February Trip Albuquerque to Arches Loop

Hello Everyone,

My wife and I are planning a week long loop from Albuquerque starting 2/14 and arriving back on 2/22. We are traveling with 2 toddlers so we're trying to pack in a lot of sights that are relatively close by each other to minimize their discontent. My thoughts right now are to drive west from Abq along I40 to Flagstaff with a quick stop at Petrified Forest NP on the way. Then stay overnight in Flagstaff before heading north to Zion and Bryce Canyon area. I'm thinking stay a night in Springdale for Zion and then 2 nights in Bryce. We've been to Zion before but not Bryce, hence spending more time there. Then head east toward Arches/Canyonlands NP and stay in Moab for 2 nights. Lastly, head south back toward ABQ with a pit stop at 4 corners. Does this sound doable and does Flagstaff to Zion in one day seem feasible given we will stop a few times at the very least? Our only other time in this area was in late spring so weather was not a factor whatsoever but I'm concerned it could be since it will be winter this time around. Thanks in advance for your feedback and advice! Happy road tripping :)

Chuck

Hello and welcome back to RTA !

Flagstaff to Zion is perfectly doable as is the rest of your trip and there is time for stops along the way. Are you planning on visiting the South rim on the way to Zion ? The one thing that I would say is that Bryce is at high elevation and will most likely be bitterley cold with a real chance of snow and ice. It's a beautiful place but is quite quick and easy to see, as most of the viewing is done from the rim edge which in turn is close to the road. You can walk along the rim from around Sunset and Sunrise points and the Ampitheatre, but the hike down into the canyon may be a bit much with toddlers in February. An option would be to spend one night and part of the following morning there and then continue towards Moab. If the weather is OK and the roads clear you could take Utah scenic 12 to Torrey and break the journey up with an overnight stop here while giving yourself the opportunity to visit Capitol Reef NP.

Something to be aware of that will affect your drive from Flagstaff to Zion.

You have 2 detour options:

1. Take US-89 to US-89A to Fredonia, then AZ-389/UT-59 to Hurricane and enter Zion through Springdale.

2. Take US-89 to US-89T back to US-89 to Kanab, then take US-89A to Fredonia and continue as above (US-89 is also closed from the US-89A junction to Page). You won't see US-89T on a map, it's really Indian road 20. This is the preferred route when the weather is bad, US-89A frequently closes when it snows.

Last summer in Bryce there were a couple of families with very young children. The main attraction for these children was the chipmunks / squirrels which darted here, there, everywhere. They were an endless source of amusement for the little ones, who, btw, showed no interest at all in the magnificent views from the overlooks.

But I doubt that they would be around in February.

Lifey

Flagstaff to Zion is perfectly doable as is the rest of your trip and there is time for stops along the way.

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Are you planning on visiting the South rim on the way to Zion ?

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If the weather is OK and the roads clear you could take Utah scenic 12 to Torrey and break the journey up with an overnight stop here while giving yourself the opportunity to visit Capitol Reef NP.

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Thanks so much for the vote of confidence Dave! It crossed my mind to make a quick stop at the south rim on the way to Zion but wasn't sure if it was doable. It would be a quick jaunt but well worth it. I must say that I don't know much of anything about Capitol Reef and have heard very little as well. What's the scoop on it? Thanks for the insight and suggestions.

Chuck

I think we've published a couple dozen threads about Capitol Reef -- but for an overview -- look at this article by Robert Schaller...

But no visit to Capitol Reef should be done without a visit to Waterpocket...

Mark

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Thanks so much for the vote of confidence Dave! It crossed my mind to make a quick stop at the south rim on the way to Zion but wasn't sure if it was doable.

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It would be possible but would make it a long day and need an early start, that's why I asked. If you drove through Tusayan through the south kiosk you could visit the rim area near the village and then exit along Desertview drive to 89 and stop at a couple more viewpoints along the way. Capitol Reef and the surrounding area is lovely, as is the drive on scenic 12 and UT24, but if you wanted to spend more time at the Grand canyon and only one night in Bryce you could stop at the Cameron Trading post or perhaps Page AZ for the 'spare' night.

Okay so we did that trip and it was a huge success. We packed a lot into a short amount of time. We hit Petrified forest and loved it, had a quick jaunt to Grand Canyon south rim, spent some time in Antelope Canyon (amazing), a day in Zion (always amazing), a day and half in Bryce (very cool), half day in Kanarra creek and 2+ days between Arches and canyonlands. So with all that adventure we're even more hooked on southern Utah/Northern Arizona. We are taking a shorter trip based out of Vegas from 9/2-9/6 and this time just the two of us with no kids. Our dilemma is we can't decide whether to go try to get a permit for coyote buttes north (if that doesn't work we'll go to Zion a couple days and Antelope the other) or to go south to Havasu and hike in to see the three falls. I feel like we would potentially see more if we went the zion route and we do want to hike the full narrows trail as well as the subway trail. But...We are also drawn to the adventure that would result from getting to havasu canyon and back (which is not possible with small kids). Decisions, Decisions and any input is greatly appreciated!