Northern Arizona (feasibility)
 

Good evening! My teenage children and I will be taking what we call the Great American Road Trip 2018 in a few weeks and I was hoping for some advice on this certain day. Our current plan is to see sunrise at the Grand Canyon, drive to Page for a tour of Antelope Canyon, stop by Horse shoe bend, and then drive to Monument Valley for a late afternoon/early evening drive thru the loop before hopefully making it to Bluff before too late. This is the tightest/busiest day of the trip but I’m trying to make it work so we can fit in Arches National Park the next day. Thoughts?

TIA!

It would be doable, if you had all your ducks in a row. You would need to have a reservation for a tour of Antelope Canyon set up ahead of time so that you would not be waiting too long to get on one. If it is not a sunny day, Antelope Canyon not be spectacular so just keep going.

If you are using a rental car, make sure you won't void the contract by driving the unpaved road through Monument Valley. You can actually see the iconic views from the VC.

Try to do your driving during daylight hours to avoid hitting large animals like elk, deer, cattle, horses etc. some of these roads are open range and we've seen all of those on trips.

That would be very tight. Mid-March sunrise time is 6:38AM and you would want to be at the rim (Desert View is closest to the exit) for about an hour after sunrise. Because sunrise at the GC is about changing light and colors of the canyon walls and formations as the sun rises from the horizon.

Are you planning on breakfast? Cameron Trading Post would be your best bet. But you need to allow time for that. I would suggest visiting Horsesehoe Bend first, because Antelope Canyon is best viewed around midday. Book your tour in advance, and you will have to be there at least 30 minutes before the tour time. Allow a total of about 2 hours, from arrival to departure.

Will you have lunch? It is about 2 hours to MV. We usually stop at the Burger King in Kayenta.

I don't think you would have time for the MV loop road. It is 17 miles, and you would be averaging less than 30 MPH, not even counting stops. But you can get nice views right from the hotel/visitor center, as well as along route 163 south and north of the entrance to the Tribal Park. You will want to get on the road well before sunset, to avoid unwanted animal encounters, as emalloy warned about. And do not discount those warnings, because all kinds of critters are along / on those roads, and it is VERY dark at night.

The good news? Daylight savings time starts March 11. Arizona is not on DST, but the Navajo Res and Utah are on it. So sunset at MV won't be until 7:30 PM. So it effectively adds an hour to your day (sunset in Page would be around 6:30PM)

THank you both! We did book the Antelope Canyon tour but not monument valley - we’ll see those as recommended and make sure our driving is complete before sunset. Thanks!

You and your kids might like some of the Tony Hillerman mysteries to read before or during the trip. They take place in the AZ/NM area and focus on the Navajo tribal police. Give some insight to the culture of the area too.