Antelope Canyon you better visit between 11 am and 1 pm.
Only at this time you can make very god photographs!
Greetings from Germany
Wolfgang

Monument Valley.....what a beautiful place to see and visit.....the Navajo
Nation holds truly one of the crown jewels of the west......this is a Navajo
Nation Park, not a national park, where the Navajo or Dine Nation has done a
fine job to service this area for your visit and tourist traffic......I was
some what leery as to what would be there, we all have seen the countless
pictures of the huge rock formations called the Mittens as well as many
movies or commercials filmed there.....but to actually visit and see this
vast area is truly awesome.....I am not sure of the exact cost of much of
the
things such as park entrance and camping fees, me being Navajo, I didn't get
charged these fees..... but they were very small compared to many National
Parks such as Mesa Verde and such.........

We camped at the Monument Valley camp ground which is right there at the
park
entrance.....from each camp pad you have a fantastic view of the top half of
the main Mitten formations towering above the canyon rim....soft powdery
sand make tent sites feel good for sleeping.....each site has a covered
picnic table and a fire pit or grill.....located within walking distance of
all sites
is a large bath house with hot water, showers and toilets....also
provided is a sink area for cleaning camp dishes with running hot
water too.....as well as tent camping there are RV pads there also, in fact
quite a number of pads are available for all types of camping....the only
problems I found to be is that you must first purchase tokens to work the
showers at the main park gift shop, a quarter machine would have been nicer
for the early riser or late night bather when the park shop is
closed......and it is dark, real dark in the camping area even with moon
light...of course this is excellent to be blanketed with a brilliant star
field above, just don't be tricked into believing this is adequate light to
find your way back from the bathhouse late at night...Gouldings Lodge and
Trading Post has been located about 10 miles west of the park entrance for
more than a century and a half..they offer rooms and pads for RV or tent
camping ..located also there is an old western movie studio from yester
year..the closest city is Keyenta, about 25  miles south of the park...here
are the major hotel chains such as Best Western and Holiday Inn...grocery
stores and gas available here too...this is a good place to fill up you
vehicle due to no other gas stations can be found for hours in either
direction...

Traveling in a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4, we didn't feel we would have any
problems on the roads down in the valley it self.....you drop several
hundred feet down a winding switchback road to a rough, rutted and sometimes
washed out road on the valley floor.. this road which winds thru this valley
can be hard on some low slung cars though I saw some cars and vans down
there navigating quite well.....but for the most part the road is fine, just
dusty.....but don't fear not being able to drive the valley, there are four
wheel drive trucks with seats on back which you can pay a small fee to a
Navajo guide service to travel the beaten path as well as hidden gems
forbidden to the general public traffic.....these guides are truly friendly
guys, joking and laughing with the passengers as well as giving information
on each stop about the formations around them.....there are a lot of sacred
places out there, even the huge Mitton formations are
sacred to the Navajo and that is why you must keep to the road or have a
guide show you other formations deep in the valley.....I wish I could paint
a mental picture to all about the many magnificent sights to be seen, yet
even
photos can't relay the feeling one gets enveloped by this beautiful
valley....

Highlights were stopping at John Ford's Lookout Point where you can gaze out
on the valley with the same perspective that Ford's countless western films
conveyed to the movie goer, even though the screen actors often refered that
they are
in Texas and such.LOL....here they have a couple of Navajo guys that will
help
you up on a horse, place a cowboy hat on your head and a fake rifle to
cradle in your arms so they can take a picture of you with this magnificent
background for a small fee....this is hilarious, European or Japanese
tourist trying to be cowboys
and attempting to climb on a horse....down right entertaining to say the
least.....actually the whole area is a Kodak moment, we shot 4 rolls of film
down there....I ran into a special Navajo photo guide who drove his cliental
around
in a fine new Suburban.....he or others like him are great to hire for the
serious photographer......he was kind enough to give me pointers and
perspectives as well....all in all, everyone goes out of their way to serve
the tourist as I saw it......

The Navajo sell jewelry at many outlooks.....please take time to look over
these beautiful items and know you are purchasing quality items from the
craft's person themselves.....this is important in that the money goes to
them and not to a dealer that pays them pennies on the dollar value.....they
are proud of their work and need this income to continue their craft and
every day expenses...

All in all, I am proud of my Navajo Nation....they have turned a beautiful
area into a financial resource that supplements many while it serves to
introduce thousands of visitors to our beautiful land and culture......

Just after I had photoed the sun emerging in all its glories colors and
saying my prayers out on the balcony of the visitor center, one of the
Navajo guides there who had been watching asked me what was I doing there,
acting like a tourist.....I replied " This place is even more beautiful than
my area of the rez outside of Gallup that starts the Painted Desert....I'm
an engineer in Dallas Fort Worth area now, where everything beautiful there
is man made..from the architecture, arts, even the trees that are planted,
everything has man's artificial touch to make something beautiful...I just
had to see with my own eyes the beauty the Holy Ones created for the Dine
people, a place where harmony envelopes all my senses..I have been away from
home too long "  ..the guide smiled, a knowing nod of his head told me he
knew exactly what I meant...

[snip]

There are so many great places to hike between Las Vegas and Monument
Valley it's difficult to know what to suggest. The Cedar Mesa area and
the Grand Staircase Escalante have dozens of great places to hike. I'd
suggest buying Hiking the Grand Staircase-Escalante and the Glen
Canyon Region by Ron Adkison. One possibility that fits your short
hike requirement is Mule Canyon, which is a pleasant, easy hike with
several ruins to visit.

You say you've gone to Utah's National Parks but if you happen to have
missed the Needles district of Canyonlands, you should definitely
reconsider.

If you are mostly used to short hikes, the hike up Bright Angel is
going to be pretty hard on you so don't plan on doing much afterwards
besides collapsing.

Sounds like a fun trip, Rodney. I don't know as much about the area as
others, but I visited for a couple of weeks last summer. I did Canyon de
Chelly and Monument Valley in a day, and was glad to have seen them.

At Canyon de Chelly, there's only one short trail that you can hike
unescorted. You can also take a truck tour of the canyon with a guide, which
could take from a few hours to all day. I drove one of the rim roads, and
stopped at every viewpoint, then did the hike on the White House Trail (2.5
mi. round trip). My whole stay lasted maybe 4 hours. I certainly could have
enjoyed a longer visit, but it gave me a taste of the place and will hold me
over until I can return for an extended visit.

I likewise only spent a few hours at Monument Valley. I don't know about any
hiking trails. But you can see a lot of spectacular scenery on the Valley
Drive. It's a dirt road, a bit less than 20 miles long if I remember
correctly, that loops through the area. It will take you a couple of hours
just to do the drive.

Have a great time!

In rec.travel.usa-canada Rodney Boles <rboles@jetstream.com> wrote:

The hike into the canyon (did it in 1999) is not a terrible hike difficulty
or length wise (7 miles in, 9 out with your plan).   But the hike down can
be very hard on the knees; the constant down then followed by constant up.
I think hanging out the extra day is a good idea.  Plus this way you get to see
the canyon from the Rim at sunrise.

Phantom Ranch is a great place.

Julie

<snippage>

It's gotten very commercial (and crowded) there. (Bring lots of
money.) I prefer the Corkscrew section of Antelope to the upper,
shallower Crack section (despite the new staircases in the former).

http://www.americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/antelope_canyon/

There is free entrance and camping at the Navajo National Monument.
The short walk to the Betatakin overlook is nice, but if the trail
down has been cleared you can also do a ranger-guided trip to these
ruins. But the best trip, IMO, is to Keet Seel, but it's a vigorous
17-mile dayhike. (Reservations required, but you can camp there.)

http://www.nps.gov/nava/pphtml/activities.html

Personally, I have always believed Kolob Canyons to be overrated
compared to the offerings in the main section of Zion.  (My tip: If
you've already done Zion Narrows and Angel's Landing, try a dayhike to
The Subway. Make a next-day reservation at the Zion Visitor's Center
BCO because a permit is now required to go there).

http://www.climb-utah.com/Zion/subway.htm

Paria is a really great area. You can do dayhikes into Wire
Pass/Buckskin (no permit required) or the Wave (IF you can get a
permit--reserve online or be prepared to stand in line at the Paria
Ranger Station). The sections of the upper and lower Paria Canyon that
you can get to on a dayhike aren't that interesting, compared to the
middle section.

https://www.az.blm.gov/paria/
http://azwww.az.blm.gov/asfo/recreate/backpack_trails.htm#coyote
http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/buckskin.htm

...another place with a free campground within a National Monument.
The best way to see the Canyon de Chelly (and Del Muerto) is with a
Navajo guide (and vehicle, unless you rent a 4WD).

Take the Moki Dugway (261) route to Natural Bridges (numerous awesome
sights enroute) and good dayhikes there. Grand Gulch is one of my
favorite areas but requires multi-day backpacking to get to the best
stuff. (Stop at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station for info on shorter
dayhikes. Bullet Canyon is tougher than Kane Gulch, but worth it.)

http://www.nps.gov/nabr/hiking.htm

Far, and not all that interesting compared to other areas you'll be
going through. Canyonlands is much more interesting--especially the
Island-in-the-Sky, and the Needles sections. Less crowded, too.

http://www.nps.gov/nava/pphtml/activities.html

And don't forget the dayhike options around Escalante -- Spooky Gulch,
Peekaboo, etc. Plus, Lake Foul is now down about 120' -- so there are
awesome hikes available into slot canyons that have been underwater
for a long time... (Beware of flash floods in all these areas, BTW)

Others here have also offered some good comments. FWIW, I've been
hiking all  these areas for about 50 years, so feel free to ask if you
have more questions about any of the above recommendations.

(But rather than cross-posting, perhaps we should stick to the
alt.rec.hiking group?)

Cheers,

Caveat

Rodney,

If you are in Blanding stop by and see Sumner Patterson at the Purple Sage
Trading Post. He knows the area as well as anyone and can send you in the
right direction.

AZCRAIG

www.azcraig.us

I just did a 4 corners trip last month, starting with Canyon de Chelly.  I
did the whole day tour but if I did it again I would do the half day
tour.  9 hours is a long time to be bouncing around in the back of that
truck.  Also, if you are going to eat in Chinle, the restaurant in front
of the Best Western is the best of the 3 in town.
While in Monument Valley, I took one of the guided tours from in front of
the visitor center.  2.5 hours and we went to many places you can't go in
your own vehicle.  I would definitely recommend taking a guided tour at
both MV and Canyon de Chelly.  If your going to be in Mexican Hat then you
should go to Goosenecks State Park.  A very unique and impressive
formation.  I couldn't begin to describe it but it is a must see if you
are in the area.
Finally, Hovenweep National Monument is nearby and some very good ruins
from centuries ago.  I did MV, Goosenecks and Hovenweep in one day and
that was starting from Chinle.

john

The Navajo NM CG is pleasant enough, & unlikely to be crowded in late
Sept. Alternately, you can camp on the slickrock just outside the park
entrance, which is only really practical if you have a 4x4 & sleep in
your vehicle. But it's free, no neighbors & great views ;-)

Cheers -- Pete Tillman
Santa Fe