sssteve

What's the shortest route from Page Arizona to Moab, Utah and how long should it take?

Thanks...

utahtea

The shortest route from Page, AZ to Moab, Utah will be taking Hwy 98 south from Page. Then east on Hwy 160 to Kayenta. Then north on Hwy 163 (right past Monument Valley) and then north on Hwy 191 to Moab. This route is about 270 miles and will take about 5 1/2 - 6 hours.

Utahtea

sssteve

Thanks again, Utahtea.

If you remember my original itinerary it was from LV through GC and Utah and leave from SLC. I'm still waiting for a place on a flight out of LV and if I get it, we'll do the circle which you've suggested in several other threads, that is: LV-GC-Page-Moab-Torrey-Bryce-Zion and back to LV. That's why I asked about the time from Page to Moab.

In another post today I saw a discussion about the boat trips on Lake Powell. You may remember that I'm concerned about getting to Page from GC at 11 AM for the river raft float. I see that there are boat rides later in the day than 11 AM.
Is a boat ride a reasonable alternative to the raft float??

utahtea

Oh...Hi Steve! I didn't notice the posters name...shame on me! The circle does hit a lot of scenic places!

The Colorado River float trip takes you down the river though a narrow canyon and it's a fun trip.

We've also done two boat tours on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge National Monument and many, many years ago we did the short boat tour on the lake to Antelope Canyon which was just to short for me. It left me wanting more!

I love the Rainbow Bridge National Monument tour, but they depart earlier than the float trip. Also with the low lake levels you now have to hike to Rainbow Bridge. I haven't done the Navajo Tapestry tour but I would imagine that tour would be a comparable choice. On the lake you have both open spaces and narrow canyon walls and some of the bluest water. With the lake low from years of drought, you do see what they call their bathtub ring from the low water.

If it is REAL hot, the float trip might be cooler because you can reach down and cool yourself off with the river water.

It would be a hard choice for me to make too!

Utahtea

sssteve

we should be in page on September 24. In your experience, how should the weather be there at the end of September?

utahtea

End of September should be really nice. I looked it up and the record high for that day was only 90 degrees. We were there the first week of October a couple of years ago and it was warm enought to go for a dip in the lake but not HOT like the summer.

Utahtea

sssteve

I've been reading up on the attractions of Page, Arizona and I've come to the conclusion that if we only see one thing because of limited time, (we only have part of one day) I think that one thing should be Antelope Canyon. Am I right?

utahtea

ACK....I didn't meant to confuse you!!! There are two Antelope Canyons in the area. One is on water and the other is on land. They are two very different tours!

There is Antelope Canyon which is a waterway on the lake with beautiful canyon walls. Since the lake is so low this is the only way to get from Wahweap to the main part of the lake.

Then there is Upper Antelope Slots Canyon which is on land located just outside of Page, AZ. The tour takes 1 1/2 hours and you will want to do the tour on a sunny day to get the best effects. Here are my pictures:

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacat...lopecanyon.htm

Utahtea

sssteve

Yep! That's the one I meant - upper Antelope slots canyon. It looks to me like the number 1 attraction in Page. It looks like we will be in page for a half a day, and stay the night. So I thought we should take advantage of this short time wisely. That's why I asked what you think is more impressive - the raft trip or upper Antelope slots canyon? I would do the raft in the morning, but there is no raft trip at 7 AM after Sept 15 - only the 11 AM trip. That's the day we will drive to Moab.

BTW, we now have a flight out of LV, and will do the circle I mentioned above and drive from Page to Moab.

utahtea

If it were my choice, I'd try very hard to make the float trip on the first day and do the Upper Slots Canyon on the morning I was leaving.

You don't need to make advance reservations for the Upper Slots Canyon. We called an hour before we wanted the tour and got in. The float trip you will want to make resevations at least a couple of days before, but I think if you cancel, you get a refund. Don't take my word for that, I'd ask before making the reservations.

If you only have time for one, then the Upper Antelope Slots canyon will not disappoint you!

Utahtea

sssteve

I remember my lessons - the best time in the antelope slots canyon is midday, so I was thinking the same thing you just suggested - raft float the first day, slots on the second and then on to Moab.

How long is the minimum visit thru the slots canyon, that is, without setting up a tripod for long exposure photography??

utahtea

You get one hour in the slots canyon themselves. We did the tour from Page, AZ which is only about 5 miles away from the park entrance, then they drive you over some real sandy areas to get to the entrance of the canyon. Our tour was a total of 1 1/2 hours. 1/2 hour was coming and going time.

I wish I had taken my tripod because I would have had enought time to set it up for a few shots.

Utahtea

xyz99

Steve,
We are planning exactly the same tour for Sept next year: LV-GC-Page-Moab-Torrey-Bryce-Zion and back to LV. I was wondering, how long is your trip? We are thinking 2 weeks, is that doable? Thanks

utahtea

xyz99,

Two full weeks in this area should just be enought time to really see all the parks and not be to rushed.

Utahtea

sssteve

for xyz99,

our trip is exactly 2 weeks with 2-3 nights in Vegas. We will be arriving in Vegas on Sept 20.
How about you?

xyz99

We are not planning any stay in Vegas. We are also planning 2 weeks, hopefully with no full days of driving. Also, we don't plan any hike longer than a couple of hours. Seems so much to do and see, I am having a hard time deciding what to keep on the list. Thank you all (especially Uthatea) for all the advise I compiled from this board.

utahtea

xyz99,

Are you going to post your itinerary?

Utahtea

xyz99

Utahtea,
Absolutely. I will need as much help in defining it as I can get, and I'm counting on all of you

For now, I am trying to gather info and decide what would be most appealing to us. We (late 30s) are not interested in long hikes, but we enjoy new scenary, new experiences, nice drives, photography at a 'normal' pace. We don't like to drive more than 2-3 hrs/day, so that would be a factor in planning too.
We'll probably try to do GC (N rim), Zion, Bryce, Arces, Canyonlands, Page and see if we can also include Capitol Reef. All this in 2 weeks, but at this point I have no idea of number of miles in this itineray. Any thoughts? Thanks