National Parks Road trip itinerary question

Old Aug 18th, 2016, 03:12 PM
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National Parks Road trip itinerary question

Hi,
I am planning a family (three children aged 10, 11, 13, and parents) trip for next summer (early august, because we cannot do any other time). We want to visit Yellowstone, Bryce, Grand Canyon and Yosemite / Sequoia National Parks, and San Francisco, and we have about three weeks. I do know that Yellowstone is a out of the way from the others, but we doubt we will be doing a trip to the US any time soon, and we really want to see Yellowstone, Bryce and some Sequoias. We like to do short / moderate hikes (up to 4 / 6h loops, at a kid's speed) and sightseeing. Of course, we all would like to enjoy some wildlife where possible. This is my current draft for the itinerary:
1. arrive in Salt Lake City from Europe.
2. drive to Jackson (5h) and stay somewhere there, with a swimming pool if possible, to relax a bit.
3- Visit Grand Teton NP on the way to Yellowstone. Sleep in YNP lodges (if any have rooms available)
days 4, 5, 6 - Visit YNP: one day for the Geisers, one day for Mammoth area, one day for wildlife.
7. drive all the way to Bryce Canyon (10h)
8. Bryce Canyon. Walk Navajo loop trail, other trails or activities? sleep around Bryce Canyon
9. Bryce to Grand Canyon South Rim (6h). Maybe short visit Antelope Canyon on the way? is it possible?
10. Grand Canyon south rim area
11. Grand Canyon to Las Vegas (6h), stop at the Grand Canyon west area and do the skywalk.
12. One day in Las Vegas.
13. Las Vegas to Sequoia NP (6h) stay in the park lodges.
14. Visit Sequoia NP
15. drive Sequoia to Yosemite, stay in the park lodge
16. Yosemite NP
17. Yosemite to San Francisco, and two more days to visit the city.
This makes up for about 19 days. I could maybe add one or two more days, but I don't know where would benefit the most to have one more day.
Personally, i have visited most, if not all, of these parks, so the main objective is to take our children there, and enjoy some nature and some spectacular sights with them.

Any general thoughts on how to improve the itinerary are appreciated. In particular, I wasn't convinced of staying one whole day in **Vegas**, but maybe it would be a nice break from all the driving, one day of swimming pools and seeing some extravagant hotels. My husband thought that there is not much to the **Grand Canyon,** and wasn't convinced of spending two nights there, but he does want to see the skywalk.
I also wanted to split the drive from Yellowstone to Bryce in two, but there does'nt seem to be anywhere worth stopping in between.
Also, if anybody can recommend any **specific hikes** at these National Parks or nearby that are fun for kids but not too strenuous. Recommendations for some outdoors activities (maybe rafting? horsebackriding? and where would be the best place to try that?).
All advice will be welcome,

thanks!
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Old Aug 18th, 2016, 05:42 PM
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Is there a reason you don't want to go to Zion?
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Old Aug 19th, 2016, 01:51 AM
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Hi Happytrails,

I did not want to add more stops to the list, I already thing it might be too much, and I have already been to Zion (it was very recommended) and I remember that we did not thing too much of it. We were there in August as well, with a newborn and my parents, and maybe we did not chose the right hikes / things to do, and also, in contrast to the others, that have very unique views (geisers, hoodoos, grand canyon, huge trees), it felt less spectacular ?
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Old Aug 19th, 2016, 06:00 AM
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A couple of comments - this trip entails A LOT of driving. You have been here before so you surely understand this, but often times people underestimate the driving distances in the United States "out west."

My two cents - the grand canyon can be done in one overnight. Keep in mind that with one over night, you have much less than one whole day though as part of that time will be driving to get there, then leaving to drive somewhere else the next day. I would skip Grand Canyon West altogether - the views you want to see are at the South Rim. Without getting into it here, if you search this or other travel forums you will find many people who don't recommend "Grand Canyon West."

Also, it really, really would be better to have AT LEAST one night in the Tetons. We actually prefer our time in Grand Teton to Yellowstone (although Yellowstone is larger and should receive more nights). For your Yellowstone days, I don't think you need to allocate a day to looking for wildlife. You will see wildlife early and late in the Tetons and in Yellowstone. There is so much wildlife, in fact, you should try not to drive after dark. Dawn and dusk are the best times to spot things though, so staying in the park is a great option to cut down on driving and be close to "the action." I would book lodging in the park now. It books up very early.

