Southwest Trip

I’ve bid my vacations for 2018, and I will have a fat 3 weeks in May/June. With school ending the GF will be off for the summer and we are planning a blast out to the southwest. I did a simular trip solo on the motorcycle in 2016, but this time its going to be the two of us in the Taco.

Leaving out of Memphis, and rolling west to the good stuff, with a stop at Capulin Volcano National Monument in NM. Up through Trinidad, then over to Great Sand Dunes NP, and finally on to Cortez CO. Visit Mesa Verde NP, and tour the 4 corners with a trip up Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, and back to Cortez. Next Cortez to Moab via 550 HWY and Gateway then across via the John Brown Canyon. 3 nights in Moab. National parks, river rafting, and some easy off road. (I’m a novice in the truck). From there south through Blanding and west to Brice Canyon and Zion. Should take a couple of days for those, with a trip down Noton Rd and Burr Trail. After Zion, North rim, a quick visit to the South Rim, then Vegas to see my son. Out of Vegas we will hit Death Valley, Yosemite, Great Sequoia then blast back to Memphis. She has never been out there, so we are trying to hit as much as possible, with some time to stop and look when we want. So far I’ve got the Benchmark books for the states, and I’ve got the Moab off road guide book coming. The plan is to camp as much as possible and as cheep as possible.

I’m pretty good at trip planning, and I have some solid ideas for Moab. If anyone has any recommendations, other than Moab, for epic camp spots, non-technical off-road that a novice can hit solo, or great restaurants/breweries chime in. Of course I will post pics when the time comes.

 

Most of the good off road passes in CO will still be blocked with snow that early. Mesa Verde was a bummer. It had some cool stuff, but was very touristy. We camped there and it was pricey. You have to buy their firewood if you want a fire, and you had to wait in line to put coins in a machine to get 5 minutes of shower at the bathhouse. That was 17 years ago tho.
There is some cool camping in Moab off sand flats road, and if you have the time you should drive into the LeSal mountains for an afternoon.

 

Even with three weeks, that's an ambitious schedule. Make sure you allow enough time to stop and smell the roses; its a beautiful area.

We spent five weeks (early May - mid June) in southern Utah earlier this year. If you're taking I-40, I'd recommend Palo Duro Canyon State Park outside Amarillo for at least an overnight. Hookups are available at three campgrounds but you can still get a shower if you choose to camp at one of the more rustic offerings. Reservations may be needed if you plan to stop there on your way home.

You'll be fine on Notom Rd, Burr Trail and Moki and won't need to get out of 2H unless its raining. In the Moab area, be sure to add the Shafer Trail to your list. We stayed at Horsethief BLM campground (on the right of Hwy 313 when heading to Dead Horse Point SP and near the start of the Shafer). Clean pit toilets but no water (free water is available at several places in Moab - we filled up at Jaycee Park near the river). There's a back road off 191 into Arches that was a nice drive with a few small ledges but no real problems if dry - should be in your guidebook. Gemini Bridges is another good route - don't think I'd have the cojones to drive over them even if the road across was still open. Second the above suggestion about driving the River Road into the LaSal mountains.

If you find yourself around Page, AZ and Glenn Canyon NRA, the campground at Lee's Ferry is a nice setting (most of the rafting trips down the GC originate here). Rock House Road through Vermillion Cliffs National Monument (where they release the Condors) is a good drive - if you have a day to spend in the area, apply for a permit to hike The Wave. Lots of dispersed camping spots in this area; many are right on the water.

Enjoy your trip and post back with a report and pics.

 

Thanks! You are right, it is ambitious. I’ve been looking at mileage and calader days, and I think I’ve got a workable schedule, that gives us time to stop and enjoy, while giving us at least one day of slack time in there if we need it. The key is going to be the drive from Memphis. We will need to have a very long drive that first day. I’ve done 1000 mile days on the motorcycle before, so I’m sure we can handle a long day in the truck, especially with two of us driving.

Right now I have, three nights in Cortez, then 4 nights, and three full days planned for Moab. One day hiking, one day rafting on the Colorado (we both love some whitewater), and one day off road driving. Leaving Moab, I am planning on camping at a site along the Burr Trail, then outside of Bryce the next day. I figure we can get a camp site in Zion with early reservations, and that will give us a day to hike there. Zion to Vegas, via the south Rim will be a long day, but we are going to catch a hotel in Vegas and spend a day with my son. Coming out Vegas we will camp a night in the Alabama Hills, CA, then Yosemite for two nights, and Sequoia for two nights, then 3 days back to Memphis. I did a simular trip, solo, in 2016 on the motorcycle, and had a blast.

 

If you are going to Alabama Hills then check out Mt Whitney. To climb to the top you need a pass but you can drive to the trailhead and hike up the trail a couple of miles (3?) to the sign where you need the pass to go any further. Beautiful views, worth the hike even if you aren't going further up Whitney.

 

My wife, father in law, and I attempted Whitney last summer. Made it to 13000 before my wife blew chunk on the trail and got sick.

Because we had left so early, we didn’t actually see how beautiful the hike was until we were headed back down. We made it to the lower campsite by the time he sun came up. So on the way back down it was like a completely new trail with new views around every corner.

Was a great hike, aside from, you know, having to turn around at the very top of the 99 switchbacks.