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Old 04-24-2009, 05:34 AM
 
2 posts, read 11,269 times
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Hi there folks,
I'm a newbie from Ireland - researching a road trip from Denver to Las Vegas with my missus this July

We have 8 or 9 days to get from Denver to Vegas, by car.
We would like to take in a couple of hikes (short to full day) or maybe a rafting session
Happy to do long early morning drives so we can get to a scenic point for the afternoon

Moab is a must - Grand Canyon is not - would like to know about 14ers that might be doable on route

Any experiences you can share would be most appreciated. Am more than happy to trade Ireland hideaways in exchange!!
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Old 04-24-2009, 10:12 AM
 
Location: RSM
5,113 posts, read 19,763,289 times
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Well, there are plenty of places in Utah for hiking and scenic points. Off the 15 near St George you have Zion, which is fairly popular. There are a lot of others listed here. Also, along the drive on I70, you pass through the San Rafael Swell, which is about a 110 mile stretch of road with no services and basically one big geological feature(and it's awesome to behold). There are a half dozen scenic points through the Swell with awesome photo opportunities, some hiking, and signage with description on the history of the area. There are guided tours through many of these areas in Utah as well. St George is a major originating point, but there are plenty of others.

Also in Utah is Cove Fort, right near the 15/70 junction. Interesting place

In CO there are also plenty of scenic points and probably some potential for hiking or rafting. Glenwood Canyon is one of my favorite places to stop. The rest area puts you right on the Colorado. I've seen various trails near the roads throughout the Rockies for hiking and mtn biking. Hanging Lake is in Glenwood Canyon and I believe is accessible via a hiking path.
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Old 04-24-2009, 10:19 AM
 
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Denver to Vegas is a day and a half by car. Unless you plan on camping out for days at a time, you can see a whole lot more of the country than that in nine days. Something to consider...
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Old 04-24-2009, 10:47 AM
 
Location: Denver, CO
5,610 posts, read 23,308,989 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katenik View Post
Denver to Vegas is a day and a half by car. Unless you plan on camping out for days at a time, you can see a whole lot more of the country than that in nine days. Something to consider...
I've driven Denver to Vegas nonstop with my family many times before-- it's 750 miles, and can easily be done in one day in about 11-12 hours, including a leisurely stop for lunch, and that's going at or under the speed limit on average. And if you speed (not recommended, as rural highway patrol cops like to hide out on the side of the road) you could probably do it in under 10 hours.

To the OP, I don't know about taking 9 days to go just from Denver to Vegas, but you could easily split it up into 3. You could spend several days just staying in the high country. Vail has a lot of stuff to do in the summer. There's the hot springs in Glenwood Springs. I would definitely recommend Moab, Utah, and Arches, Canyonlands National Park, truly memorable. If you want to REALLY go into the back country, check out Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah, same kind of scenery, but fewer tourists. Zion is another great place to see, but in July you're talking HOT HOT HOT, at least at the lower elevations of the Canyon. Then again, even Moab, etc, will be very hot in the summer. Vegas will be extremely hot.

If you want a real Colorado experience, you could go through the San Juan mountains in southwest Colorado (espec on US 550 if you want a real thriller), seeing Ouray, Silverton, Durango, maybe even Telluride if you have the time. The mountains anywhere in Colorado are awesome, but the San Juan mountains are a whole level beyond the ones you pass through on I-70. If you do this you could then continue through the four corner region to northern Arizona, check out Flagstaff and Sedona (another very hot place in the summer) and go up to Vegas through the Hoover dam. Or heck, in 9 days you could even swing by California for a few days (I'd recommend San Diego) and then come back through Vegas.

Either way, I just LOVE this whole part of the country. If you like "scenic drives," then you've got it made!
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Old 04-24-2009, 10:56 AM
 
Location: RSM
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Speaking of, when you start in Vegas, the Hoover Dam would be the first place I go visit. Marvel of engineering
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Old 04-24-2009, 11:00 AM
 
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Originally Posted by bhcompy View Post
Speaking of, when you start in Vegas, the Hoover Dam would be the first place I go visit. Marvel of engineering
Anyone taking the tour of Hoover Dam really should take the longer, more expensive tour. It gets you all 700+ feet down to the main generator floor, the damned place just throbs from all the massive amounts of water going through the 22-foot diameter penstocks. Then walk outside and see that stuff blasting out of the exit tunnels. Simply amazing. And they did it all without any computers or fancy-assed stuff that exists today.
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Old 04-24-2009, 01:05 PM
 
Location: here
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Arches, Canyon Lands, Zion, Bryce Canyon National Parks for sure.
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Old 04-24-2009, 01:06 PM
 
Location: here
24,873 posts, read 36,167,496 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katenik View Post
Denver to Vegas is a day and a half by car. Unless you plan on camping out for days at a time, you can see a whole lot more of the country than that in nine days. Something to consider...
There is plenty of scenery and hiking to fill up 9 days between those 2 cities.
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Old 04-24-2009, 02:40 PM
 
2,175 posts, read 4,299,085 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike from back east View Post
Anyone taking the tour of Hoover Dam really should take the longer, more expensive tour. It gets you all 700+ feet down to the main generator floor, the damned place just throbs from all the massive amounts of water going through the 22-foot diameter penstocks. Then walk outside and see that stuff blasting out of the exit tunnels. Simply amazing. And they did it all without any computers or fancy-assed stuff that exists today.
Years ago we took the tour and learned how they diverted the river, pour gazillions of barrels on concrete, etc. all in about 2 years. It made me wonder why it takes the DOT twice that long to redo a couple of streets.
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Old 04-24-2009, 02:47 PM
 
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Hey...I think we have something in common...heritage Your time frame is quite liberal, and I am very familiar with the area in which you are seeking information. If you IM me I will provide you with several options as I have about 30 years knowledge and experience in your area of interest.(Southern Utah and Nevada-LV) Moab and Zion are awesome. A short ride off the I-15 and you could be in Brian Head, Utah, a ski resort by winter, but offering awesome scenery and hiking by summer. I was planning a trip to the homeland in the near future, so your information would be most welcome...
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