First Road trip out west. Phila to Denver and back...
 

Hello, looking for some suggestions for my trip out west. here is my general time line.

7/10 Fri Doylestown, PA Leave around 3:00 pm
7/11 Sat on the road
7/12 Sun Arrive In Denver by 10:00 pm
7/13 Mon WORK Denver
7/14 Tue WORK Denver
7/15 Wed WORK Denver until 3:00pm
7/16 Thu
7/17 Fri
7/18 Sat
7/19 Sun
7/20 Mon
7/21 Tue
7/22 Wed
7/23 Thu
7/24 Fri
7/25 Sat HEAD HOME?
7/26 Sun on the road
7/27 Mon Doylestown, PA

Only things set in Stone is I need to be in Denver the 13th,14th and until about 3:00 pm on the 15th.

Was thinking of heading north after work on the 15th towards Yellow Stone or Grand Tetons. I have hike Rocky mt np before so will be skipping it.

I will be towing a Tiny Trailer (tear drop trailer).
I would like to back pack and tent camp some in either or both NP’s if possible or camp out of trailer and take day hikes.

This being my first trip of this nature what is a realistic goal or number of miles or hours behind the wheel in a day? 8 hours… with breaks etc… or some number of miles on avg.?
What is the best Trip planning software I can purchase? What GPS’s are recommended?

I’m sure I will have more questions but this is a start as the date is baring down on me.

Thanks for any help.

Appreciate it
rich

rich - assume you know it's about 1,800 mi to Denver which you're trying to cover in just over 2 days (55 hrs). That's a LOT of driving, especially if you're planning to go to work on Mon morning. Are you doing this solo? I think 600 mi a day is heavy driving and you're trying to do much more than that. And pulling a trailer will surely slow you down some. More than I would/could handle, but.... I'd really try to squeeze another travel day in there or at least leave Doyelstown very early Fri morning. And if you run into some bad weather, it could really screw up your schedule.

That said, Yelllowstone and the Tetons are both spectacular and are well worth the trip. We plan a week when we visit so there will be more than enought to do with all the options available. Would definitely recommend a raft/river trip on the Snake River in the Tetons. The park web sites (as I recall) have camping info. But I would check asap for any reservations needed if you're talking about going in a couple of weeks. Campgrounds for tents and trailers usually fill up far in advance.

You might loop back through SD on your return to visit the Badlands and Mt Rushmore. Really beautiful country and different than WY.

Those visits can easily take up your week.

Good luck.

Hey DFR4848,

thanks, ya your right it seems tougher then I first thought. and I have b een so busy with work I'm not doing my planning.

Well I leave arounf 12:00 Friday afternoon that give me 68 hour total to go 1800 miles. I would like to get into Denver/hotel by midnight sunday so i get some sleep before Mondays meetings.

The trailer will slow me down some but only weights about 1200 lbs... Weather has me more worried, I hit a good size storm/rain it could really set me back...

I have to figure out where i have to make it to Friday afternoon till say 10:00 then sleep till 5:00 and off to... i dunno... i need software to help me..lol

rich

Colorado-Go Rafting at the Royal Gorge! See the Maroon Bells, catch a concert at Red Rocks!

Consider doing a little tour through the Rockies ending up in Moab Utah to see Arches NP, Canyonlands etc. Slow down and do some hiking to relieve your poor backside.

Yellowstone and the Tetons are wonderful but so far to go when you've already come so far. You could spend a lifetime exploring the Rockies and eastern Utah...the least you can spare is the few days you have.

You can meander your way west through the mountaind andthen blast quickly back east on I-17.

We ( 2 drivers) have driven from Washington DC to Denver several times. We have traveled via I-70 and I-80, and it is simply a long drive either way. Be aware that in the middle of Kansas or Nebraska there are limited motels that can rapidly fill up in the summer if you are not planning to stop until 10 or so. After our first experience of having to continue driving for 2 more hours to find a motel, we learned to stop at a visitor center and get a list of motels along the interstate. If you can estimate how much further you want to drive by 6 or so, call ahead and make a reservation.

Bullcrappy - It's a small world - I'm leaving from Newtown a couple of days before you, heading to Denver. We will probably leave early evening, heading up 313 to the NE Ext i9n Quakertown, then I-80, and stops are tentatively planned in the State College area, somewhere in IN, Omaha, then Denver.