Next week I’m taking a four day whirlwind trip around SW Utah and NW AZ. Interested in sharing some PMs with someone from that area.

Drive Hwy 12.

You won’t be disappointed if you stop by Zion National Park

Don't live there, but allow me a suggestion. Make sure you visit Kolob Canyon NP, just south of Cedar City on I-15. Your National Park Pass will get you in. Spectacular formations and color, even just from the drive-through. One of the least heralded and least visited despite being the easiest to get to.

I have been scouting that area of Utah for a relocation move. Several good towns but those damn Californians are moving in fast.

Cedar Breaks is where "Jeremiah Johnson" was filmed. It too is just out of Cedar City.

If you have the time, drive 89 east out of St George/Hurricane towards Kanab. From there drive 89A east across the Kaibab Plateau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaibab_Plateau) to Jacobs Lake. From there it gets even better. Jacobs Lake is the gateway to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but I say drive east towards the Vermillion Cliffs and Marble Canyon. Bring a picnic lunch and have plenty of memory for photos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermilion_Cliffs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Canyon

what's you exact plans.....

Big fire went through Jacob's Lake this year ?

Hwy 12 is close to my turf...2 hrs ish,,,,,,but a great road trip...

Make a loop trip.....Boulder.....Capitol Reef....Burr Trail ......Torrey

Henry Mtn's.........? Southern Utah is so diverse....

You could easily spend all 4 days east of Hwy 89 & south of I 70 in Utah

Remember elevation changes fast......Bryce is at 8K'...Capitol Reef at 7K' Hwy 12 crosses 10K'

Pic......Henry's......4x4 suggested....bucks soon in rut.....biggest mule deer bucks on the planet

I don't know about the Cedar Breaks part, but part of JJ was filmed in Snow Canyon State Park just outside St. George. The scene where Del Gue was buried in the sand is just inside the south entrance to the park. Snow Canyon is well worth visiting. Spectacular scenery, and much more accessible than the big national parks. Butch Cassidy was filmed there too, and The Conquerers, probably others as well.

Paul

I'd get off I40 at Flagstaff, head north on highway 89, turn off to Kayenta, eat at the Burger King and see the Navajo Code Talkers museum inside. Then head towards and see Monument Valley. Stay overnight at Mexican Hat at the motel/restaurant the hangs over the San Juan River. Get up and head to the state park where the river bends like a horseshoe. Then up the Moqui Dugway to Muley Point. Turn left off the road after getting to the top. Spectacular views of Monument Valley and all the surrounding mountain ranges. back in the road to Arches National Park. Continue on highway 12 and see the most beautiful scenery you could imagine. See Tikkanut's it's post, he nails it.

Bryce Canyon, Zion's, Cedar Breaks definitely.

Lot of it depends on how much time you have. I'd be happy to answer any questions. Art

4 days is not enough time ;-) Zion, Kolob, Bryce, North Rim Grand Canyon, Hwy 12 to Escalante-Calf Creek Falls-Capital Reef NP. North of Vegas is Valley of Fire State Park. Monument Valley and other Navajo Tribal Parks are closed until at least Jan 1 due to Covid.

Where does your trip start/end- Vegas? What have you seen before?

Burger King in Kayenta ????

I think when they run outta beef burgers......

they go out the back door & grab a stray dog..............

Moki Dugway is crazy kool.....Muley Point...yes....

Prob is...the 4 day stay....need more time...4x4 truck/SUV is a ++ too

OP.......what R U driving is the question ?

you may have to skip AZ....

Then you can add a Fish Lake loop to the trip (west of Torrey-access on Hwy 72)

Yea..the Rez & Covid-19....

bring mask(s) etc.....

pic near Hwy 12

Really good advice above. You are in for four days of great stuff.

the code talker museum is the reason for the BK visit in Kayenta.

IF you just want to see wild country, you can turn north off I-40 at Chambers, Az and travel 191 through Ganado and Chinle to get to kayenta.

Another path would be to get off at Gallup and travel 264 all the way to Tuba City, that would take you though all of the Hopi Mesas.

If you are flying into Vegas to start this trip, disregard.

Wow! the pics are making me want to be there now.

Right now our plan is to get to Las Vegas early Saturday around 8:30. 4 days is definitely not enough time but we are wanting to get around a bit and just see the area. None of us have been there before.

