AmberDS

I have been attempting to plan a massive road trip that my large family plans to take this fall and am going in circles. Each time I think I am going in the right direction, I read something that makes me rethink my plans. I have also attempted to search for an itinerary but am still not seeing what I need. So I need your HELP!

A little about us if it helps. We have 5 kids age 6 and up that will be traveling with us. We plan to be gone for some time and need to keep this as economical as we can. We do enjoy camping and have thrown that around as an option along the way to save some money (and because the kids really enjoy being outdoors). My concerns are that it might be too cold and the amount we would need to pack.

Something that we would like to do if possible is not make reservations at every stop along the way. We do not tend to spend as much time at destinations as others and would like to be able to slow down if needed or speed up in the same sense. However, I have received a lot of backlash for that when I posted on another forum. I am not against it at all. I just need to know where it might be the most important or how you would plan for that?

We will be leaving from Amarillo the first week of October and our final destination being San Francisco. This is the list of possible stops along the way.

I would appreciate any itinerary advice. Anything that is a must see that I've missed or even something that I should leave off. And again, being mindful that we like to see the highlights and do some short hikes possibly, but are not ones to linger. I am also having a hard time figuring out where wee need to look for accommodations for sections of the trip such as Canyonlands, Bryce, etc and then again near Sequoia/Yosemite.

Pecos NP
Mesa Verde NP
Arches NP
Canyonlands NP
Bryce Canyon
Zion NP
Grand Canyon (South Rim?)
Las Vegas/Hoover Dam
Death Valley
Sequoia
Kings Canyon NP
Yosemite


On the way back I would love to hit the pacific coast, but unsure about road closures.

Also, if you have any general road trip tips with kids for this amount of time, I will take all I can get! I would ideally prefer to make some meals along the way.

TIA!

emalloy

Tip #1 get a National Park pass at your first park.
#2 drive during the daylight, especially when you're not in cities or on major highways, deer, elk, antelope and in the "open range" cattle and horses have all been seen by me on the roads and they're hard to see at night.
#3 I like to wing it too, but the fall seems to be a very popular time in the southwest so you need a plan B and C if you plan to wing it for lodging.
#4 lodging in the parks is probably all booked by now, but people do book a year in advance and then cancel as time gets close. This is also true of camping sites where they do reserve ahead.
#5 get the kids involved in planning and do some of the old fashioned games like finding number plates or make up bingo cards with columns like red cars or fast food joints or animals that you see along the route mix things up on the cards and have a little treat for the winners.

In case you need to add some fun:

If you do the google map route from Pecos to Mesa Verde, you go right past Aztec NP. It is a nice ruin with a beautifully reconstructed kiva. You also could route yourself to visit Bandelier NP which has ruins that are carved into the soft rock (volcanic) that the kids can climb up into.

Between Canyonlands and Bryce you could add Natural Bridges, Capitol Reef and some of the nice hikes in Grand Escalante.

I prefer the south rim of Grand Canyon but the north rim is less crowded and less out of your way unless you want to go there on your way back to Amarillo.

Between Zion and Vegas is Valley of Fire State Park, nice red rock formations in case the kids haven't burned out on rocks yet. There is camping in this park.

This map was posted by another fodorite years ago and for the Utah sites should be helpful:

http://ohiohickstraveltips.weebly.co...-utah-map.html

That's a start, hope you have a great trip.

AmberDS

Thank you so much for your reply. This is so refreshing. I posted on a different travel forum and immediately was called several names for stating that we had not made reservations. I have been researching a plan A,B, and C for each location so that we have a plan based on availability and weather. So far, any time I have looked at the reservations the dates we will be in specific parks do have tent sites available.

I for sure plan to get the NP pass. I conveniently have a 4th grader so I am waiting to see if they renew the every 4th grader in a park pass in September. $80 is still a great deal, but free is even better!

We do plan to drive in the daylight as much as possible.

I will definitely check out those additional recommendations.

How does the weather tend to be in early-mid October for camping?

emalloy

The weather has been very nice when we've been there in the fall, but when you are at the higher elevations, like Mesa Verde, Bryce etc. it could be cool in the evening. There also can be late afternoon rain/thunderstorms.

I forgot to mention that Utah schools take a week break sometime in October, so the parks can be a bit more busy during that week.

Dayle

Amber,

Here are a few comments for you to consider.

First, you have not told us how long you have for this trip. That makes all the difference in the world as to what we can recommend.

Second, if you have to ask what the weather will be like in these locations during mid-October, you probably are not at all prepared for what it will be like. The higher elevations such as Bryce, Mesa Verde and parts of Yosemite could have snow. They will definitely be very cold at night for tent camping.

