SW trip itinerary
 

I will be starting out from Denver on August 13 and would like to hit/see Arches, Dead Horse Pt., MONUMENT VALLEY, BRYCE CANYON, Las Vegas, Death Valley, & LOS ANGELES. (Capitals are the musts)
I have to fly out of Los Angeles on Aug 23. Do you think it's feasible and how long would each destination warrant?
I'd appreciate any & all help you can provide. I don't know how to break up the driving and have not yet made any reservations.
Thanks
Sundancer

Aug 13, 14 & 15 spend the night in Moab so you have 2 full days to see Arches, Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands Island in the Sky district. Aug. 16 in Monument Valley, Aug. 17 have lunch at Lake Powell before driving to Bryce. Aug 18 Bryce, Aug. 19 drive though Zion National Park on your way to Las Vegas. Spend most of the day in Zion and it's only 3 hours to Vegas. Aug. 20 another night in Vegas if you want or head to Los Angeles.

I'd skip Death Valley this time. Lots of driving and it will be to hot to do anything but drive though anyways.

Utahtea

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there a place in Moab you'd recommend for the stay. I'm a cleanliness freak.
Also would you do Lake Powell rather than Escalante which is what I thought I might have a chance to squeeze in.
Sundancer

If you like B&B's then The Cali Cochita would be a good choice. Two blocks from the downtown area with nice clean rooms, welcoming hosts and tasty breakfasts. www.moabdreaminn.com

Thanks. It looks great but I was hoping for something a little less
expensive. Is there no such thing?
sundancer

Not sure how this would go over with a cleanliness freak, but the Slickrock Campground in Moab rents cabins. We've camped there, but never saw the insides of the cabins. You have to use the campground restrooms and shower houses. There is a heated pool and hot tubs. You would also have to bring your own linens for the beds but heck it's only $32 per night!

http://www.slickrockcampground.com/

Utahtea

We stayed at the Aarchway Inn in Moab and found the rooms to be large and very clean. They also have a nice pool there.

i second the suggestion to skip death valley, if you have any time in your schedule spend extra time in moab or springdale (where zion is). if you google moab lodging you'll find plenty of places in moab, many family owned and in pretty good shape.

understand many of these establishments are pretty old. they used to film westerns in the 50s in the vacinity and so some of these places are pushing 50 years old.

I'm still pondering all these options. Tell me Utahtea, why Powell rather than doing route 12 and capitol reef is it? and escalante? Aren't they supposed to be super?
sundancer

I choose Lake Powell because of the limited time you had.

Monument Valley to Bryce via Page is 280 miles and about 6 1/2 hours driving time.

Monument Valley to Bryce via Capitol Reef and Hwy 12 is 335 miles and about 9 1/2 hours of driving time...and lots of places to spend time!

Taking the Hwy 261 over the Moqui Dugway is an adventure. You will also pass by the Goosenecks. Once on Hwy 95 there is Natural Bridges National Monument which will take an hour or so of your time. I don't think there's much at Hite's Crossing because of several years of drought. Capitol Reef is one of my favorite secrets. Well worth at least 1/2 a day to several days. Hwy 12 is one of my favorite drives.

SO much to DO and so little time!

Utahtea

We stayed at the Gonzo Inn in Moab and found it very clean and comfortable. The housekeeping staff is very present and readily brought us some extra linens.

Thanks folks for the tips. I'm finding booked lodgings already but I can't really finalize because I can't decide on the itinerary. And on that subject again, Utahtea, what if I broke up the stetch there between Monument Valley and Bryce into a two day thing by stopping at Torrey? or Boulder? Would that make it more feasible? And what do you mean about the problem with the Moqui Dugway?
Thanks, it's so nice to be able to question knowledgeable people.
Sundancer

Yes, if you can spend the night in Torrey, it would give you enough time to enjoy this route. I'd pick Torrey so you would have time to spend in Captiol Reef.

I didn't say Moqui or Moki Dugway as a problem...I said an adventure!

Here is a good discription:

http://www.americansouthwest.net/uta...ley_point.html

and here is a picture:

http://www.so-utah.com/souteast/powe.../homepage.html

Utahtea

I would skip Monument Valley and head to Bryce via Torrey/Boulder. Monument Valley is scenic but not worth a special trip with all the amazing scenery you will see in Moab, Torrey, Bryce and Zion. In Moab, we have stayed at the Best Inn ($50/night- clean and fine) and River Canyon Inn ($79/night for Jr Suite- clean, new and right in downtown).
You can check out our photos of our last 2 trips to Utah at www.pbase.com/peterb - just scroll down to the Utah galleries.

Thanks for the lodging tips & I also checked out the Moki sites --It looks super cool! And thanks for bringing it to my attention so I'll know what to expect and won't totally freak out thinking for instance that I've taken the wrong road. I'm getting reaaly excited and I have more than a month to go.
Sundancer

lots of good comments -- we were just there in May. Zion is extraordinary; taking Route 12 is heartstoppingly beautiful. Torrey is a funky little outpost in those parts. If you love to drive and see incredible things, the entire southern utah section is just perfect. We didn't bother with Monument Valley because the other areas (Bryce, Capitol Reef, Zion) are just so grand. You can spend several days without driving very far because there is so much to see. Mesa Verde is pretty cool too, since you're coming from CO ... parts of UT are going to be pretty darn hot in August (it was 80 in Moab in early May) so keep that in mind too. Have fun -- we're already planning on going back next year.

ttt