jomaree18

Hi all,
My husband and I are travelling with my 'just new to being 70' parents for their first trip O/S.
July 8 will see us arrive just before sunset at Bright Angel Lodge, Grand Canyon where we are booked for the night. After sightseeing for the day on July 9 we will drive to Monument Valley and plan to arrive just before sunset and booked to stay at the View Hotel for the evening. From here I get a bit uncertain!
Our day by day plan is July 10: Morning tour MV and then on to Moab (?) with a quick side trip to the Canyonlands NP.
July 11: Travel towards Yellowstone. Stay Salt Lake City (?)
July 12: S.L.C. to Yellowstone (? stay on South or West side)
July 13: Explore Yellowstone for the day and stay (? North side)
July 14: Travel the Beartooth Highway (stay Powell?)
July 15: Travel to Billings for flight to Buffalo.
Being Aussies we are used to travelling long distances so this is not a problem but we do not want to miss scenery by travelling in the dark and do not want to push parents too hard in the heat.
I would appreciate any thoughts on routes, best viewing vantage point for Canyonlands, thoughts on slipping out to see the Bonneville Salt Flats (husband and Father both racing enthusiasts) and unusual (but nice--I'm precious) places to stay. Trying not to be in generic motels all the time.
My Dad has been reading up on the USA with excitement and it is his wish to travel the Beartooth Highway. Any thoughts on this would also be appreciated so I can give this box a very big tick for him.
Any assistance greatly appreciated. Thank you Jomaree

utahtea

The Bonneville Salt Flats would add another 250 miles to your trip. You are going to be covering a lot of beautiful scenery in such a short time so if it were my trip, I'd skip it. I'm not sure what you would do once you got there except see the flats and turn around and drive back.

You said a quick trip into Canyonlands. Which section were you thinking? Needles district has a beautiful drive in and make a quick stop at Newspaper Rock State park. This section of the park you are driving in canyon type areas.

There is also the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands just north of Moab. Again this is a beautiful area but will take some time driving in and out. This section is like the Grand Canyon, you go to overlooks to look down into the canyon.

If you want more bang for your time, I'd skip this part of Canyonlands and spend it in Arches National Park.

From Moab to Salt Lake City you have two choices. Hwy 191 is a two lane road that sees a lot of accidents. It's also pretty barren and not as scenic as I-70 thought the San Rafael Swell. I-70 will add about an hour to your driving time but I think it would be worth it.

Utahtea

emalloy

I agree with Utahtea, I would do a quick drive through Arches NP and for views Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands. It will probably be hot there, but so much can be seen from an air conditioned car with very short stops at viewpoints.

Depending on how many NPs you will be visiting within the next year, it may be worth your while to get the annual pass. It is $80 and is good for your car load of people at all of the National Parks. If you go to www.nps.gov you can find information on all of them, including entrance fees.

Have a fantastic trip.

jomaree18

utahtea and emalloy...thank you.
That is exactly what I wanted to know. We will have seen Grand Canyon and Monument Valley so Arches sounds like the perfect foil for both of those. I will plan to travel the I70.
Can you tell me if Arches NP is South or North of Moab. Planning o/night stop after leaving MV in the early afternoon so where would you recommend stopping if Arches is next port of call?
Cheers jomaree

hawksbill

Arches is north of Moab, but it's very close, and it's right near the highway. If your plan is to do a quick drive-through of the Moab area, before heading back on the road toward SLC, then I think you need to skip Canyonlands entirely, and spend the time in Arches. Arches is doable in a half-day, but Canyonlands isn't. If you do want to see Canyonlands, skip the Needles District, and drive through the Islands in the Sky district, stopping at the various viewpoints, which are impressive. But be aware that even just driving the access road to the park takes a while.

I was confused about your question of where to stay. Moab is only about three hours from Monument Valley, so you won't need a place to stay in between. Did you mean that you wanted to stay somewhere north of Moab, on the way to SLC?

You've got a painfully short time scheduled for Yellowstone. Lots of us are right now wincing in pain just looking at your plan to stay there for only one night! It's vast, and there's lots to see there. I think you should work on your lodging arrangements immediately. It's best to stay in the Park if you can, but I'm sure that everything is pretty much booked up for July, when Yellowstone is really crowded. You may need to either make a lot of repeated phone calls, or resign yourself to staying just outside of the Park somewhere.

If you're heading out of Yellowstone on the Beartooth Highway (which is fantastic, by the way), it doesn't make any sense to go to Powell, WY. It's very far out of the way. I'd recommend staying in Red Lodge, MT, which I found to be a nice little town, or else just drive all the way to Billings and sleep there.

emalloy

Arches is just a few miles north of Moab, about a half hour south of 70 and the entrance is right on route 191 on the east side of the road. Canyonlands Island in the sky is a few miles north of Arches on the west side of 191 and about a half hour in on the access road. The road into Needles district is about a half hour south of Moab and about a half hour west from 191.

starrs

Delicate Arch is the poster child for the National Park Service today on Facebook. My very favorite

I love Arches NP.

utahtea

As others have mentioned Arches is north of Moab. It's only 5 miles out of town, but there are almost 30 miles of paved roads in the park so allow at least 4 hours to see the park.

