Norther Arizona Holiday Fun

Hi all, I'm heading from LA to Flagstaff on 12.19.19, We'll be up in Page from the 20th - 24th. If anyone is in the area and wants to hit some trails and see some shit, lets link up!

Here's a very rough schedule of activities

Thursday, 19th
LA > Flagstaff

• 8 hours, 466 miles

Friday, 20th
Flagstaff > Page

• 2.5 hours, 129 miles
• Roden Crater
• Grand Falls
• Wupatki National Monument
• Coal Mine Canyon
• Betatakin cliff Dwellings

Saturday, 21st

• Glen canyon recreation area
• Horseshoe bend

Sunday, 22nd

• Buckskin Gulch
• White pocket
• Wire Pass Trailhead
• Vermilion Cliffs
• The Wave

Monday, 23rd

• Smokey mountain overlook
• Thrift stores

Tuesday, 24th

• Flagstaff > Chino Valley

 

Man what a great trip. Wish I was out there with you. Great photos man. Have a great time.

 

It’s been great man

 

83 miles of back country driving, not a single other vehicle insight.

 

Great photos - thanks for posting. We'll be heading that way next Spring.

 

Nice pics op. Keep them coming. If you have time can you list your route. I’m thinking I need to get out there next year.

 

Did you make it out to White pocket then? I was out there in late October before we really started getting rain this fall and that was some deep sand! Looks like a great trip. Love northern AZ and the four corners region.

 

No, I heard warnings of it being sketchy when wet, being the only vehicle I didn’t want to get in a tricky situation. Saved it for next time!

 

Here’s the route we did up in Grand Staircase Escalante. I’ll do full write up when I get settled in at the families house.

 

Final day was a blast as well

 

Yeah I think it can be a mixed bag with rain. House Rock valley Rd gets muddy but the sand out to White pocket can be easier after rain. There's so much to see out that way too. I'd love to spend 3-4 days exploring more of the Paria plateau

 

Awesome trip dude! You hit more spots than most folks see in a lifetime out west. Curious about your camera...

 

Thanks man, makes spending money on the truck worth it. Most the things we experienced were priceless and seen by so few people.

I’m a pretty amateur photographer, but was gifted a Canon 70d by a boss a few years back. It really makes things look good

 

Agreed. Two things I can't live without: travel and a solid camera set up. A close third is a capable rig!

 

Got out of Flagstaff just in time to not get snowed in!

 

Here's the trip write up, hope it inspires some awesome road trips for others.

Trip Goal: See as much of the Northern Arizona / Southern Utah region as possible without getting into any trouble or freezing to death (California blood tends to run thin)

Day 1
Los Angeles > Flagstaff, AZ
- Nothing special planned on this day, I was meeting my friend at the Flagstaff train station at 9:00pm. Left LA around 8:00am and made it to Flag by 3:00pm. Was refreshed when I crossed the AZ border and gas prices dropped by $1.05 a gallon!
- Checked in to the AirBnB and then hit some of the local bars. It must have been the altitude, but 3 beers in and I was a bit more than drunk! haha
- Hotel Monte Vista
- Flagstaff Brewing Company
- The McMillan
- Charly's Pub & Grill

Day 2
Flagstaff > Grand Canyon > Page
- We hit the road around 9:0am to head up HWY 64. Took a forest service road 305, which runs parrallel to the highway for a little off pavement fun!
- Spent about 35 mins hangin around the South rim before we got absolutley burnt out from the hords of tourists coming off the tour busses, so we decided to hit the road.
- We set out for Grandview Lookout Tower and Hull Cabin. Fun little snow filled dirt road. Nice little dirt road, for a fun crowd free adventure.
- From there the sun was setting and we set out for Page.

 

Day 3
Monument Valley
This is the day the whole road trip was based around. been trying to get to Monument Valley for a few years, but it was always cut from the plans on previous trips.
- Our first quick stop was at the Navajo National Monument & Betatakin Cliff Dwellings
- We set out from page and gassed up in Kayenta. From there we took an Indian Road off the highway to do some back country exploring. I'll leave the details of the road off this write up to help keep some peace and serenity for the local people. We saw some amazing rock formations, wild mustangs, ingenious people and their dwellings. It was special.
- We continued on to Monument Valley, and let me tell you, we were blown away!
- From Monument Valley we went on to see Mexican Hat, and then back to Page.

 

Great photos and trip report, awesome looking truck!

 

Day 4
Next up we planned an "easy" day around Grand Staircase-Escalante. Little did I know it would end up turning into an 8 hour, 83 mile trip due to a little mistake putting in coordinates to the desired lookout point.
- We started by trying to head towards the Wahweap Hoodoos outside of Big Water, little did we realize it was a 9 mile hike... So we quickly changed plans, this is where I typed in the wrong destination into my app and unknowingly set out on an EPIC drive.
- From big water we headed North up one of the BLM canyon roads. About 2 hours into the drive is when the realization set in that we weren't on the correct path. Luckily I had a paper map that outlined most of the BLM roads, and uickly found a route that would get us to our desired location, Alstrom Point.
- This drive was absolutely beautiful, but when the path started heading down the 5,000 foot foot mountain the conditions turned from fun to deadly, very quick. The mountain turned wet and muddy, the type of mud that's more slippery then ice, and with a 1,000 foot drop off the side of the road, there was no room for error. Luckily this dangerous section didnt last more than about 2 miles and we made it through with no problems at all. This is when I give a shout to my tires, the BFG KM3's tackled every bit of mud that got in our way, these tires literally saved our lives.
- Once we got back on route we hammered away to the lookout point and quickly found yourself overlooking beautiful lake Powell at sunset. I'll let the pictures tell the story.