dmpalena

After months of going back and forth about what we wanted to see out west this summer, torn between parks in Montana and Wyoming and parks in Arizona and Utah, we've finally come up with a plan that gives us a little bit of most of them and I wondered what you think.

Traveling will be my husband, two sons (ages 15 and 20) and myself. We're more "sightseers" than "hikers" so I realize that we won't be getting the full benefit of some of these parks, but at least we'll be able to say "we've seen them". Our proposed itinerary is:

July 29 - Fly into Vegas early a.m. and drive to Tusayan, AZ (about 5 hours) to see sunset at Grand Canyon. Spend the night at Quality Inn Canyon Plaza.

July 30 - Rise early and tour South Rim of Grand Canyon till late afternoon. Head off to Monument Valley, AZ (3-4 hour drive) and stay at Goulding's Lodge for the night.

July 31 - Wake up early and do short tour of Monument Valley before heading to Moab, UT for 4 nights (3 hour drive) and stay at rental condo at Rim Village.

August 1 - Visit Arches National Park and Island in the Sky area.

August 2 - Visit Needles District of Canyonlands.

August 3 - Any suggestions for this day? Dead Horse State Park--where is that in relation to Arches or Canyonlands? Is it worth a trip?

August 4 - Start out early for Jackson, WY (9 hour drive) where we will stay at the Elk Country Inn (anyone familiar with it?) for two nights. First day will be shot driving, but we drive 13 not very scenic hours every year to Mytrle Beach, SC so 9 hrs. will seems like a short trip!!

August 5 - Spend the day in Grand Teton National Park and take a float trip down Snake River.

August 6 - Continue to tour GTNP before we drive up to West Yellowstone, MT where we have a house rented for six nights. I understand the drive will be about 3 hours.

August 7 through the 11th we'll visit Yellowstone, hopefully Beartooth Highway and maybe some "ghost" towns in MT.

August 12th - Leave early and drive to Salt Lake City where we'll spend the night before flying home on the 13th. I understand this will be about a 4-5 hour drive, right??

I know it may be an ambitious schedule, but it allows us to see a lot of the parks we really want to see in case we don't get back out west for a while. Where we live doing three hour drives is nothing...New York (2 1/2 hr drive), Maryland (3 hr drive), etc. so those days won't even faze us.

Other than the driving, does anyone have any suggestions for things we might do at some of these locations? I so appreciate all the help you have been in the past and look forward to all your comments! Thanks!!

gail

Drive from Jackson to SLC is 5-6 hours. Not drive from Yellowstone - which can add several more hours depending on where you are in Park.

happytourist

Some people like in-depth stays; some skim the surface. We've taken trips like this that cover a lot of territory. The key is to be flexible so you can change your itinerary if you want to.

We stayed at Elk Country Inn in Jackson last October--it was fine. For breakfast, go to Bubba's Barbeque across the street--huge breakfast burritos that are delicious. While in Jackson look for Tom Mangelsen's Images of Nature photo gallery for some amazing wildlife photography.

dmpalena

Thanks for the replies. Gail, we will be staying in West Yellowstone, MT until we leave for Salt Lake City on the 12th of August. According to Rand McNally site, the drive from West Yellowstone, MT to Salt Lake City is 5 hours. We wouldn't be driving through Yellowstone so would that estimate be right??

gail

I have no idea about that - there must be some way to get from West Yellowstone to SLC without going thru Park - possibly thru Idaho. (Geography-ignorant on that route).

When you are in West Yellowstone, see if it is rodeo night - we went to a local rodeo and, being from Boston, it was great - we sat about 3 feet from a flimsy fence into which crashed horses, bulls, and cowboys. Something you should know - it seems the accepted norm to bring beer into the bleachers for evening refreshment.

Dayle

Hi D,

I have to say this is a trip I would never do, but if you think your family will enjoy - go for it.

In Moab - you will NOT be able to see Arches and Cayonlands Island in the Sky in one day. Unless you don't get out of the car at all. Plan on one full day for Arches and get out and do the short walks to some of the arches.

Dead Horse Point and Island in the Sky are on the same road, so those should be combined.

See the Needles District on your third day. A recommendation for you: rather than drive down to Needles, take a scenic flight over Canyonlands with Slick Rock Air Guides. they operate out of the Moab airport. You will actually see more this way. The best thing about Needles is hiking - long hikes to awesome places that are 10 - 15 miles roundtrip. Since this isn't waht you want to do, see it by air, it will be worth the $.

