Printable View
Hello!
Sort of an easy question here: Isn't there where you can be in NM, AZ, UT, and CO at the same time? It's where they all border each other.
I am making a list of things to see and do when I go out next summer and I am pretty sure that this little tourist site will be one of them.
Anyone know if it is easy to get to?
Four Corners National Monument. It's right along US 160 where the four states meet. I believe it's fairly easy to reach.
Four Corners is a park adminstered by the Navajo Nation and is not a federal national monument. For more information, click here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cascadia4-brad m
Than you very much for the name, info and route!
I'll be back in a few weeks with more questions as I begin to solidify the planning for the roadtrip next summer.
If you want to tick off a curiosity to say you've been there (which is what I wanted to do) then visit four corners. Try the Navaho Fry Bread if you go. Be warned though, it is not spectacular, apart from the marker (see picture on this link)
http://www.uk-2-usa.com/Arizona/fourcorners.html
all there is at four corners is indian craft shops.
UK
Well- Even living here in this country, I learned something new. I did not know the site was administered by the Navajo nation. I had been there probably 35 years ago, when there was just a plaque in the ground.
Thanks for the info.
Can you fill me in on what you feel are good places to visit in those areas. I am trying to plan a similar trip myself.
Welcome to the Forum,Quote:
Originally Posted by CASPERSMOM
The four corners region is home to Monument Valley, the national parks of Arches, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde and Petrified Forest. Plus it affords easy access to Canyon de Chelly and the Chaco Cultural Historical Park. The Million Mile highway and the Durango rail road are all awesome places to visit.
If you were to try and see all that there is to see in the region it would take a lifetime. Was there something in particular we could suggest?
Mark
So far we defenilty want to see the grand canyon. We figure we want to try not to drive more then 3 or 4 hours at a stretch because we will have my then almost 3 year old with us. We are probably crazy but we love to travel so we are going to give it a try. What are some must sees in your opinion?
Thanks
Adding the Grand Canyon to a Four Corners trip, might affect how much you can see elsewhere on the trip. How long a trip are you considering? Where are you starting from? Traveling with a three-year-old doesn't sound crazy to me. I was much younger when my folks started taking me on road trips...Quote:
Originally Posted by CASPERSMOM
Must sees? Hard to define without some idea of what you would like to see and do!
Mark
We are planning on doing 7 or 8 days. I am not familar with the areas at all but I would defenitly like to do a couple of things that are fun for my son. I was thinking of either heading towards Utah or Colorado. Any ideas would be great.
Just about my favorite place in the West for taking day hikes is the slick rock country of Utah. But I would certainly suggest taking the drive through Monument Valley. Do you have time to do a river trip? What level of budget have your considered for this adventure?Quote:
Originally Posted by CASPERSMOM
mark
Monument valley sounds like a great idea and I never thought about a river trip. We are pretty flexible on budget we don't get a chance to do this very often so we would like to stay in some nice hotels along the way.
Thanks for all your help this site is a big help.
I totally forgot about monument valley! This trip is looking cooler by the minute.
I have a question about a rough route. I am coming from the east -- most likely travelling through Nebraska and going into Denver (I am probably going to come back east along the top -- glacier NP, Yellowstone--maybe, Rushmore, etc), but my main question is, if I want to see the following things:
Denver, Rocky Mountain NP, the sand dunes NP, 4 corners monument, Canyonlands, Bryce, Possibly arches (think it's worth it?), zion, Grand canyon, monument valley, sedona (is that worth it or is it too touristy?)...
Do you think it can be done in 10 days or should I budget 2 more for comfort? And do you think I should snip out a couple for timing purposes?
I know that there are some cool things to see in New Mexico (I especially want to see the caves in the south, but that's another trip). Is there anything in the northern portion of the state? Does anyone know where the SETI array is?
A lot of questions, but it's only because I am getting totally excited.
Here's a link to the SETI array...actually called Very Large Array. It's about an hour south of Albuquerque. It might be a bit out of the way for this particular trip.
Arches is fantastic. But it may be too far out of your way for this trip. Personally, I prefer Bryce and Zion. I think if you see those, you'll get your beautiful red rock fix. And, unless someone knows something I don't know, the best places to see Canyonlands from is from the Moab area so, if you're skipping Arches, then you'll probably need to skip Canyonlands on this trip as well. Unless, that is, you drop some other stops from your itinerary.
I plotted your route on MS Streets & Trips. Since I don't know where you're coming from, I used Omaha, NE, as your start and end points.
I have you seeing the following in this order:
Omaha, NE
Rocky Mountain NP
Denver
Great Sand Dunes NM
4 Corners
Monument Valley
Sedona
Grand Canyon NP
Zion NP
Bryce NP
Yellowstone NP
Glacier NP
Mt. Rushmore NM
Omaha, NE
This is a trip of 4491 miles!!
That is 500 miles per day of driving. Roughly 8 hours/day. When are you going to have time to visit the places you want to see? You're really only allowing for a quick drive-by at each of these places. No time to explore, relax, and enjoy.
There's nothing wrong with a trip like that if that's what you really want to do but I think you're itinerary is way too ambitious.
Personally, I'd skip Glacier, Yellowstone, and Mt. Rushmore for this trip. Heck, I'd even skip Sedona. While Sedona is pretty cool, it's a bit far out of your way for this trip, imho.
I re-plotted your trip with the following:
Omaha, NE
Rocky Mountain NP
Denver
Great Sand Dunes NM
4 Corners
Monument Valley
Grand Canyon NP
Zion NP
Bryce NP
Moab, Utah (allowing you to see both Arches and Canyonlands)
Omaha, NE
This is still a fairly ambitious trip with 3027 miles roundtrip to/from Omaha. That would be about 300 miles per day for a 10-day trip. That's still about 6 hours in the car daily. If you can squeeze out 12 days, that's 250 miles per day (about 5 hours). Even better if you can squeeze out 14 days (for about 4-1/4 hours per day in the car, a bit better). I think this is still a bit ambitious if you want time to explore the areas you're stopping at but it's far more do-able.
And, of course, you need to add in the miles from your home because I just guessed at Omaha. How far are you from there?
Well, I hope this gives you some ideas and helps you make a plan that works for you.