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This is the sixth article in a series of 7 called Road trip from Phoenix to Mount Rushmore. Check out the introduction to this series in “Day 1, Rim Country Arizona; New Mexico; Pagosa Springs, Colorado.”
When we started day 8 of our road trip from Phoenix to Mount Rushmore, we were very much ready to get home to Phoenix. By the day’s end, we would at least be back in Arizona – but Day 8 would have lots for us to see in eastern Utah. We weren’t done exploring just yet!
We began the day on the farm near Grand Junction, in a small town called Fruita where we grabbed groceries, coffee, and fuel. We then headed west into Utah, our second of three states for the day. We crossed the state line after about 15 minutes on I-70, where we stayed for maybe another 45 minutes before exiting at Crescent Junction to head south on US-191.
Now, if you know anything about exploring the west or the US highway system, then you know when I said “US-191” that we were in for a treat that day.
Stop #1: Moab
Moab is just 42 miles from I-70, so it didn’t take us long to begin exploring. It was more of an easy driving around town day, because we had to get to Page (in Arizona) and still had other places in Utah to see.
So we didn’t really get to do what Moab is famous for (offroading, if you didn’t know) – but that’ll be another trip.
Moab is actually after both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks if you are coming from the north like we were – but we got our timed entry pass for Arches National Park for 11AM at the Utah Welcome Center back on I-70, at maybe 9:00. So that would have put us at Arches a good hour and a half too early, or at Canyonlands too late to explore it and get back to Arches on time.
With that, we decided to just pass them both, spend a little time driving around Moab, and we’d then go back to the parks.
We found a less touristy spot, the Mill Creek Trailhead, and walked around and checked out the muddy falls. After driving around a bit more in Moab, we drove back to Arches National Park.
Stop #2: Arches National Park
As mentioned earlier, we obtained a required timed entry pass before arriving. Our timed entry was for the 11:00 hour, and we arrived around 11:15. Be aware that even. If you arrive within your window, there will still be a wait. There was a “one hour wait” sign, but the line was less than half of that. We waited about 20 minutes. The ranger checked our pass and my ID, gave us a map, and we headed on our way.
Upon entering the park, the visitor’s center is on the right. We didn’t go in because we still had a lot of ground to cove. However, there’s a pullout not too far after that which serves as an overlook, and we did stop there to mount my DJI Osmo Action camera to the mirror and record the drive through the park.
As a side note, I arrived at a pretty epic action cam setup for mounting anywhere on my truck, without spending very much. I’ve used the exact same setup to mount to my truck’s side mirror (pictured above), on the side of the truck bed, under the truck for diagnostic purposes, or up in the air above and behind the truck. Here’s a link to the setup!
We covered maybe 75% of the drivable portions of the park. We opted not to do any hiking because we had our daughter, the dog was in the truck, and we still had to get to Arizona.
Favorite spots include La Sal Mountains Viewpoint (especially if it has just rained!), Courthouse Towers Overlook, Double Arch, Window Arch, and Double O Arch.
Once we got to the furthest point from the welcome center – Devil’s Garden Road (it’s a loop), we headed back the way we came and out of the park. From what we could tell, the park is one way in and out.
Stop #3: Canyonlands National Park
We went immediately from Arches to Canyonlands National Park It’s perhaps worth noting, since the signs for both parks make it look like they are both right off US-91, that this is not the case with Canyonlands. The Islands in the Sky Visitor Center (the northernmost one) is actually 35 minutes away from Arches. Canyonlands also has another entrance from the south.
Canyonlands, being a little further away from town than Arches, was much less busy. No timed entry was required, and there was no wait at all. We pulled right up to the entry gate.
Unfortunately, since it was afternoon at this point and we still had to get to Page, we didn’t stay here long, especially since it took an hour to get from US-191 to the park and back. We took in the view from one of the first stops, compared it to the Grand Canyon, took a few photos, and headed back toward Moab. But I’d love to come back here sometime with more time to spend.
Stop #4: Moab (again)
Before we left the Moab area, we had to stop for lunch and afternoon coffee. For lunch we went to Trailhead Public House nd Eatery. Expectations were not high since it was in a really touristy area right off the main road through Moab, but it turned out to be pretty decent.
After lunch, we tried out Más Cafe, and it was definitely the real choice. It was away from the main road, so it wasn’t busy. The barista definitely knew his stuff, and was patient with our questions, but the best part was he made phenomenal drinks! Highly recommend stopping here.
Before moving on to our next stop further south down US-191, a suggestion: Research gas prices and locations in this part of the country. In Moab, Kayenta, and Page, gas was $3.30-3.60, because tourism. But in between – in the middle of nowhere, such as Blanding and White Mesa, it was under $3.00. And I mentioned location because there aren’t a ton of gas stations at all, much less good brands if you care about that (a couple Sinclair stations and a Marathon over an hour and a half drive were pretty much it).
Honorary Stop #5: Monument Valley
I say honorary because we didn’t stop. We actually went around Monument Valley on US-191 and US-160, instead of through it via US-163. But if we’d had more time (it was probably 7:00 PM when we were in the area) and hadn’t just been there in the fall, we would have stopped and explored.
If you haven’t been to Monument Valley, here’s what you should know:
- You can camp around it, but there are also a few Airbnbs in the area
- You can’t really see it from US-191
- You can drive by it and see it (including Forrest Gump point) decently well without entering the park
- Take US-163 from Kayenta, or from US-191 depending on where you’re coming from
- Where you see the speed limit suddenly drop, it’s because people are sitting/standing/laying in the middle of the road taking pictures (and not all of them pay attention), so slow down and pay attention.
- There are also free range cows – a small group of them were blocking the road in the sunrise hours the first time I visited
- Forrest Gump Point is north of the park
- The park straddles Utah and Arizona, and is on Navajo land. As such, it is a Navajo tribal park, not a state park or US national park
- To get the best views, you need to pay and go into the park (I haven’t done this….yet), but it’s a dirt road where high clearance is suggested
- They offer tours where they drive you through if you’re worried about your vehicle
Day 8 final stop: Marble Canyon
Having driven around Monument Valley, we were finally back in Arizona. The lodge we rented via Airbnb was in Marble Canyon, which I didn’t realize was nearly 45 minutes from Page. We stopped quickly in Page to use the restroom and browse a gas station gift shop, and arrived at our lodge at around 8:15 at night. We’ll talk more about Marble Canyon in the next (and final) article of this series – “Phoenix to Mount Rushmore Day 9, Northern Arizona.”
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