kazamm

We have 3 nights at kachina lodge. Is this to much, will hike and take in ranger programs then on to Page (one night) for the half day float trip. Would 2 in Page and 2 in G.C. be better.From page to Zion for 2 nights at Zion lodge(hike narrows,maybe go to Kolob Canyon) . Then to Bryce for one night.horse ride, mule trip what is best? Can we also do Navajo Loop with the Queens garden Trail in a one night stand ,open for suggestions. Then to Moab for 3 nights plan on fiery furnace and hike to Delicate arch. Are 3 nights to much? Any good raft trips or 4x4 trips to canyonland NP or elsewhere around Moab Now should I go to Canyon de Chelly or have I seen enough canyons? On the way to Chelly we would like to drive thru monument valley. Do we stay at holiday inn or Thunderbird Inn in Chinle? We have to sacafice one night in Moab or one in Sedona to do Chell In Sedona our last stop(2 nights left in a 12 day whirlwind) Plan on pink jeep tour and need suggestion for more adventure. Leave PHX on midnight flight Sept 18th if US air is still flying

LarryT

Wish I was going with you. Sounds GREAT! Be sure to get your Fiery Furnace tickets at Visitors Center early. Think you can get them several days in advance. Take twice as much film as you think you will need. One thing to buy at one of the Visitors Centers is a CD of Native American wood flute music. Recommend R. Carlos Nakai, 'Canyon Trilogy'.

sharondi

Wow, quite a whirlwind. But what fun! I'd consider skipping Canyon de Chelly just because one night there probably won't do it any justice. When we left Moab, we drove to Mexican Hat and stayed at the Valley of the Gods B&B, a wonderful, secluded inn located in the Valley of the Gods. Unbelievable place. And only a short drive to Monument Valley. It's also pretty close to Natural Bridges - a great place. And right near the Moki Dugway. No matter what you do, you'll have a great trip and you'll be back for more.

Mommar

We just returned from our 2 week driving trip through the Southwest NPs. Canyon de Chelly can definitely be "done" in one day. Arrange a tour with a Native American tourguide. We took a 3 hour jeep drive (glad we insisted on an enclosed car as there was a lot of dust). It was wonderful, really quite an astonishing view of so many cliff dwellings, and many wall pictographs (paintings). We stayed at the very nice Holiday Inn in Chinle. It's your basic Holiday Inn with a wonderful pool area and a really good gift shop. I regret not buying a coral and turquoise necklace I saw there but it was our first gift shop of the trip! Oh well, live and learn!

retire2007

3 nights at GC and one in Page is fine if all you plan to do is float trip. If you plan to do boating on lake powell you may want to change to 2 & 2. There are some areas that can only be reached by boat. You may want to see if you can rent a houseboat for sleeping accomodations. We had only 1 night at Bryce but could have used 2. It was amazing. Cant help with Moab as we have not been there. We stayed at holiday inn at mt valley which was nice. We took a stagecoach ride in Sedona which was fun for my son as he got to ride up top with the driver. The other thing we did was the Verde Valley train ride. We booked first class which was worth it. We did enjoy that a lot.

KathrynT

The trouble with a canyons trip is there are too many wonderful choices, but I think you won't go wrong with whatever you decide to do. We took a similar trip this summer but had to leave out a few things I really wanted to do (Canyon de Chelly and the hike to Delicate Arch.) I've decided we'll just have to go back!
We took the horse/mule ride at Bryce. Both horses and mules are on the same rides and we were assigned which one we would have. You might be able to request one or the other if you have a preference, but I'm not sure.
We also took an all day whitewater rafting trip down the Westwater Canyon section of the Colorado from Moab. We had a great time and went with Tag-a-long. There are many other companies that operate out of Moab and do this section and other rivers as well.
To further complicate your plans, I have to mention a tour of the Antelope Slot Canyons just outside of Page was one of our favorite sights. (Just what you need MORE for your list!)
Have a great trip!

utahtea

Two nights at the Grand Canyon and then you can spend most of the day you are traveling to Page, stopping at the many scenic overlooks as you exit the park towards Desert View.

Two nights (one full day) at Lake Powell would allow you to be there in the morning for the Float trip and then in the afternoon you could do the Upper Antelope Slots Canyon and/or squeeze in the short hike to Horseshoe Bend to see where the horseshoe bend in the canyon you had floated thought earlier in the day.

I would forget about doing the Kolob Canyon section of Zion. It's two hours of driving and your time would be better spent in the main canyon of Zion. The Riverside Walk is an easy 2 mile round trip that leads to the Gateway to the Narrows. Hiking farther into the narrows means walking in the Virgin River. It's fun but I'm sure you don't plan on doing the whole 16 miles. If after you do a part of the narrow, you might be interested in doing the Emerald Pools trail.

