Desert SW trip

The Mob Museum is on my list of to do in Vegas.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...-Reviews-The_Mob_Museum-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html

 

Was in Breck earlier this year, gorgeous little town, everyone super friendly. In addition to skiing, did a bike tour with brewery stops, obviously there's hiking, shopping and other stuff to see.

 

Everyone dances with Zion/Bryce and Arches/Canyonlands while Capitol Reef is just sitting in a corner sipping ginger ale and the Henry, Abajo, and La Sal Mountains are off playing D&D.

The entire SE quadrant of Utah should be a national park. Just a remarkable geologic and prehistoric landscape.

 

dont sleep on bryce canyon. personally, i enjoyed it more than zion when i went (zion was super crowded).

canyonlands NP is amazing too. and goblin valley state park is another geological wonderland.

mesa verde cliff dwellings in SW colorado arent too far away from moab.

i just got back from a trip to taos and pagosa springs and while in pagosa i asked coloradans(?) what their favorite hot springs were. i was expecting them to say ouray, which ive never been to, but all of them said they liked pagosa best with strawberry springs being a close second. strawberry looks like its a couple hours from breckenridge if youre into that sort of thing.

 

You will be in Colorado during the season when the Aspens change their colors. I would recommend reevaluating your two days in Colorado.

Seems like a waste, given the season colors.

 

I did a trip to colorado last month. loved it. houston to colorado springs to aspen to grand junction to gateway to telluride to durango to sante fe to houston...3000 miles.

next time I want to do this:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/guide-to-grand-circle-road-trip-american-southwest-7564186

 

Have a country / rocky mountain music playlist

Big Iron from Marty Robbins when in Vegas for sure

 

Drive up the Colorado from Moab for 10 miles or so--you're driving along the edge of Arches. Grandstaff Canyon Trail is along the way. You should hike it.



Also, check out the Arch Canyon Overlook and Bears Ears in the Abajos/Manti-La Sal National Forest. Some incredible views across Canyonlands, Glen Canyon, and the Bears Ears National Monument.



Hit the Goosenecks of the San Juan. You'll probably recognize it from tv and movies.


(If anyone is going to do more than drive by--like hiking, biking, or camping in the area--let me know and I'll tell you some secret places to go.)

 

This!

 

Lake Powell is pretty cool and one good thing about the long standing drought is that parts of the original Glen Canyon are visible again.

 

You should plan to hit up Sedona some time in between Phoenix and Flagstaff. Spend as little time in Phoenix as possible and go straight up to Sedona when you land.

 

Was secretly hoping this was going to be a Jim Morrison-inspired thread. Ride the snake.

 

The area around Sedona is pretty maxing but Sedona itself struck me as a pricey and kitschy tourist town. I like Flagstaff as a town much more than Sedona.

 

felt the same about my short time in Sedona.

I had a night in grand junction and visited this for sunset....what a surprise
https://www.visitgrandjunction.com/day-colorado-national-monument

 

Love the area. You’ll have a great time especially atving in Moab. Deadhorse Horseshoe Bend, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon are a couple more to add on your next trip there - you will return.

 

id maybe do Sedona over Flagstaff, youll get pllenty of moutains in CO. 4 corners area by far my favorite area in the us and its not even close

 

Went to Zion last month, the week of Labor Day. Majestic landscape with some great views. It is a busy park, but it didn't feel too crowded. Visitors were respectful and good about pulling off to the side and letting people pass. If you're not getting to the park before like 8AM, expect to pay for offsite parking.

If you're hiking the Narrows, you can rent the proper socks and boots from the shop near the park. Really cool experience.

Angel's Landing requires a pass that you apply for the day prior, via lottery system. If you don't "win" the lottery you can still go up the trail to Scout's Landing. At the end there's a fork where you can go left instead of right (to Angel's Landing) where the view is pretty comparable with a lot fewer people.

I also went to Sedona in 2020. The town definitely has a rich, bougie side to it, but it still maintains a chill desert town vibe. They really play up the "mysticism" of the town, but I didn't mind it. Hiked around some vortexes, did the aura reading thing, and checked out some wineries in nearby Cornville. I enjoyed the trip more than I expected.

The only other city in AZ i've vacationed in is Scottsdale, which I didn't care for. Bachelor and bachelorette parties everywhere. It felt like a giant outlet mall.