Taking parents west to Moab and Ouray...suggestions needed

[Uncle O]

for the past few years my brother and i have been taking the parents on trips from Hong Kong, Ireland, and trips around the Southeastern part of the US. This year we want to take them out west to Moab, UT and Ouray, CO. My father has always wanted to take a road trip like this and now that he is 67 i think its past due. Most trips that we have taken have been by plane so he has never felt part of the adventure. only so much you can see 30K in the air.

with all of that said, i would like some input and suggestions on what to see and trails to take. we are planning to start out from Tuscumbia, AL March 14th and return March 22nd or 23rd. i know long drive in such a short time. only week everyone is free from work. we will be traveling in a 2012 JKU Sahara and 2014 JKU Rubicon X. both are stock so no major rock crawling. the plan is to have family time along with seeing nature and all the wonders that both of these locations offer. want to drive some jeep trails. thats why we have them. thanks in advance.

rough schedule: (will change several times)
Mar 14th: start journey from Alabama in the early AM. looking to make it to around Topeka, KS.
Mar 15th: hit the road again. goal is Denver, CO. (parents like to stop and look A LOT)
Mar 16th: arrive in Moab,UT. hitting the sights and trails
Mar 17th: hitting the sights and trails
Mar 18th: hitting the sights and trails
Mar 19th: hitting the sights and trails
Mar 20th: leave Moab,UT or Ouray, CO and drive to somewhere around Amarillo,TX
Mar 21st: on the road to Little Rock,AK
Mar 22nd: head east and back in sweet home Alabama
Mar 23rd: just in case we want an extra day

Ouray will need to fit in the sights and trail days. my understanding that Ouray is not far from Moab. things that we can do will depend on weather.

 

[DaJudge]

Is at all possible to do the trip later in the year? In March the trails in Ouray will still be snowed in. The area is beautiful with the snow but your sightseeing will be limited to paved roads and the town.
How are your parents with rough trails etc.? Can they handle being in the vehicle offroad for a whole day? That will help us with suggestions for Moab.

 

[Uncle O]

i am kinda worried about the weather in Ouray but only time i can get free. if i miss out on Ouray this time just means another trip in the future and more time in Moab. the parents can handle the ride as long as we stop a few times. i figure those would be great for photos. with the jeeps being stock not sure how rough we can go to start with. but really want to get the most out of the trip. if they want to take a day off and just relax the rest of us will hit the trails. so throw out any and all suggestions.

 

[DaJudge]

Spend some time in Arches and Canyonlands! Don't let anyone dissuade you from that.
Do buy Charles Wells' book on Moab. http://www.funtreks.com/ this will give a great overview of the trails and help you decide what will match your family's desires.
For a very scenic day I recommend taking Potash road into Canyonlands and up Schafer Switchbacks, then come back through Long Canyon. Mostly dirt road but amazing scenery and you can stop as much as you want.
Other Easy to Moderate trails I like are:
Fins and Things - You wil be stunned what you can drive up.
Top of the World
Tower Arch
Elephant Hill (though this a long day when coming from Moab.
Seven Mile Rim
Hells Revenge (can be moderate or Difficult depending on whether you use bypasses)

There are many more.

 

[crawler#976]

i am kinda worried about the weather in Ouray but only time i can get free. if i miss out on Ouray this time just means another trip in the future and more time in Moab. the parents can handle the ride as long as we stop a few times. i figure those would be great for photos. with the jeeps being stock not sure how rough we can go to start with. but really want to get the most out of the trip. if they want to take a day off and just relax the rest of us will hit the trails. so throw out any and all suggestions.

That's what I'd recommend - skip Ouray this time. You can easily spend the time in the Moab area, and still only see a fraction of the sights. It will be cool to cold in March - you should plan for possible snow conditions. As mentioned Arches/Canyonlands is spectacular, as are Bridges and Hovenweep NM near Blanding. You could even get down to the Four Corners area too. Blanding has hotels too.

