sikki

I know it is a very broad question but please humor me. In terms of nature I am into breathetaking mountains. US has many national parks and the mountain scenary spread across Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and California states interests me very much. I want to chalk a 12-15 day road trip through these states especially Colorado and above. I want to hit key towns and places, as well as have time to stop at a couple of places for a couple of days to relax and soak in a remote mountain location. Please help me narrow the possibilities down by identifying;

1 - The best mountains and cities/towns AND
2 - Suggest a route through this area such that i end up in California or Las Vegas

Thankx. Sikki.

BayouGal

With only 15 days, I think I'd focus on the parks and areas of interest in Utah, and include the Grand Canyon. That should easily fill up your days if you devote a little time to each. IMHO, if you try to see all the parks (and nothing else) in all of these states, you're doing nothing more than passing thru each of them.

BayouGal

Check out this thread-I topped it for you. It should answer a lot of your questions:

"The Griswolds….(certifiable Out-West Junkies)… get their 9th road trip *fix* in Yellowstone, Yosemite, central CA coast, Route 66, Utah and MUCH more!"

TheWeasel

If you limit yourself to Utah you're not really going to see much in the way of mountain scenery. Sure, you can explore in the SLC area, but with 12-15 days, there are so many other mountains to see.

A crazy, busy itinerary would start with a flight into Seattle, then drive from there through Idaho and Montana, then down through Wyoming to Colorado, and over to Utah and end up in either Las Vegas or northern California. But I wouldn't wish that upon anyone in only 12-15 days.

A more doable option, IMO, is to start in Denver and explore the Rockies in that state, with a sidetrip to either the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone and possibly Glacier if you want to push it, or a sidetrip into northern New Mexico. You could then fly from Denver to either Las Vegas or California to finish there if need be. That would avoid the drop-off fee for a one-way car rental, which is probably more than a one-way flight from Denver to LV or CA.

I'd save the Pacific Northwest for a separate trip, as well as AZ and Utah. Those areas are so big and diverse that I don't see how anyone could visit them all in 2 weeks.

utahtea

12 - 15 days is not a lot of time to visit all those states with a couple days of relaxing thrown in. I'd narrow your trip to fewer states.

Colorado is an excellant place to find mountain scenery. I'd start at Rocky Mountain National Park, and make your way down to Montrose. Make sure you stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, then down to Ouray, CO and drive the Million Dollar Highway (550) to Durango. Visit Mesa Verde National Park. You will be leaving the mountain scenery and now be working your way into canyon country. Make your way to South Rim of the Grand Canyon. From the Grand Canyon go north to Page, AZ via Hwy 89 and check out Lake Powell (Glen Canyon National Recreational Area), a quick trip up to Bryce National Park and then to Zion National Park. Zion is a fast 3 hour drive to Las Vegas.

Other options would be to do Rocky Mountain National Park and then go up to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks in Wyoming. Breathtaking mountain scenery at three parks. You can either work your way to the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho and then down to Nevada to drive I-80 to California or go down to Salt Lake City and then take I-80 to California or I-15 down to Las Vegas.

Utahtea

AuntAnnie

utahea has GREAT suggestions for you. Colorado can easily fill the majority of your time and the cool green beauty of RMNP contrasts with the jagged rock canyon of Gunnison and the brown dry mesa beauty of Mesa Verde...ahhhh, can I come??!!

sikki

Thanks guys. Very helpful, very prompt. I think I will drive in a large loop and start from/come back to denver. Actually the NorthWestern part of the US is more of a priority then California. So California is out, been there done that. However, Las Vegas has to happen so the tour loop has to contain it. The other extreme that the tour loop must contain for me is Glacier National Park. So I am thinking;

Part 1 (9 Days)
1 - Denver
2 - Go up to Rocky Mtn NP
3 - Keep going up; to Teton NP and onto Yellowstone NP
4 - Further up to Glacier NP
5 - Turn around

Part 2: (6 days)

1 - Come down through IDAHO, with maybe a side trip to Oregon,
2 - Into Nevada to Las Vegas
3 - Pass through Zion NP to stay in the Grand Canyon NP for a day or two and
4 - Drive back to Denver

So guys what do you think?? 4 NPs and 2-3 major cities in 15 Days. That means 2 days a location including driving time. Thanks. Sikki.

sikki

AuntAnnie! Coincidently I am traveling alone and am open to meeting new people. The travel cost is the same for one person or more so if someone can benefit why not?

sikki

Just used the MapQuest route planner to roughly estimate the driving time. Its around 50 hours or so which is a bit much for 15 days.

TheWeasel

You're right, the driving is too much. All I can say is you're going to have to give up one or more of your must-see places. You said the PacNW and Colorado are important, and Las Vegas and Glacier have to happen. But, as you already figured out, that's just not realistic. Either focus on Colorado with a side trip to one of those locations, or pick another area like PacNW and explore that.

nytraveler

Why limit yourself to the west? Aren;t you aware there are mountain ranges and a large number of national and state parks in the east as well?

dbaker

Maybe you could start in Washington, drive through Idaho, on to Glacier, and parts of Colorado or Yellowstone. Then FLY to Vegas for a day or two - fly home from there? With the price of gas, it just might be somewhat economical to do it that way, depending on rental drop-off fees.

utahtea

Ok, here's what your trip is going to look like.

Day 1 Drive to Rocky Mountain NP 90 miles about2 hour drive. See park

Day 2 Estes Park to Grand Tetons 485 miles 9 hours drive time. Figure all day.

