Topic: No. AZ So. UT Suggestions

[G.B.H.]

My wife and I are in the planning stages of a 3 week northern Arizona Southern Utah overland trek. Looking for any must do trail or sight suggestions. Loose plan of connect the dots is Sedona, Grand Canyon, possibly out to Monument Valley to Halls Crossing, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase, North side Grand Canyon. We are thinking of trails like Schnebly Hill (is it worth it or just too crowded), Road to 50 mile point and Hole in the Rock etc. Backroads to Grand Canyon. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

XGBHX.

[FBinSD]

Valley of the Gods in Southern Utah is a nice place to camp for the night

[G.B.H.]

Thanks! We'll check it out.

[JFanaselle]

Valley of the Gods in Southern Utah is a nice place to camp for the night

I'm going to second this. Valley of the Gods is like a miniature version of Monument Valley. It's managed by the BLM, so no entrance fees or BS to deal with. Camp up at Muley Point, above Valley of the Gods. It's a big bluff that stands about 1,000 feet above the valley floor, and you can camp right on the edge overlooking the San Juan River valley and Goosenecks state park. It's breathtaking, especially at sunset. The wind can get a bit gnarly up there and the overnight temperatures plummet in the winter (we camped there in February, and it dropped to 15 degrees overnight when it had been in the 60s during the day). Just watch a couple of YouTube videos about the place and know what to expect.

Some other things to see right in that immediate area would be Goosenecks State Park, and Mexican Hat Rock.

Monument Valley is also worth the visit, as are Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, if you find yourself near Page. Pro tip - do the "secret Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend" tour instead of the regular canyon tours or the public viewpoint of Horseshoe bend. The "secret canyon" tour takes you to a different, smaller canyon, but it's just as breathtaking. It's on Navajo land and the tour company is only allowed to bring small groups - like 20 people at a time. Then when you're done in the canyon, they also take you to a private viewpoint overlooking Horseshoe bend, also on Navajo land. The other canyon trips and the main overlook at Horseshoe Bend can all get as crowded as Disneyland, especially during certain times of year.

Monument Valley is also worth the trip. The visitor's center is really cool, and it's just one of those things that you have to see in person in order to fully appreciate the beauty, like the Grand Canyon.

[G.B.H.]

Thanks again! Sounds like we should def make the effort to go a little bit further east to visit the Monument Valley area. We were debating doing that or spending more time going up through Page from South Grand Canyon and exploring Capitol Reef etc. So much to see and do. Hard to eliminate areas.

[G.B.H.]

BTW. Can't find any available tours while we will be around Page. Pretty much all of October is booked on all the sites I checked. Covid. Half capacity and a still a lot people doing more covid safe vacationing. Guess we'll have to tour the area again sometime.

[JFanaselle]

Thanks again! Sounds like we should def make the effort to go a little bit further east to visit the Monument Valley area. We were debating doing that or spending more time going up through Page from South Grand Canyon and exploring Capitol Reef etc. So much to see and do. Hard to eliminate areas.

It's not a direct shot over to Monument Valley from Page, but it's not terrible (I think we made it from Monument Valley to Page in about 2 hours). Once you're at Monument Valley, it's just a few miles north to Mexican Hat, Valley of the Gods, and Muley Point from there. You can also stop at "Forest Gump Point" along the drive from Monument Valley to Mexican Hat (it's a cool photo-op). So in theory, you could detour from the Page area over to Monument Valley, then hit Mexican Hat Rock, Valley of the Gods, and Muley Point all in the same day. Camp at Muley for the night, and head back over to Page the next day and get back on your original course. Would be a 1.5 to 2 day "wing" of your trip.

For the Horseshoe Bend/Antelope Canyon tour - are you sure you're checking the right company? There are two or three that go to the "main" canyons, and those ones book up like crazy and get super crowded. This is the one I am recommending to use: https://horseshoebendtours.com/slot-canyon-plus-overlook

I'm not sure what days you'll be in/around Page, but they look to have quite a bit of availability in the month of October. I highly recommend doing the combo package, which takes you to the canyon first, then to the Horseshoe Bend overlook next. It's a REALLY memorable experience.

[G.B.H.]

Thanks for the link. I did check with that tour company. There are only two days available while we are on our trip. Neither are days we could guarantee to make it. We are very improv on our travels. I will keep the link though and when we are in the area and maybe have cell service, I'll see if anyone dropped out and something is available. Does seem like something my wife and I would enjoy.