Amaresh

Hi all,
We are planning for a roadtrip from Calgary, AB to Page, AZ in mid-October.
We are a family of 4. My children are 9 & 12 y old.
Has anyone, in this forum, done a trip from AB to AZ?
If yes, any advise in terms of
-what to do and what not to do
-where to take an overnight break from driving
-driving , safety tips etc?
Thanks.
Amaresh

neilg14

Hi, I've not actually been to Page but done the drive down past there and back many times.
As for where to stop for the night depends on how far you want to drive in a day.
My preferred route and especially as there's a chance you'll get snow between Helena & Lima on the I 15 in October, would be to come off at Helena and take Hwy 12/287 to Three Forks, staying on Hwy 287 until you pick up Hwy 20 to Idaho Falls and back on the I 15 again down through Salt Lake City and come off either Cedar City or Hurrican and across to Page.
If I was doing that journey I would probably look around Idaho Falls/ Blackfoot area, plenty of hotels/motels on that route.
In Cedar City there is a lighthouse on the side of the highway, a rare & strange sight.

Amaresh

Thank you. That's very helpful

neilg14

No probs, if you decide to go that way, there are a couple of POI's, one is Ennis, a tiny town that is straight out of a wild west movie except the main street is tarmac not sand and the other is Bear Park just south of Rexburg, on Hwy 20 on the rhs.
Also, as you're going into Idaho from Montana, about 1/2 mile past the state line, you'll see a very small bungalow inside some gates on the rhs, look up to the top of the hill, there's 2 big houses together, they're Steven Segal's.
If you go decide to take the I 15 all the way, it's very scenic between Great Falls & Butte through the Canyons then pretty much rolling hills all the way down to Cedar City.
Salt Lake City is a strange place with many suburbs to the N & S and it's about a 2 1/2 drive through from start to finish on the highway.

Amaresh

Thanks again. We will look out for Steven Segal's house. In terms of daily driving, I think I would drive 8 hours a day.

Simon Legree

I was just curious why you would choose Page as a destination. There isn't much there except Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon. The town was built in 1957 to accommodate the work force building the Glen Canyon Dam. There are so many other beautiful places in northern AZ and southern UT. In fact the whole of the Colorado Plateau is spectacular. If you look in my gallery you can see numerous photos of the area. There are five National Parks in southern UT alone, then there is The Grand Staircase, Monument Valley and and The Grand Canyon, all in the same system. All well worth a visit. Enjoy your trip wherever you go.

Amaresh

I read somewhere on Trip advisor about Page. Apparently it's a small but beautiful town with easy accessibility to various tourist attractions including Grand Canyon.
Also, Page is 18 hours from Calgary. I've thought of driving 9 hours a day and make the journey in 2 days.
I'm open to suggestions. Is there a place you can advice?

dbd33

Williams. They have very good pies in Williams and, should you choose, you can stay in an old railroad caboose. I also like Flag, I worked there on and off and enjoyed being able to choose the weather by driving up or down.

I suppose I've been to Page half a dozen times and struggle to remember anything about it.

Simon Legree

If you have the time why not do a Grand Circle route. After Salt Lake City go down I 15 to I 70. Go east to Crescent Junction. Then go south on 191 to Moab, UT. Lots and lots of beauty there, including Arches NP and Dead Horse Point State Park. Continue on through Blanding (alt 9,000 ft ASL !) down 160 to Monument Valley, Kayenta, Tuba City, The Painted desert and on to The Grand Canyon. From that approach take the 64 from Cameron to Desert View. That is the most easterly access to the GC NP. There is just so much natural beauty in the whole area that it's difficult to see everything in one trip. There are five National Parks across southern UT with Zion in the west, then Bryce Canyon, then Capitol Reef, then Canyon Lands and Arches. All well worth a visit. Some more accessible than others. If you plan on visiting more than a couple of Parks a season pass is a good deal. Entry to CG NP is $25 and other parks have similar fees. As I said, there is such an abundance of natural beauty in the area that it's difficult to pick the best of the several different routes. Page is a place to pass through and that's about all. Small yes but hardly beautiful. Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon are the attractions there. As I said, take a look at my gallery and you can look at pictures from all over AZ and UT.

Amaresh

Thank you. I'll look up on Google. My wife will be very happy to know about the pies.😊

dbd33

At Bryce you can take a trail ride around the goblins, the horses won't fall off the cliffs but it's as well not to look down.

If I had only time to visit one National Park/Monument that would be the one, then Arches, then the GC (though I've twice been down the GC and think it wonderful). There are some cabins on the rim of the GC, within the NP, that was a neat place to stay and not expensive.

Goblins State Park is also worth your time, lots of slot canyons around there.

Steve_

I've driven to Page from Calgary.

I wouldn't have thought the weather would be a major problem in October but you really do need to keep a close eye on the forecast, I mean a really close eye. Do not look at it and say "oh it's just a bit of snow forecast", if it's snowing, don't go.

How I did it was down I-15, stayed overnight in Idaho Falls, then in Cedar City, then Hwy 14 over the mountain, then down Hwy 89. You're only going to get away with that if you start out really early, it's 680 miles to Idaho Falls.

Personally I wouldn't do it in October, I'd aim for September if I were you.

The problems are these - the Monida Pass can be a real ballache as someone already mentioned, check the weather forecast for Lima then assume it will be several degrees colder. When the weather is bad up there it makes Ice Road Truckers look simple. There is a sign up there that says: "WHEN FLASHING EXIT 14 TO EMERGENCY SHELTERS".

There is a webcam on the Montana DOT website - check it before heading out.

The next problem is driving through Salt Lake City, which is about 110 miles of heavy traffic as I-15 is the main artery. They are always dicking around with it, so make sure you check the Utah 511 website.

Cedar City is a bit of a dump, and Hwy 14 is not for the faint hearted as it goes UP and UP and UP. When you get down onto Hwy 89 you are literally in the middle of nowhere, do not attempt the drive from Kanab to Page until you have checked your car and have plenty of water to hand, it's that remote. When I did it, I didn't see a car going in the other direction for half an hour.

If I was going to do it again, I'd stop in Great Falls overnight, that way you hit the Monida Pass midday and then stay in Salt Lake overnight, which breaks up the drive through the traffic and then you also hit Hwy 14 in the afternoon.

Steve_

I wouldn't try doing it in 2 days if I were you, the drive through Salt Lake is pretty taxing. To do that then drive over the mountains in Utah the same day, no thanks.

Steve_

I agree.

Steve_

Were you awake? Antelope Canyon, north rim of the Grand Canyon?

Anyway they have Cornish pasties in Buttes, MT. (and I don't recall Williams being that spectacular).