ROAD TRIP WEST USA

Old Jun 4th, 2004, 12:43 PM
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ROAD TRIP WEST USA

Hi,

We just found this website and i've already stayed for hours. Maybe you could tell what you think about our project for summer 2005. We are a french family living in sacramento and before going back to france we really want to do "our" road trip in western usa. We have 2 kids (5 and6.5) and we will rent a rv for this trip. So far, this is what we've planned :

Day 1 : leaving sacramento, sleeping on I-50 in nevada
Day 2 : arriving in Salt lake city and relax (we don't want to kill the kids at the beginning of the trip). Do you know any beach or place we could spend some time?
Day 3 : Antelope Island and departure for Yellowstone NP
Day 4 : arriving Yellowstone, Old faithfull and the south way to the lake.
Day 5 : upper loop to norris, Mammoth, tower falls. Night around canyon
Day 6 : canyon and road to cody
Day 7 : Cody and road to lander. What do you think of this stop. Is it a waste of time or not? We would like to see a pow-wow but we don't know how to plan that
Day 8 : south pass city, atlantic city, road to cheyenne
Day 9 : cheyenne. We plan to be there during the Cheyenne Frontier Days. How long do you think we should plan to stay
day 10 : cheyenne, road to denver, vail and grand junction
day 11 : Road to moab, visit of dead horse point state park
day 12 : arches NP and road to Valley of the gods
Day 13 : Monument valley and road to Grand Canyon. Isn't it too long to plan all this in a day?
Day 14 : Grand canyon
Day 15 : Road to Page
Day 16 : Lake powell and Antelope Canyon
Day 17 : Road to Bryce Canyon. What is the road to bryce. We have a road planner who suggest to take a little road from the I-89 to Cannonville, but on the map it seems to be an unpaved road. Is it ok with a rv?
Day 17 : Bryce canyon and road to Las Vegas
Day 18 : Las Vegas
Day 19 Back to Sacramento

Reading all your reports, i'm feeling like i miss some places like Capitol reef NP or the I-12 but i don't know how to add this in our trip for not adding to many miles.

We thank you for any comments, ideas and anything else which can help us planning this trip and ... sorry for all the mistakes i'm sure i've done writing this.
berkane is offline  
Old Jun 4th, 2004, 01:29 PM
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that is a good trip I will help you as much as i can as my wife and me have been in that area many times. First tip join AAA auto club can get maps and all kinds of travel info. The basic plan may do it worth the money. Try www.aaa.com or phone book.noe to trip Salt lake city you hace transport so the great salt lake, oe in town go to the morman temple square they are friendly. more later have been to most of the places you are going and enjoyed very much. latter
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Old Jun 4th, 2004, 02:31 PM
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Sounds like an ambitious trip. Good luck! If you go to Bryce, I suggest you spend some time in Zion. It is spectacular! Don't miss this park. We did GC, Yellowstone, etc. two years ago and we (our kids esp.) can't stop thinking about Zion. The Zion Narrows might be much for your kids, but if they can hike one mile, they'll be rewarded with a hike/wading through the Virgin River. It's just awesome. Don't drive into the park at night/dark though, hairpin turns would be really scary in an RV...

And if you get tired of being in that RV, check out the Desert Pearl Inn. Looks even better in person than their website -- it is just wonderful. Great for kids. www.desertpearl.com. You won't be disappointed!
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Old Jun 4th, 2004, 09:39 PM
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Day 1 : leaving sacramento, sleeping on I-50 in nevada.

I would plan on making it to Ely, Nevada to spend the night in the Holiday Inn RV park. It's free with hookups! Ely, NV at 455 miles will be a long day. If you take Hwy 50 make sure you get the I Survied Hwy 50 Kit. It has a lot of information on what to see in the area and you will get a bumper sticker and pin from the Governer if you get the passport stamped at a few locations along the way.


Day 2 : arriving in Salt lake city and relax (we don't want to kill the kids at the beginning of the trip). Do you know any beach or place we could spend some time?

From Ely to Antelope Island is 335 miles.


Day 3 : Antelope Island and departure for Yellowstone NP

Not sure if you had planned on going thought the Grand Tetons or not. I highly recommend it and on the 3rd night stay in the park at Colter Bay.


Day 4 : arriving Yellowstone, Old faithfull and the south way to the lake.

Make sure you make reservations in the park a head of time. Either that or you need to get your campsite before you go site seeing.

Day 8 : south pass city, atlantic city, road to cheyenne.

I've never been to these cities and it looks like mountain roads.

day 10 : cheyenne, road to denver, vail and grand junction.

This is a 350 mile day.

day 11 : Road to moab, visit of dead horse point state park

When you enter into Utah on I-70 get off in Cisco and take Hwy 128 into Moab. Not only is it a short cut but once you cross the Colorado River you will have some of the most fantastic views as you follow the river into Moab.

