karannarang
Member
First of all, apologies for the long trip report, but I felt that the trip report must match the quality of the detailed feedback I received from this community during the planning phase.
Day 1, Nov 22nd :
Depart Dallas 11:30 AM heading to Page, AZ (1050 miles).
Packed and ready to go:
We were warned not to leave our rig unattended due to risk of theft along the way in Albuquerque, but we experienced our first loss at a gas station in a small town in Texas where our leveling blocks were stolen from the roof rack of the Opus, even though they were in a bag. A quick grab and go situation and that we only noticed while we were driving later and noticed the bag flapping around in the wind because it was zipped open. Luckily the ZAMP 180W solar panel and the camp chairs that were in the same bag were untouched because they happened to be held down tight by the Stratchit’s from Frontrunner
We made it all the way to CIBOLA National forest (~650 miles) before we had to stop for the night. We found a wild camping site using the iOverlander app and setup camp in the dark. Considering it was generally off-season, we didn’t really see anyone there with the exception of one truck passing by. This was our first night wild camping and I have to admit, was a little spooky. The temperature was hovering around the low 30’s so we quickly got into the Opus and turned on the built in Dometic propane furnace. This kept us warm and toasty all night and at times almost felt too warm.
Camping in Cibola
Day 2, Nov 23rd:
We woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunrise and packed up to make our way to Page. We had a little fox cross the street as we were getting off the mountain. This was an unexpected surprise that got the kids excited and looking for more wildlife. A quick stop at Starbucks outside of Albuquerque and we were on our way.
Our next stop was at the Petrified Forest National Park outside of Flagstaff. You drive through the park in your own vehicle stopping at various sights. The visitor center has maps that provide a lot of information about the sights. This park is known for its fossils, especially the petrified wood logs, which are fossils of logs from trees that lived approximately 225 million years ago. You can also see some petroglyphs here at the archeological site called Newspaper Rock which has over 650 petroglyphs. This was an unplanned stop for us, but definitely deserves a full day if you have time to spare.
After spending a couple of hours at the Petrified Forest National Park, we continued to Page, AZ, where we were to meet our friends from NJ. They were flying to Las Vegas, renting a Jeep and driving to Page to meet up with us. We finally got to Page around 8 PM and checked into the Hyatt Place. The hotel itself is nice and clean with a decent view of the mountains. The hotel is also pet friendly, which was a pre-requisite for us.
Day 3, Nov 24th:
After breakfast and getting some guidance from the hotel staff (who by the way were extremely helpful), we decided visit the Glen Canyon Dam which was less than 5 minutes away from the hotel. They had a nice guided tour there and we got lucky that there was availability, but it is recommended that you make reservations if you want to take the tour.
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We then proceeded on to Horseshoe Bend. This is just a short drive from the dam. While a very iconic location, it was extremely popular and very touristy. In fact it is so popular now, that there is a gated parking lot that charges $10/ vehicle. You park the vehicle there and take a short hike to get to the location. Horseshoe bend itself did not disappoint. We just wished we went there much earlier in the morning, before the crowds arrived.
By now, it was time for a late lunch. We drove to the Lone Rock beach area (UT) to spend a few hours where we cooked some lunch (Pasta)using our Jetboil system and hang out for the afternoon. The Lone Rock beach area is one of the few areas around Lake Powell where you can drive onto the beach and camp right at the waters edge. There is an entrance fee to enter the area which is waived if you have the National Parks Pass. You can also buy the pass there. There is a fee of $14/ day if you would like to camp overnight. This fee is totally worth it. This is a fantastic location and will be our first choice if we were to come back to the area in the future. The kids and the dog played on the beach for a bit and we waited to watch the sunset before returning to our hotel.
Sunset at Lone rock
Day 1, Nov 22nd :
Depart Dallas 11:30 AM heading to Page, AZ (1050 miles).
Packed and ready to go:
We were warned not to leave our rig unattended due to risk of theft along the way in Albuquerque, but we experienced our first loss at a gas station in a small town in Texas where our leveling blocks were stolen from the roof rack of the Opus, even though they were in a bag. A quick grab and go situation and that we only noticed while we were driving later and noticed the bag flapping around in the wind because it was zipped open. Luckily the ZAMP 180W solar panel and the camp chairs that were in the same bag were untouched because they happened to be held down tight by the Stratchit’s from Frontrunner
We made it all the way to CIBOLA National forest (~650 miles) before we had to stop for the night. We found a wild camping site using the iOverlander app and setup camp in the dark. Considering it was generally off-season, we didn’t really see anyone there with the exception of one truck passing by. This was our first night wild camping and I have to admit, was a little spooky. The temperature was hovering around the low 30’s so we quickly got into the Opus and turned on the built in Dometic propane furnace. This kept us warm and toasty all night and at times almost felt too warm.
Camping in Cibola
Day 2, Nov 23rd:
We woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunrise and packed up to make our way to Page. We had a little fox cross the street as we were getting off the mountain. This was an unexpected surprise that got the kids excited and looking for more wildlife. A quick stop at Starbucks outside of Albuquerque and we were on our way.
Our next stop was at the Petrified Forest National Park outside of Flagstaff. You drive through the park in your own vehicle stopping at various sights. The visitor center has maps that provide a lot of information about the sights. This park is known for its fossils, especially the petrified wood logs, which are fossils of logs from trees that lived approximately 225 million years ago. You can also see some petroglyphs here at the archeological site called Newspaper Rock which has over 650 petroglyphs. This was an unplanned stop for us, but definitely deserves a full day if you have time to spare.
After spending a couple of hours at the Petrified Forest National Park, we continued to Page, AZ, where we were to meet our friends from NJ. They were flying to Las Vegas, renting a Jeep and driving to Page to meet up with us. We finally got to Page around 8 PM and checked into the Hyatt Place. The hotel itself is nice and clean with a decent view of the mountains. The hotel is also pet friendly, which was a pre-requisite for us.
Day 3, Nov 24th:
After breakfast and getting some guidance from the hotel staff (who by the way were extremely helpful), we decided visit the Glen Canyon Dam which was less than 5 minutes away from the hotel. They had a nice guided tour there and we got lucky that there was availability, but it is recommended that you make reservations if you want to take the tour.
\We then proceeded on to Horseshoe Bend. This is just a short drive from the dam. While a very iconic location, it was extremely popular and very touristy. In fact it is so popular now, that there is a gated parking lot that charges $10/ vehicle. You park the vehicle there and take a short hike to get to the location. Horseshoe bend itself did not disappoint. We just wished we went there much earlier in the morning, before the crowds arrived.
By now, it was time for a late lunch. We drove to the Lone Rock beach area (UT) to spend a few hours where we cooked some lunch (Pasta)using our Jetboil system and hang out for the afternoon. The Lone Rock beach area is one of the few areas around Lake Powell where you can drive onto the beach and camp right at the waters edge. There is an entrance fee to enter the area which is waived if you have the National Parks Pass. You can also buy the pass there. There is a fee of $14/ day if you would like to camp overnight. This fee is totally worth it. This is a fantastic location and will be our first choice if we were to come back to the area in the future. The kids and the dog played on the beach for a bit and we waited to watch the sunset before returning to our hotel.
Sunset at Lone rock
