In september we plan to do a roadtrip in the SW of the US. I'm in doubt whether to include Capitol Reef+Moab (Arches Canyonland) or to skip that.

Our interests: more interested in nature that cities, like short walks/hikes (say up to 10/15 kms). Great if we do not have to rush too much. We are coming from Europe, first time in this part of the US.

Any feedback or suggestions much appreciated. Also, we are doubting whether the extra travel to Moab (via capitol reef) is worth the extra driving, or whether we should skip that an better take extra time in other places on our route.

Itinerary:
-Day 1 Arrival SF (mid day)
-Day 2: SF
-Day 3: SF
-Day 4: Travel to Yosemite
-Day 5: Yosemite
-Day 6: Travel to Mammoth lakes
-Day 7: Travel to Death Valley
-Day 8: Travel to Zion
-Day 9: Zion
-Day 10:Travel to Bryce
-Day 11: Bryce
-Day 12: Travel to Capitol Reef
-Day 13: Travel to Arches/Moab
-Day 14: Arches/Moab
-Day 15: Arhes/Moab
-Day 16: Travel to Monument Valley
-Day 17: Travel to Page
-Day 18: Page
-Day 19: travel to Grand Canyon
-Day 20: Grand Canyon
-Day 21: Travel to Las Vegas
-Day 22: Fly back home

Thanks!

Welcome to Fodors.
If you would be willing to give up Mammoth Lakes, I would suggest leaving Yosemite and going to the coast (Monterey?).
Return the car at SFO and fly to Las Vegas and then continue the trip with a cheaper rental car.
At the end of the trip you can decide if you still want to go into Death Valley from Las Vegas.
You may want to just drive through Monument Valley on the way to Page.
Make sure you get to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
On the way from the South Rim back to Las Vegas, stop to see Hoover Dam. The turnoff is right after you leave the new high bridge entering Nevada. There is a paved path to a walkway on the dam side of the bridge after you have been down to the dam.

Hi fbto,

Wow! You are really planning to cover some ground! I hope you have checked the actual driving distances between your destinations and realise that you are going to be spending half your trip in the car. Are you up for this?

I have lived in the west all my life and have visited everywhere on your wishlist multiple times. Based on my preferences and knowledge about what there is to see in each, I would recommend skipping Mammoth and Death Valley.

Yosemite gives you much more bang for the buck as far as high Sierra scenery goes. Mammoth is nice and has some great LONG hiking, but is not as impressive as Yosemite as seen from short hikes. Death Valley is just not worth the drive which is taking time away from your other more interesting destinations.

DO NOT skip Moab and the drive between Bryce and Capitol Reef. This will be one of the highlights of your trip, I can guarantee!

I would take those days planned for Mammoth and DV and add them to Zion, an overnight in Escalante or Boulder, and Moab.

Be sure to read the trip reports of other first time visitors to all pf these areas so you can get a better understanding of how much there is to see and do.

Get going on reservations for all the parks because Sept is peak season and lodging will already be in very short supply!

Thanks for the quick replies!

I realize that we are going to travel quite some miles, we already adding in quite some extra days compared to what the travel suggested at first.

You are both suggesting so skip Mammoth + D. Tom Fuller suggest to take a plan, Dayle, I wondered how you suggested to do it? In my mind, DV is already kind of on the way from Yosemite to Zion, so skipping it doesn't make it much shorter in terms of driving?

Thanks so much!

I don't like the idea of dropping off a California rental car in Nevada even if you don't have a drop off fee.
You will enjoy the coast including seeing Coast Redwoods a lot more than Mammoth Lakes and Death Valley.
The rental cars are much cheaper in Las Vegas IMO.
Lodging options in Mammoth and Death Valley are rather limited.
The lodging options in Monument Valley are also rather limited.

If your choice is between an extra day in Yosemite or a day at Mammoth -- do Yosemite.


(You have to understand tom -- he seems truly fixated on rental car drop offs So I wouldn't necessarily change one's plans just because of car hires. Going to the coast instead of the Utah/Arizona parks is totally apples and oranges. )

If you want the ocean and redwoods - go to the coast. If you want the canyons of the SW National Parks - go to Utah/Arizona. But it will be VERY <red>HOT</red> in Death Valley and Arizona. Most of your hiking will need to be in the early mornings.

No, instead of on the coast vs. Zion, Bryce, Arches etc.
It is a lot easier to get from Las Vegas to Zion than it is to get from Death Valley to Zion using the ET highway.
I'd rather spend a night in Monterey than in Death Valley any month of the year. (been both places)
The cheaper car rental from LV for 14 days will likely come close to paying for the flight from SFO (or Oakland) to Las Vegas and save you a lot of driving through a desolate desert.
I just found out that there is now a hostel in Bishop which has a few private rooms. If I ever go through on US 395, I may try it.
Pack plenty of bottled water for a long trek across the desert. Dehydration at high altitude (Tioga Pass) can make you quite sick.

I like your plan in general. I would guess that it will be too hot to hike much in Death Valley, so you could just do a drive through it on the way from Mammoth to Zion an eight hour trip without stops. Perhaps spend the day there, mostly looking from your air conditioned car then getting lodging for the night on the north side of Vegas to get to Zion early enough to do a bit of hiking the next day.

If you don't already have your lodging everywhere, you need to get that arranged as September is a very popular time to tour.