Help with Trip to Moab,UT
 

Need some feedback on plan below. We are nature loving, hiking family flying into Denver, Colorado and flying out of Provo,Utah.
Is Vail a good city to stay in before going to Moab or would Glenwood springs be better or would you recommend another city?

Wed - arrive in Denver Colorado, get rental car and drive to Vail, CO = 2 hours

Book Hotel in Vail

Thursday - drive to Moab Arches (3.5 hrs) or Grand Junction (2 hr)

Book hotel in Moab

Go to Arches National Park

Friday-Go to Canyonlands National Park

Saturday - Moab,UT to Provo, UT = 3 hours go to antelope island state park? (2 hr) or salt lake city (45 min)

Book Hotel in Provo, UT

Sunday, Feb 16 – Flight leaves at 7:30 am

Grand Junction makes a good stop between Denver airport and Moab, or if you're feeling energetic, you can just drive the whole 5.5 hours. GJ is about a 1:45 hour drive from Denver airport.

You could visit Grand Mesa or the CO Nat'l Monument, or pop into neighboring Palisade for wine tasting or peaches in season. I guess Vail works too, but it's more of a detour, whereas GJ is a straight shot up I70, and of course it depends on your interests.

I certainly wouldn't backtrack from Moab to visit GJ - just do it on the way.

If I am reading this correctly it looks like you are arriving this coming Wednesday. The current Denver forecast has very cold temperatures and some chance of snow on Wednesday. Vail Pass might actually be warmer than Denver, but it could be snowing and dicey road conditions.

You might want to download the Colorado Trip Planner app from CDOT and become familiar with it before you leave. There is a learning curve with using it, but it shows current road conditions.

Here is a link to the Vail Pass area, which will be of concern, as will Eisenhower Tunnel. Note all the webcams you can view (but some are not working).
https://www.cotrip.org/camera/630/@-...eatherWarnings

Good luck, have a safe trip. No peaches, I'm afraid.

Missed the date. Definitely no peaches.

Thank you I appreciate your feedback, we will look at staying at Grand Junction, CO!

So another thought, the Bonneville Salt Flats has been on my bucket list, do you think it's possible to see it on Saturday or would that be too much for this trip? Believe it is 2 hours from Provo, UT.

Thanks for that info, definitely no peaches this time around. :)

So i think I may have not mentioned that we are landing in the Denver airport so if we we were to drive to Grand Junction that day it would be 4 hours. I would prefer to drive a shorter distance that day (2.5 hours max) and then drive to Moab the next day. That is why i was asking about Vail. Any recs on that?

I apologize for my mistake upthread, I was wrong about DIA to GJ, that time was for Vail.

I have just checked again on Google Maps and DIA to Moab is approximately 5:40, DIA to Vail is approximately 1:50, Vail to Moab is approximately 3:45.

I'm confused about your timing, when do you arrive? Have you secured accommodation in Vail? If not your decision might already be made for you as it could be difficult to find accommodation in Vail during ski season at this late date.

I'm also confused about what you hope to see and do on the trip. If Moab is your destination, and you just want to break up the drive by stopping in Vail, there's no need to stay over in Grand Junction.

I may be overly paranoid, but given the weather forecast, I'd do my best to get over the mountains on Wednesday. Maybe you want to drive in the snow, but I'm not a fan these days.

What time does your flight arrive? If early enough I'd try to get to Glenwood Springs before dark, then there are number of options to stop between there and Moab (Rifle, Parachute, Grand Junction), and you'll presumably be through the worst of the weather. You are just looking for a place to crash for the night, right?

I think you'll just need to play this one be ear and see how things are going once you are on the road. Like I say, this may just be me being paranoid, but I've driven this road often enough to see it really messy and going slow. But maybe that will all be part of the adventure for you.

Safe travels

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dcf07ff316.jpg

We are not there yet, will be arriving in a week.
Thanks for all the feedback have decided to stay in Glenwood springs, Co on Wed. After that
Will be staying in Moab for the rest of the time there.