Utahtea

sharondi

I really hope that you will take some time to do some more research before you finalize your itinerary. As Hawksbill said, I am wincing in pain at your plans to spend 1 night in Yellowstone. It's an enormous and one-of-a-kind place. And you are also missing so many other amazing places like Grand Tetons NP, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP. With only a week, you should choose to stay in Utah/Arizona or instead spend the time in Yellowstone/Tetons/Beartooth. We spent a week just in Yellowstone and barely scratched the surface!

I almost never tell anyone on Fodor's to not go somewhere even if its only for a day because I figure they'll at least "wet their appetite" and be back for more on a future trip. But you are missing so much of the "good stuff" that is so close to the Grand Canyon and Moab, it just honestly makes little sense to spend so much time driving up to Yellowstone and then only spend a day there. I feel like you are robbing yourselves of so much by doing that.

If you skip YNP this trip (since you already have reservations in Utah) and spend the rest of the week exploring southern Utah, I really believe you will have a much more relaxed and enjoyable trip, especially for your 70 yr old parents. Then you can plan for YNP/Tetons/Beartooth on next year's trip.

Please get some maps, do some research on Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Goblin Valley, Mesa Verde, etc - there is TONS of info on Fodor's. All of us on Fodor's want you to have an amazing trip and don't want you to spend 1/2 of your week driving long distances skipping some of the most gorgeous places in the country. If you can add more time to the trip, you can make it work, but otherwise please do a little homework and then let us know what you think.

ziggypop

jomaree, my 2 cents worth thinks....fly into Salt Lake City and start your journey from there. Grand Canyon has an initial WOW factor but Yellowstone is a looong ways from Grand Canyon. If Beartooth highway and Yellowstone are at the top of your 'to see' list I think you should start there. Then tour through Grand Tetons on your way to more destinations. I think you are going to run out of time with your current itinerary. Good luck and enjoy the USA.

hawksbill

It's tough to know how to advise on this one. Jomaree's proposed itinerary spans one week. I think that's about the right amount of time for a fairly rapid trip through Utah's five national parks, excluding the Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley, and certainly not including a trip up to Yellowstone. I think it will be physically possible to cover all of these destinations in one week, but it will be a harried trip, in which Jomaree and her family will be constantly rushing to get to the next place.

Most people would be best served by paring down the list of destinations, or else figuring out a way to add another week to the trip. That's what I would do. But people travel for different reasons, at different paces. Her parents are making their first trip overseas (is that what "o/s" means?), and who knows what their future travel plans are. Maybe their next trips will be to Paris, Tokyo, New York, Rome, and Scandinavia, and they may never have the chance to get to the Western U.S. again, and they want to drive through as much as they can, even if they barely have time to get out of the car long enough to see Old Faithful erupt. I guess it's hard for the rest of us to know.

ziggypop

hawksbill, you are correct. I just can't envision any time spent outside of the car except bathroom breaks and petro stops. Mountains are pretty to look at but not very fun or fast to drive in. National parks are not fast driving either. You hit the nail on the head, Jomaree, how about another week to the trip?

jomaree18

Hi everyone...Thank you for your concern for our welfare and quality of our trip.
Firstly..being Aussies, travelling long distances are no issue at all. This is the first overseas trip for my parents and as parents of 6 and grandparents of 19 they give and give. This is our gift to them and I cannot see them travelling overseas again so......take a breath. Here we go....
Day 1 Sydney to LA to San Francisco.
Day 2 and 3 in San Francisco - relaxed sightseeing
Day 4 SF to Hearst Castle
Day 5 Hearst Castle area to LA
Day 6 LA tour and on to Huntington Beach in the evening
Day 7 Fourth of July in HBeach
Day 8 To Las Vegas
Day 9 & 10 Las Vegas
Day 11 LV to Grand Canyon - afternoon sunset dinner
Day 12 Tour GC and flight then late to Monument Valley for
sunset.
Day 13 Morning Monument Valley tour and on to Moab
Day 14 Moab to Salt Lake City
Day 15 Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone
Day 16 Tour through Yellowstone using a wonderful step by step
guide a local internet expert has provided. Night at
Cooke City
Day 17 Cooke City to Billings on Beartooth Highway
Day 18 Fly Billings to Niagara - arrive 3pm
Day 18 Day at Niagara and 7pm flight to NYC
Day 19, 20 & 21 NYC (Husband 50 here!)
Day 22 Drive NYC to Washington
Day 23 & 24 Washington
Day 25 A'noon flight to St Louis
Day 26 St Louis and Mississippi cruise
Day 27 Drive St Louis to Chicago
Day 28 Morning tour and drive to Oshkosh
Day 29, 30, 31 & 32 Airventure 2011 - parents can rest here!
This is our part.
Day 33 Transfers to Appleton and flight to LA and transfer to
Anaheim 5pm.
Day 34 Disneyland
Day 35 Flight home.....lots of sleep!

