melissarose

Hi everyone,

After doing lots of research on these forums - my friend and I have decided on the below itinerary for our 3 week USA Roadtrip (road/fly trip haha) .... Yes it is a bit of a Contiki disaster - a lot of travel! But we have limited time and would like to get a taste of all these spots and after researching driving distances etc it does look doable.... Will be back in the future sometime to spend more time in my favourite spots - especially Utah/Arizona! This area deserves much more time than we have.

Would appreciate any comments and tips or recommendations on things to see or do along the way

Thanks in advance..

Ps: this will take place in August this year after teaching at Summer Camp (June - August)


Day 1 - Arrive Chicago
Day 2 - Chicago
Day 3 - Flight to Asheville, NC in the afternoon (overnight Asheville)
Day 4 - Drive Blue Ridge Parkway to Cherokee (overnight Gatlinburg)
Day 5 - Drive to Memphis ---- a Long day! Stop in Nashville for lunch...
Day 6 - Memphis
Day 7 - Drive Memphis to New Orleans at lunch time (I have heard this is about 7 hours??)
Day 8 - New Orleans
Day 9 - New Orleans
Day 10 - Afternoon flight to San Antonio
Day 11 - San Antonio
Day 12 - San Antonio
Day 13 - Morning flight to Albuquerque (drive to Santa fe in the evening, overnight Santa fe - New Mexico is a must for my friend so we unfortunately cannot swap
Day 14 - Santa Fe - overnight in Albuquerque for early flight next morning)
Day 15 - Early morning flight to Pheonix to pick up rental car - drive to Grand Canyon NP
Day 16 - Grand Canyon
Day 17 - Visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe bend - Overnight Page
Day 18 - Drive to Vegas
Day 19 - Vegas
Day 20 - Vegas
Depart


Questions...

- How long will it take to drive Page to Vegas?? Where should we stop on route? We plan to spend the whole day - can arrive late at night into Vegas.

- Any tips on must do activities would be appreciated

Also - just to explain,,, we are flying Albuquerque to Phoenix as we do not get charged a hefty USD$500 one way car hire fee if we collect the car in Arizona instead of New Mexico The flight is only USD85 so works out best that way....


Thank you


Melissa

spirobulldog

What month? If this is your first trip to the US, then I find about half of your destinations as a bit odd for a first trip.

I don't know any other way to say it, but this looks like a terrible trip, IMOP. You have 10 or 11 major destination in 20 days. None of them are really even that close to each other. I think most of the places you list need several days not just 1/2 day. You really are not going to be seeing anything at all.

I guess this can be done, but man your talking a ton of driving and spending a lot of time on planes and airports. I really don't get this one at all.

jamie99

I agree, very very rushed. If you are determined to do this, I would cut a night from San Antonio and add it to Santa Fe which is a charming cit with fantantic food and lots of stuff to see and do. San Antonio is a lovely city but just does not take that long.

dwdvagamundo

spirobulldog is right, if this is your first trip to the US.

You've got about three or four trips in this one. If it were I, I'd probably do the western part--that is, from Day 13 on and spend more time in each place. You're right that this part (and, frankly every other part) deserves more time. If you had more time, you could also see Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, which are each worth a look, as well as the Petrified Forest between Albuquerque and the Grand Canyon. In August all of this is likely to be extremely hot. The western part is likely to be dry rather than terribly humid, as will the south.

I'd fly to Phoenix from Chicago (assuming you're locked into Chicago), pick up a car and keep it for a couple of weeks.

As to "must do's: best tip is to try to stay on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, as it is (or was) much less frequented than the south rim.

If you're still determined to do the eastern part of this trip, I'll give you some ideas of things to do in another comment.

melissarose

Thanks everyone...

If we decide to drop San Antonio and instead add a night in Memphis - another night in Santa Fe and another night in Page (or Springdale which some people have recommended) does this sound better/doable??


2nights Chicago
2nights Gatlinburg/Asheville (this part with BRP is a highlight for me)
3nights Memphis
3nights New Orleans
3nights Santa Fe
2nights Grand Canyon
2nights Page area
(open to suggestions for these 4 nights - Grand Canyon/Page)
We want to see Grand Canyon (have booked to stay at Bright Angel in the NP)and also Horseshoe bend and Antelope Canyon...
3nights Vegas

Thank you

Melissa

melissarose

Also - regarding it being our first trip to the U.S - yes it is. This three week trip will be after Summer camp in August...

We will have already done L.A/Anaheim/San Diego/San Fran and New York by this time...

After I leave for South America on 31 August - my friend will continue her time in the U.S spending three weeks traveling the East Coast.

We are both interested in a bit of "road-tripping" looking forward to Blue Ridge Parkway and the drive from Phoenix to Grand Canyon, we are also interested in live music/food and a bit of sightseeing (helicopter Grand Canyon, Swamp tour New Orleans, Hot Air Balloon New Mexico - etc etc)

Thanks for your honest opinions.

spirobulldog

Well, with 3 weeks in August, this isn't the area to go to. Memphis, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Gatlinburg are all going to be super hot. I would head to places in Oregon and/or Washington--Mount Rainier, San Juan Islands, Olympic, Portland, Seattle, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Redwoods, Lassen, San Francisco, Monterey, Big Sur. I really don't think you have a clue what you are getting yourself into here. Maybe even Yellowstone as a cooler destination.

I'm not trying to sound negative, I just want you to have a good time with your 3 weeks. What you are wanting to see has taken me several trips to accomplish and I live right in the middle of the US, in Oklahoma.

tomfuller

I would not fly from Chicago to Asheville. My plan would be to take the train overnight (day 2-3) from Chicago to Memphis.
Rent the car in Memphis and travel the length of Tennessee to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Return the car to Memphis. Take the morning train from Memphis to New Orleans.
To avoid flying the short hop from ABQ to PHX you could take the afternoon train from Albuquerque to Flagstaff ($73/pp) and spend the night there before renting your car in Flagstaff which is closer to Grand Canyon and Page.
The quickest route from Page to Las Vegas goes right past Zion National Park (5.5 hours plus any time you spend in the National Park). Are you comfortable with 100*F temperatures?

dwdvagamundo

Memphis is, as you know, a music city--just as much as Nashville and almost as much as New Orleans. Lots of musical stuff to see: Sun Studios, Beale Street and Graceland.

On the drive to New Orleans, if you're into the blues, stop at Clarksdale--Delta Blues Museum.

In New Orleans, we usually stay at Le Richelieu Hotel, which is within but right on the quiet edge of the French Quarter and near Frenchman Street which offers lots of good music. It has free parking (although you'll probably turn in your car before going to the hotel). Things to do: music, food and just walking around.

I wouldn't do a swamp tour if I were you, because two full days in NO is not enough time there, and the mosquitos and other insects, and heat and humidity, will be just horrible in August.

Blue Ridge Parkway is a great drive. Best thing to do in that area, IMHO.