The desert southwest of the United States has some of the most amazing and varied scenery. There are numerous National and State Parks across six or seven states. There are also interesting cities and towns with historic sites and interesting cultures and cuisine. The area and distances are vast but the density of sights is higher, thus driving distances shorter, than one might guess. In this post, we provide a travel itinerary for the Southwest, namely in northern New Mexico, southeast Utah, and southern Colorado. This desert southwest itinerary includes Arches, Canyonlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Parks, and more. We have detailed information on stops and sights in other linked guides.
Parks and Sights
For this trip, our priority and anchor site/location was Arches and Canyonlands National Park in Southeast Utah. Our primary goal for our vacation time was to see Arches again, having visited the park more than 20 years before. Our initial trip to Arches was magical. On that first trip we had seen five National Parks in Southern UT, Monument Valley, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but Arches stood out. In addition, on our first trip, we could not fit in Canyonlands (practically next door to Arches).
After realizing that it was better (less expensive) to fly into Albuquerque, NM, vs. Salt Lake City, UT (more on this decision below), we focused on the follow stops: Arches, Canyonlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, and Mesa Verde National Parks, UT State Route 128, US Route 550 (Million Dollar Highway) in CO, Santa Fe, NM, and Albuquerque, NM. (We have plans to build guides for these destinations beyond those with links here. Let us know if you have a request and will try to prioritize accordingly.)
Desert Southwest Itinerary, Including Arches, Canyonlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Parks, and more
After a number of iterations via our itinerary building approach, we settled on the following itinerary. This plan balanced the driving time and time at destinations and sights. This balance was achieved by including several renowned scenic highways and brief stops at interesting towns like Silverton and Durango, CO and Santa Fe, NM.
Desert Southwest Itinerary #1: Arches Canyonlands Gunnison and more:
Download as Open Document Sheets and use in Excel or a cloud spreadsheet tool (e.g., Google Drive or Office 365). Then, update your arrival date in cell A2. Next, get started on your itinerary (automations/equations are embedded to make a few things quicker). This file can serve as a template for other trip plans as well.
Download as a KML file and use in Google Maps, Google My Maps, OpenMaps, or other mobile apps. Start from the full screen view of the map.
Sight Rankings
Our sight-ranking star system is intended to give you a sense of priorities for your time while planning your itinerary. Here is our general ranking for this itinerary of destinations/regions and activities:
- ★★★ Arches
- ★★ Canyonlands
- ★★ Black Canyon of the Gunnison
- ★★ Great Sand Dunes
- ★ Mesa Verde
- ★★ Santa Fe, NM
- ★ Route 550 (Million Dollar Highway)
- ★ Scenic UT State Route 128
- Montrose/Muesum of the Mountain West
Transportation and Accommodations
This itinerary was perfect for travel in a Recreational Vehicle (RV). With significant time in National Parks and about 1200 miles of driving, an RV kept us close to the sights. Also, an RV enhances the scenic drives. With 3 nights in Arches, being at the Park Campground saved a lot of time and was an incredible experience.
As we often do on an RV trip, we scheduled an RV park at the mid-point of the trip with a laundromat and other facilities. This stop happened to be at Cedar Creek RV Park in Montrose. We also decided spontaneously to visit the Museum of the Mountain West (see our description in our Black Canyon of the Gunnison guide). We also booked our last night in Santa Fe at an RV park, making packing and clean-up a little easier.
See our tips page on Guide for Renting an RV for the pros and cons of RV travel.
One of the reasons that we chose to fly into Albuquerque for this trip was that the RV rentals were much cheaper than in Salt Lake City. We probably saved $1000 for the trip. It is a good idea to look at costs in different areas for rentals if you are considering an RV. We found a good deal at American Dream Vacations.
Alternative Southwest Itineraries
You can create new plans by altering or combining this itinerary with other itineraries, lengthened to add stops, or shortened. For example, the southern part of this trip could be combined with the sights south of Albuquerque. Similarly, the northern parts could be combined with other Colorado sights around Colorado Springs or Rocky Mountain National Park.