Third, some of the more crowded parks that are also at lower elevation, are gorgeous for campong in Oct, but that means they will also be crowded even for tents. These may be the locations where you will want advance reservations - Grand canyon, Zion, Yosemite.

If I were good ng to do this trip and include all your stops and the coast on the return, I would be looking at an extreme minimum of a month, but that month would not be from Mid Oct to Mid November.. That is not an optimum time frame for most of your destinations.

I would skip the Ca parks and the Coast for November and because of the roads problems on Hwy 1 this year. Save that for another time. Them your trip becomes a bit better.

janisj

Just one very quick comment: There are a few places where you really do need to make reservations (and far in advance) . . . even if you are camping. Yosemite, the south rim of the GC, etc. But Autumn is the slower season so you can get away w/o booking in many other places.

sludick

The break mentioned by emalloy is, I believe, Oct 19-20 this year. We were unfortunate enough to plan our visit around thetime of that conference a couple of years ago, and it was an absolute madhouse. In Moab, Arches, and anywhere reachable from Salt Lake City generally.

I suggest you plan to avoid Utah during that timeframe. Since you have a longer trip planned, that should be doable?

AmberDS

We are going to be gone over a month. We should be out of Utah by those dates. That is good to know.
I am fine tent camping in cold weather. Just not ice/sleet/etc. when weather is bad we will be getting other lodging. Obviously I know we can not predict weather this far out but I just wondered in general if it is going to be miserable or to try to go for it.

Why would you suggest skipping the California parks? We have plenty of time if that is the only consideration.

WickedGood

I assume this doesn't affect school time for the kids

I would also add in Durango Silverton train into this trip if possible.

Patty

Assuming you'll reach the CA parks and coast sometime between mid to late October, the weather should still be fine (Death Valley can still be hot). Our rains/storms don't typically start til November and even early November is generally OK. Yosemite will be much less busy on weekdays. You won't be able to make a through drive on Hwy 1 through Big Sur this year due to the collapsed bridge and mudslides from our previous bad winter. Some of these issues may be resolved by late October but it's highly unlikely that all of them will so plan on detouring but I would check closer to your trip for suggestions.

bailey123

Add Durango Silverton train? For a family of 7? On a month long trip trying to keep it economical, I doubt OP will want to spend a minimum of $500-600 to ride a train through the mountains. Nice but not that nice, IMHO.

marvelousmouse

With that many kids, my tip would be to have your lodging all reserved. And I'd overestimate how long the driving and sightseeing will take you.

For two reasons:

1) good campgrounds still fill up. You don't want to be trying to figure out where to stay on the fly, and you don't want to be forced to spend a fortune on lodging. With that many people, booking a hotel room at the last moment could be hard or it could be really, really expensive.

2) you want to build in time to grocery shop and cook. Camping and cooking will save you a lot of money. It's way too easy to be running late and say- let's just eat out tonight.


You might want to consider KOAs- they tend to be convenient and have some good cooking amenities like a dish washing sink. And some even have indoor pools, which is great with kids. And the kabins may be cheaper (while still with a roof) than a hotel suite for your crew.

Since you're traveling during Halloween, I'd look into the places you'll be passing through- probably some fun corn mazes or haunted houses or spooky events at local theme parks that wouldn't be too expensive.

Sounds like a really fun trip! Good luck

marvelousmouse

The stuff I wrote assumes that you are 2 adults with 5 kids. The hotel thing doesn't really apply if you are multiple families- just realized I wasn't sure. And I'd hit the coast in SoCal because it would be warmer, and the northern parts that have the road issues are more about views than beaches anyway. maybe consider adding San Diego, lots of fun things for kids there.

StantonHyde

I wouldn't do that trip without lodging reservations if you want to stay in/near the parks. Utah is very popular in September and October. And you are going to need reservations because not all hotel rooms can accommodate the large size of your party. I would not camp at that time of year. It can snow starting in October--you just never know. Especially in Bryce and Mesa Verde. I assume you mean tent camping?? If you click on my user name, you will find trip reports for many of your locations (with kid friendly itineraries).

bailey123

Generally, there will be no snow in Oct. at Mesa Verde. However, there can be the random snow that usually melts by the next day but it is not unusual that temps. will get down to freezing at night. There is camping across the highway from the entrance to MV but space is limited so you will want to check on availability asap. GC also has limited camping. One, Mather, often books months in advance so should be checked asap as well. The other is first come, first served so you would need to plan on being there in the morning to increase your odds of getting space. I agree with Stantonhyde about the popularity of UT parks in the fall. People in western CO and, I would guess other areas of the country, wait all summer to go to Moab area in the fall .