How much time to see some of the canyons.
 

Would it be feasible to fly into Grand Junction, Col .and drive to somewhere near Arches National Park on the first day. Then next day go to Canyonlands and continue on to Mesa Verda the third day and fourth day. Then take some route back to Grand Junction about 2 days later.Can we see that much in about a week? I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks you

Yes, it would be totally feasible. But I don't think it's a good plan.

When you say "somewhere near Arches," you'll probably mean the town of Moab, Utah. From there, you should be thinking about heading west on I-70 and UT-24, not south to Mesa Verde. In a week you could spend some quality time in all five Utah National Parks, if you're willing to fly back out of St. George or Las Vegas. Or you could concentrate on the three easternmost National Parks and the areas around them, and fly home out of GJT again.

Where are you flying from? It might be easier/cheaper to fly into SLC to rent your car. Coming from Denver you could take the Amtrak California Zephyr through Glenwood Springs to Grand Junction. The smaller airports seem to have higher fares to get to than the larger ones.
The drive on US 6/191 is not bad from Spanish Fork to Green River.

You can actually fly right into Moab, btw.
You can also fly in/out of Cortez for Mesa Verde.
Generally, this is a more expensive option than flying into SLC or Denver. Grand Junction might be a bit less expensive than Moab. The drive from GJ to Moab is a nice one too.

Both are tiny tiny airports and you can't drop cars off there. In other words, they don't rent cars there and allow them to be dropped off at other location.


Really, you need several day in and around Moab.

You also need more than a couple of days for Durango/Mesa Verde.

I would make them seperate trips.


Arches takes an full day or more.
If you like adventure try www.deserthighlights.com. I've been with them twice-- Amazing!!
Be sure and see Goblin Valley State Park, Little Wildhorse Canyon, Dead Horse Point State Park. Canyonlands has 4 distinct sections. Each one requires a full day at a minimum, IMOP> Yes there are 4 sections not 3 as most people will say. I include the detached section near Goblin Valley as a totally different area. There is many other things to do in and around Moab. Bicycle tours/rentals, 4 wheel drive tours, miltary Hummer Tours, rafting, etc.

For Mesa Verde, you would want a minimum of a full day there, but 2-3 days would be much much better. Consider riding the Durango Train. Better yet, try www.soaringcolorado.com. This includes ziplinning and train ride. This is easily the best zipline in the world(having been on a few),IMOP. It is very expensive

Absolutely you can do that. You could also go from Mesa Verde through Durango up the Million Dollar Highway. Perhaps a stop in Ouray to enjoy the hot springs (not sulferous...not smelly). Perhaps stay at the Weisbaden to enjoy the unique vapor cave.

http://www.wiesbadenhotsprings.com/

Here's a look at our visit there.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/co_and_nm_05&page=2

From there it is an easy shot to Grand Junction.

This loop could be done in either direction...why backtrack when you can explore?