The Navajo - Queens's Garden combination hike is a great hike. Almost 3 miles round trip should take just a couple of hours. The horses don't do this area. Also be aware that if you want to BE in the park on horseback then you have to book the trip at the National Park concession. If you book outside the park...you ride outside the park. Also there is a 230 pound limit on the horses in Bryce and there is a scale and they DO check your weight.

I hope you plan on driving scenic Hwy 12 between Bryce and Torrey on your way to Moab, Utah. Just be aware this route will take longer to drive than taking Hwy 89. On Hwy 12 you will drive thought Escalante - Grand Staircase National Monument and get a glimse of Capitol Reef National Monument on Hwy 24.

I really recommend spending 3 nights in Moab because you will spend most of one day just getting there. You can see the same scenery on the drive out Hwy 128 as you see on the all day rafting trip, so unless you just want to do white water rafting then I would spend my time in the parks and drive out Hwy 128 to Fisher Towers. I would plan on stopping at Canyonlands on the day you arrive in Moab, then you can devote the second day to Fiery Furnace & Delicate Arch. There are MANY great 4 x 4 roads in the Moab area but your time is just to limited to even mention them.

I personally haven't spent much time in Sedona. It's a beautiful area but just to commerical for me. I prefer the National Parks and National Monuments so if it were me, I would do Canyon de Chelly over Sedona, and I'm sure MANY will disagree with me and it is a personal preference. The half day or all day guide tour into Canyon de Chelly is WELL worth it! We did our tour out of the Thunderbird Lodge.

I can't help with lodging because we always camp.

Like KathernT said, wha ever you decide, you really can't go wrong in Canyon country!

Utahtea

Dayle

Kaz,

As usual, Utahtea and I agree on suggestions. I second everything she recommends. I also was disappointed when I visited Sedona. It is very developed and commercialized. A whole city rather than a natural area. Beautiful yes, but nothing compared to Utah's red rock and canyon country. You could easily spend an entire week in the Moab area, so give it as much time as possible.
There are multiple rafting, 4 x 4 tour, and plan sightseeing trips available. Take your pick once you get into town.

Have fun!

peterboy

Sedona is just a little preview of Utah IMHO. If you're headed to the red rock country of Utah then a visit to Sedona is superfluous unless you have need of a cosmic vortex.

Moab is kind of like "Sedona for the rest of us regular folks". Not to bash Sedona but, while lovely, it has suffered from creeping trendiness.

thelmaandlouise

hi kazamm.

In the last two years my husband and I made two eight-day trips to the southwest.

First year we visited LV Red Rocks, Valley of Fire, Grand Canyon North Rim and Zion.

Year two: Canyon de Chelly, Moab, Arches and Canyonland Needles.

They are all phenomenal places and I could have spent more time at all of them so no matter what you choose you'll have a great trip.

But to offer my opinion, besides seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time which was indescribable, Canyon de Chelly and Moab were real highlights for me. We hiked de Chelly with a guide arranged through the visitor center, a native named Dave Wilson (I know - sounds like a beach boy!) He was wonderful!!! We learned so much and saw the canyon intimately - hiking, climbing on the rocks, sometimes using footholes that had been carved out centuries before. The hike was filled with ruins, petroglyphs, vegetation and lore. People live in the canyon half the year so it has a different energy. There were a few larger open-air tour vehicles that could hold a lot of people. Dave told us they call them "shake-and-bake," because it's a really rattling ride and you have no sun protection. It looked to me like an uncomfortable ride on a hot bus and I would not recommend them. There were some regular jeeps that looked a little better. But you sound like a hiker so...don't dismiss Canyone de Chelly, it's not just another canyon.

And I can't tell you what it is about Moab that we liked so much - maybe the easy-going yet aventurous culture. Certainly the scenery.

utahtea

We did the Shake & Bake guided tour of Canyon de Chelly in one of those open trucks and our guides name was Dave, but don't remember his last name. He was a fantastic guide. It was late May but the temps were in the mid 80's. I didn't think the shaking was that bad. We've done some 4 wheel drive in other places that were a lot worse! We only did the half day, but wished we had done the all day. I would recommend taking a hat.

Utahtea

kazamm

Thanks everbody we are going to skip sedona, just a stop in the afternoon for a late lunch, so we can tell our friends that told us not to miss Sedona we were there. I agree mother nature is more rewarding then a gift shop. 2 nights in the GC and 2 in Chinle is our final plans. All day float trip in Page Will take Utahtea's advise about Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. The all day trip in De chelly is also on the agenda. THANKS AGAIN

utahtea

We want trip report when you get back!

Utahtea