Need help with 5-day 4-corners itinerary.
 

We're going to the Four Corners area next month after the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. We are driving with our 8 and 11 year daughters from New Orleans and want to explore the national parks in the area. We definitely want to see the Grand Canyon. Husband wants to see Arches. We would like to do Mesa Verde, but I think we can do that before we go to Telluride.

I don't expect that we will be up for much hiking - maybe a two hour hike, tops.

Right now I have booked some rooms and this is our rough itinerary.

Sunday -night, from Telluride to Moab, spend night in Moab
Monday - check out Arches and drive down, stopping along way, to Zion
Monday night - Zion lodge
Tuesday - explore Zion, night at the lodge (maybe go to Bryce?)
Wednesday - travel to a national park cabin I booked near Fredonia. explore north rim of GC
Thursday- more exploring of GC (south rim, williams)
Friday, head home by way of Sante Fe.

We may not be able to spend 2 nights both in Zion and at the Cabin.
Should we keep moving and not stay at Zion two nights?

Is it doable to go from Moab to Zion in one day?
Is there anywhere else that we should definitely see?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas?

welcome to the four corners. Absolutely you can drive from Moab to Zion in one day, and yes, I would spend two nights at Zion, it is my favorite national park to date, and if you have to move on you won't really have time to do any good hiking. It is such an amazing place.

consider coming through Farmington on your way to Santa Fe - we have the Aztec ruins, Chaco Canyon and Angel Peak - all worth seeing.

Also, on your way to or from Mesa Verde consider stopping in Durango for lunch and a little time on the Colorado trail. Have a wonderful visit

This web site should be helpful in planning your trip.

http://ohiohickstraveltips.weebly.co...-utah-map.html

It gives the distances and times between the places you might want to visit so you can plan an efficient route.

Good that you have some rooms booked, but you need to get the rest nailed down asap.

Do I read this correctly that on Monday you will "check out Arches" and drive to Zion making stops along the way?

I was just wondering what you expect to do in Arches in such a short period of time?

In fact, it might give us and you a better idea of what the trip will be like if you rewrite the plan and instead of "check out" replace that with details of what you expect to do and see.

Myer, Not sure what we expect to do and see yet. Trying to nail down the route, and that's kind of what I'm asking here: what should we do and see.
I'm sure we could spend weeks, if not months in Arches and adjoining parks, but we have five days. And an 8 and 11 year old who aren't up to long hikes. So I'm envisioning more driving and seeing than fully exploring.

Less is more. I think you're trying to cram too much into such a short span of time. You're going to spend quite a bit of time on the road and little time seeing and doing. With 2 kids in the car for so much time would have been a, recipe for disaster in my family.

Cut out GC for starters. Durango is very family friendly. Enjoy MV, it is worthy of at least 2 days. Maybe more time in NM? Santa Fe has a great museum, International Folk Museum that your girls would likely love. In Albuquerque, The Explora Museum and Bio park too would be really good for all. Tent Rock on the way from Santa fe too.

I am trying to read between the lines to figure out a couple things....


You are driving from Telluride to Moab on Sunday night? Is that correct?

If so, you are giving yourself very little time to see Arches. That is a mistake for 2 reasons. 1, your husband has that on his wish list and 2, there are lots of short/easy hikes of less than two hours. Why shortchange your time there to get to Zion (which is on neither of your wish lists??)

Secondly, are you staying at these cabins near Fredonia?
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaiba...1566&actid=101

Those are an hour from the North Rim, so you'll be driving back and forth to visit the Grand Canyon. Also, you say you don't know if you can stay at the cabins for 2 nights....which implies you are thinking you can drive from the North Rim to the South Rim for a day trip to explore the South Rim and Williams? That is completely unrealistic as it is a 4+hour drive from the North Rim to the South Rim, even longer if you are staying near Fredonia.

So can you clarify those 2 things? Your arrival time in Moab and if you're thinking you can stay near Fredonia and visit the South Rim from there?

If what I'm reading is correct, I'd plan 2 nights in Moab to give yourself a full day at Arches (if you don't use it all there are other things in the area). Then one night at the North Rim another at the South Rim (skip Williams, it is really not that interesting). If you want to use up that extra night somewhere, I'd suggest Bryce Canyon as it's ideal for an overnight. Zion can wait until you are all up for longer hikes and have more time.

Whereweare - yes, we are driving from Telluride to Moab on Sunday. And yes, those are the cabins that we have reserved for two nights. I just mean that I don't know if it makes sense to stay there for two nights, considering the location is not really close to much.

As far as Arches, my husband has been there before, and doesn't really expect to hike to anything, he just wants to drive by….

After reading more about Zion, it has moved up to my wish list. But no. 1 is Grand Canyon

Oh, also Whereweare, not sure about time leaving Telluride for Moab yet.

Ok, that makes more sense now.

I would make a quick stop at Bryce on your way to Zion.

See if you can find lodging at Jacob Lake instead of the Fredonia cabin for one night. It's closer to the North Rim. Then drive to South Rim the next morning and either stay there overnight or in Flagstaff.

Another idea is to skip the Fredonia cabin....drive from Zion to the North Rim, spend most of a day then stay overnight in Page. Head to the South Rim in the morning. I think the Fredonia cabin looks nice and peaceful (although it may not turn out that way) but the location is a turn off to me.

Thanks Whereweare - that's incredibly helpful. I am definitely thinking of canceling the cabin...

Agree with the above: dump the Fredonia cabin if you can come up with an alternative. Alternatives could be Jacob Lake, Marble Canyon (very impressive location on the road between North and South Rims) or best: the North Rim Lodge. These might all be booked for your dates but keep trying, things open up.

Finally even Page would be better than those cabins in the middle of nowhere. At least you can have a look at Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend from Page.

Definitely don't bother going to Williams on this trip.

Good luck.

I scored two nights at the Grand Canyon North Rim. Should we spend two nights at Grand Canyon or Zion Lodge??