Advice on trip to South-West USA in April
 

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about our upcoming trip to SW-USA. We will travel for 19 days in April flying to LA from Amsterdam. I am traveling with my wife and 2-year old daughter. During holiday we love the combination of national parks/ nature and city sightseeing.

At the moment I have created two itineraries. The main questions that I have are the following:
1. What kind of weather and temperature could we expect in the various national parks?
2. We decided not to go to San Francisco and Yosemite due to the expected cold weather. Is that a wise decision? Is the weather really that bad in April in this region?
3. Are the itineraries doable by car / distance? With our daughter we would prefer to drive max 3-4 hours per day (off course an exception is possible)? Alternative suggestions are also welcome
4. Is there enough to do in each park with a toddler? We like scenic drives, easy hiking and relaxing. We have a sling in which we can carry our daughter during hiking

The Itineraries:

Itinerary 1
Day 1 - 4: flying to LA / Stay in LA
Day 5 - 6: Las Vegas
Day 7 - 8: Zion NP
Day 9: Bryce NP
Day 10 - 12: Moab (visit Arches and Canyonlands)
Day 13 - 14: Mesa Verde NP
Day 15: Monument Valley
Day 16 - 17: Grand Canyon NP
Day 18: Back to Las Vegas
Day 19: Back to LA / Flying out

Itinerary 2
Day 1 - 4: flying to LA / Stay in LA
Day 5 - 7: Las Vegas
Day 8 - 9: Zion NP
Day 10: Bryce NP
Day 11: Monument Valley
Day 12 - 13: Grand Canyon NP
Day 14: Palm Springs
Day 15 - 18: San Diego
Day 19: Back to LA / Flying out

Many thanks for your help!

Do your days include travel time or is each day really a night in a hotel/motel that you are counting?

Could you possibly fly directly into Las Vegas, or fly to Vegas from LA and rent the car there?

You haven't allowed much time for the drive between the parks. You will lose a half day getting from Bryce to Moab and also from Mesa Verde to Monument Valley.

There isn't much for a baby in Vegas, so I might use it as a one night place between stops.

One night is enough for Grand Canyon unless you hike a lot.

If you choose plan 1 one night is probably enough to spend at Mesa Verde since Wetherell Mesa will not be open in April. Take more time for Arches and Canyonlands.

I would choose plan 1, but flying into Vegas, because I love Arches and Canyonlands and spend more times there. That said, plan 2 might be a bit more relaxing.

In any case, in April it probably will be comfortable, but not real warm in most of the places you will go, except Bryce. There has always been snow on the ground at Bryce when we've visited in April. The roads were clear and dry and the viewpoints awesome.

Try to drive in daylight and plan the longer drives for times that the baby is napping.

You need your lodging in the parks arranged a while ago, but if they are full now, call the NP concession directly as cancellations come up the closer you get to the time you go and they often don't show up on the web.

Hi EMalloy,

Thanks for your reply and ideas

The mentioned days include travel time to a place and spending a few night there. So for example day 5-6, drive from LA to Las Vegas on day 5, spend the night there and have a full day and night more in Las Vegas. There is no direct flight to Las Vegas from Amsterdam and I would love to visit LA as well

There are fairly inexpensive flights from LA to Vegas, cars tend to be less expensive to rent in Vegas and you could do LA at either end of the trip. The drive is mostly soulless between them and for a toddler, less time strapped into a car seat is a good thing, even if it is just running around in an airport lounge.

I would do 2 car loops, one around Vegas (Zion, Bryce, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon)and one around LA even if you do plan 2 with Palm Springs, San Diego part of the LA loop.

It will be a great trip!

If you fly into Vegas instead of LA, you will not only save drive time, but there some great car rental rates available in Vegas.

Plan 2 does look a little more relaxed. If you spent a little more time Palm Springs, you could drive an hour or so from there to Joshua Tree National Monument, which is really interesting and a good place for some easy hikes. The Joshua Trees are really something to see! There's also an aerial tram in Palm Springs that takes you to the top of a mountain where you can also do some hiking. We did both of those things in March. It was chilly at the top of mountain, but very warm and comfortable at Joshua Tree.

Sorry, I posted before I saw there was no direct flight from Amsterdam to Vegas.

Our trip to Bryce was the third week of June, and it snowed and it was cold! Either eliminate it, or check the forecast before leaving LV or Zion.

One other option -- just to consider. There are non-stop flights from London to Vegas so you could do Amsterdam > London > Las Vegas and fly home to Amsterdam from LAX.

It would add a flight/plane change, but AMS to LHR is a very short flight and it would save some hassle at the other end. And foreign visitors can usually get great car hire deals without one-way drop off fees.

Both options have advantages and disadvantages - so I'm not necessarily recommending you fly through LHR, but it is another possibility.

Not sure where you got the information on San Francisco and Yosemite in April. I've worn shorts in Yosemite in April and then had it snow in May. Weather is unpredictable but will have the same issues with Bryce and possibly Zion and the Grand Canyon. We've seen it snow in Zion in late May. It's not very common but it can happen. Just the different parks will have different weather. Bryce is you highest elevation and you will probably need layers and at least a light jacket. Depending on your luck, you could find very comfortable weather in Zion, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon. I'd bring layers.

You will definitely see more with the first itinerary and while it's ambitious with a 2 year old we use to do the same when our son was that age. If you do this route there is no need to go out of your way back to Las Vegas. I'd spend the night in Laughlin, NV or Needles, CA before returning to LA.

Utahtea

You're absolutely right, utahtea. I spent a honeymoon in mid-late May in Yosemite valley, and we wore shorts most of the time, bicycling everywhere. (Too bad, marriage did not last.) The falls were incredibly full then, too. And April-May is usually the end of most of the rainy weather in the Bay Area.

Naturally, Tioga pass would be closed, so a consideration for travel that way. Overall, I think you'll surpass your 3-4 hour per day goal, given your itinerary. And, you will likely have a couple pretty tiresome days, potentially.

San Francisco will be fine to visit in April. Weather around 60*F. I would all go there! I would expect possible snow in Yosemite at this time. These two things are far apart.

PS- I think you are really underestimating how large the united states is. Many of these things you list are at least a day's drive apart.