four corners loop starting in Denver

[matthew morris]

looking to start in Denver and hit moab, bryce canyon, zion, monument valley, grand canyon, chaco canyon, canyon de chelly, (did I miss anything?) has anyone done similar and how long should I plan for? Have a 4wd and love the back roads and shortcuts. Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I took my grandsons through that area a few years ago. You might find a hint or two in the RoadTrip Report I filed. One place that we didn't get to that I'm sure you would love is Monument Valley which is a Navajo Nation tribal park rather than a national or state park, so the roads are not well maintained. In fact most people can't see the best parts of the valley because their cars won't get them there and/or they don't want to pay for or be tied down to a Navajo guide and his 4WD vehicle.

There are also a number of other lesser known parks and monuments in the region that you might want to explore including Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Wupatki, Goose Necks, Aztec Ruins, etc., etc., depending on your tastes and interests. And don't forget the great sites on the way there from Denver such aas the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

More to the point, how much time can you spare ? Most of us have a limit either through work commitments or finances etc, but you really could spend months in this area and not see everything. Another Denver loop can be seen here, where you can extend it to add Monument valley Grand canyon etc.

Take a look around the RTA pages and study a good map. Once you have an outline plan we can help to fill in the blanks and make suggestions.

[matthew morris]

thanks for the fast responses!we've got about six days. planning on driving most of it. (i'm sure we'll have to if we want to fit all that in.)

was thinking initially of heading straight out to Moab on 70, then venturing southwest from there making our way to Tuba City, then over to Canyon De Chelly, and back up through Shiprock and Cortez.

[Southwest Dave]

That's not a whole lot of time but you can still have a great trip through scenic areas. If you headed straight to Moab and Arches NP it would give you a good start. You could then head to Bryce canyon and onto Zion NP over the next couple of days before turning and spending your next 3 days getting back to Denver. The North rim of the Grand canyon would be a good option before heading to Monument valley. Although Canyon De Chelley is a possibility, you could head towards Cortez and Durango and opt for Mesa Verde which is more on route. If you stopped over in Durango you could get back to Denver same day by taking the spectacular 'Million dollar Highway' through Silverton and Ouray to Montrose and then US50 through Currecanti Nat Rec. area and over Monarch pass to 285 near Poncha Springs. It'd be a long day but a great drive !

For Moab, take US6 to 128 from I70 through Castle Valley, it's a nice drive without any real time penalty. To get to Bryce you could take 24 to Torrey and drive Utah scenic 12.

[glc]

The North Rim is normally an excellent option between Zion and Monument Valley, but the US-89 blockage is going to add some time and miles to this. From the North Rim, you have to backtrack to Kanab or go all the way to Cameron to get to MV.