Which is the more scenic drive from Mesa Verde to Monument Valley:

*South on 160, north on 191, south on 163
*North on 491 and south on 191 and 163

According to Google Maps, there is little difference in drive time.

HTTY

Are you in a rush to get there? If not, I'd go north on 491, south on 191 to just south of Blanding, west on 95, south on 261. Don't take this route if you are afraid of heights.

We have done this drive many times enroute to Phoenix as we live in area.,.

Are you looking to do a more direct drive or scenic?

I am pretty sure we simple go take 160 [which is also 491 at that point] out of Cortez and then head west on 160, where it breaks from 491. That takes you right to Monument Valley.

The route you have is very round about. The scenery driving from Mesa Verde to Monument Valley [unless you plan to detour, perhaps] isn't very attractive. It is mostly scrub, brown and not much more.

I will check with DH when he gets back from gym, since he drives, he will know for sure.

Not sure why those routes came up, they are pretty long. My route is about 100 miles. What's mileage on your routes?

Deb

Google Maps calculates that the 160-191-162 route is 144 miles (4 hours, 10 minutes) and that the route going north and through Blanding is 156 miles (4 hours, 10 minutes) to our destination--the new View Hotel located within tribal land in Monument Valley.

HTTY

So, are you looking to get to Monument Valley directly in less time or do you want to go a very long route with possible stops? That is what it boils down to I think, my route is around 2 hours. Blanding, Monticello, Bluff -- if you are just driving through, nothing special.

Going north on 491 and then cutting down is nice if you want to spend time along the way [Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods etc] but that will entail more time.

Another idea if you want a bit of scenery and overall less time is to take Montezuma County Road G through Sand Canyon area and then to Monument Valley. I don't know specifics, will ask DH if you are interested.

So, quickest route, or one that will take way more time plus time for seeing things along the way?

http://alongthesideroads.blogspot.co...d-natural.html

You can stay overnight in Mexican hat if you want to do the longer route and make stops to see the things on that website. Not much choice, a couple of places only.

Deb

We enjoyed Moki Dugway and Goosenecks of the San Juan about as much as Monument Valley. You could also drive Valley of the Gods road, which is a mini Monument Valley. Twin Rocks Cafe was a good stop for lunch. We did this very trip last year end of May. It snowed a lot on us in Mesa Verde. We flew into Cortez, head to Mesa Verde, then Durango (train and zipline), then to Four Corners, Valley of the Gods,and finally Monument Valley. Very fun trip. Mesa Verde and ziplining were our favorite parts of the trip. Balcony House in Mesa Verde was our favorite ruin we visited. We did not make it to Weatherill area as it doesn't open until Memorial day. http://www.photoworks.com/members/Spirobulldog
click on above link, then "view all", then "Mesa Verde" for my pictures of that trip last year. Very good trip! you will enjoy it