Hi AussieTraveller76

I find this guy's site helpful for S. Utah planning.
http://www.so-utah.com/homepage.html

Have Fun
GP

<i>Monday 12th May – Rent a car in San Fran. Drive to Yosemite, 2 nights.

Wednesday 14th May – Yosemite NP morning, afternoon drive to Death Valley, 1 night

Thurs 15th May – DValley to Zion NP – see the sunset……1st night</i>

What is your plan if Tioga Pass is closed as I mentioned as being highly likely in my post above?

I think you are not building enough leeway in your schedule, especially given that accommodations in places like Death Valley and other national parks will need to be booked well in advance, and possibly pre-paid.

Hi AussieTraveller:

The new itinerary sounds great! And to address some of Gardyloo's concerns, since I'm the one who started the Death Valley idea :-), I think the long drives will be ok. I'm sure Tioga Pass will be closed but I just did some checking on google maps and looked at sunset times. Yosemite to Death Valley will take about 7 hours the long way. But sunset isn't until around 7:30 so you should be able to get to DV by then. The trip between DV and Zion will be about 5 hours and the good news is that sunset isn't until 8:30 in Utah. It's a lot of driving but not bad if you are comfortable drivers and enjoy road trips. I do.

And Gardyloo is right about needing reservations in the parks. Definitely get those set a.s.a.p.

Have a great trip!!!

My family and I had our first visit to the USA last April. It was a fantastic trip and we visited many of the sights that you have listed in the West. We would agree with some of the responses to your posting. The Grand Canyon we found amazing, staying just outside the NP and getting up early so that we had a full day there. We did go to Monument Valley also to Four Corners. The latter I didn't feel was worth the trek, but it is the only place where four state lines meet so we all had photos taken in very awkward positions!! We found both Zion and Bryce well worth the visit and I would recommend that you give yourself enough time to enjoy them both. We spent only a long afternoon walking in Zion, it was very beautiful and peaceful, but not long enough. Bryce was spectacular and we spent a whole day doing the view points and would have spent longer had our schedule allowed. We also spent time in Utah and went to the Arches NP, another spectacular place. Our cameras worked overtime on the whole trip, so make sure you have plenty of memory or a way of backing things up! Do make sure not to try and do everything this trip, I think it was the mistake we made. We rented an RV for the first time and did 3100 miles in 3 wks. We are returning this Easter (we're on countdown, 6 wks this coming Friday) for another 3 wk trip, again in an RV and we can't wait. This time we're heading north from SF towards Napa and through the Redwood National Park area to Mount Shasta, then to Lake Tahoe and if the weather is kind to us getting to Yosemite. We found everyone we met so friendly and nothing was too much trouble. We're sure you'll enjoy your trip and will want to return again and again! The Cooper family.

As a fellow Aussie, I am green with envy about your trip and wish you good luck. Disappointed that you are not going to Niagara - coming from a drought region in Australia, the sight of all that water was overwhelming and we could just stand and stare. Also visited Niagara on the Lake which we thought was so pretty. Loved the area so much we went back in a few years for another look. Never mind, save that for the next trip.

Loved Utah, Zion and Bryce are breathtaking. Drove through Monument Valley twice, once in afternoon sun - brilliant! and again in mid-morning with overcast skies. Still lovely but not the same colours. We stayed at a very nice motel (Hampton Inn I think) on the main highway on the southern edge of Monument Valley. It's next to Burger King. The motel restaurant specialised in Navajo food and we had a very nice dinner and breakfast. The Burger King was owned by a son of one of the Navajo code-breakers and had a big display of photos etc.

In Las Vegas we had a great buffet meal in Paris. Walked our feet off in Las Vegas, as you will.

For budget reasons, we didn't stay in the national parks but headed for the towns around the parks. Incidentally, we've always bought an annual pass to the national parks - we found it saved us money on buying individual passes to each park. You would need to check it out - there is a website which gives details.

We try not to book ahead as it ties us down too much and only book ahead if we are staying in major cities. Never had to sleep in the car yet.

Have a fabulous time.

