Trip out west with the family

rockcity said:
Fins and Things plus the 4x4 trail to Tower Arch in Arches is a good long day and doable in a stock Jeep and plenty of fun for the family. Tower Arch doesn’t get much traffic because it’s a good hike to get to it or a couple hour drive via the off road trail, so it’s mostly desolate and avoids crowds. Hundreds of people fighting for parking spots at the typical tourist spots but Tower Arch, we saw 3 people all day. :)

I’d recommend at least checking out Grandstaff Canyon Trail if you like a moderate hike that is kid friendly. Spring fed below source of the creek that is just 100’ below Fins N Things. Neat and different perspective from nearly the same spot on the FNT trail above the canyon.

Lots of other cool spots as well, Canyonlands included.
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I didn't do fins and things when I was there last year, but we did do Hells Revenge. The horseshoe overlook of the Colorado River on hells Revenge was pretty cool.

We did the tower Arch trail and that was definitely on my list with the rental.

Vegas is only on the list as the exit point for GC and Hoover Dam. If we have to do a loop, we'd drop that.

And Albuquerque is on my radar.
 
LBarr2002 said:
And Albuquerque is on my radar.
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We were kinda disappointed with Abq as a town.... did Sandia Peak, then figured we'd go downtown for dinner, but they rolled up the sidewalks.
 
shawn said:
We were kinda disappointed with Abq as a town.... did Sandia Peak, then figured we'd go downtown for dinner, but they rolled up the sidewalks.
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I just meant as a fly in/out point in response to @trailhugger . Albuquerque was the first actual stop we made on the way out (went 27 hours before stopping). We had dinner outside under a circus tent (covid) and went to a hotel, but it was pretty dead.
 
shawn said:
We were kinda disappointed with Abq as a town.... did Sandia Peak, then figured we'd go downtown for dinner, but they rolled up the sidewalks.
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It was a Sunday night, fwiw.
 
It's on for August 2022. Flight booked and lodging for 3 nights in Silverton CO booked. Those were the critical items and limited places to stay in Silverton.

Going Tuesday through following Wednesday. Got non stop flight from GSP (about 1.5 hours from me) early flight out and late return. Tuesday we'll get the rental in Denver and drive to Colorado Springs. Hotel night there, do some supply shopping, etc. Hit Pike's Peak Wednesday morning and head to Silverton for 3 nights. Saturday we'll head to Moab and spend 4 nights. Wednesday we'll roll out for Denver return.

Colorado I plan to do the alpine loop one day and other full day plans pending.

Moab we'll have 3 full days there. I want to do one day in a trail jeep. I think Twisted Jeeps was the preferred rental? Suggestions on days to rent vs. Hitting the parks? We'll be there Sunday-Tuesday.
 
This is getting real. Less than 2 months out now. We've booked a hotel in CO springs for Tuesday night. Going to hit Pike's Peak first thing Wednesday (have to get my timed entry pass 7/1) then long drive day to Silverton via Ouray. Thursday we've booked the Cascade Canyon train out of Durango. Friday we'll hit some of the Alpine Loop. Saturday we'll leave Silverton via Ophir Pass and possibly stop in Telluride and go to the falls on Black Bear if we have time. Then from there to Moab.

I have an entry pass for Arches Sunday. Twisted Jeeps reserved Monday. Nothing set for Tuesday yet so we'll play that by ear depending on what we get to Sunday after arches. Maybe Moab Giants or the dunes.

We fly out late Wednesday so have plenty of time for the drive back to Denver.
 
That's a lot of stuff in a few days. Do you get altitude sickness?
 
So awesome! Hope you enjoy. I’m also heading west around the same time. Heading to Sand Hollow.
 
shawn said:
That's a lot of stuff in a few days. Do you get altitude sickness?
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We'll find out...

I have a friend that lives in CO Springs with a view of Pike's from his back yard. He said he's only been to the summit once because of the altitude.
 
LBarr2002 said:
We'll find out...

I have a friend that lives in CO Springs with a view of Pike's from his back yard. He said he's only been to the summit once because of the altitude.
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Can you reverse the direction of your trip? Moab and Denver are only about 4-5k feet, will give you some time to adjust. Staying in Silverton at 9k after being on Pike's Peak is likely to fuck you up.
 
shawn said:
Can you reverse the direction of your trip? Moab and Denver are only about 4-5k feet, will give you some time to adjust. Staying in Silverton at 9k after being on Pike's Peak is likely to fuck you up.
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No, too much booked. I decided to do Durango on the first full day in CO as a more of a chill day, mostly riding the train and walk around in town. Hadn't really considered the altitude but hopefully coming down to Durango will give a little more acclimation time and we'll be ok.

I'm getting back on a treadmill regimen before we go though...lol
 
There's only one way to find out... but entirely possible that you end up spending a day or two napping/headache/nauseous/etc.
 
rockcity said:
When in Moab, don’t forget about Canyonlands.

Have fun!
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Mac5005 said:
Canyonlands And dead horse are worth not missing.
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So what are the must sees in Canyonlands? I was reading about it the other day, the multiple sections, etc. Seems like Island in the Sky is the most accessible and most popular? Go there and roam or try to get to one of the other sections?
 
We got in at 1:30 this morning after an epic trip. I did a short daily recap on our SC forum.

www.offroadsc.com

OffroadSC goes West, Again Again....

It's getting real. A month from tomorrow we'll be in the air on the way to Denver. I probably won't be posting on social media while we're gone, but I may post some highlights here. I started planning this trip last fall, wanting to tow the camper and sight see along the way. No matter how I...
www.offroadsc.com www.offroadsc.com
 
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