Lastly, definitely try to get reservations in Bryce Canyon or at Ruby's which is immediately outside the park gate. Lodging in the park is our strong preference and really can't be beat for convenience. From our cabin in the park, we woke up before dawn, walked 2 minutes (literally) to the rim and watched a fantastic sunrise. Bryce is one of my favorite places in the world. It is just beautiful. It's so close to Zion it is a shame to skip Zion. I am surprised you weren't impressed by it. It's another of my favorite places.
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Old Aug 19th, 2016, 06:48 AM
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thanks. I am looking for Ruby's inn or the lodges in Bryce. I would prefer inside the park, but maybe the kids would prefer Ruby's inn. Same goes for the other national parks. the issue is to find availability. As of now, Yellowstone seems to be completely and fully booked everywhere but for the rooms with no bathroom, for the whole summer 2017, which seems a bit unbelievable.
I talked to my husband ans looked at the prices, and grand canyon west is already out of the trip, and that might reduce time in vegas, so this frees some time for somewhere else in the trip.
I know, everybody loves Zion. Maybe we expected too much? we are reconsidering to stop there again.

We are used to a lot of driving in Europe, (with up to 2700km in 10 days, or 3300 in two weeks, our latest trip). I know it is tiring, thus i like to have some days of nearly no driving in between.
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Old Aug 19th, 2016, 07:00 AM
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I would grab up the rooms without bathrooms for Yellowstone and then continue to monitor for cancellations. They happen all the time and you will be able to change for a better room if that is your preference. That being said, having a bathroom down the hall is still preferable to being outside the park at Yellowstone. I remember going with my parents as a kid and staying at the Old Faithful lodge with a bathroom down the hall - it was so strange for me at the time but definitely a memory.
Glad you are skipping West and in my opinion, less time in Vegas is better. For me, no time in Vegas ever again would be ideal. But you know what your family likes better than I do!

Consider adding the extra days to Yosemite or to the Tetons (not to beat a dead horse but it is stunningly beautiful there and deserves at least a night).
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Old Aug 19th, 2016, 07:03 AM
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Ruby's has a pool and a big gift shop, which the kids should enjoy.
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Old Aug 19th, 2016, 05:03 PM
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The kids might like hiking The Narrows in Zion. Overnight in Springdale, and get rental gear there for the hike. Desert Pearl Inn is a great place to stay. We've been there twice and are looking forward to going again next year. Nice pool and good location for walking to restaurants.

A possibility for overnight and a great sunrise might be Capitol Reef National Park. The road between there and Bryce is pretty awesome!
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 12:05 PM
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Thanks travlsolo2, I did go and look into this hike, and I agree, the kids would definitely enjoy it. I have decided to give Zion another chance, and have modified my trip to exclude west rim and sequoia and include Zion instead. I am now looking at lodging in Yosemite, but it seems that the park lodges are quite full. Made my mind too late, it seems
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 01:37 PM
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Hi and welcome to Fodor's!

Having visited many of these places both with young kids and AS a young kid, I'll be a bit blunt and suggest that it might be a bit (or maybe a LOT) of overload. We don't know you or your family of course, so I might be way off base here, but six national parks at the height of the season with three kids in three weeks...? Ouch.

A few considerations - again, maybe not applicable in your case, but for what it's worth:

Heat: The desert areas including Las Vegas and the California central valley (the bit between LV and Sequoia NP) will probably be absolutely broiling. National parks like Zion or Bryce or the Grand Canyon will be cooler than the 40C range you'll encounter at lower altitudes, but their high altitude can bring on other concerns (e.g. ultraviolet and sunburn risk) that can impair one's enjoyment of these places. Not to say don't go there, just be aware.

Jetlag: You will have eight or nine hours' time change from Europe to the western US. In addition to having to navigate roads and traffic, you probably shouldn't expect to be able to cover as much ground as you'd like for the first few days.

One-way car hire: By picking up a vehicle in someplace like Salt Lake and dropping it in California three weeks later you will likely be paying an enormous one-way "drop" fee, which will either be called such on the rental contract or else will be built into a much higher daily/weekly rate for the car. If you could amend your itinerary to do a "loop" - pick up and drop off in the same city - you'd probably save a lot of money.

Crowds and conditions: Yellowstone and Yosemite are famous for their beauty; unfortunately they're also famous for their crowds. While Yosemite looks big on a map, the most scenic and popular areas are actually quite compact (namely the Yosemite Valley floor) thus the visitor density is VERY high. In addition, by August many of the famous waterfalls in Yosemite have all but dried up, not to mention that August is definitely the fire season in California, which can pose its own (terrible) problems.

Which leads me to make a suggestion. As a "thought experiment," think about an itinerary that includes Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Bryce (and Zion) plus the Grand Canyon, using one point for picking up and dropping off the vehicle. I would actually suggest Las Vegas for this, because of all the cities in the world, LV is probably the best place for jetlagged Europeans to overcome their jetlag. It's a 24 hour city, with plenty of things for kids and their parents to do - in air conditioned comfort - while their clocks adjust. If the clock says 4 AM but your body says noon, no problem, everything's open, you can watch the sun rise in the (relatively) cool early morning, NOT have to jump in a car right away... Plus LV in the summer is inexpensive (if you don't gamble) and rental vehicles are cheap.