 

[Uncle O]

perfect. think im getting the Well's books as a gift this holiday. ill start mapping the trip using all of the input gained here along with the books next week. thanks again

 

[Ranchero]

I would still recommend going over 550 from Durango-Silverton-Ouray on your way to Moab (or the opposite). It is spectacular and even more so covered in snow. It won't matter that you can't do any offroading there. From Durango take US160 east back to Walsenburg and then Clayton NM and then to Amarillo. That whole drive is nice.

 

[Idratherbecamping]

I second taking the 550 on your way there too. I live only 3.5 hours from moab and have only made it halfway through the Charles Wells trails book. There is so much to stop and see on every trail. My advice would be not to get caught up trying to see as many trails as you can but really just take the time to soak it all in. Take your time and enjoy the beauty.

 

[voodoojk]

Phew.. That's a ton of driving. I did glenwood to DIA and back yesterday and that took 7 hours and I was beat. Lol

Like some said, trails in Ouray will not happen in march. Some years you can't even get on them until July and it's looking to be one of those years with 12 feet of snow in the San Juan's already. If you can travel through the area it is amazing and highly recommended.

Also, driving through here in March we still get hammered with snow and very possible that 70 and other passes can close down so just be prepared for possible travel delays in that respect.

There is plenty to do and see in Moab and surrounding areas. I would not let your stock jeeps dissuade you. You can do a ton with a stock jk in Moab. The parks are great. Needles district. Gemini bridges.

 

[Justincredible]

Spend some time in Arches and Canyonlands! Don't let anyone dissuade you from that.
Do buy Charles Wells' book on Moab. http://www.funtreks.com/ this will give a great overview of the trails and help you decide what will match your family's desires.

This.

 

[haven]

"i know long drive in such a short time..."

My two cents: this idea is nuts.

A week to drive 4000 miles is a challenge for anyone, let alone two senior citizens. It sounds like your father is interested. I bet your mother is willing to go along to please everyone else, but is secretly hating the idea. Sitting in the car for 30 hours each way is a perfect way to develop sciatic nerve damage. (Don't ask how I know.)

A better idea would be to fly to Grand Junction, CO and drive to Moab (two hour drive, one day). Drive down to Moab in a van, rent a Jeep, explore the trails for two days. Then drive the van to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks (one day each). Then drive down to Las Vegas for the last day before flying home.

Alternatively, fly and drive to Moab as above, then drive to Cortez, CO (2 hours) to see Mesa Verde NP, then on to Santa Fe for a couple of days. Drive to Albuquerque (90 minutes) on the last day and fly home.

 

[Uncle O]

i understand that too. we discussed air. the main reason is my father wants to drive out. if we have to take more stops and breaks im ok with that. not too many times you can get the whole family excited about something together. as for my mom, she loves riding in the jeeps. now she also loves to stop and shop. that is the main concern of being on the road and not in the air.

 

[irish1371]

comming out of denver you should pass thru the garden of the gods state park for wonderful sights along with red rock. 20 mins out of denver is the coors brewing they give a good tour. then brice jordan national park in Utah is well worth the trip along with a drive thru zion

 

[Uncle O]

Getting ready for the trip that is approaching. Working on my checklist. Vacation rental: check. Guidebook: check. Budget set aside: check. Now I have a few questions.

1) any mod suggestions for my stock Rubicon X before heading there? Lift is scheduled later so that one is out.
2) packing must?
3) recovery must?

Thanks again for all the help. Parents are looking forward to the trip almost as much as I am.


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[Bikemobile]

550 from Ouray to Durango (Red Mountain Pass) is truly spectacular any time of year. It has been closed off and on lately for extreme amounts of snow and some really scary rockslides.

Ouray is worth the visit, you can always return to Montrose and take Hwy 50 east to I25 then south into NM and to Texas. You will not regret the trip. You may encounter a closed mountain pass but usually it doesn't last overnight.

While in Colorado use the website http://www.cotrip.org to watch for road closures and conditions. Make sure you have tires with full tread in good condition. I drove over 100 miles home from Denver through unplowed snow last week. Tires are not an afterthought this time of year in the Colorado high country.