Denver to Monument Valley
 

My wife and I are planning a trip to the States (from England) in October. In the first few days we want to start at Denver and drive to Monument Valley. Where do you suggest we stop en route?<BR><BR>

To clarify - do you mean Monument area in Utah? From Denver to Grand Junction will be a 4 hour drive along I-70 (without snow, and snow is an option in October). Grand Juction has many places to stay - Adams Mark Hotel, a Best Western and La Quinta to name a few.Golf and some rafting available too.Look for the vineyards along I-70!<BR><BR>Moab will be a few more hours drive from Grand Junction.Some lodging and biking available.<BR>From Grand Junction to the Glen Canyon/Lake Powell area will be a six hour drive.Can't recall exact roadway to take towards Monument; I think lodging was few and far between.<BR>Perhaps www.mapquest.com will be of some help.<BR>The scenery is quite dramatic; not like the east coast at all. If you plan on spending time outdoors - remember<BR> the sunscreen, yes, even in Oct.And have cash on hand for when you stop to eat or purchase things - small places are Indian run; no credit cards.

A more senic route might be to go through Colorado by way of the million dollar highway ending up at Durango and Cortez. The mountains are amazing.

Thanks for the tips - and yes I meant Monument Valley in Utah

As mentioned you have two very scenic possiblities. A lot could depend on the weather because snow could be a determining factor.<BR><BR>Route #1<BR><BR>I-70 to Cisco, Utah turn off and then take scenic Hwy 128 to Moab, Utah which is 350 miles from Denver. Scenic Hwy 128 takes you to the old Dewey Bridge and once you cross the Colorado River you will follow it into Moab and the sheer red rock canyon walls narrow as you approach the town. Very beautiful! Don't drive this at night or you will miss this.<BR><BR>If you have some time there is so much to do in the Moab, Utah area if you like red rock walls &amp; arches of sandstone. Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park and other interesting areas to see.<BR><BR>From Moab, Utah continue down Hwy 191 to Bluff then Hwy 163 to Monument Valley which will is 150 miles south of Moab.<BR><BR>Route #2 you do not want to do if they are forcasting snow for the Colorado Mountains!!!!<BR><BR>Again take I-70 but only go as far as Grand Junction, CO the go south on Hwy 50 to Montrose. <BR><BR>A side trip from here would be Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park just a little east of Montrose on Hwy 50. If you don't go to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison then from Montrose take Hwy 550 down to Ouray, Silverton and Durango. This is a high elevation mountain hwy they call the Million Dollar Highway and it is very scenic. From Durango pick up Hwy 160 and just outside of Cortez is Mesa Verde National Park which is very interesting with it's Indian ruins. From here there are a couple of different routes you can take to get to Monument Valley but probably the easiest would be to stay on Hwy 160 to Kayenta and then take Hwy 163 to Monument Valley.<BR><BR>If this is a round trip then you could make this a circle. <BR><BR>Let me know if you need any more information on the areas I mentioned. <BR><BR>Utahtea<BR>

This might not be the fastest way, but it's another way!<BR><BR>From Denver, take I-70 south until you hit Hwy 160 West. This highway will take you through the San Luis Valley. There you can see, among other things, the Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Monument. For a place to stay in the area, there is a motel in Monte Vista that is attached to a drive-in theatre. (Only in America...?) You can watch first-run movies from you motel room. It's called the Movie Motel, I think, and it's a Best Western. <BR><BR>Continuing on Hwy 160 West, you will drive through some mountain roads that are really about the easiest I've driven in Colorado. The town of Durango is nice for a stop, and has attractions. Between Durango and Cortez is Mesa Verde National Park, which is really a great place to hike and check out the cliff dwellings.<BR><BR>From Cortez, go south on Hwy 160/666. You'll be in the 4 corners area, and from there you can take two different highways (Hwy 160 or Hwy 163) to get to Monument Valley.

June and Utahtea both present nice choices. You can't lose with any of them. I really like the idea of a big loop. If you settle on that plan, do the higher altitude part first, because we often get our first snow in October. I think June meant to say head south on I-25 instead of I-70, however.

if you go I-70 from denver to cisco ut, make sure you gas up in grand juction. there is nothing from there to moab. just outstanding scenery. a wonderful trip.

Thank you all for your replies. We'll consider them all seriously. We're actually hoping to spend 3 nights in the Denver area and then take another 5 nights to get to Las Vegas via places like Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon.