So my bro-in-law is getting married in Vegas on June 30 and we're supposed to be there. This will be our only chance to take a trip before fall so we're going to make a road-trip of it and visit some of the parks in the Desert Southwest. I'd rather be making this trip in the off-season when there are fewer crowds and cooler temps, but it's not my wedding so oh well. The plan is to leave Houston on a Friday, and arrive in Vegas the following Friday.
[Edit - itinerary updated 4/26]
It's a pretty full schedule, but I feel like dropping anything would be a missed opportunity; there's just so much to do and see out there. I really wanted to spend a second night in GCNP camping at Toroweap, but unless I drop either the Paige, Monument Valley, or Bryce stop there just isn't enough time. And as neat at Toroweap Point looks, I think these other stops offer more bang for my time.
I considered Zion instead of Bryce, but in the end I chose the latter for cooler temps and (hopefully) fewer crowds. I'm guessing the Angel's Landing and Narrows hikes would be pretty crowded that time of year, but I'm hoping we can find some trails with fewer people on them in Bryce, plus with the cooler temps we can hike into the afternoon without getting roasted.
So does this look realistic, or is there something I've failed to consider? I'm not crazy about the fact we won't get to do much real hiking until Wednesday, but there's really no getting around the fact that the first few days are mostly spent driving, there's a lot of ground to cover coming from Houston.
[Edit - itinerary updated 4/26]
- Outbound trip
------------- - Friday - Drive Houston to Amarillo (598 miles)
- Saturday - Drive Amarillo to Farmington (465 miles). Shoot sunset at Shiprock.
- Sunday - Shoot sunrise/early AM at Bisti Badlands; drive to Mexican Hat, UT (130 Miles); shoot Monument Valley late afternoon/early evening.
- Monday - Sunrise tour in Monument Valley; drive to Page, AZ (125 Miles); shoot lower Antelop in afternoon; sunset?
- Tuesday - pre-dawn/sunrise at Horshoe Bend; midday at Upper Antelope Canyon; drive to GC North RIM (125 miles) (camp)
- Wednesday - spend sunrise/AM/early afternoon GC N Rim; drive to Bryce in afternoon (160 miles)
- Thursday - spend day in Bryce
- Friday - AM in Bryce, drive to Vegas that afternoon. (250 miles)
- Return trip
----------- - Sunday - Drive Vegas to Albuquerque (574 miles)
- Monday - Drive to White Sands/Alamogordo (243 miles) - spend afternoon/sunset at White Sands
- Tuesday - Sunrise at White Sands if not too tired; drive to San Antonio (647 miles). I know, very long day. But we can drive fast on I-10.
- Wenesday - Drive home to Houston (200 miles)
It's a pretty full schedule, but I feel like dropping anything would be a missed opportunity; there's just so much to do and see out there. I really wanted to spend a second night in GCNP camping at Toroweap, but unless I drop either the Paige, Monument Valley, or Bryce stop there just isn't enough time. And as neat at Toroweap Point looks, I think these other stops offer more bang for my time.
I considered Zion instead of Bryce, but in the end I chose the latter for cooler temps and (hopefully) fewer crowds. I'm guessing the Angel's Landing and Narrows hikes would be pretty crowded that time of year, but I'm hoping we can find some trails with fewer people on them in Bryce, plus with the cooler temps we can hike into the afternoon without getting roasted.
So does this look realistic, or is there something I've failed to consider? I'm not crazy about the fact we won't get to do much real hiking until Wednesday, but there's really no getting around the fact that the first few days are mostly spent driving, there's a lot of ground to cover coming from Houston.
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