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Hi all from Memphis. While pondering what new adventure to partake in, I asked the kids what they'd like to see and my 8 yo wants to go to the "Four Corners". I've planned a trip driving I-40 from Memphis and arriving in Gallup on our 2nd day to spend the night. We will drive to Shiprock and across, see Four corners, go see Monument valley, spend a night in Utah, see Mesa Verde and drive back down to Gallup to spend the night. I have checked hotel availability for the Farmington area, seems nothing is available, : ( While knowing this is a long stretch, we are no strangers to driving in desolate places, (Mississippi delta backroads), what is hwy 491 (old 666) like? I hear it is bad, but nothing particular, so I was just curious. We will be 2 moms and 3 kids who have never been west and looking to be "enchanted" by New Mexico .
Any comments will be most appreciated.
There Is Not Much In Gallup. The Trading Posts There Are Mostly Indian From India. Not All Pots Are From Native Peoples. Closes On Sunday And Not Much To Do. Make Sure That Your Motel Pool Is Not Being Repared! If You Are Going Into Arizona See The Cannon De Chea. Bacich
Be sure to check out the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup. It's a National Historical Site ("Home of the Movie Stars"), has an incredible lobby, an interesting gift shop, and a reasonably priced restaurant.
You dont have to stay in Gallup or Farmington Stay in Cortez or Durango. You can also head north out of Albuquerque on 1 25 and go through Bernalillo and Cuba and up that way also into Farmington. Lots of Great Places in Cortez for indian jewelry and lots of nice Western Clothes and Belts. The Four Corners has lots of sheds with indian Jewelry check all the prices in these sheds and you will get some great deals. I like the Flea Market at Shiprock and Gallup on weekends. Also Mesa Verde is around Cortez and four corners is close to Cortez and the Ute Casino is in Cortez. Lots of neat Jewelry in Gallup but expensive. If you need more info about N.M. or Southern Colorado please let me know i live in the center of N.M. and the Carlsbad Caverns and Botanical Gardens around Artesia and the UFO museum in Roswell come to mind for kids. pintada kid @ webtv.net
jamie p: By all means, don't skip Mesa Verde. It is well worth your time, and the drive up to it is splendid in itself. It would be very cool if you could ride the Durango & Silverton train too.
Our first trip to the four corner we started in Albuquerque, drove to Acoma (Sky City), across down to Zuni, through Window Rock, and up to Canyon de Chelly. We went through Farmington, down to Chaco Canyon, and back to Albuquerque. We had a wonderful trip.
Please heed my advice and don't waste time visiting the Four Corners monument itself. It's just a plaque in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a small parking lot with a few Native Americans selling jewelry. It's nothing, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nowhere for as far as you can see, and there is no historic significance of the spot. The only thing it represents is an arbitrary spot in the desert where the mapmakers chose to draw the state borders. It's a total waste of time unless you happen to be passing by on the way to somewhere else. Oh and they charge admission!
Instead, spend your time at Mesa Verde and Monument Valley. I suggest that you can see all of Monument Valley by going on a tour or you can drive your own vehicle for a self guided tour, and that one day should be sufficient. I recommend you allow two or more days for Mesa Verde where the Indian cliff houses are awesome. You won't be able to see everything in less than 3-4 days there, plan a mix of visiting cliff houses and visiting museums.
If you're in Mesa Verde as dinner time approaches, have dinner at their hotel in the park where you will have the most awesome view I've ever had for a dinner setting. Sit at your table and gaze out over 100 miles! The food is modestly good but not earth shattering.
If you are camping at Monument Valley get there early in the day to get a good camping spot. The campground is on the rim and the view is so beautiful it might just strike you dead! If you want hotel accomodations, check out Goulding's Lodge (http://www.gouldings.com/english/lodge.htm - broken link) which is only a few miles from the entrance to MV. I always camp so I don't know for sure about Gouldings but it looks good. They have a restaurant there too.
Chaco Canyon is interesting and awesome in its own way, but it's a long drive on a dirt road and I suggest you put it off for another trip. Just the two MVs (Mesa Verde, Monument Valley) could easily fill a one week 9-day vacation. Have fun!
for all of the tips; I really appreciate all of the tips. Our trip planning is still in the works as we have some time to plan. I'm so glad to have found such a wonderful forum. I also spent some time looking over the pictures in the sticky thread and decided we will have to plan more trips to New Mexico. Thanks to all. I'm going to start looking over the links posted.
I suggest you get the AAA "Indian Lands" map not only to plan your trip but to navigate along the way. If you're not a member of the AAA, just pay retail for it. Trust me, it's really, really worth having for any place in the Four Corners area. The map covers much of the four states but not the outside edges.
I heard about this map from the famous Western author Louis L'Amour who mentioned it in one of his few contemporary Western novels, "Haunted Mesa."
I'm so glad to have found such a wonderful forum. I also spent some time looking over the pictures in the sticky thread and decided we will have to plan more trips to New Mexico.
Someone somewhere on this forum recently said that once in New Mexico you'll want to do all your vacation traveling right in this state. It's true--I can't imagine running out of places here, although it's nice to be closer to all the other wonderful southwest destinations mentioned in this thread.
~clairz
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4 corners tip
