A friend and I are taking a road trip through CO, UT, AZ, and NM on short notice (March 15-early April). Neither of us have been to the area before, and any recommendations of what to prioritize would be greatly helpful. The tentative plan is to head west through CO via I-70 to Utah (everything in southern Utah is fair game: Canyonlands, Zion, Capitol Reef, Bryce), Grand Canyon, the Flagstaff area, Gila National Forest, Albuquerque/Santa Fe/Taos region, and finally up to Colorado Springs. We will be doing a mix of climbing, day hiking, and backpacking.
If you had 10-15 days total to allocate toward backpacking the best of the Southwest in mid-March to early-April, how would you spend it?
Any trip length or mileage is acceptable, but some key considerations are weather/safety conditions (i.e. no serious snow travel) and ease of getting permits on one to two weeks of notice. Recommendations for day hikes and climbing locations (we'd be doing top rope or bouldering only, unless it was a guided climb) are also welcome.

