This is where I am getting confused, in the Tucson area Kartchner Cavern SP is a must, also we want

I need itinerary advice for this trip; we fly into Denver from Canada. Timing is October, rental car comparison fl 8-25 for sightseeing (we like history, geology, hiking, nature, scenery, we don t shop as entertainment) and then 26-29 in Phoenix for a conference, fly home from Phoenix.
I am having problems deciding how much time to spend in each area and whether I am over planning. rental car comparison fl Is my plan doable? And in the right order? On other long road trips we have planned day long drives to include time to sight see along the way. Also I would appreciate advice on accommodation, we re not picky, clean and confortable rental car comparison fl is just fine, its where to stay as in what towns I m not sure of. The only nights booked are at GCNP. Should I be pre-booking all accommodation?
This is where I am getting confused, in the Tucson area Kartchner Cavern SP is a must, also we want to see Saguaro NP, Biosphere rental car comparison fl 2, Sabino Canyon, rental car comparison fl Mission san Xavier del bac, Maybe Agua Caliente Park, Tucson,
Driving to Mesa Verde from Denver will be 8 hours or so. Way too far I think so an overnight is a good idea. Depending on how far you did want to drive that first day - stay overnight in Salida [about 3 hour drive] but that leaves 5 hours next day and a chunk of time out of Mesa Verde [a mistake in my opinion.]
If you don't already have your flights planned yet, consider flying into Vegas, then going to Zion, Bryce, Arches, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Wupatki, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, rental car comparison fl Sedona, then down to Tucson etc. I think this will be better in terms of time in the car and also in terms of costs as Denver is one of the most expensive places I've rented a car from and you can be at Zion in 3 hours from Vegas.
As to booking accommodations ahead. I've done it both ways. If I know where I'll be on a specific day, I may book in NP's. I've never had all places booked far ahead, but have called a day or two when we know where we'll go next. The NP's get late cancellations all the time and you can call and keep calling to find them as they seldom show up on the web page. As long as you are near a medium sized town or a high way you will find lots of chain type motel/hotels last minute.
Don't bother stopping to see the 4 corners monument. It seems to be a tourist trap. From Kayenta through Monument Valley to Moab Utah is 3 hours driving time plus whatever time you stop to see Monument Valley.
The car isn't booked yet, I have looked at costs but it doesn't show a breakdown so I assume we are paying a drop off fee, but I'm not sure, it's a similar cost to renting a car for the same amount of time in the UK.
Million Dollar Highway is a loop that goes from Durango to Mesa Verde to Cortez [via CO SR 160] then north through Dolores, Stoner, Rico on up to Telluride [via CO SR 145] then over to Montrose, Ridgeway and then down to Ouray, Silverton and back to Durango [via CO SR 550.]
This is where I am getting confused, in the Tucson area Kartchner Cavern SP is a must, also we want to see Saguaro NP, Biosphere 2, Sabino Canyon, Mission san Xavier del bac, Maybe Agua Caliente Park, Tucson,
rental car comparison fl Looks like you have four full days in Tucson? That's time for all of that, although these are all in different directions. Kartchner is a good share of a day by itself. Assuming you're hikers with this itinerary, I'd combine the Mission with a trip to Madera Canyon. Saguaro NP is on both the east and west sides of Tucson. Perhaps do SNP east on the same day as Agua Caliente park (which is not very large but a nice change from the usual Tucson desert-y stuff). Sabino Canyon is to the east of the city as well.
I'm not sure why you are devoting 4 days to Tucson and just 2.5 days in Colorado (most of that at Mesa Verde). That time of year may be past peak aspen color but there will still be some good pockets of color, the elk will be in rut and yet you're basically skipping all of that. I don't understand unless you truly aren't interested in the mountains rental car comparison fl at all.
I would definitely add some time in the mountains of Colorado and cut back at least a day or two elsewhere (Tucson rental car comparison fl and Mesa Verde most likely). Your trip is heavy on the red rocks and desert and it might all blend together after awhile. Perhaps also take a drive up into the mountains outside Flagstaff - very near to Wupatki and Sunset Crater.
Phoenix- visit Casa Grande NM about an hour away, take the scenic drive past Lost Dutchman State Park out to Tonto National Monument and stop in at Boyce Thompson Arboretum on your way back into town, visit the Heard Museum, go to South Mountain Park, etc.
The answer is previous trips, a month in the Canadian Rockies and Coastal Mountains, 5 days in Denver and Manitou Springs, Pikes Peak, the front range and a week in Yellowstone, plus Grand Teton and more.
