LA --> Telluride Points of Interest

[Barnballs]

Packing the truck and heading out to T'Ride from LA, giving myself 2-3 days to explore on the way out and looking for suggestions:

-Been to Zion (Angels Crest), what other parks/not-to-miss hikes nearby?
-Is Monument Valley worth a stop
-Lake Powell Area hiking?
-AZ Snowbowl?
-Flagstaff bar recommendations?
Cortez/Mesa Verde worth a stop?

Been to Grand Canyon. Thanks in advance!!
BB

[Alpinord]

Monument Valley, yes.

Bryce to Escalante to Boulder City and the Burr Trail to Powell. Not sure if the ferry runs from Bullfrog, but a trip to do at least once and if time to get under the skin, there are great hikes (day and backpacking). Then to Blanding-Monticello-La Sal thru the Paradox Valley thru Norwood and then Telluride.

[splat]

Vegas to Page to Cortez via Monument Valley to Silverton to Telluride.

[Benny Profane]

Cortez no, (well, just to sleep) Mesa Verde yes. Monument Valley, of course. Maybe you'll get lucky and see it with a coat of snow.

[Tye 1on]

i'd trip around Death Valley for a couple days, enjoy the warmth/uniqueness, then jet to T-ride. Or hit the swell around Bluff. Or chase trail runnerbitches around sedona...

[raisingarizona13]

When are you leaving? We are about to get hammered here in Flagstaff.

[raisingarizona13]

the mountain biking in Sedona has been killer in between storms, if you come through I can meet up with you possibly. We have lots of bars, the backcountry has been super stable and it's better than most would think, and if you don't have a bike a quick super exposed scramble to a tiny Sedona spire summit can be had as well. 2 to 3 feet above 9k forecasted over the next three days. We are skiing steep backcountry lines the day the sun comes out after a storm and sweet side country during the storm, check out my last two vids, I doubt people are doing that in the San Juans right now, maybe I'm wrong, I haven't kept up on their pack this year.

Bars? Pay and Take downtown, apres at Agassiz Lodge at Snowbowl, Flag Brew for hippie types, and Sportsmans for some of the hottest wait/bar staff in Flagstaff. Las Gorditas for mini tacos or verde huevos rancheros, Martannes for breakfast or Biff's Bagels for something quicker. Diablo for burgers, shit is insane. Frattelis for pizza.

[hatchgreenchile]

If you're a history buff, Mesa Verse is incredible, one of my favorite spots in the state.

I'd say loop through Cortez -> Durango-> Silverton -> Ouray -> Ridgeway -> Telluride. It's an extra 90 miles, but you will be challenged to find a more scenic road in the country. The San Juans are that good.

[raisingarizona13]

Storm skiing in the AZSB side country, we are going to be doing this for the next three days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDHch...SGNEag&index=2

[hutash]

Mesa Verde, yes. Monument Valley, cool but you really only see from a distance. Worth spending a day there if you hire Navajo guide, especially if you go to Chaco Canyon.

There a shit load of little out of the way places to explore. Escalante/Golden Staircase has lots of pokes, hikes and slots.

[Rico in Flag]

Drink beer at Mother Road Brewery in Flag. RaisingArizona is right on with the rest.
Canyon De Chelly on the Navajo Rez. It's out of the way but worth it.
Navajo National Monument; day hike into one of the ruins, the other is an overnight hike. Can't remember which is which.
Maybe hike Antelope Canyon near Page. Might be a problem though right now as we are getting a storm and its a slot canyon. And part of hwy 89 just collapsed.
Hovenweep National Monument just west of Cortez.
Beer in Cortez at Main Street Brewery.
Breakfast at Mr. Happy's (seriously) in Cortez. Great breakie and lunch too.
The Maze district in Canyonlands NP, if you go up hwy 191.
Beer in Dolores at Dolores River Brewery.
Eat at the Argentine Grill in Rico.
And again, ski AZ Snowbowl, the BC or the side country, it's going to be worth it this week.
Take 3 days, or more. 2 is not enough.
Lots of blue highways between LA and T-ride. Skip I-40, if you can. It sucks, is not pretty or interesting. I just did it unfortunately.

[hutash]

Opps, I meant Canyon De Chelly, but Chaco Canyon is cool too, but much more out of the way.

[splat]

Last time I did that drive, we woke up on a bombing range in twentynine palms.

[Barnballs]

Great stuff folks - thanks again.
I'll drop the AZ mags a note on my way out...3/1

[SkiBall]

One of those Page area roads got washed out I saw (89A) and is closed for the foreseeable future, so if that is part of your route, check it.
Sedona (non-touristy part) is so flipping awesome. Love it.

[Rico in Flag]

If you're planning to check out anything around Page, you can still get there. Go north on hwy 89, east on hwy 160 through Tuba City, and north on state route 98 through LeChee. Adds about 45 miles.
In all honesty, there are some rad things around Page to see/do. But Page is not on the way to T-Ride.

[Alpinord]

89 to Page may be a no go due to a huge sink hole or something. Do a search or I'll link to an article tonight.

Edit: did not read previous post before and can't delete on iPhone......

[hutash]

Edward Abbey once said about Page Az, "Any town that has more churches then bars has a serious social problem."

[stradissimo]

Here is a place I think is really cool.

I think it's just as fun to hike it as to mountain bike it.

http://www.insideoutsidemag.com/issu...y/Sand_Canyon/

The old ruins aren't as impressive as Hovenweep, but everything else about the place is better. i.e. the land around Sand Canyon is more interesting.

[Rico in Flag]

^^^Yes. The drive between Aneth, UT to Cortez is slow but beautiful.

[neednsnow]

Great stuff folks - thanks again.
I'll drop the AZ mags a note on my way out...3/1

Weather enticing, I plan to be in T-ride on the 7th and 8th. If your looking for someone to explore with, let me know. Never been, but excited to check it out and hope weather cooperates.

[SkiBall]

Going into CO thru the Paradox Valley route is pretty cool. Durango thru Ridgeway is more badass, but in bad weather the Paradox route might be smoother.