windy.

Here's a great website on the area:

http://www.so-utah.com/archcany/homepage.html

Utahtea

Thanks guys, you have been very helpful. I am thinking of adding an extra night in Moab. If you come up with any more suggestions, I will be here till end of August. This is a great way of learning from each other.

I would cut a day off Monument Valley and use it for Moab and the surrounding area. On the way south from Moab, detour by Natural Bridges. We had fun there descending all the way to the creek and looking up at the bridges. The way down to the bottom was fun, too. We got to go up and down ladders, walk along ledges, and generally enjoy the hike.

If you decide to add an extra day in Moab, I suggest taking a Hummer tour over the slick rock trails. I just got back from visiting that area and the 2-hour Hummer tour I took with Moab Adventure Center was the highlight of my entire trip.

Idnas71,

Do you know where they took you on the 2 hr hummer tour?

If you rent a 4 x 4 in town (or rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle to begin with), it's so much fun to drive out the Potash Road, then up the Shafer trail with a short detour on the White Rim trail to Musselman arch, then up to Canyonlands, Island in the sky district, tour the park and then hit Dead Horse State Park and come back to Moab, via Long Canyon. Both Shafter and Long Canyon are 4 wheel drive roads but very easy ones.

http://pages.ivillage.com/utahtea2/id10.html

Utahtea

Utahtea, I see your name on other posters. You are very helpful and so are the rest of you. The only area of this particular trip I have never visited is Arches and Mesa Verde so I am grateful for all the advice. We went last year to Croatia and the year before to Portugal and thanks to this forum we received a lot of help and useful tidbits which made the trips enjoyable.

By the way, are you familiar with the Sorrel Ranch in Moab. It's kind of steep, $299 a night? Is it worth it?

I've never been to Utah, but I have some recommendations for Mesa Verde.

First, you can get tickets for the next day after 1 pm. I would recommend doing this so you can get a tour as early as possible. It can be really hot, even early in the morning.

As far as the ruins, Cliff Palace is great, as well as Long House. It is about a 45 minute drive from the visitor center to the Long House parking area, but it is a wonderful and scenic trip.

Also, you can only do one tour per day, so if you do an early tour, you can spend the rest of the day on driving tours of the park. The Chapin Mesa and Wetherill Mesa Loops are both great. There is a great museum with dioramas in the park that is definately worth seeing. In the evening, I recommend a drive through the park's campground for wildlife viewing. There are many deer in the park, as well as other animals. Last time I was there, I woke up about 6 am and sat on the balcony watching a herd of about 20 deer within 100 yards of me.

If you stay in the lodge, there is a video about the park's history shown every evening. It is extremely informative and in-depth, with lots of great pictures. Be sure and see the earliest showing so you don't miss the sunset!

There are basically 2 dining options in the park: the hotel restaurant, Metate (more upscale, but fabulous food!) and a cafeteria (with decent food) within walking distance of the hotel. I recommend stocking up on fruit in the cafeteria to take back to your room or in the car for snacks.

Hope you have a delightful trip!

Utahtea,

I remember an entrance sign stating "Hells Revenge". I would have taken a picture of it but I didn't realize we would come back a different way. The driver was telling us how lots of people come to Moab and rent 4x4 jeeps but they don't realize the $2000 minimum deductibles if there's any serious damage. About midway we stopped for drinks/snacks in a "hot tub" way up on one of the highest points. I couldn't believe he was going to drive the Hummer in there, and then he stopped and turned off the engine. I climbed up on top to look around and the wind almost knocked me over. It was just a thrilling ride, and the scenery was so different from anything I'd ever seen. The driver (Bob Ball) was really fun and friendly, too, which always makes a difference in your experience.

If I'd had an extra day I know I would have enjoyed a jeep tour through Canyonlands, too. I did take my own vehicle (Mazda Tribute 4x4) up to Yankee Boy Basin in Ouray... that was a lot of fun but very tense in a few spots, too. Brakes got a real workout on the way down, even with using the lowest gear.

Moab is definitely a vacation destination all in itself. I have been recommending it to all my friends at work.

to: Idnas,

WOW, Hells Revenge is rated a 4+. That's as difficult as they come!

http://www.4x4now.com/tr.htm

The Shafter Trail and the Long Canyon are between 1 or 1+. The 4 wheel drive is needed more for high clearance because of a few ruts in the road. I don't understand the $2,000 deductable. I thought you could by insurance at the rental places and it covered everything but you paid $$ for it. We knew we weren't going to be driving anywhere where we would be doing damage and our insurance covered the rental vehicle.

To Erika,

Sorry we always go in our RV.

Utahtea

I just had a thought. Would it be better to fly into Salt Lake City instead of Denver and drive to the Arches? Which way is shorter, which way is more scenic?

Hi Erika,

I live in Park City just east of Salt Lake and go to Moab at least once a year. It would take you about 4 - 4 1/2 hours to drive to Moab from the airport. I wouldn't say the drive is spectacular as far as scenery goes. It's nothing compared to what you'll see once you're down around Moab.

If you want to stay at a B&B, I highly recommend the Dreamkeeper Inn. If I don't camp, I stay there. They have a website and fabulous breakfasts.

You'll have a great time!

Salt Lake City Airport is about 140 miles closer than Denver and will save you a little over 2 hours of driving.

I do think that the drive from Denver it is more scenic thought the mountains.

Utahtea

We did a similiar trip. We flew into Phoenix and out Salt Lake City. We also spent 2 nights in Durango and did the Silverton Train. Loved Mesa Verde,Arches was great but extemely hot in August, be careful in Monument Valley to take into account the time changes. Also agree with other writer, one night is enough in Monument Valley. We came after the last offical tour had gone out and they gave us a private tour of the area. The only problem was during the tour we were pretty wiped out from our long drive there. We did not do Grand Canyon this trip. We had done that separately in a trip which included Bryce & Zion.