Suggestions for my next trips west

Bears?

 

If you are going to be near Durango here are 3 must see places that haven’t been mentioned yet:
Mesa Verde...fascinating NP where you can drive the rim roads and see the amazing sights or take most of the day and visit some of the sites within the park. It’s remote so you have to get an early start but worth it.
Goosenecks SP....it’s in Utah and you can drive from the viewpoint up a good gravel road to the top of a mesa and with binoculars see all the way to Monument Valley. Very cool views of the entire immediate area which is so beautiful. Stay in Bluff and eat at the steakhouse. Fantastic food. There is also an area of petroglyphs just outside the town.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument in NM...stay at Holiday Inn Express in Chinle. The rim road has fantastic views and you can rent Navajo guides who will take you on horseback along the canyon floors and you can see many of the ancient settlements built into the rock face. If you just do the drives, N and S, schedule a few hours but like Mesa Verde it’s a glimpse into a unique piece of history.
It would be a day for MV and a long day for the other 2 if you stayed in Bluff area and did them as a day trip. It’s pretty desolate country in places but what an experience.

 

I once covered a Flagstaff-Chinle high school baseball game that ended 45-1 after 4 1/2 innings due to a mercy rule that should have kicked in much earlier.

Chinle used to play in a region with the Flag schools, Mingus in Cottonwood and Page. Best for them that they moved down in classification because they had no chance to compete in anything.

One of our football coaches bitched that we never traveled to cover their games at Chinle. Our response was that they could just call in their 62-0 running-clock final and save us all the misery.

 

Chinle didnt seem to have any sports facilities at least none that I saw. It’s not gonna make anyone’s ‘best’ list but the Canyon is something to see.
Obviously not much of a sports town.

 

Google Maps

 

Not disputing that Canyon de Chelly is awesome. Just sharing some anecdotes from my time near the rez.

 

Hell, Utah. Close enough to Wyoming (everything is far anyway), so might as well go visit this:

 

It was 2015 when my wife and I took our camperized van to Utah and NM for a month. A memorable trip for sure but I was a bit surprised that the tourism industry hasn’t really bolstered the economies of some of the smaller towns close to these fantastic landmarks and NPs. I guess the heat and water supply issues have something to do with it as well as tourist volumes.

 

@I Should Coco, Another question about Glacier. I've been told you aren't supposed to hike alone because of bears. However, I've also been told the trails I would be doing are sufficiently well traveled I don't have to worry. So how much risk is there if I go alone?

Great information. Thanks. I had Goosenecks on my list. I hadn't planned on going to Colorado (other than wasting time getting the stupid photo standing on the four corners thing), but Mesa Verde sounds awesome. I should gone to Canyon de Chelly when I was driving from NM to Joshua Tree. It looked like it was just that much out of the way that I decided I couldn't fit it in. I may have to figure out what to cut out to add it to this next trip.

@Cosmo, I did a quick trip to the North Rim from Zion last year. I knew I had to go back. I am so excited I managed to get a cabin for one night in the park.

@YankeeFan, Thankfully, that is far, far away from where I will be. I know there is no fucking way I could make myself step onto that without crying and barfing.

@Slacker, Opie does not get to go on these trips. Let me know if you'd like to babysit, though.

 

Dead Horse Point State Park, basically right next to Arches in Moab, is really cool. Dead Horse Point State Park | Utah State Parks

 

Most of the popular hiking trails — Avalanche Lake and Hidden Lake, at the top of Logan Pass, for example — are crowded enough you would be fine.

When a bear (or worse, bear cubs) have been sighted near or on a trail, the rangers usually close it down.

It's a huge park in terms of open land ... anywhere regularly visited by humans, bears tend to avoid. I think you would be fine hiking alone, especially on the well-traveled trails.

 

I’m leaving Wednesday morning for SLC, then driving to Moab to start this adventure. After researching and getting suggestions, I am trying to cram way too much in - Deadhorse State Park, Arches and Canyonlands from Moab, stops at Wilson’s Arch and Natural Bridges when I leave Moab, Mesa Verda Park and a quick top at the Four Corners monument just because, on my way to Chinle, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, one of the Antelope Slot Canyons (I waited way too long to book this), Grand Canyon North Rim and Bryce Canyon, before a red eye from SLC back to Florida. I can only do this because I am retired so can sleep when I get home from my vacation.

Thanks to all who added to my itinerary. Only suggestions I am now taking are for restaurants along my way, especially Moab, and anything I should thing about doing on my drive from Bryce to SLC.