Kathiemoh

My husband and I are planning a trip out west this fall. We would like to drive from Ohio and plan on visiting the Grand Canyon along other sites. Can anyone give us advice on what to see during our trip? I have received quite a bit of information but it seems to be a bit overwhelming. We do plan on making a stop in Las Vegas for a few days. From the maps, it looks like this might be a good stop midway in our vacation as it is on the western most side of the areas we might like to see. Although we are in good shape physically, we are more into sightseeing and not into camping and taking long hikes. We are going for the scenery and the views. Any advice would be greatly appreciated including an itinerary of the best way to see "it all" without missing certain areas and/or backtracking. Thank you.

MmePerdu

When are you going and how many days, start to finish?

RVvagabond

Have you read these books?

Fodor's Utah: with Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef & Canyonlands National Parks (Travel Guide)

Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West (Full-color Travel Guide) Paperback – May 10, 2016

Vaga

Kathiemoh

We are thinking of mid-October for 2-3 weeks.

Kathiemoh

I haven't read those books but I will look for them.

sludick

Well, I'm no fan of Las Vegas (particularly after completing a project out there that required me to spend a week at a time over the course of a year). I really think your time is best spent in Utah, at places in or close to the parks there.

Start by searching trip reports for Utah. I'll come back with a few links that I found particularly helpful (although there are many such).

Driving from Ohio will be a pretty long drive. Hopefully you are looking more at 3 weeks time, to allow for that travel time. Have you considered flying (maybe into Salt Lake City) and renting a car? Last Vegas may have cheaper rentals, although I try to avoid it.

sludick

Here is a trip report I did that will focus on Utah parks. Also, I should have mentioned to look in on the Arizona forum for Grand Canyon. FYI, the north rim will be closed by the time you are traveling, so it would be south rim for you.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ellowstone.cfm

travlsolo2

I would start with a paper map of the whole country (there's one in the front of the Rand McNally Road Atlas). Use a couple colors to highlight places/parks to visit. Try making a big loop, either clockwise or counterclockwise. Then you can identify stops and how long in each place.

Some of the parks in Utah that we like are Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef and Arches. Also, Valley of Fire State Park north of Las Vegas is worth a half day/day on the way to Zion.
Santa Fe and Taos and Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam along the bottom of the loop are also options.

I love the planning of a trip like this. I use Google Maps for distances and suggested routes and finding hotels enroute.

Have fun!

Kathiemoh

Thank you everyone, for your advice and tips. I have ordered a couple of books although as I mentioned, I already have quite a bit of information and it can be overwhelming trying to plan where we want to go. I've been receiving mail almost daily after signing up for information on the Grand Circle website. That is why I really appreciate everyone giving me advice on places we "must see". I also appreciate reading several itineraries. I really like travsolo2's idea of mapping it out with a highlighters and making a big loop. We are not planning on making reservations and just taking our chances on hotels as we don't really know how long it will take us. We had friends tell us that we shouldn't have a problem as late in the year that we are going. However, I did look up the Utah Education Ass break and it is in October.

As I plan our itinerary I may be back to ask for places to stay. Please continue to give advice if anyone thinks of something that wasn't mentioned.

bailey123

You might want to rethink not making reservations at certain locations. Grand Canyon and the nat'l parks in Utah are still drawing crowds in October. I agree with a prior post that Las Vegas is probably not a place you will want to spend much, if any time.

You mention Colorado in your original post. only a couple hours drive from Moab is Mesa Verde. Also in that area are Telluride, Ouray, the San Juan Byway (often cited as one of the most scenic drives in the country), Silverton and Durango. There is also the Great Sand Dunes and of course Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park in CO.

While in AZ, a short drive from the east entrance to the south rim GC is Page AZ which has Horseshoe Bend overlook of the Colorado river which is beautiful at sunset, also lower Antelope Canyon which is a breathtaking red rock slot canyon. Not far from Page is Monument Valley.

fmpden

Kind in mind that by mid Oct we could have early snow in the central mountains of Colorado. So do bring along for cold weather gear. We have a little wine country just east of Grand Junction. The drive through Glenwood Canyon on I-70 just each of Glenwood Springs. We travel a lot using Hoteltonight.com for last minute hotels rooms. Never been burned even in peak season.

Trailridge road through RMNP should still be open but it could be snowy. Accommodations in the mountains should be very reasonable given that this is the change over period from summer to skiing. Some ski resorts may be open by mid-Oct as that is the general target date.