Autumn trip to the US
 

Hello,

We are planing a trip to the US next fall, October.
We have 3 weeks in our disposal and we are searching for cool ideas.

We are arriving to the east coast, most probably NY.
We wanted to see the folliage in the east coast and then go somewhere to enjoy some sun.

We are free to go by car or just take a flight to cross the coutnry.

Your recomendations are appreciated

thanks

Welcome to the USA. I hope you enjoy your visit. I would recommend you consider a stop in our nation's capitol, Washington, DC. Then rent a car and drive to Charlottesville, VA then on to the Blue Ridge Parkway and stop for a couple of days in Asheville. Then head to the Carolina coastal city of Charleston, SC. You should see foliage and plenty of sun. Have fun!

October is just about the best time for the Grand Canyon---fewer people, moderate temperature, and (at the North Rim) fall colors. The southern Utah parks are great then too---still lost of sunshine, but not too hot.

San Francisco/winecountry/California coast would be nice too. . .

If you give us a little more information, it might help us to tailor our suggestions to your interests, etc.

Have you been to the US before? Do you like outdoor activities, hiking, biking, kayaking, mountains, beaches, deserts, cities, art, music, museums, history? Do you want to see things that are different than where you live? For instance, if you're from Switzerland it might not make sense to tell you to go to the Colorado to see mountains, and so forth.

The more info you give the better the suggestions might be!

If you want to see foliage you really want New England - but be aware that Columbus Day Weekend (Oct 9-12) is the busiest and you will need to get reservations now. I would see Boston, spend some days seeing the foliage (during the week will be much easier/cheaper) and then head to NYC for several days. You could do that in 12 days or so - or 2 weeks if you want to spend dome days in DC (which is fascinating) and then fly down to spend the rest of your time if FLorida if you want sun and beach.

You can certainly fly out west if you want - but it's another long trek - 5 1.2 hours on the plane and you lose the best part of 2 days going there and back. It makes sense if you want to see one of the national parks (but do check the weather). But, if you want sun and beach Florida is a better/faster choice.

Dear all,

Thanks a lot for your answers.
We finally made our mind. We will go to NY, Boston, New Hampshire and then also to Washignton for a couple of days.
After that we are planning to fly over to Los Angeles and drive to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon..

The problem is that our budget is not really bog, so we need good recommendations on the accomodation. Especially in Grand Canyon.

Another question would be if it worths going to other locations except for the Grand Canyon. For example Zion Park and Monument Valley. Any recommendations there?

Thanks,
Julia

Not to be discouraging but that is a huge amount of territory to cover in just 3 weeks and all that travel will be expensive unless you can get some sort of airpass that allows multiple stops. Also, you will have 2 car rentals - one on each coast - and you need to get prices for those sorted out. You need to look for deals that cover all insurance and fees - which can be very high for travelers from outside the US (for US drivers your own insurance or crdit card usually covers insurance at no charge).

Doing Boston, NH, NY and DC and actually seeing anything will take 2 weeks - leaving you practically no time for the west coast given the 2 days it will take to fly there and back.

Sorry - what you're proposing is something like an American with 3 weeks trying to visit Dublin, some of the Irish countryside, then London, then Paris and then fly to the middle of Russia - and there see a couple of more cities and several areas of the countryside.

It's just really not a 3 week trip.

Friends flew to the Grand Canyon on some sort of day trip from Las Vegas. No stay-over required. I do not know how expensive that flight was, or how long it took. There may be several options for canyon tours out of Vegas. I'm sure you can check them out on line.

I will be in NH and the Boston area for one week in October (the dreaded Columbus Day weekend is in the middle of my trip). For me, a week is sufficient for that area. You noted DC for a couple of days.. do-able, but there is plenty to see if you want to stay longer, unless you just want a glimpse of our capital city. Up to you.

You should have plenty of sunshine out west for the latter part of your trip. Sounds like a plan to me. Enjoy!

Grand Canyon plus Zion makes a nice trip.

Unless you have some reason to see Los Angeles, you might do better flying direly to Las Vegas. There are generally good deals on flights there. Car rental rates from Las Vegas are very good. Our last rental (10 days in late September) was at a weekly rate of $99.

If you are coming all the way across the country to see the Grand Canyon, you should do it right---drive there and spend a night or two. There are day tours from Las Vegas, but they are expensive and you only get a few hours at the canyon, at mid-day when it is most crowded. Being there in the early morning and evening will give you time to enjoy it in peace.

there are lodges inside the park with rooms under $100 if that is your wish. Bright Angel Lodge, an historic lodge, is just a few steps from the rim of the canyon. They have rooms with ensuite bath for $90, and rooms with shared bath for $79. Cabins are a bit more at $111.

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/bri...lodge-408.html

They book up early so try to figure out our dates and reserve soon. If the website show they are full, try calling.

From the Grand Canyon, proceed to Zion. Try to spend 2 or 3 days there. I took friends from the UK there last autumn and they absolutely loved it.

Agree with enzian, fly into Boston, do a few days in New Hampshire and Vermont. Get rid of the car, take the train to Washington DC and then fly to Vegas, rent a car and go to the Grand Canyon and Zion. You will probably be able to stay on the rim in Grand Canyon and keep calling as they get cancellations all the time. If you don't hike, you could do Zion as a long day trip from Vegas. 3 hours ride up, 3-5 hours there and 3 hours back. That will give you the perspective of being inside the canyon looking up as opposed to on the rim, looking down.

Agree, maybe too much territory. Depends on what you find interesting. Certainly the Grand Canyon is spectacular but after just seeing it (for an hour?) what then having come so far...unless taking time for backpacking down.

We've spent lots of time in the Boston-New England area and there is also lots to see in Washington and New York as well. A vacation on the one hand of scenery and history and on the other hand famous buildings and museums. So might narrow down what you might really find interesting.
Ozarksbill [email protected]