andreas71

Hello Travelers,
we are planing 14 after Labor Day to see some parts of the Rockys and the NP´s in Utah. We´re flying into Denver, as this is the nearest Airport to fly to nonstop from Germany.
Is it to far to go first up to Yellowstone, and then heading south via Salt Lake City to the NP´s in Utah.Our plan is to go from there to Zion, Bryce and Arches NP, and then back to Denver.
Is Rocky Mt. NP worth to see? Do you think this itinerary is to long for 14 days, and if so, should i skip Yellowstone....?

emalloy

Yellowstone is awesome but it is a hike from Denver, but a lot of it is on interstate and you can cover a lot of ground at 70 mph. At least 2 days of your 14 would be spent going up and back from there. The Utah parks and Rocky Mt NP would be fine. go to www.nps.gov and click on the area. You can drive from Denver to the Arches area in about 6 hours, so you could get there on your first day. Canyonlands NP is very close to Arches so you should plan to spend some time there too. Then check out Capitol Reef NP on the way to Bryce and Zion. If you get to Zion and have 4 or 5 days left, then head up to Yellowstone and visit, if you have less time, swing back through Rocky Mountain NP or head back via Mesa Verde NP

sylvia3

I think that Denver to Wyoming (I'd do Yellowstone first [stop in Thermopolis]) seeing Yellowstone and the Tetons, then into Utah, then back to Denver (including RMNP)would be a nice trip, and you have plenty of time for it. If you wanted to cover a little more territory, come up from the south via the Four Corners area (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, ARizona border) and include Mesa Verde!

dfr4848

I think it's doable. And Yellowstone and The Tetons are so unique and amazing I hate to tell anyone to skip them.

Denver to Yellowstone is about 560 mi, roughly an 11 hour drive. Yellowstone to Salt Lake City is 350 mi and should take about 8 hrs. So, yes, you are eating up 2 of the 14 days with driving. But they can be very pretty drives. And I'd count on at least 3 days for both parks.

You could check into flying from Denver to Jackson (both United and Frontier fly nonstop) and then to Salt Lake City, or back to Denver if that's cheaper.

Also, since you're coming next month, I presume you have your tickets - if you're on LH, you might check to see whether it makes sense to fly on UA (a LH partner) to Jackson directly upon arrival in Denver. Visit Yellowstone, the Tetons then fly/drive to Salt Lake City for rest of your trip. I don't know if there would be any drop off fees for renting in SLC and dropping off in DEN. (and you would need a car in Yellowstone). Anyway, might be worth checking.

And RMNP is worth it, but I'd eliminate it if it meant seeing it or getting to see Yellowstone.

andreas71

thanks everybody,

it truely is a great help to get response from people who have been there...560 miles from DEN to yellowstone is a rough trip to go in one way. where should we stop and spend the night? thinking about flying on to jackson might be a good idea, depending on how the flights look like, as i am in the airlinebusiness i could fly stand by with UA...

Dayle

andreas,

Yellowstone to SLC is 5 hours.

This is a LOT of ground to cover in just 2 weeks. I would seriously spend the extra money to fly in closer to your starting point. Flights into Jackson are not cheap, but flights between Denver and SLC are! And it's only about a 1 hr flight. This would at least save you half a day of driving.

PS - in the western US, doing a 11-12 hour drive is nothing.

Grassshopper

Yellowstone to Denver is not only a long drive, it's mostly a DULL drive, with few interesting places inbetween. Iagree that flying to Jackson would be well worth the investment in your very special vacation.

If you are driving back from Arches, I would encourage you to check out the Aspen area. The drive up Indpendence Pass in September is one of my very favorite Colorado things to do.

sylvia3

Stop in Thermopolis, Wyoming! Still a long drive, but the state park (thermal features and buffaloes) is great.