We will be driving. Our plan is to hit somewhere along the north rim on Saturday then up to Page. That's a crazy long day.

Sunday. We will wander around Vermillion cliffs cross the Navajo bridge. Daughter wants to see Angel Canyon.

Our plan is to be around Bryce Canyon on Monday.

On Tuesday we will see some of Zion.

Wed we fly back home.

Fast and furious but I've never been west of Houston, Texas or Springfield, MO whichever is further west of the other. I'm pretty much expecting to want to pack up and move as soon as I get back home.

That's kind of an appetizer visit, but not a bad one. Use it to plan much longer visits next time.

If you have never been here, allow me to summarize this part of the West: You can set your camera on self-time, throw it high in the air anywhere - and get picture postcards.

Random assortment in Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, and Nevada (in no particular order)

Moqui Dugway and Mexican Hat are pretty cool...

next time come back......bring a 4x4 sumthing......more time too

some more 'out my back door'

That pictogram is incredible!

That sure is. A rock painting would be on the short list of things I'd like to see. Are there any close by our route that you guys can recommend?

everywhere......you just need more time......

next trip...really....Bryce....Escalante...Boulder....Torrey....Henry Mtn's..Fish Lake Forest....

San Rafael Swell........

I live on the west edge of the 'Swell'........

Desert Bighorns are doing well........after all these 100's of years

This guy......

just wanted his pic taken....

spent 30 minutes with him.....and his bud's

The petroglyph looks like Parowan Gap. That is located west of I15. From Cedar City: Go north on Main (or take Interstate 15 Exit 62) to UT 130. Continue north 13.5 miles, then turn east (right) 2.5 miles on a good gravel road to Parowan Gap.

How Mexican Hat got it's name:

A little piece of Muley Point

You will make yourself crazy trying to flit about and see lots of places. Miles and miles of miles and miles between good stopping places. Winter will be setting in down there in places, North Rim may be closed as may other parks. Pick a couple of spots to spend some quality time, plan for a longer trip next time. You could spend the rest of your days down there and not see it all.
Hope you have a good time.

near Lee's Ferry. That's the Colorado near the launch site for raft trips through the Canyon.

Zion and the immediate area would be the easiest. You could spend months in that area. And then drive past Tikka's place on Highway 12 in the late spring.

Enjoy.

Petroglyph was the word I wanted. Thanks!

The four major points, North Rim, Vermillion Cliffs/Angel Canyon, Bryce, Zion are our targeted areas. We plan on hitting a few points of interest at each. My goal is simply to "Be" when I'm there. There will be a good bit of driving which will give us a sense of the magnitude and let us do a good bit of windshield exploration. The itinerary seems busy but doable in four days?

That's a decent summary. Dress warm (especially for Bryce!) and always have a camera ready. You never know when a "LOOKATDAT!" will pop up.

Going north out of Lost Wages, you'll pass through Mesquite (buy your trip booze at Lee's) and then the Virgin River Gorge. The few miles through that gorge will be your intro to what you are about to experience.

nope........local in my 'hood

Rochester Panel.....local

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester_Rock_Art_Panel

bring some warm clothes........

weather front coming in soon......

38* for the high

14* low

Thanks for the suggestions for clothing. We were planning on layers. Sounds like we will need it a these elevations. What about altitude and breathing? I'm at 1000ish feet where I live.

Any idea what the lizard critters are in the glyphs?

The altitude will kick your butt, IZ. Don't plan on any hiking or climbing. Heck, a flight of stairs might make you head woozy. It's happened to almost every visitor we've had. You will also need skin lotion, lip balm, and eye drops because the air is so dry. You will never feel sweaty, but you're losing water as fast as ever - or more. So don't forget to hydrate despite being gobsmacked by the scenery.

Oh yea.......Utah...

'You'll lick your lips & pick your nose'

Really will

Bring Chapstick for everyone....you'll thank us later

Depending on your physical condition....elevation will still prob kick your butt

It's 6K' out my back door...up from there

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park

I want to do that sometime Tikka. I have a Suzuki 400. It's got fuel injection so altitude should not be a problem.

kwg

come on over

my back yard !

http://www.castlecountry.com/San-Rafael-Swell

Spend the night in Mexican Hat. There are two hotels on the San Juan, one is nestled in the cliffs. Leave there and head to Gooseneck State Park before driving through Valley of the Gods, and finish the day at Muley Point. You can pack a lot of great sites into one day like this.

well ?

did ya go or still there ?

better hurry.....

summer's over !

https://www.ksl.com/article/5004435...-weather-forecast-to-return-this-weekend

Well. You guys were right. I'm sitting in a hotel in Mt Carmel Junction, UT looking out the hotel window at snow covered red rock and Juniper.

