I will be arrivng in Moab, ut on a Sunday evening in Aug. I will be staying in Moab until
Friday morning of the same week. From Moab I will be going to Vail, Co. During my stay in Moab I will of course plan on visiting Arches, Canyonlands , Dead Horse parks. We wiil do jeep trip in Canyonlands, possibly a raft trip. I was wondering if I should use one day to make a trip from Moab to Mesa Verde national park. Is the drive from Moab to Mesa Verde scenic ? I am going on this trip with my wife and 2 sons ages 15 and 18.

Hi brooklynguy,

I think only 4 days in Moab, especially with a raft trip and/or a 4x4 trip included, is just barely enough. I wouldn't cut it short to go to Mesa Verde. Mesa Verde needs a FULL day and 2 nts as a minimum anyway.

Save it for another trip.

Plus, August will be HOT and you may not end up doing as much as you plan. Do your hiking EARLY and late.

When I say raft trip, and 4x4 trip, I just meant like a half day each, not a prolinged trip.

Go rafting!!!

While I don't rush a trip, I'm very efficient and non-stop.

I was in Moab this past May and spent 4 complete days there.

We took a half day of rafting and hiked around Fisher Towers and saw rock climbers way up high.

I went to Delicate Arch twice at sunset (the first time was cloudy the evening we arrived driving from SLC) and hiked thru several of the areas in Arches (Double Arch/Windows area, Devil's Garden, etc). Also the Fiery Furnace ranger led hike.

Went to Canyonlands (only Island in the Sky area) and Dead Horse Point for part of a day.

Most people do not go non-stop as I do so 4 days is not a lot of time there.

Should we include Natural Bridges National Monument in this trip. Or is it unnecessary - very similar to arches, anyway ?