While at Dead Horse State Park, also try to make it Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky district. The Green River overlooks is one of my favorites.

day 12 : arches NP and road to Valley of the gods

I don't know if I would want to take an RV on the Valley of the Gods road. Definitely don't go if it is raining, has rained or looks like a thunderstorm approaching.

Day 13 : Monument valley and road to Grand Canyon. Isn't it too long to plan all this in a day?

You probably won't be want to drive the RV on the Monument Valley park dirt road. They have an awlful steep grade at the beginning. You will probably want to take a guide tour. It's only 150 miles to the Grand Canyon. You really don't have any where else to stop, so you might as well go all the way.

Day 14 : Grand canyon
Day 15 : Road to Page

You will probably get to Page in time to do a tour of the Upper Antelope Slots canyon. This will give you time to possibly do a float trip on the Colorado River OR leave a day early to spend the night in Zion National Park after Bryce Canyon.

Day 16 : Lake powell and Antelope Canyon

Day 17 : Road to Bryce Canyon. What is the road to bryce. We have a road planner who suggest to take a little road from the I-89 to Cannonville, but on the map it seems to be an unpaved road. Is it ok with a rv?

I would not do the Cottonwood Road in an RV. It's dirt. Stay on Hwy 89 until you get to Hwy 12 to get to Bryce Canyon. This route is 155 miles.

Day 17 : Bryce canyon and road to Las Vegas

When you leave Bryce back track on Hwy 12 to Hwy 89 and go south to Mt. Carmel Junction. From there take Hwy 9 thought Zion National Park. You will have to pay the $10.00 Tunnel escort fee but driving the tunnel isn't hard because the stop the traffic from coming in at the other end. You have the whole tunnel to drive in your direction.

Day 18 : Las Vegas
Day 19 Back to Sacramento

From Las Vegas to Sacramento is 573 miles. We're almost neighbors. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and it is ONE LONG DRIVE from Las Vegas. 573 miles! OUCH!

I don't know what size RV you are renting but DH says they tire you out driving more than a car does. Also it's very hard on the driver if it's really windy.

These are long days you have planned for young children. A DVD or VCR will really help to occupy them while you are traveling. I would suggest either cutting out a few places or add a couple of days to the trip.

I would suggest purchasing a National Park Pass for $50. It will save you a lot of money for all the parks you plan on entering.

I'm not that familar with Landers, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Atlantic City, etc.

Utahtea

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Old Jun 5th, 2004, 04:46 AM
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Just a couple of suggestions....the Parks Pass is an excellent idea...Cody is a neat little town, has a nightly rodeo, and a really good museum. Sort of 3 museums in 1, part Buffalo Bill Cody, part American Indian, part firearms museum....be sure and take binoculars into Yellowstone and while driving around the loops, should you see a couple of cars pulled off to the side, do the same, there will more than likely be animals of some sort close enough to see (the best possibility of seeing wolves is in an area called the Lamar Valley)...in Las Vegas, there is an RV park right next door to and run by Circus Circus (puts you right on the strip)....
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Old Jun 5th, 2004, 06:20 AM
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Hi Berkane,

It sounds to me like your plan is definitely a road trip. My personal opinion would be to cut this trip to half of the destinations you list. There is SO much to see and do at all these areas that you really won't have time to do more than check off that you've been there.

Choose either Tetons/Cody/Yellowstone, or southern Utah/Grand Canyon. Your kids will love you for it.

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Old Jun 5th, 2004, 10:56 AM
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Hello,

I've been reading your itinerary and it seems very ambitious for all the great places that you want to see. We traveled a loop, last September 8th to the 18th, that started in Las Vegas, with these stops along the way. Hoover Dam, The Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges National Monument, Moab, Arches National Park,
Capital Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon,( Our Favorite National Park on this trip ), Zion National Park and back to Las Vegas for a red eye back to Florida. We did this in 10 days and could have used 14 days to really spend more time at some of the parks.

One suggestion I will make. If you travel from Moab down towards Monument Valley, (do not take Rt. 261) through the Valley of the Gods. If you are heading south on 261, you will be on the top of a very high mesa with a single lane road down to the Valley of the Gods. The road is red dirt with switch backs more frequent then you will enjoy. It was a real nail biter for us as we climbed it, ever higher and higher, with no guard rails. Only protection is mounds of red dirt on the edge of the road. And, as we got towards the top, we did not want to look over the edge to the valley below. I think my wife had her eyes closed the entire climb!.

One more suggestion, spend a full day at Bryce Canyon. It is a spectacular National Park.

We will be taking in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in early September for 10 days, and hope it is as spectacular as our trip last year.