SO...I am sure I can hear some groans <chuckle> but we will only get one chance. My husband and I and our sons have been blessed to visit twice..once in the West and once in the East for a month at a time over the last 5 years so we have an idea of what to show them. We have not been further North in the West than San Francisco and Monument Valley so that is where I really needed your wisdom and thoughts. As I research Montana I do wish we had more time here but parents are not hikers etc so we will put it on our bucket list. Our 3 sons 23 20 17 have saved and will fly over to meet us in NYC to share this last leg with us so all in all praying for a once in a lifetime gift.
I hope I have not bored you all and I look forward to sharing a trip report when we arrive home. Thank you all for your time and care. Bless you all jomaree.

emalloy

Jomaree,

Do look into taking a train from NYC to DC, I would guess it will cost about the same as car rental/drop off fees and the drive is nasty, parking is expensive and both cities have good public transportation.

I'm hoping your trip is wonderful and enjoyed by all.

starrs

jomaree, have a great trip! It sounds like you have given this a lot of thought and I wish you well. If there's any way to squeeze some extra hours for Yellowstone I think you'll find it a good use of time. Happy and safe travels

ziggypop

jomaree, is your family interested in adopting a 52 year old brother? I can drive and would be happy to join in your trip!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful time. I thought you had fewer days planned that you have. While in Las Vegas try for a Hoover Dam tour, only 1 hour from LV. Is someone in your family an fan of aircraft? Oshkosh is a good sampling of what the uppermidwest of the USA looks like. What a wonderful gift for your parents.

sharondi

Wow! I'm tired just reading your itinerary. Have a great trip.

hawksbill

Jomaree, you are certainly constructing the trip of a lifetime! It's going to be exhausting, but truly memorable. Here are few thoughts I had. Maybe I'll have more later.

1. Don't even think of doing all this driving without a GPS navigation device. I love them, and always have mine on for even the shortest trips. But for something like this, it will help you immeasurably, in not getting lost or backtracking, finding the destinations that you're looking for, and finding food, fuel, and lodging along the way. If you are unsure about which one to buy, that could be another thread. You might also want to familiarize yourself with certain American chain stores that are plentiful on the highways, and are good for road trip supplies. For example, I tend to eat a lot of Subway sandwiches, which are relatively healthy by road food standards, and stop at Wal-Marts for generic supplies like bottled water, sunscreen, insect repellant, protein bars, and toothpaste.

2. This is quite a long trip, and you may find that you're lugging around a lot of stuff that you don't really need for all parts of the trip. On such occasions, expecially if there's flying involved, I sometimes stage my belongings by shipping boxes to various Federal Express offices along my route, where the boxes are held until my arrival. Then, when I get there, I open the box and put the new clothes or whatever into my suitacase, re-pack the box with stuff I won't need anymore, and then ship the box back home. Or you could even ship boxes ahead to a later part of your trip.

3. I know you have a guide book for Yellowstone, but, if I had only one day to spend in Yellowstone, I'll tell you what I would be sure to see: (1) The Upper Geyser Basin, including an eruption of Old Faithful, and (2) the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. To see the Upper Geyser Basin, park in one of the parking lots, and walk through Old Faithful Inn or the Lodge (make sure you walk into the Inn at some point to appreciate the architecture). Then allow a few hours to walk through the basin, at least until you reach the Morning Glory Pool, which is gorgeous. You'll see an amazing concentration of varied geothermal features, including Old Faithful, which is one of our national treasures. The walking is mostly on level boardwalks, and is not strenuous. To see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, I think you'll do pretty well by just driving along the North Rim Road, and stopping at the various lookout points for the views.

4. Your proposed itinerary doesn't include Grand Teton National Park, which is a shame, because it's right next to Yellowstone, and it's a spectacular area that you can enjoy a lot just by driving through it, and maybe stopping at a lookout point now and then. To do this, you'd need to alter your route. It would add about two hours if you still sleep in West Yellowstone. But you might consider sleeping in Jackson, WY instead. Jackson's an interesting town. I found it to be generally a tacky tourist trip, but there's some good food to be had there, and some interesting shopping to be done. It's definitely not your typical bland American highway town. The ideal location for you to sleep on Day 15 would really be Old Faithful Village, inside Yellowstone, assuming that your sightseeing is going to include the Upper Geyser Basin and the Canyon area. It's almost certain that all the lodging there is already booked, but if you're motivated, you could keep calling and asking if something opens up.

ziggypop

I second the gps need. I have a Tom Tom, they sell for $139.00 and really take the guess out of driving. I jokingly say that a gps saved our marriage because my wife can't read a map and I, being male, will not ask for directions.

utahtea

A GPS is great but they are not 100% correct all the time. In Mesa Verde ours told us to turn right on a goat trail! Take maps as back up!

Utahtea