Day 3 See Grand Tetons

Day 4 Drive to Yellowstone. See West Thumb, Old Faithful geyser area, lower geyser basin, midway geyser basin, Norris Geyser basin and spend night at West Yellowstone. (don't know if you can get any kind of lodging in the park at this late date.) total miles this day 125.

Day 5 Do the upper loop drive going to Canyon, Tower & Mammoth spend night in Gardiner, MT Total miles 85, but you might want to make a short trip down to Mud Volcano and Hayden Valley which will add a few miles.

Day 6 Drive to East Glacier. 360 miles - and will kill most of the day.

Day 7 - Drive the Going to the Sun Road to West Glacier & see park

Day 8 You are really going to need to head down to Las Vegas by now or you won't be able to do much else but drive by the other locations. Any way you go it's well over 1000 miles to Las Vegas. Via I-15 (approx 15 hours drive) will be a lot faster than Hwy 93 though ID & NV which will take approx 22 ours of driving. So there goes all of Day 8 & day 9

Day 10 Las Vegas
Day 12 It's a 3 hour drive to Zion
Day 13 It's approx 4 hour drive to the North Rim from Zion.
Day 14 & 15 will be spent driving the almost 700 miles back to Denver.

You're looking at 3300 miles in 15 days and there's a lot to see at each destination. I would highly recommend cutting out either Glacier or Las Vegas, Zion & Grand Canyon. As it is, there is no way you can squeeze in even one day to relax. Most of the roads are not Interstates and you won't be able to drive 70 miles an hour.

Utahtea

BayouGal

Sikki, you are planning this trip, one to Austria, one to Australia, plus other threads about costs for one and two people . . . how many trips are you taking?

utahtea

I keep meaning to ask...WHEN are you taking this trip?

Utahtea

bbqboy

The breathtaking Mountains are in Colorado, and
California, Oregon and Washington.
The desert doesn't cut it in comparison.

jet519

Utahtea's first suggestion of mainly in CO was the most sensible IMO. We did a trip from flying into Boise, driving the rest of the day to get to Missoula, Day 2- drove to Glacier and went through Going to the Sun Road with a hike or two along the way and stayed on the east side of Glacier that night.
Day 3- Waterton (Canada side of Glacier)
Day 4- All day drive from 7:00 a.m. to early evening to get to Gardiner, north Yellowstone area.
Day 5- Yellowstone
Day 6- Drove all day to get to Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho
Day 7- Whitewater trip on Salmon
Day 8- Drove back to Boise
Day 9- flew home
That trip was packed and with just those areas, it was definitely not leisurely. We had four LONG days of mostly driving and we are good travelers who don't stop very often.
Just putting in my two cents.
We also did a 3000 mile driving trip one year in nine days that included driving from St. Louis to Golden first day. These are the places we stayed each night the rest of trip.
Day 2 Provo, Utah,
Day 3 Salt Lake City
Day 3 and 4 Jackson Hole
Day 5 Flagg Ranch between Tetons and Yellowstone
Day 6- Yellowstone lower half and stayed east of Yellowstone on the way to Cody
Day 7-Drove to Mount Rushmore and stayed in Deadwood
Day 8 Started home and kept going because the Sturgis was going on and you couldn't find a room!
Hope these trip logs help your perspective of the driving part of it.
They were all fantastic trips that we will never forget BTW.

sikki

I am actually in Pakistan and planning to come to the US on the first of September this year. I was planning to go to Austria and had it pretty much figured out but am now having trouble getting a visa. Already have a 5 year multiple entry visa for the US, the mountains are much taller and a wider variety which is all i am interested in. The culture and history is in europe but am not interested.

I agree I will have to cut out Las Vegas and can fly to vegas and back if i really need to and have time left over. I also agree that the desert is no where near as beautiful as the mountains up north. Also I have seen some of the Yosimite and some of the California area.

Assuming I cud down some of the other locations, which place wud you recommend for 3-5 day retreat and/or trekk in the mountains. Thanks guys. Your comments really help. sikki

Catbert

You're doing this alone? Yikes. That's a lot of driving by yourself. We drove from Colorado through RMNP, to Little Big Horn, on to Missoula, Mt. (an hour south of Glacier), then to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and back to Colorado in 9 days. It was a LOT of driving with only 2 nights repeated in the same places. I can't imagine that drive alone. There's so much "nothing" you'll drive through.

That said, you might want to include Arches and/or Canyonlands. Stay in Moab and find some company.

sikki

I know it must be really desolute. Some personal issues i need to resolve and want to push myself.

Now I am thinking of starting from Seattle and going in a loop which must include Glacier NP and then maybe Yellowstone and then back through Idaho and Oregon. How is that for approximately 12 days? Maybe I shud shorten it further? Am also thinking of doing a 2-3 Day trail in addition to this. Maybe the Pacific Crest Trail that goes from Mt. Ranier to Crater Lake NP.

I will probably fly into chicago and then to seattle. On the way back i have to go to michigan and then chigaco.

What do you think. What should be my route? from Seattle, WA to Glacier NP, (+Glacier NP to Yellowstone NP maybe) and back? or maybe I Shud do the trail before i hit the road and drive from seattle Glacier and Yellowstone and then onto michigan & chicago which is where I will have to go before I leave US and just pay the drop off charges.

I will have to drop southwest including vegas and some of the northwest, particularly colorado for this trip or atleast the discussion which involves a total of 15 Days from Chicago to Seattle, WA and then Back. I have a couple of days under my sleeve I can pull out if need be.

What do you guys think? Long shot? Makes sense? What route?