Your day driving from Jackson to West Yellowstone will be more than 3 hours. You will be stopping at lot along the way and you might as well see some of the geyer basins enroute. Plan all day. Maybe stop for lunch at Old Faithful.

Hope this helps!

Dayle

PS - Yes, if you drive from West Yellowstone to SLC, you will be going through Idaho. Part scenic, part not.

tracys2cents

That itinerary could use a lil' tweaking from Utahtea!

ttt

sart29

This looks exactly like the kind of trips I take with my family. One thing we've learned about long drives in new places is to always allow about an hour extra for unexpected stops. This gives us a chance to stop the car for pictures of the amazing views (especially in Utah) and the interesting little roadside stands or attractions we come across.

You should absolutely include Dead Horse Point.

If your stomach and wallet can handle it I like Dayle's idea about flightseeing in the Moab area.

Please tell me you're also going to try some river rafting at some point on this trip!

gwburk

The short tour of monument valley is a 15 mile self guided drive thru the valley. Roughly 2-3 hours. From highway 163 Drive up route 261 which will take you up the Moki Dugway (great view) and over to Natural Bridges
Monument where you can drive thru the park and see 3 large bridges. Then head east on highway 95 over to highway 191 which will take you up to Moab. Dead Horse is a state park and there is a fee of 6 or 7 dollars to enter. Very well worth the time. In Moab take a drive north on highway 128 for about 20 miles and return the same way. It is a beautiful drive along the Colorado
River. I would skip the Needles and spend the extra day at Arches. Hike out to Delicate Arch or do some of the other shorter walks, or go searching for Petroglyphs along the Colorado River Canyon. These are fairly easy to find and there are maps showing locations.

vgronek

whatever you do make sure while your in the tetons you go to the top of signal mountain(easy drive)and watch the sun setting on the tetons while you have the most beautiful view of jackson lake, jenny lake, and all the other water at the foot of them.theres also moose habitat on the drive up it where we pulled over and watched him eating for awhile. my kind of trip! almost identical to one i did 5 years ago too.

dmpalena

Thank you everyone for your wonderful insights and comments!!! I always find that the experiences of others helps make a vacation even more enjoyable!

Actually, in response to sart29's comments, yes, we were hoping to do some whitewater rafting in and around Gardiner when we are in West Yellowstone. I'm not sure how "whitewater" it will be in August, but we've never done it before so I guess to us it will be exciting anyway.

I am a little disappointed that some Fodorites do not seem to like the itinerary we've planned. But several years ago when my husband and I visited Las Vegas, we took a air/ground daytrip to the Grand Canyon and (not being hikers) thought a day there would be plenty for us with the boys. Also, I thought three solid days in the Moab area, two in Jackson and five to six in Yellowstone would be plenty to see the major highlights. Am I wrong?? We really would like to see as much as possible, without rushing it too much, as we are spending a fortune on this trip and may or may not have another opportunity to do it again in the near future. I would so appreciate your honest opinions about the length of stay in each location and yes, I am most definitely waiting for the tweaking from utahtea....our resident expert!!!

In the meantime thank you to all for your valued help!!

SAnParis

No thanks, no way, no how. I guess the quote..." at least we'll be able to say we've seen them" may explain a little. How much are you really going to see at many of these places ? Why not pick your favorites & do them justice rather than spending at least, what, 3 days just driving ? That is nearly 20% of your time (a guesstimate on my part). I will defer to Utahtea, but what are we really trying to accomplish here ? Dayle has some good suggestions as well. I would certainly make sure everyone is on board w/this trip prior to committing though.

richbutnot

Don't be disapointed that some don't like your itineray. Not everyone has the same tastes. Actually, your trip sounds pretty good to me. Here are my comments.

Grand Canyon - That's about how much time we spent there, which is fine for non-hikers.

Monument Valley - Please take a tour instead of driving yourself. You will see so much more. HIGHLY recommend Simpson's Trail Handler Tours. Ask for Richard. Half day is fine there.

Moab - Arches and Canyonlands each take a full day. Be sure to take the hike to Delicate Arch for sunset. We are non-hikers also, but made it without any problem. You will need to leave the parking area at least 1.5 hours before sunset. Combine Dead Horse Point with Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Skip the Needles. It is for big time hikers and 4-wheel driving. A third day here could be spent rafting on the Colorado.

