beachbarbie

Hi all,

I have been reading all of the past postings and could use a little help with this trip. We are heading to Denver June 30th. We get in at 10am and I have 6 days and 5nights to get to Las Vegas via car. We check in on 7/5 in Vegas I know from reading all of the posts that we probably will be doing a "cruise ship" sort of trip and just skim the surface of places and come back another time for a more in depth trip. Here is what I was thinking so far:

Day 1 - Denver to Estes Park via Loveland Pass then through Rocky Mtn Ntl Park and out past Grand Lake ending at Blackhawk for the first night, My hubby works for the Isle of Capri and so we need to spend the first night at their property.

Day 2 - Blackhawk to Moab - fastest route but go via rt 128 to Moab. Night in Moab

Day 3 - Arches and Canyonlands - Night in Moab

Day 4 - Moab to Goblin Valley, Capital Reef, Escalante, to Bryce. Overnite near Bryce.

Day 5 - Explore Bryce then drive to Zion Overnite near Zion

Day 6- Explore Zion then on to Las Vegas for late afternoon/evening checkin.

I know that this is alot of driving but I already have my airfare and reservations at the Bellagio so it is what it is. I love to hike, raft, atv and want to try and do some kind of hike every day even if it is just a couple of miles. What I wonder is this doable. My husband doesnt mind driving and when we get to Vegas we can relax.

The question is should I try this or which places here would you focus on or weed out? Also is it important to book my hotels in advance for the 4 nights as it is the 4th of July weekend or is there plentiful lodging along the way.

Is there a better itinerary to get from Denver to Vegas? We saw the Grand Canyon last year so don't need to go there.

Thank You for all of your help....

Barb

utahtea

You're plan is do able and you will get to see the highlights of each area. Glad you have Hwy 128 to Moab in there! Most parts of Escalante are remote, but the drive though it is scenic on Hwy 12.

Bryce and Zion are going to be very crowded!!!!

Utahtea

annieO

You need to get reservations ASAP. There's limited lodging around Bryce and Moab, Bryce and Zion will all be crowded that time of year. There are river trips and other activities in Moab, that you probably need to reserve now.

PeaceOut

I don't know about the rest of your trip, but Day 1 is not do-able:

"Day 1 - Denver to Estes Park via Loveland Pass then through Rocky Mtn Ntl Park and out past Grand Lake ending at Blackhawk for the first night, My hubby works for the Isle of Capri and so we need to spend the first night at their property."

Have you looked at a map? Loveland Pass is nowhere near Estes.

Driving Denver to Lyons to Estes,then through RMNP to Grand Lake, and back to Blackhawk-- is a lot of driving. And you would do this after arriving at 10am?

utahtea

PeaceOut, I didn't catch the Loveland Pass part and I was thinking of town of Loveland, Colorado. Hopefully beachbarbie made a posting mistake.

Denver, Loveland (town of), Estes Park, though Rocky Mountain National Park to Blackhawk is about 220 miles.

Utahtea

joesorce

Since it's peak season AND a holiday weekend AND you are looking for just one-night-stays, you should book about four months ago.

beachbarbie

Hi all,

Thanks for the quick response. You are right!!! I didn't mean Loveland Pass. I meant via Loveland and the Big Thompson Canyon. We went through there when I was a kid and would love to see it again. I was thinking of it as a "pass"age sliced through the mountains. I am from Florida and its kind of flat here and some of us(me) must be directionally challenged with the terms. lol. Canyon is down and pass is up??

If I go that way Den-Loveland Estes-Gr Lk-Blackhawk its 4 3/4 hours per google of just driving without stops. Or if we check in first then go north to Estes and around that way its longer 5hr 45 min.

This trip started out to be just Las Vegas and then as a spur of the moment I get to see some wonders that I have only dreamed of seeing. So I have been researching lodging, activities etc. for hours. Moab is still pretty easy but Bryce and Zion are slim pickins.

I was able to find tickets for the Fiery Furnace Hike in Arches still.

Thanks...again

utahtea

Keep checking back for cancellations if you want to stay in Bryce or Zion.

I'm not that familiar with Denver traffic, but if you checked in at Blackhawk first you will be driving thought the heart of Denver so it might take more than just an hour to get from the airport. You could also run into commute traffic on your way back to Blackhawk if you do the trip in reverse. You might be saving more than two hours by going straight from the airport.

If you go on your tour first, you can bypass the city and take I-470 to I-25.

Utahtea

Kim_Winston

just remember that in the higher elevations - make sure passes are navigable and there is usually a lot of construction going on on the roads as the Summer is the only time they can do it! My son lives in Grand County. We went the reverse route and came in the SW part of CO.

beachbarbie

Wow...thanks again. I will have to check on the construction of the roads. I hadn't thought of that. Utahtea were you suggesting that I go DEN-Blackhawk-Gr Lake-Rocky Mtn-Estes Park back down to Blackhawk?? as the best possibility
Thanks...Barb

utahtea

beachbarbie,

I think going from the airport to Loveland, Estes Park, RMNP and then Blackhawk would be the better route because you would avoid having to drive though Denver twice and you will save at least two hours of driving time...maybe more. Sorry I that wasn't clear.

Utahtea