Thank you! Can I drive from Monument Valley, see the Cliff Palace and Balcony House of Mesa Verde and still make it to Moab in the same day? Or is one day not enough for this? If so, I will skip Mesa Verde and go straight from Monument Valley to Moab, maybe paying a visit to the Needles area of Canyonlands en route.

While it would be a LONG day, you can stop at Mesa Verde en route to Moab. It's not directly on the route but you can do it. Does that leave you with two nights in Moab? If so, that's OK - not a long time but enough to see Arches, Canyonlands Island in the Sky (not Needles) and Dead Horse.

Have fun.

Thank you so much for your expert advice! Yes I will have two nights at Moab after a long day from Monument Valley to Mesa Verde to Moab.

Arriving in the middle of the day at Mesa Verde, you may find all the tickets gone for Cliff Palace and Balcony House. You'd see good stuff, but you'd miss out on some of the best the park has to offer.

Agreeing that Monument Valley to Mesa Verde to Moab is a bad plan. Days are still short in early April. Mesa Verde is NOT a quick stop kind of place. If you can't give it a full day, I'd give it a pass. Moab itself is worthy of 3-5 days.

Better to have quality time at fewer places than rushing to touch more bases.

Have to agree with Redrox. Mesa Verde not a quick stop. We spent most of a day. It is on our short list of favorite NPs. On that same trip made a quick visit to Arches on way out of Moab. But we have not seen Canyonlands. Hope to do that this spring, and see a little more of Arches.

Thank you all for taking time to write your advice! Given the general vote against a quick stop at Mesa Verde, I will skip it this time and focus on the Moab area. Hope to get a chance to see Mesa Verda later!

I would not miss Mesa Verde, personally. It is a World Heritage site and a national treasure. You are going to be seeing a whole lot of beautiful rock formations and wild country along your route, but Mesa Verde is unique. Would it be possible to arrange your schedule to arrive in Cortez the evening prior to your visit? Then you could get next day tour tickets for Cliff Palace or Balcony House at the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez. Visit Mesa Verde the next morning and then head for Moab, stopping at the Needles Overlook.