rhodalea

We are planning a grand circle tour and have 9 days. We arrive in Grand Junction Colorado then will need to rent a car. Not sure if Grand Junction is best or take shuttle to Moab to pick up car.
Stops we want to make are:

Arrival Grand Junction
Moab- canyonlands and arches
Capitol Reef
Escalante
Burr Trial
Bryce
Monument Valley
Depart out of Grand Junction CO

Is this doable in 9 days? Any suggestions are welcome.

emalloy

When are you planning to go on this trip? If it is this summer/fall, you need to have lodging tied up asap.

I would rent a car in Grand Junction and head for Moab, drop down off I-70 to 128 for a more scenic ride.

Spend at least 3 or 4 days in Moab for Arches and Canyonlands.

Sagra

Burr Trail seems out of your way based on the other destinations. It will land you out by Glen Canyon. We did it. It was fun and beautiful, but our destination was Glen Canyon.

That's big and beautiful country out there!

rhodalea

Thank you emalloy! We are arriving October 1st. originally we were just going to stay at Moab the whole time. Then we started reading Forums and got all excited wanting to see everything!
I know two days are dedicated to travel to and from so essentially we only have 7 full days in the parks.
If we do as you suggest and spend 3 days at Moab we have 4 days left. We are thinking possibly of cutting this back and doing the Hyw 12 drive and Bryce Canyon.
Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you Sagra for your input!

emalloy

Here is a link to a map with travel times that was posted by another fodorite here which I have found helpful in planning:

http://ohiohickstraveltips.weebly.co...-utah-map.html

If you click my name you and scroll down, you will find several TR's that we've taken in the area if you need ideas on places to stay etc.

mlgb

You don't have to take Burr Trail all the way to Glen Canyon.

I took it from Boulder through Long Canyon to the western boundary of Capitol Reef Park. Then down the switchbacks and turn north on the Notom-Bullfrog Road through the Waterfold Pocket. You come out on UT-24 between Fruta and Caineville.

Have a look at the map on the Capitol Reef NP website.

I stayed in Torrey for seeing Capitol Reef (Fruta, etc). I'm not sure of the lodging situation in Boulder or Escalante.

mlgb

Maybe this (old) trip report will help

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

Dayle

Rhodalea,

Yes, you can have a nice trip if you limit this to Moab, Capitol Reef, Hwy 12 and Bryce.

I would recommend

4 nights Moab (there is SO much to do and see here and 3 full days is the minimum)

drive to Capitol Reef, visit Goblin Valley / Little Wildhorse canyon on the way if you start really, really early. It's a 2.5 hour drive with no stops from Moab to Torrey (Capitol Reef)

1 nt Capitol Reef (hike Hickman Bridge trail and see the petroglyphs next to the highway, so the scenic drive)

drive Hwy 12 with a detour down Burr Trail partway (maybe just to the switchbacks and return) OR a hike to Calf Creek Falls, 6 mi. RT with an amazing reward at the end of the canyon

2 nts Bryce
return to Grand Junction

You will be hooked and want to return so don't rush this time around.

Dayle

PS- definitely rent your car in GJ. I think Moab now (finally) has an Enterprise car rental office, but it's small and I would assume priced accordingly for a tourism town. You will get a better deal in GJ for sure and cost would be better than paying for a shuttle to Moab, then renting.

db6040

I concur with Dayle's post above. Limiting your itinerary to Moab, Capitol Reef and Highway 12, and Bryce is a great idea to get the most out of your time. I understand you urge to see everything (I have that urge too!) but it's not possible on any one trip. Dayle has given you a good allocation of days to locations. Capitol Reef is often overlooked but is just as beautiful as the other 5 national parks in Utah, with the benefit of having less crowds. Don't forget to check out the working orchards (last October apples were in season when we were there and were an excellent addition to our picnic lunch!). Take your time driving Highway 12 - you will want to stop a lot! Goblin Valley was a highlight for us even though we only spent a few hours there.

RVvagabond

This my standard recommended travel library adjusted for your agenda

1. Fodor's Utah: with Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef & Canyonlands National Parks About 325 pages

2. Overall touring guide of southern Utah Parks: Utah Parks Driving, Hiking and Mountain Biking. Available in Kindle (about 1,000 pages) and paper back format (about 750 pages). This book gives a time saving mile-by-mile driving guide.

4. Hiking (family): Wow Utah Canyon Country –Very well illustrated. About 440 pages.

All above for less than one nights lodging. Amazon.com

Vaga

rhodalea

Thanks a again everyone for your input.
I have managed to book rooms for our stay and our car which we will pick up at the airport. Moab was difficult to find rooms. Husband is tall and requires a king size bed. We wanted to stay around the $200 a night price point. We don't tend to spend much time in our room anyway. We just appreciate a comfortable bed and quick light complementary breakfast before heading our for a long day.

We have 4 nights in Moab at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
One night at The Capitol Reef Resort which looks beautiful!
Two nights at the Best Western Plus in Bryce Canyon
The last day in Bryce we will leave late afternoon driving the fastest route back to Grand Junction where we will stay our last night and catch our flight out the next day.