So do a big loop from Las Vegas something like this (in either direction) - https://goo.gl/maps/v8pTjyanKj72 . This would also allow you - if you want - to include some of the eastern national parks in Utah like Arches, plus a stop at Monument Valley on your way to the Grand Canyon (or from it if you go counter-clockwise.)

Then drop the vehicle back in LV and fly - an hour and under $100 - to San Francisco and get a second vehicle there and use it to visit Yosemite. Regarding sequoia trees, I'd actually suggest dropping Sequoia NP (a long and very hot drive) and visit the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, which has plenty of amazing giant sequoias, instead. It's far more convenient to Yosemite and the marvelous Gold Country (site of the 1849 gold rush) that you and your kids might enjoy hugely. (Google "Columbia California.") A loop from SF to SF could look like this - https://goo.gl/maps/SvCJSUgWvHk

Worth confirming, but I wouldn't be surprised if the cost of the short flight for your family is less than the additional car hire cost for the one-way itinerary.

Anyway, I know this is a major departure from your plans, but it's just offered for your consideration.
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 01:51 PM
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(Forgot to add) Here's a possible timetable for the above; overnight locations are shown:

1 Las Vegas
2 Las Vegas
3 Zion/Bryce
4 Zion/Bryce
5 En route to Grand Teton
6 Grand Teton
7 Yellowstone
8 Yellowstone
9 Yellowstone
10 En route to Moab
11 Moab
12 Moab
13 Monument Valley
14 Grand Canyon
15 Las Vegas or SF
16 Yosemite
17 Yosemite
18 Gold country
19 San Francisco
20 San Francisco
21 San Francisco/Depart
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 06:43 PM
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I'm glad you changed your mind about Zion. It is one of my favorite places in the world, and I was disappointed that you might skip it.

This also struck me as odd: "My husband thought that there is not much to the Grand Canyon." That's a new one on me. The Grand Canyon is to North America what Iguazu Falls is to South America.

The problem with the Grand Canyon is that it is delightful in the morning before the day trippers show up and it is a great place to be in the evening after they leave. If you walk down into the canyon you will give your children an experience they will never forget.

Give it a little more time than the average family does.

Since you have eliminated Sequoia NP, you can drive to Yosemite through Death Valley, up the east side of the Sierra Nevada, and over Tioga Pass. That you will enjoy.

HTtY
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 01:29 AM
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OK, let me rephrase it. My husband thought that the Grand Canyon is an impressive (very impressive) view, but that it is a 1h stop. He did not see the point of hiking there. In any case, we are having a full day in the area, so we will do a hike and see it from a few lookouts.
Yes, we will be going through Death valley on our way from Vegas to Yosemite.

@Gardyloo, I know many companies charge a hefty fee for a one-way rental, but we found one on our last US trip (Miami to NY) that wasn't too expensive, so we are fine with that.
Thanks for thinking about it, though, and for taking the time to draft an alternative itinerary.

This is our updated itinerary:
1. arrive Salt lake city
2. Salt lake city - Yellowstone drive
3. Yellowstone (canyon lodge) - boiling river and mammoth area
4. Yellowstone (canyon lodge) - old faithful and other geisers
5. Yellowstone (canyon lodge) -
6. Yellowstone to Jacskon. See Grand Teton area on the way
7. Jackson to Moab drive
8. Arches or Canyonlands (still deciding)
9. Moab to Bryce canyon (Rubys inn), maybe drive through capitol reef
10. Bryce hiking and drive to zion
11. zion, hike the narrows
12. zion to grand canyon south (Yavapai lodge)
13. hike grand canyon
14. grand canyon to Las Vegas
15. Las Vegas to Yosemite area through Death Valley. Stay in Mammoth lakes / Lee vining
16. Yosemite (big trees lodge)
17. Yosemite
18. Yosemite to San Francisco
19. San Francisco
20. San Francisco
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 12:20 PM
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Im excited for your national parks roadtrip. I love the Tetons( over yellowstone)! Arches and canyonlands are spectacular. If you can do both that would be great. But if you can only do one i would choose arches. Your kids might like the fiery furnace hike. Consider some canyoneering or rock climbing activites too! Expect more crowds in arches though coz its more popular than canyonlands but since canyonlands is not too far away, why not visit it for a day or half a day. Dead horsepoint state park nearby is beautiful too.
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 12:31 PM
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Once you have hiked in Arches, Bryce and Zion you may not feel like much of a hike at the Grand Canyon.
Between the Grand Canyon and LV, be sure to let the kids see Hoover Dam. You might even want to stay at the Hoover Dam Lodge (former Hacienda) instead of going into Las Vegas.
The hike out to Delicate Arch in Arches is one of my favorites. After seeing what you want in Arches, go to the Island In the Sky area of Canyonlands for 2-3 hours.
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