The Grand Circle is a term used to describe one of the most beautiful areas of North America.  A technical definition is difficult, but the circle can be drawn by marking St. George, UT, Green River, UT, Durango, CO, Winslow and Flagstaff, AZ, then drawing a circle adding roughly 50 to 100 miles from the above towns.

Within the circle are Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest and, of course, Grand Canyon national parks.  Also included are the Navajo, Ute, Hopi and Havasupi Indian reservations as well as the only point where four states meet.  There are numerous national monuments, state parks and national forests within the 1400 mile radius.

Obviously, seeing such a vast area will take some planning and lots of time.  It would be difficult to even drive through the main roads of the national parks in a single week.  To even decide which of the diversions to enjoy requires lots of planning as well as an assessment of your physical shape and the desires of others in your travel party.

Let's assume that the best approach will require several trips to research the "circle" and several more to do more in-depth exploring of areas of interest.  For example, it's possible to drive all the paved roads in Arches National Park and see the visitors center in a half day.  But to hike off-road to several good photo points takes a couple more hours.  To climb the mile and a half to "Delicate Arch" requires even a couple more hours.  It's also good to realize that after a week and a couple thousand miles of driving, you simply may not want to see another rock for awhile no matter how pretty.

  Near Moab, Utah  Photo - Glenn Adams

Do the research (that's much of the fun), plan and budget your lodging, and realize the vastness of the landscape.  For example, the Staircase Escalante National Monument itself is 1.7 million acres.  How much of this is "must see" for you and how long will it take to explore it the way you want to?  Do you need a trip just to see what you want to do on your return trip?  Is the Grand Circle just a trip?  Or should it become an ongoing hobby?

Is Las Vegas a good starting point?  Low airfares, car rentals and initial lodging costs make this attractive to many.  Plan on getting the Golden Eagle or Golden Age National Park Passes.  The Grand Circle has enough park and monument entry points that you can often recover the cost of these passes in a day or two.  Get the state maps and tour guides and study them well.  Time spent reading will easily be recovered tenfold as you enjoy the circle.  A good starting point is with the Grand Circle Association.