MaryRay

Finally booking the trip to the Grand Circle & have the itinerary worked out. Not sure if this is too aggressive, we only have 7 days. We know it's alot of driving but what the heck. We do plan on visiting again so if we skip sites not a big deal...Any comments?? As mentionned in a previous question we've already been to Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce.

Day 1 -Leave Vegas - Navajo Ntl Monument (AZ)
Day 2 -Monument Valley/Navajo Tribal Park (AZ)
Day 3 -Canyon de Chelly (AZ)
Day 4 -Drive by Four Corners - Mesa Verde Ntl Park (CO)
Day 5 -Canyonlands Ntl Park (UT)
Day 6 -Arches Ntl Park (UT)
Day 7 -Leave for Vegas (NV)

Many thanks!

bob_brown

I think you are trying to do too much.
Depending on what time you get to Mesa Verde, you may or may not have time to see anything that requires a reservation.
If you want to see anything at Mesa Verde, you need either to get a very early start or leave Chinle toward Cortez in the evening so that you will be in a position to drive to Mesa Verde in time to get tickets to the ruins.

By the way, there is now a fee to put your foot in 4 states at once.

I am curious as to where you plan on spending the nights while you are on your trip. That is an important consideration also.


Cliff Palace and Balcony House require tickets; Spruce Tree House does not require a ticket. From Chinle to Mesa Verde NP is 170 miles. But the ruins are quite a few miles from the visitor center where you acquire tickets.

utahtea

MaryRay,

What happened to the 2 or 3 weeks I thought you were going to have for this trip? This will be a world wind tour for sure!

I would leave out Navajo National Monument. Unless you have all day to hike down to the ruins you can only see the ruins from far away. You can see so much more in Mesa Verde. There is no lodging in the park and the closest will be in Kayenta.

Day 1 drive to Monument Valley and spend the night either in Kayenta or Gouldings but make sure you are in Monument Valley for sunset!

Day 2 Get up early to see the sunrise. Take a couple hour tour of Monument Valley and drive to Canyon de Chelly to spend the night. There is lodging in the park at the Thunderbird Motel or in nearby Chinle.

Day 3, tour the s. rim of Canyon de Chelly and maybe take the only hike you can go to without a guide, which is to White House Ruin before leaving for the 4 corners monument and Mesa Verde. Spend the night either in Cortez or at Farview in the park.

Day 4 get up early to get to the visitor center to get a ticket for one of the three guided tours. They are all great. My favorite is Long House. If you can't get tickets then do Spruce Tree and visit all the overlooks. Drive to Moab, Utah.

Day 5 spend the day in Arches
Day 6 Spend the day in Canyonlands
Day 7 Drive back to Las Vegas.

Utahtea

MaryRay

Thanks for the speedy reply Bob and Utahtea...

We did originally plan 2-3 weeks but my sis in LA is joining the 3 of us & only has 1 wk vac.- we will meet up in Vegas and return to LA with her.

The revised itinerary is very helpful, I will be passing it on to the others.

Any idea where to get info on this fee to go through the 4 states?? We will be going through CA,NV,AZ,UT,CO..

Any suggestions on hotels? - the plan is to stay in Kayenta, Chinle, Cortez & Moab.

ALso, should we buy the NPS pass?

Thanks again!

travellyn

The fee at the Four Corners is if you want to see the point where all four states meet. I think it is a couple of dollars per person, imposed by the Navajo Nation. The price may have gone up since we went through around 3 years ago.

utahtea

MaryRay,

There is no charge to go from state to state in the US. Like travellyn said the only charge is at the Four Corners Monument because it is on Tribal Lands.

We always camp so I can't recommend any lodgings.

The National Park Pass is $50 and is good for one full year from date of purchase. Arches, Canyonlands, & Mesa Verde's entrance fees are each $10. Canyon de Chelly is free to tour the rim.

For this trip it would cost more to get the National Park Pass but if you have plans to visit any other National Park, National Monument, National Recreational Area or National Historical Park in the next year then it might be worth it. OR if you plan to check out the Kolob section of Zion right off Interstate 15 ($20 entrance fee) then it would be worth it.

Utahtea

mlm59

We stayed at a very nice Comfort Inn in Cortez. I booked it through the Choicehotels.com website for $62/night. Our room had a queen & a king size bed. In Moab we stayed at the Ramada Inn. I booked it through the Ramada website for $58 a night. Again, I felt it was a very good value for the price. The room was large and had a refrigerator. Across the street was an excellent restaurant. Very good food at reasonable prices. Breakfast was especially good. I can't remember the name, but it is a white building that is also and ice cream shop.
At Mesa Verde we took the tour of Cliff Palace and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn't sure about climbing the ladders that are part of the tour, but did okay. I have visited several of the National Parks in the west and would have to say that except for the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde is my favorite place.

MaryRay

Many thanks to all those that replied. I'll probably have a few more questions in the next few weeks but this is great. Love this site - very informative.

Thanks again!
MaryRay