GTNP & YNP sounds good to me. Definately drive the Beartooth Highway (although it will be very long round from West Yellowstone).

We usually drive 11 to 12 hours the first and last days of vacation just get out west from Arkansas. Some people think this is vacation h*ll, but I don't mind at all. Just driving out west is enjoyable to us. You might want to consider an electric cooler that plugs into the car and can also be used in the motel. Saves a lot money on lunches and let's you eat when you want. It can be a long way between resaraunts out west.

Have Fun

utahtea

I think it's a pretty good itinerary. In our early years when we didn't have much time as we do know for travel, we did trips much like these.

I do agree with Dale and I would spend one full day in Arches and then another day for Canyonlands, Island in the Sky & Dead Horse State Park. You pass right by the short road to Dead Horse State park on the road to Canyonlands.

Actually, I would recommend renting a 4 wheel drive Jeep in Moab and drive the Potash road & Shafer Trail up into Canyonlands, visit the overlooks, stop at Dead Horse State Park and then take Long Canyon trail back to Moab. It's very do-able in one day.

The day trip to the Needles district will be a nice drive OR you might considered taking that drive on the day you leave Monument Valley if you don't get to late of a start. Make sure you stop at Newspaper Rock.

Also things to do in the Moab area are drive scenic hwy 128, the Potash road and Kane Creek Road. You might also decide to go back into Arches to do some of the short hikes. I'm sure your sons will want to do the Delicate Arch hike!

Utahtea

maryofmd

Sounds like a great trip - when are we leaving?
My husband and I did Glacier, Yellowstone, Tetons, Custer & the Badlands in 2001. We were gone about 19 days - it was hectic, tiring and we'd do it again in a second. We hiked in all of the places as well as sightseeing via car. We also did a float trip down the Snake River. We drove from MD but since it is only the two of us we put the "pedal to the metal" so to speak covering 1000 miles in a day. We left on a Thurs, slept in Havre MT that next nite-Fri.
In '99 we did Bryce, Zion, Vegas (got married), Grand Canyon (stayed at the QI too) and stopped at Graceland on the return. It's very unfortunate that we missed Arches NP and Canyonland and are hoping to go back to UT soon. We try to see/do as much as possible since you never know if/when you will be returning.
In GNP I would take the red bus tour on the "Going to the Sun" road leaving from the west side of the park. You have a better view since you are cliff side instead of hugging the mountain. We drove this in 2001 (white knuckled) since the red busses were not yet back in operation. The scenery is gorgeous and pictures don't do it justice.
In Bryce we did an ATV tour - we were the only folks so our guide didn't exactly follow the set tour which was fine by us. We felt that the surrounding area around Zion was a little more commercial that Bryce but that's our opinion.
We always plan a few things in advance and just "wing it" the rest of the way since you don't really know what you'll be up for. If you're like us you'll need a vacation when you return but you'll have memories that'll last forever!

dockruins

You could probably hit the needles district on your way from Monument Valley to Moab because its on the way. If all you want to do is stop at a few viewpoints, hike a few short trails, see Newspaper Rock, this can be done in an afternoon, which would have you guys arrive in Moab a little past dinnertime.

We did see the Island in the Sky and Arches in the same day, but only because we had to because of time constraints. It can be done, if all you want to do is the bare minimum (viewpoints, one or two trails at each place), but since you have that extra day, you could spend a day at each and easily do some of the shorter hikes and not feel so rushed. We saw the major parts of each park in a day (Delicate Arch trail, Landscape Arch, Grandview Point) but we got an early start, and didn't spend much time enjoying the scenery.

Dead Horse point is just an overlook, but it is worth a stop because it has views that "rival the Grand Canyon", so that can be done on your way in or way out of the Island in the Sky District.

Orcas

What happened to Mesa Verde? I haven't been for many years, but it's not far from Monument Valley and is well worth the trip. It's one of my most vivid memories from travel with my parents, decades ago, and we went on a lot of wonderful vacations. Here's the website:
http://www.nps.gov/meve/

vinceneil

you can do 5 states in under 14 hours if you ever go to New England.

laurieb_nyny

Dead Horse & Island in the Sky should be done on the same day & maybe combined with a Hummer tour of the Moab Rim.

Definitely a Simpsons tour at Monument Valley (not self drive).

Don't miss the Signal Mt summit in GT.

GT also has sailing on one of the Lakes with Captain Tom.