I agree the trip has lots of red rocks, definitely some thing we don't have at home which is why the emphasis.I wanted to find some activities in the Tucson rental car comparison fl area that are not quite so desert/red rock stuff.
rental car comparison fl If you follow bigtyke's advice and go to Chiricahua National Monument, I would also highly recommend a side trip to Fort Bowie National Historical Site (if you are familiar with the history of that area, otherwise it may not interest you).
Get a National Park Pass at your first park. $80 will get you into all of them. Not sure if that works for non-residents or not?? The pass will not get you into Monument Valley. It's on Indian Reservation and they collect their own money there.
Capitol Reef will have good fall foliage at that time. Don't miss having a piece of pie in The Gifford House. Eat the pie just a few steps away in the picnic area. The picnic rental car comparison fl area is in the orchard and usually has lots of deer. You might also be able to pick apples in the orchard at that time. Zion/Bryce will have good color at that time as well.
If you take the back route from Tucson to Phoenix (rte 77) then the Boyce Thompson Arboretum would be easy to visit and this route is more scenic than the freeway. Boyce is an interesting place although they could benefit from more selectivity in how the trees are displayed (my brother volunteers there and always presses them to have 1 or two superior specimens rather than a half dozen average ones). Good bird watching there also.
There were rental cars at the airport rental car comparison fl in Cortez and Durango when we were there. Plus there is zero hassle checking into those places. Cortez only has a handful of flights per day, so at the most just a few people in line at the airport.
I would NOT recommend rental car comparison fl you plan to drive to Mesa Verde after you land. First of all you are assuming you will land on time and that you will get your luggage and rental car quickly. Really???? Second, unless you are VERY interested in archaeology, rental car comparison fl Mesa Verde is not that wonderful a National Park. Rocky Mountain is far prettier and the elk are mating then. The Million Dollar Highway should be beautiful that time of year and I would strongly recommend rental car comparison fl that. Glenwood Springs is a favorite rental car comparison fl of ours. We love the bikepath rental car comparison fl along the Colorado River and have sighed big horn sheep there. The hike up to Hanging Lake is tough, especially if you haven't acclimated rental car comparison fl to the altitude of the area, but just incredible. The Mount Evans highway is fabulous, Garden of the Gods in Colorado City is marvelous. The Maroon Bells near Aspen are marvelous. Just remember Colorado has random snow storms and don't forget that Colorado rental car comparison fl makes some of the most incredible microbrews in the world. I would pick an area and not try to cover the whole state. Mesa Verde is not the area I would pick.
I beg to differ with your about Mesa Verde. It is the only NP that is not based on natural beauty but rather based on it being a look into life here over 1000 years ago. It is much more the archaeology, it is about a people that walked these valley and mountains long before any other people came here.
Yes, the Million Dollar Highway has pretty mountains and trees, but really?? That will never compare the spectacular history that is Mesa Verde. You can almost here the chants that were song so long ago when you go and sit along a path and look out to the mesa top.
Great Lakes is the only airline rental car comparison fl that flies into Cortez now [United used to]and the fare from Denver to Cortez is $228 /272 one way. That would eat up a lot of the savings. That is the only flight route. It looks like they have either 2 or 3 flights a day, each way.
United rental car comparison fl and Frontier fly from Denver to Durango. I just looked at todays flights, and Frontier has only 1 each way, United has 2 each way but 1 was cancelled. That can be an issue, flying to a small airport with limited service. Flight gets canceled, you are stuck.
You have a lot of driving to get to Mesa Verde from Denver. Consider flying into Las Vegas and then leave from Phoenix. Or just fly into Phoenix and do a round trip. If you rent a car in Phoenix, look into renting away from the airport to eliminate the extra fees.
I have not been to Mesa Verde so I can't advise on that, but if you see Wupatki, rental car comparison fl Walnut Canyon, Montezuma's Castle (and Well) and Tuzigoot, then you will probably see all the ruins you will want to see. There are even other smaller Indian ruins that can be hiked to.
Thanks all, see my post from June 15, THE FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED, we are history archeology nuts, so Mesa Verde is a must. We have done previous mountain trips, a month in the Canadian Rockies and Coastal Mountains, 5 days in Denver and Manitou Springs, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, the front range and a week in Yellowstone, plus Grand Teton and more.
I know the car rental will be expensive, but its not as expensive as I thought and much cheaper than a 3 week car rental in the UK. I'm still not sure which route we will take from Denver to MVNP, also thinking given driving time on Day 2 to MV we will probably stay 2 nights in the park, then get up early and head out, whether via Monument Valley or direct to Arches not sure yet. Got a lot of places to see before we arrive at GCNP on October 17.
Rou