Road Trip: Grand Canyon to Denver- Day 1: Flagstaff, Arizona to Moab, Utah

May 15, 9:03 AMPhoenix Western US Travel ExaminerAngele Sionna

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My favorite "monument" rock in Monument Valley

Road tripping from the Grand Canyon to Denver takes you through some of the country's most scenic and most unpopulated areas. There are several ways to go along this route. This guide will take you on the most scenic, from Flagstaff, Arizona through Moab, Utah, then onto Denver, which I've made myself several times. I think it's the easiest and most beautiful way to go. For a little bit longer route with a different kind of beauty, check out my alternate route suggestion via Durango, Colorado.

Day 1: Flagstaff, Arizona to Moab, Utah

• Where to stay and eat in Moab

Day 2: Moab to Glenwood Springs, Colorado

• Where to stay and what to do in Glenwood Springs

Day 3: Glenwood Springs to Denver

Day 1 Drive time: About 5 hours if only stopping for gas... more if you want to visit attractions along the way.

We start in Flagstaff, as it is a popular spot to stay while visiting the Grand Canyon's South Rim.

Starting in Flagstaff - get gas at the Conoco or Varsity gas stations on Milton at Riordan. You can save 10-20 cents per gallon at these stations versus others in town and they're just a few blocks off I-40.

Take I-40 for a few miles, taking the exit for 89A north toward Page. This will save you 15 minutes versus driving Route 66 through town. Take 89A toward Tuba City.

About 18 miles outside of Flagstaff is the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Watch for the signs because they exit isn't marked well. This is about the point where the nice divided four lane highway turns into a two lane road with passing zones. This road is frequently busy and its boring.

45 minutes outside of Flagstaff is Cameron where you can stop for gas food and Native American arts and other things at the Cameron Trading Post just north of the tiny town. They have clean restrooms and the best price in gas in this area, but usually about 10 cents more than in Flagstaff. But if you're following this guide in reverse, you may want to stop here if you don't stop in Tuba City.

If you don't stop, about an hour outside of Flagstaff turn onto highway 160 to Tuba City, 10 more miles away, and onto Kayenta, which is about an hour and 15 minutes down the line.

If needing to stop in Tuba City, op for the nice new Tuuvi Gas Pavilion with clean bathrooms. In Kayenta there's a Burger King, Sonic, McDonalds, and two local restaurants right on the highway. That's the only place to stop for gas or food for a while, so I'd recommend it. The cheapest gas will be at the Conoco or Chevron just before turning north onto highway 163. If the kids really need a break there's a nice free playground at the Kayenta Recreation Park. You'll see it on the east side of the road about a mile after turning onto 163.

Note that you can continue on 160 and turn north later on 191, but I did that once and won't be doing that again. It is very desolate and uber boring and you miss all the beauty of driving through Monument Valley.

Monument Valley has some unbelievable natural sculptures. This area is so unique it's the setting for many a TV episodes and movies from Westerns to SciFi and more. Check out a list HERE. If you want to stop here, there's at visitor center at the Utah-Arizona state line and about a mile off the road there's an RV park, gas station, et al called Gouldings, which has a website HERE.

Highway 163 is pretty narrow with no shoulders and you have to watch out for what seems like a continual flow of tourists stopping along the roadside to take random photos or get a closer look with binoculars, so drive with extra caution here.

Next up is Mexican Hat, where there's a Shell gas station, two motels, and a pizza restaurant /RV park. Just outside of this teeny town is a rock formation on the east side of the road that the town is named after. It looks like a sombrero aka Mexican hat.

Next along the line is Bluff, where there's a cute coffee shop and a hotel called the Desert Rose Inn at the south end of town that looked nice from the outside as we passed by. There's also an interesting steakhouse that looked inviting if I was here at the right time of day. There's a gas station here to stop at too if you need to.

The next gas stop possibility is in White Mesa at the White Mesa Travel Center. We had to stop here for a restroom emergency on a previous trip and they had decent restrooms. But if you can make it, Blanding, Utah is much nicer and cleaner. This little town has a nice grassy park for kids to play at near the south end of town, a dinosaur museum (but I've never stopped there so I don't know how good it is) and a really nice visitor info center with really good bathrooms and a nice picnic area. There is a local burger joint and a juice/coffee/bakery spot that looked like good food if you're in need. This is the best town to stop in this area by far.

A few miles outside of town is Recapture Rec Area. There is a beautiful lake here that you could take a swim in or camp at, but only primitive camping would be possible. More info on Recapture Rec Area HERE.

Next, on the route to Moab is Monticello. Not alot to speak of but there are several spots to grab food or gas. It's only about an hour more to Moab and along the way are some cool photo ops, including some great rock formations, most notably being Wilson's Arch. There's a spot for kids along the way called "The Hole in the Rock," which is someone's home built inside the red rocks that you can tour. They also have a petting zoo. I've been by here lots of times but never have been drawn to actually stop at the hole in the rock. Near here there is also a visitor venter with bathrooms if you can't wait for Moab.

On the south end of town, you'll find a Maverick gas station. It has the cheapest gas in town that we found and clean bathrooms, making it a win win.

Now that you've arrived in Moab, continue reading and find out read where to stay and eat HERE.

Then onto Day 2: Moab to Glenwood Springs and Day 3: Glenwood Springs to Denver.

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