After landing in Las Vegas on Saturday we rented a car and headed up I 15. Made a supply stop at the Walmart on the south side of St. George then headed for Hurricane and eventually the North Rim Visitors center. The variation in low and high desert is pretty amazing. Is there a Mid desert? If so I'm thinking that St George is in it. Heading from there to Hurricane was interesting. A thousand feet of elevation and the world changed quickly. The sage desert is very appealing. I really like it. I wasn't sure if I would having lived in the east all of my life.

We stopped at Jacob Lake for a little break and to regroup. We had known to expect snow but were determined to see what we could of the GC. I don't remember the exact elevation but we hit or almost hit 9000 ft?. Never been that high on the ground before. By the time we arrived at the north rim snow had been falling for a bit. We walked past the Lodge and got a bit of a glimpse of the canyon as the wind began to push hard up the canyon. Visibility was horrible as the snow began to come in sideways and sting our skin. I went down to the overlook below the Lodge and got a bit of video. Lost my cap! It blew off and resides in the GC below the North Rim Lodge! What we were able to see was pretty amazing so another trip is in order.

We headed back north and fought snow for quite a few miles. We were fortunate to see two Buffalo cross the road in a small valley on the way out. It was an awesome experience to see these two guys up close (from the car) with snow on their coats. They were in a bit of a rush an let us see a bit of their athleticism as they ran across the road and up onto the mountain. We also saw a pretty nice Muley Buck with three doe and several doe along the way in other places. Another first live experience.

We made it back to Jacob Lake and decided to stay the night there. We had planned to push through to Page but though it better to alter our plans. That turned out good. Sunday we left Jacob Lake and 5 inches of snow with a beautiful sunny blue sky. What we weren't prepared for was being Gobsmacked by the transition from the Kaibab Plateau into the valley! I've now seen it but how can it be put into words. Vast? Huge? Immense? Vermillion cliffs, Navajo Bridge, up onto the Mesa, Horse Shoe Bend and on to Page. There were lots of "Oh WOW! Look at THAT!" moments yestereday. The changing color of rock. The quick changes in elevation...3000ft, 4500ft, 3500ft, 5500ft. I like it.

Coming across 89 back toward Kanab was a treat. The clouds had built up from the morning. We had seen the storm at a distance over the Kaibab. By the time we got to 89 west of Page it had caught up to us a bit. The vastness of this country again assaulted our senses as we watched a distant snow storm south of us in the valley only to see the red rock cliffs to the north of 89 on fire from the sunlight that peeked through the cloud openings. The setting for Kanab is beautiful by the way. If I could make a living there I'd be tempted to make that little town a target destination.

There is snow forecast for the morning. We will head out and try to find a decent cup of coffee (someone needs to introduce north eastern AZ to fresh ground :-) ) and head to Zion. Temp is to be in the low to mid forties today. We will drive and hope for some short hikes and expect to be amazed in a whole new way. We had planned to go back to NV tomorrow but have altered the plan once again and will stay around St George, explore and do a bit of reconnaissance. Not being sure what awaits us today I'm confident that the adventure that we have experienced so far will continue, an adventure that is so far worthy of the most noble of Hobbits.

I'll try to post a few pics as a humble thank you for the opportunity to see this country and to express appreciation to you who lent advice and encouragement.

tag

Yep...

first winter storm hit here this morning......3-5" of snow on the highway

Semi belly dump coal trucks spun out along Hwy 10....UHP with 4x4's pulling them up the grade

Still snowing....all the west needs moisture.......OP......

Glad ya got to see some of Utah...we may be in for a long winter

PS.......Hwy 12 is probably closed.....

I hate to do this but...we told ya so. But no amount of warning can prepare you for all that gobsmacking, can it?

You now have the tiniest inkling of what it's like to drive around this state. It's a constant stream of "Lookatdat!" no matter where you look. In all four seasons, I might add. I can make only one more prediction: you'll be back.

it is nice to have that in the backyard. As a local, I probably don't appreciate it as much as I should. I do make time to get out in it, maybe not as much as I should. Thanks for the great write up.