US Rocky Mountain Planning a trip in mid-late Feb

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Enthusiast III

2,916
Denver, CO, USA
First Name
Jon
Last Name
Ford
Member #

31882

Service Branch
Former EMT
Hey all,

I am planning a trip for some time between February 19th and 27th - this happens to fall on a holiday week and I have a floating holiday to burn this quarter, so I can take a week off and only use 3 days of PTO. I am open on the length of the trip, would prefer between 3-5 days. Only real constraint is it has to occur within the above time range. Bearing in mind I am located in the greater Denver metro area.

I am currently thinking Utah, Arizona, Nevada, or New Mexico as they seem to be in reasonable proximity to me and have plenty of destinations worth visiting. Strong preference towards Utah, weather permitting.

I have little experience planning long roadtrips, especially not in "overland" fashion. At the moment, I am looking for advice on how to plan for something like this (bonus points if you have a sweet excel template).

I am looking for any of the following, and more:
  • Suggestions on what to pack
  • How to calculate fuel usage
  • Suggestions for places to go
  • More things I am probably not thinking of
  • Adventure buddies
A bit about my rig, for reference when offering suggestions:
  • 2021 Ranger, Leveled on full Fox 2.0 suspension with Icon UCA's
  • ~32 inch KO2's
  • 2x full size spares
  • Sleeping inside of camper shell
  • Have a roof rack with awning and space for additional rooftop storage boxes/equipment
Thanks in advance!
 
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Very_Cool_Jeep

Rank IV
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

1,065
Mesa, AZ, USA
First Name
vasil
Last Name
sivilov
Member #

23169

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N/A
Hey mate,
Personally, I don't pack a lot of staff. I just take what is necessary for me to survive. If you are going to travel alone i would recommend you to get recovery gear like maxtrax ( maxtrax extreme are badass), recovery rope, shackles. Depending on where are you going to camp if you are in southern Arizona, then you should not worry about snow. If you are going to Arizona you should visit, Sedona, Superstition mountain, and hike the hieroglyphic trail, Jerome has beautiful trails, Table Mesa, Schnebly Hill Road, and Broken arrow are my favorites.
 

Enthusiast III

2,916
Denver, CO, USA
First Name
Jon
Last Name
Ford
Member #

31882

Service Branch
Former EMT
Hey mate,
Personally, I don't pack a lot of staff. I just take what is necessary for me to survive. If you are going to travel alone i would recommend you to get recovery gear like maxtrax ( maxtrax extreme are badass), recovery rope, shackles. Depending on where are you going to camp if you are in southern Arizona, then you should not worry about snow. If you are going to Arizona you should visit, Sedona, Superstition mountain, and hike the hieroglyphic trail, Jerome has beautiful trails, Table Mesa, Schnebly Hill Road, and Broken arrow are my favorites.
thanks for the tips! I’m leaning towards Utah at this point as the precipitation doesn’t seem too bad around this time of year, just cold