I agree with the other posters, if you like gambling, 3 days in LV is good. Otherwise, there isn’t much to do, but eat. LV now has many good restaurants by well known chefs and lots of buffets.

San Francisco

We live in the Bay Area so we have not stayed at any of the hotels.

Friends are going to be staying at Washington Square Inn in North Beach in SF. B&amp;B http://www.wsisf.com/ North Beach is a cute Italian area of SF

Family members have stayed at the following:
http://www.chelseamotorinn.com/
Chelsea Motor Inn
2095 Lombard Street
San Francisco, California 94123
Phone: (415) 563-5600
Fax: (415) 567-6475
The Chelsea Motor Inn is located on Lombard street in the Marina District, an area noted for its Victorian architecture and neighborhood charm, with many points of interest nearby.

Just a short walk from the Chelsea is Union Street, a charming shopping district with converted Victorian houses, fine restaurants, galleries, cafes and saloons.

There are a lot of &quot;reasonable&quot; hotels in San Francisco, but many are around Union Square and downtown. So when you step outside, the area is not great.

You can take BART (train) or bus or cable car in SF. You do not need a car.

Places to see:

Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf (see the sea lions)
Chinatown
Ferry Building (if you go on a Saturday there is a nice farmer’s market)
Haight Ashbury
Ghiradelli Square
Golden Gate Park
Marina
Union Square
Japan Town
Walk around Russian Hill, Castro, Pacific Heights
Mission (this area is south of Market) – if you are in the area, go to Tartine (600 Guerrero St. @18th Street) and get the orange morning buns
Berkeley (in the East Bay)
Go to the wine country in Napa Sonoma, it is not that far from SF
Try to stay out of the part of downtown called the Tenderloin

We stayed at Gouldings in Monument Valley. It was ok. Nothing special, more like a motel, but just fine.
Monument Valley
Gouldings Lodge in Monument Valley ( 800) 874-0902
Grand Canyon
Maswik Lodge (303) 297-2757

Hope this helps.

You have a wonderful trip planned. We've been to all of your west coast destinations (except DV) and have a couple of lodging suggestions:
Yosemite - we stayed at Tenaya Lodge and enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Ahwanee;
In Zion, we really liked The Desert Pearl. It was a few years ago now but I think it still gets recommendations.
In Monument Valley, we stayed at Gouldings Lodge (mentioned above). True, it is nothing special but it is well placed and we enjoyed the Navajo led tour they provide.
In Vegas, I like the Four Seasons (not so casino centric and really lovely) or the Venetian (great spa and Bouchon for breakfast - yum).
For the Grand Canyon, it is better if you can stay near the rim. When I was younger, we hiked to the floor and out in a day. What an experience (though I was sore for days afterwards).
Make your National Park reservations as soon as possible as they can be hard to come by. If you do not get in at the Grand Canyon or in to your first/second choices, make a reservation elsewhere and then try for cancellations the week of and even the day of as you drive to GC.

Others can give suggestions for the east coast portion that are more knowledgable and current than mine.

Have a great trip.

I just read you post and have recently visited JW Printing facilities in Walkill and Patterson, New York. We stayed in recommended lodging for both places. For Walkill, we stayed in a Hampton Inn in Middletown, NY, which is only 1/2 hour ride. For Patterson, we stayed in a hotel in Danbury, Connecticut Walkill and Patterson are in rural areas so a 30 minute ride is really not too long. Let me know if you are interested and I will pull out my recommended lodging sheet and give you particulars. I think other lodgings were listed that was even closer.

geordias

P.S. Too bad you're not coming to Florida. It's a great place too !

I used to live in Melbourne...now living in CA. You will love the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce..also Yosemite! There's no place like those in Australia. Make sure you do horse-back riding in Bryce, go with the co. that takes you down the canyon...unbelievable and not as scary as in GC.

Yosemite in May was magical! You may still see snow and waterfalls. Not sure about Lake Powell...wouldn't say it's a 'wow' like GC, Zion or Bryce. Glad you're driving to Yosemite bc getting there is part of the experience.

Vegas - book dinner at the Paris hotel on the Eiffel Tower and pre-order souffle(sp?)! If you can stay at the Wynn or Venetian.

