Grand Circle trip planning

[John&Madonna Hoecker]

John and I are planning to make the trek west to visit several of the national parks in Utah plus the Grand Canyon. We will have the distinct "pleasure" of driving nearly the entire length of I-70 out, picking it up at its start just W of Baltimore. We will visit a friend in Castle Rock, CO then start our park tours of Arches, possibly Canyonlands and/or Capital Reef, Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon. We will return on I-40, picking up I-81 in Knoxville, then I-66 back home to Springfield. We plan to travel Sept 17 - Oct 17. I'm figuring we could dead head it at 500 miles a day - give or take a few.

If you have any suggestions for stops, must sees, time to spend in each park, etc., please share with us. We will be grateful for the input.

[Guy Carter]

Great trip ! We just made that loop in June. Abolutely phenomenal! You can't just see "Arches". Go across the street (so to speak) and see "Canyonlands", too. A day for each should be more than sufficient unless you're into hiking to see the off the road sights. We also went to Mesa Verde. Another one of those "don't miss it" sights. They're all too good to pass up. But it also comes down to time and $ for fuel, etc. We missed Bryce and Monument Valley. Probably will swing through there again next year, since we have grandsons to visit in Montana.

[John&Madonna Hoecker]

Guy, thanks for the suggestions. I've been toying with the idea of additional sites like Mesa Verda and others along the south return route. If you found some reasonable places to stay overnight, please share. Right now I'm thinking of travel plazas or something not far off the beaten path while we are en route. Once in Utah I'm thinking about a central location for a couple of days with a rental car then move on across the state to Bryce & Zion. Utah seems to have some pretty nice state parks, so those are on my list of places to explore.

We are treating ourselves to two nights in a cabin along the north rim of the Grand Canyon. John wants to stay at one of the lodges along the south rim, too. I'm hoping to get a spot in trailer village. I can't go without a/c in a hot environment. I'm guessing we will see upper 70's to 80's in early October.

[bcope01]

Be sure to spend a night or two at the Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef NP. A very pleasant and unique campground: http://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/f ... ground.htm

[John&Madonna Hoecker]

Be sure to spend a night or two at the Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef NP. A very pleasant and unique campground

Thanks so much, Bill. Will definitely put it on the agenda!

[Hawkeye111]

The Colorado monuments are worth while. As you exit that area on I-70 Westbound and enter Utah, the first off ramp to the south leads down an absolutely wonderful road trip into Moab, close to both Cnayon Lands and the Arches. Both of these are I believe must see things. This road is paved, curvy , slow and wonderful as it follows the Colorado all the way, with many beautiful stop places for walking and pictures, picnics and hiking. This is infinitely better than any other way to get to the Arches area. Try it!

[John&Madonna Hoecker]

My gosh, your description of the slow, curvy, scenic drive down to Arches sounds like just the kind of driving we like. You can bet we will take that way. Many thanks for letting us know about it!

[oliverpsmile]

My gosh, your description of the slow, curvy, scenic drive down to Arches sounds like just the kind of driving we like. You can bet we will take that way. Many thanks for letting us know about it!

Crossing the Rockies on I-70 is fast but not so scenic. You can consider driving down south from Castle Rock to Colorado Springs to see Pikes Pick and then trough Salida, Monarch Pass, Gunnison to step on the West Elk Loop. Highway 92 from Blue Mesa Reservoir (good fishing) to Crawford follows the gorge of the Black Canyon. It is picture perfect at every curve. In early September you will be enchanted by the golden splendor of the aspens, punctuated by the green spears of the evergreens and topped by a brilliantly lid blue sky.

In Delta you can choose do go north to Grand Junction (I-70) or down south to Ouray (American Switzerland) on 550 to Durango or Ridgway (True Grit - John Wayne) and Teluride to Cortez (Mesa Verde) and west on 160 to Monument Valley.

Enjoy the trip. America is beautiful.

[Rich Flaugh]

We've done this loop four times and can't wait to go back. You've picked a great time of year. Following are highlights that many people miss. Capital Reef NP, Utah Hwy 12, Hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls (try to stay at the Calf Creek Rec. Area CG), Antelope Canyon (a slot canyon just east of Page, AZ), Canyon DeChelley Nat. Monument (campground at the visitor center). If you are short on time I'd skip the extra day or two it takes to go to the south rim and include Monument Valley and Canyon DeChelley.

[Dallas Baillio]

I heartily second Monument Valley. Those great stone monuments that you can drive around have a special appeal for me. All the John Ford westerns shot there probably lured me to the spot without my knowing why. Now that I've visited I specifically look at the background in those old movies in the hopes of seeing something I recognize. The whole experience, like many of our national parks and landmarks, makes you feel really insignificant.

[Sab & Ann]

1. Buy a "Golden Age Passport".
2. Buy a good road service policy.
3. Go to nps.gov and research the National Parks that you want to visit.
4. Get a "Flying J" card and location of stations in the USA.
5. Get a list of Walmart and Sam's Club locations in the USA.

The "Golden Age Passport" will give you entry into the National Parks less any fee and campground fee are generally 1/2 price unless it is run by a concession. "Flying J" stations will generally have a separate RV island for fuel, water and dump station. Most stations are open all night and allow overnight parking. The Walmart and Sam's Club are for option B and gasoline if you are a member of Sam's Club. Costco is another option for gas.
And most of all slow down and enjoy the trip.
Sab & Ann

[John S.]

I would build in some rest days in the middle of the week. You will need to do laundry and other little things and you might even need to recharge a bit. I have driven many many miles and know if you do 500 a day that is about 10 plus hours. If you add sight seeing in that you will not make 500. SO build in a couple extra days in your drive schedule. You will have a much better trip too. When I did my last big trip I drove 10K miles and hit the only traffic jam on I 66 by Manassas at 10pm. You will love the trip
.

[BonaProf]

We agree with all that has been said. Our favorite parks so far are the Grand Tetons and Bryce Canyon. The most beautiful road we have ever traveled is the Grand Staircase Escalante, a national monument under the Bureau of Land Management. At every turn we'd stop and vow not to stop again only to find an even more glorious vista around the next curve.

We have yet to see Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. We plan to get there next year. USA Today carried a special feature story on Monument Valley (24 July 2009, D-1). I have looked in other places about camping there but I haven't seen mention of campgrounds. The new View Hotel sounds wonderful, but is a bit pricey for us. Does anyone know of a good campground nearby?

[John&Madonna Hoecker]

Thanks to everyone for your input. We have added several locations to our itenerary and a couple are earmarked for "if we can fit it in." We will drive I-70 out and I-40 back, so if you have any good food or travel plaza stops, let us know.

We are grateful for everyone's help.

[John S.]

One other thing. In the early fall you have the possibility of strong thunderstorms still. They are pretty wicked out there.