lauramsgarden

Hi, I'm in the beginning stages of planning a summer road trip - let's say 2 to 3 weeks worth which would start in the 4 corners area, winding up through Utah to Idaho and settling for a while in Grand Teton national Park and then coming home down through Colorado. My preference would be to drive a bit, stay 2-3 nights somewhere beautiful and explore and then continue along. Like I said, just starting to think about it but would love suggestions of possible routes and places to stop (and favorite hotels). thanks

Dayle

L,

Have you been to any of these places before? Do you want to see the other Natl Parks? I assume so. Even with 3 weeks, I think you might have to make choices. There is much to do and see in these states! Also, the weather and temps will vary hugely between the 4 Corners and Yellowstone (if you are planning to include the park). Do you want to hike in very hot weather? Willing to get an early start to avoid the peak heat of the afternoons?

Moab - Arches and Canyonlands, plus much more
Capitol Reef?
Zion and Bryce
Park City (have to throw that in since I live there)
Jackson
GTNP & Yellowstone
RMNP, and on and on.....

tomfuller

Dayle is right. Tell us which parks and attractions you want to see.
Where are you coming from? Driving from home or flying and renting a car?
Western Montana has more to see than Idaho IMO.

lauramsgarden

We've been to Yellowstone, Arches (missed Canyonlands cause we ran out of gas ) and Zion, so this trip I want to make Grand Teton the focal point, but want to create a beautiful drive there and back. Say more about Capitol Reef and RMNP. Why Park City and Jackson? thanks

wave725

We spent several weeks in the Tetons last summer. I would avoid staying in Jackson unless you like a lot of traffic, although you'll have plenty of choice for lodging and restaurants. We stayed in The Aspens Condos on Moose-Wilson Road and there were several restaurants in the area - the Q Roadhouse Brewery had excellent food (and beer). Plenty to see in do in the park. We love to hike and spent a majority of our time exploring the park trails.

http://www.tetonhikingtrails.com/gra...p-10-hikes.htm

We also had a fabulous float trip along the Snake River through Barker-Ewing Tours. Saw five bald eagles!

http://www.barkerewing.com/

lauramsgarden

thanks so much wave725, I really appreciate the specific suggestions.

Dayle

Hi laura,

I'm not sure how long you are willing to drive each day before reaching a destination. How about this:

Bryce Canyon 2 nts
Escalante/Boulder 1 nt
Capitol Reef 1 nt
Park City 3 nts
Grand Teton Natl Park/Jackson 4 nts
Rocky Mtn Natl Park 3 nts
Ouray/Telluride 2 nts
Mesa Verde 2 nts

Leaves a couple nights to add where you choose. Driving times between Bryce - Escalante - Boulder - Capitol Reef will depend on what hikes you want to do. You might choose to add a night in Capitol Reef if you want to visit Goblin Valley or Little Wildhorse Canyon, driving the long way to Park City.

Things to do in Park City:
hike
mountain bike/road cycle
golf
ATV tour
water sports at lakes - SUP very popular
hot air ballooning
spas/gourmet dining/galleries
fly fish
horseback ride, etc.
resort base activities like alpine slides and zip lines
#1: visit the Utah Olympic Park, ride a summer wheeled bobsled, see the aerialist show - amazing!

Jackson is a fun town to visit for about 1/2 day. Rafting trips abound and are super popular. Near enough to GTNP that you can drive in from the southern part of the park in just a few minutes.

If you want to stay in the parks, you should start now trying to get reservations. They book a year out, which you may already know, but cancellations do happen.

I have not made it yet to RMNP, so no recs there.

Ouray and Telluride are gorgeous. Mesa Verde is very special, very interesting.

Make sure to know your mileage between stations and to destinations and keep your tank 1/2 full at all times. Don't miss out because you ran out of gas again.....

lauramsgarden

thank you so much - that gives me a lot to investigate. Mesa Verde and Telluride/Ouray are in our neck of the woods so we can easily skip them and maybe add to other stops.

Dayle

I was going with the loop idea. There are so many options and other places to stop along your return route. You can definitely add time to any of the above!