If you love hiking or just beautiful scenery, then you're in luck. You'll like Vegas too bc there's nothing Vegas anywhere in the world.

You will love it!

In Zion, I'd recommend the Riverside walk (which ends at the narrows), and the Emerald Pools hikes as easy hikes with great views. Have lunch at the lodge in the dining room. You can stay in Springdale since it is totally accessible to the park. There is little advantage to staying in the park lodge in this park. The highway that passes through the park is very scenic to drive. You will travel through a historic tunnel and maybe see bighorn sheep if you are lucky.

Bryce Canyon is quite high in elevation and you should be prepared for this. We took the horseback ride which leaves from the lodge directly into the canyon. It was the best trail ride we've ever taken and I highly recommend it if you are open to riding horses. The scenery is awesome and you will see far more in a short time than you could possibly do on foot (they take you down 1,000 feet in elevation).

I agree with other posters, that it may be easier, and just as satisfying, to consider visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We did this from Springdale when we were at Zion. Of course if you can stay at the lodge at the North Rim, that would be ideal. Again the elevation is higher there. Although hiking into the Grand Canyon would be scenic, be sure you are up for the task! Personally, I feel that between the elevation and the strenousness of the hiking involved, I enjoyed the views from the rim. I did purchase &quot;Death in the Grand Canyon&quot; so that I could read about other's adventures.;-)

We stayed 3 days in Vegas and it was about right for us, and we are also not really gamblers. We saw a Cirque show, spent a good amount of time in the pool at the Mirage, toured many of the hotels, shopped, and saw the Secret Garden at the Mirage.

I would recommend more than 3 days in Washington DC myself. It depends on what you want to do, but the Smithsonian Museums are amazing and many take up to a day to see. I might drop Death Valley and add a day to WA DC if it were me.

On my most recent 2 trips to NYC my husband and I have done a bike tour with a wonderful tour company called &quot;Bike the Big Apple&quot;. It was a huge highlight of our trip each time.

First time we did a tour of Central Park and Harlem and the second time we biked in lower Manhattan and then across the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn. It is a fantastic andexhilarating experience. We saw things and learned things we never would have otherwise.

The Brooklyn Bridge tour included lunch at a Lebanese restaurant, where we got a chance to meet the 7 other people on the ride- they were form all over the world. Spending the day with them was a great added bonus! They really take good care of you- they do it safely, and each of the 2 tour guides was excellent --although if you can book one with the owner- Joel- it's especially wonderful. Non-stop fascinating historical details and comedy as well! Their website has all the details. http://www.bikethebigapple.com/tours.html

Another time we did the Circle Line tour around Manhattan by boat and I thought that was a great introduction to the area. I recommend that as well, but that takes second place to the bike tour.

If you're going to the top of the Empire State Building- I think twilight/early evening is the best! It is magical as the lights of the city come on...

Last tidbit- behind the Metropolitan Museum, in Central Park, is the oldest manmade object in the Park-an obelisk from Egypt. If you're interested in that sort of thing, or seen it's mates in London, Paris or Egypt, it's really cool.

(Also, my opinion- skipping Niagara Falls was a good decision.)

Have a great trip!!

Thank you so much to everyone for your input. We have finalised our itinerary and are now looking forward to our trip!

Any last minute suggestions for any favourite places to eat, play or shop?

Be sure to see Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco. It's a hoot. Songs from the 50's to the present reworked into political and social satire (that you will understand and appreciate even being from Australia). Very good and very funny. And you can drink during it too!

Sounds like a great trip! We just returned from Arizona and went to Monument Valley. I would not recommend planning to spend the night nearby. It took us about 3 1/2 to 4 hours to drive from the Grand Canyon National Park on the South Rim to Monument Valley. Driving through the valley at a leisurely pace takes about 2 hours. I thought it was wonderful, but I have not had the pleasure of visiting Zion. We were too late in booking to get a room at the El Tovar in GCNP, but stayed at the Best Western Squire Inn right outside the park. We were very pleased. I hope you enjoy our wonderfully diverse and huge country!