Southwest itinerary suggestions

[dbier]

Hi all,

 

I'm in the (very) early stages of planning a 2007 trip. It started

when I saw photos of Antelope Canyon and has now grown into the idea

of a 7-10 day road trip to photograph landscapes in the SW region,

which I've never visited. I'll probably be travelling with a non-

photographer friend and neither of us are avid hikers or campers.

We're just looking for a chilled out guys US road trip, with quality

budget accomodation and hopefully not too many crowds.

 

I think I should be able to cover Upper/Lower Antelope, the Grand

Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches/Canyonlands, and the Hoover Dam. I'd

thought of flying into Page and home to the UK from Las Vegas. Any

thoughts on other must sees, the best time of year to go(I was

initially thinking September), and the plausibility of getting to all

these sites?

 

Thanks,

David

[doug grosjean]

September is somewhat reasonable, except that you would be at the tail end of the monsoon season - you could have dramatic clouds, or just gray skies, depending on your luck. And Vegas won't be cold in September, not much cooler than in August.

 

End of April would be my first best guess for decent weather (cool and dry) and clear skies.

 

One suggestion - there's a dirt road, a state road actually, that leaves Boulder UT headed SE, you catch a ferry across Lake Powell. Stunning scenery as you drop off the high plateau and into the low desert via a series of switchbacks. You'll need somethnig with ground clearance, as you have to cross a small creek (Bullfrog Creek, IIRC) before you get to Lake Powell. It's a bit of an adventure, you'll feel as though you're in wilderness but there are vehicles coming along now and then. Take water, and a bit of food.

 

That road has a name, but I'm bad with names - Burr Trail, maybe?

[lalit]

IF you are at page..don't miss Horseshoe bend and if possible Valeey of the gods state park, gooseneck state park. You can do these by driving from page-monument valley-moab. All lie on the way.

[michaelging]

I would Include, Canyon De Chelly in that list.

[SCL]

Think about adding a couple of days to your itinerary...once you get to some of these spots you'll be captivated by them and really need more than a day to take them in and get to your next spot. Some of the distances between locations can be fairly deceiving with all the scenery in between.

[doug grosjean]

Kodachrome Basin might be a must-see for any photographer... ;)

[louie]

Arches/Canyonlands are too outlying in your itinerary. You'll burn a lot of time backtracking. Unless those are "must-sees", I'd substitute Zion/Bryce for them and fly in/out of Vegas. This makes the circle itinerary a bit more manageable, flights will be cheaper, and the car rental will be cheaper.<p>

<p>

Agree that in September, you might not get the great cloud formations that makes for great photography at Monument Valley. However, August is the busiest travel month in the U.S., so you'd get a lot of crowds. October is a good time to go since it's not too hot, and you get fall colors, but again, you lose out on the cloud formations. <p>

<p>

A nice itinerary would look something like this:<p>

<p>

Day 1: Arrive Vegas<p>

Day 2: Drive Zion (2.5 Hours)<p>

Day 3: Morning Zion; Afternoon Drive Bryce (2 Hours)<p>

Day 4: Sunrise Bryce, Drive Page<p>

Day 5: Morning - Noon Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Afternoon Drive Monument Valley (4 Hours)<p>

Day 6: Monument Valley<p>

Day 7: Drive South Rim Grand Canyon (4 Hours)<p>

Day 8: South Rim Grand Canyon<p>

Day 9: Drive Vegas via Hoover Dam (4.5 Hours)<p>

Day 10: Fly Home<p>

[dbier]

Hi all,

 

Great suggestions so far, much appreciated. On the subject of Monument Valley cloud formations, when IS the best time to catch these?

 

Regards,

David

[michaelging]

Monsoon season starts usallly the second week of July and goes till the second week in Sept. The best time is the Month of August.

[linda_vesci1]

I just got back from the southwest. You will definitely need more than 7 days to see the areas you mention. I would personally skip Hoover Dam, because there are much better things to see. Go into Antelope Canyon before noon to get the light rays - this was the first time I timed it right and it was worth it. I don't bother with lower Antelope anymore. If you tell them you are a photographer, they will let you go on your own ahead of the crowd. They were very accomodating to me. I also liked Buckskin Gulch because you can shoot the slot canyon without crowds. If you aren't a hiker, then you can shoot pictures and leave without hiking deep into the canyon. The boat ride is a good suggestion. I also have to highly recommend the following book which I used extensively - Photographing the Southwest Volume 1, A guide to the natural landmarks of Southern Utah, by Laurent Martres. Mr. Martres is going to be publishing a book covering Arizona later this year. Have fun, Linda

[dbier]

Hi Linda,

 

I'm now thinking this will be a 10 day trip (excluding travel, so 10 actual days). We'll probably be going in April to take advantage of the bank holidays in the UK. I am aware of the Laurent Martres books, and was going to purchase them...thanks for the additional recommendation! I also knew another book was due out, but didn't know it would cover Arizona, so thanks for the info!

 

David