Good Luck on you adventure!
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Old Jun 7th, 2004, 08:37 AM
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Thank you for your suggestions. We know it's gonna be a really "big" trip, but we know we'll have to be back to France in 2 years and that it will be harder to come back after that. For the kids, we plan a lot of DVD with a laptop, but we also are preparing a roadbook with activities about what we plan to see : cowboys, buffalos, indians, geology, junior rangers in park, informations about states, ... Just to be busy during the long drives.

We made a mistake at the beginning of the trip. We don't plan to take the Hwy 50 but the 80 to go to Salt Lake City. Faster i think.

Does anybody have some informations or ideas about the indian reservation in lander, shoshone, ... in Wyoming? We don't really know if we plan to cross the wyoming to Cheyenne or if we go south to Utah after Cody. It could be a way to cut some miles.

Concerning Page and Lake Powell, we would like to rent a patio boat for a day to be on the lake by our own. Any suggestions for a rent place?

Going through Zion NP on our way to las vegas seems a good idea and we're looking how we can stop in Grand teton NP on our way to Yellowstone.

Thank you again
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Old Jun 7th, 2004, 10:38 AM
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I think you have bitten off a lot and you won't have time to really see things. For instance you say Cheyenne, road to Denver, Vail, etc. I think your trip is a drive by, honestly. You are bypassing two of the MOST beautiful parts of the west--the Tetons and Rocky Mountain National Park. My parents travelled and lived all over the world and my dad said there is nothing to rival the American West. Seeing the Utah parks is a lot of desert--the Tetons and RMNP are mountains and forests. The more eastern parts of wyoming you have chosen are likewise very desert like.
I would choose the Tetons and Yellowstone, Cheyenne for Frontier Days, RMNP, Denver and I70 through the Rockies. Drop south to New Mexico and the Indian reservations there on the way to Grand Canyon.
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Old Jun 7th, 2004, 06:29 PM
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I-80 will cut 90 miles but the driving time on the interstate will be a lot faster!

I don't think they rent patio boats on Lake Powell. They rent power boats and house boats. The shortest time to rent a house boat is 3 days.

I DO NOT recommend renting a power boat for many reasons. The lake is VERY low and will probably be lower next summer when you go unless they get really good snow this winter in Colorado. To get to the scenic canyons with the lake so low you have to travel thought Antelope Canyon because the main route is now land instead of water. Antelope Canyon is narrow and deep and the water is as choppy as being on the open ocean. VERY ROUGH ride for about an hour one way. If you just want to get out on the water and stay near the Wahweap Marina area and find a place to swim...then renting a power boat would be fine.

If you really want to have fun I would suggest doing the float trip on the Colorado River. We had a little 5 year old boy on our raft last summer and he had a blast. He kept telling his Mom, take that picture, take that picture. Or take one of the tours on Lake Powell.

You have some hard choices. It's hard not to want to do it all. You can find a lot of Indian Reservations in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.

To Gretchen: Yes seeing the Utah Parks is mostly desert but what BEAUTIFUL desert it is. You won't find scenery and geology like that any where else! I'd like to know...have you personally been to the National Parks in Utah?

Utahtea


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Old Jun 8th, 2004, 05:01 AM
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No, only northern Utah. And I agree with you. But I just think missing some of the things I pointed out is also not to see the West. They could certainly drive I70 to Moab, etc. as they planned and not go to NM. However the NM indian villages are so classic. I just don't see ANY sightseeing time in that itinerary--it is ALL driving.
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Old Jun 8th, 2004, 10:39 AM
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And I might add that with children that age you need to look for some things to let them do things--putt putt, swimming, etc. We travelled for 6 weeks in the west with teens--even that age (or maybe especially that age) just cannot look at scenery all day long and appreciate it at all.
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Old Jun 10th, 2004, 10:04 AM
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ok,we're thinking loosing lander and cheyenne on our trip. Instead, we'll go through teton NP to arrive to Yellowstone.
But after Yellowstone, the hard part will be going from cody to Arches NP. This part doesn't seem to have interesting stops to cut the road. Any idea?

We have seen on a web site that we can find patio boat in Wawheap marina. Do you have any more information about float trip on the colorado river?
Thank you
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Old Jun 10th, 2004, 10:38 AM
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If you are going from Cody, Wyoming directly to Moab, Utah then I would suggest Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal, Utah. Great place for kids, it's also scenic and has a great campground. It's 390 miles from Cody to Vernal and then 228 miles from Vernal to Moab, Utah.

To find info on the Colorado river float trip you have to go to this web site:

http://www.lakepowell.com/index.php

Click on: Online Reservations
Click on: Wahweap Marina
Choose: "Reserve a raft trip" & pick any time just to get the info and it will give you lots of information, phone numbers, prices and have pictures of places you will see.

Here is a link to our pictures we took last summer.

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacation2003/float.htm

Utahtea






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Old Jun 11th, 2004, 07:55 AM
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Betweeen Cheyenne and Denver you might want to spend a night in Estes Park and check out Rocky Mountain National Park.

Sue
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