Hello,
We are planning to drive from Grand Forks to the Southwest from mid-September to early October. This is our first time on a road trip and could really use some help in planning. My husband wants flexibility and wants to look for hotels when we get into town while I'm not crazy about it. He thinks we can get last minute deal due to low season. Do you think we can wing it? or is it better to book ahead? or can we book a day or two before? Our itinerary looks like this for now:
Day 1: Grand Forks, ND - Omaha, NB
Day 2: Omaha - Grand Junction, CO
Day 3: Grand Junction
Day 4: Grand Junction - Bryce Canyon
Day 5: Bryce Canyon
Day 6: Bryce Canyon - Zion NP
Day 7: Zion
Day 8: Zion - Grand Canyon
Day 9: Grand Canyon
Day 10: Grand Canyon - Page, AZ
Day 11: Page
Day 12: Page - Moab, UT
Day 13: Moab
Day 14: Moab - Boulder, CO
Day 15: Boulder or Rocky Mountain NP
Day 16: Boulder
Day 17: Boulder - Omaha, NB
Day 18: Omaha - Grand Forks

Is this a doable trip? Short and easy hikes would be fine with us. Thanks for your help.

Omaha to Grand Junction is not doable in a day.
Are you visiting there?
Try Grand Forks to Salina, then Salina to Pueblo, I-135 to hwy 50, then west to Pueblo. Start the next morning driving
Pueblo to Grand Junction on Hwy 50. You'll roll past Royal Gorge, Monarch Pass and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP that way. Drive the Mountains during the day.

Hi S,

Mid-Sept to Oct is NOT low season in the southwest. I would highly recommend that you try for reservations, you may have trouble even this far in advance. If you can't get in the park lodges, make another reservation nearby, then keep trying. Check for sure, but most of the park lodges have a 3 day cancellation policy.

This is a very rushed trip. You only have 1 full day in each place which is NOT enough. You will be doing an awful lot of driving and not enough seeing and enjoying.

You will enjoy yourselves much more if you cut your destinations. Maybe do just Grand Junction, Moab, and Rocky Mtn Natl Park. Or southern, Bryce, Zion, GC and Page.

Good luck planning!

Thanks for your reply, bbqboy & Dayle.

bbqboy: We thought it would be nice to stop in Grand Junction for Colorado Monument NP and a break before we go further. Guess we don't really have to stop there. The route you proposed seems to be longer. Is there an advantage going by your route?

Dayle: It would be hard to do more cutting since we have shortlisted to what we really want to see but guess we have to. We are not avid hikers, but we will hike short distance for good pictures. My husband still needs some convincing about hotels, he takes flexibility above all else.

Hope others will put in their comments and help me to overcome my husband's stubborness. Any other advice or tips will be greatly appreciated too.

I agree that the 790 mile drive from Omaha to Grand Junction is to long for one day. I'd shoot for Denver at 545 miles. You don't want to be driving on I-70 west of Denver in the dark because the scenery is just to good to miss.

Denver to Bryce the fastest way is 570 miles and will take about 9 1/2 hours of just driving time. Again that's a long drive for one day. If you are taking scenic Hwy 12 it is 566 miles and will take about 12 hours of driving and you don't want to drive this after dark because of the great scenery!

I'm not sure why bbqboy has you taking that route because it's a lot longer and slower drive even if it's scenic, it's out of the way.

How about this route?

Day 1 Grand Forks, ND to Omaha, NB 498 miles about 8 hrs driving.

Day 2 Omaha to Denver 541 miles 8 1/2 hrs driving.

Day 3 Denver drive into Colorado National Monument at Fruita and then drive back out the same way. This is where the best views are. The drive through the park is VERY slow! Enter Moab by exiting I-70 at Cisco and taking scenic hwy 128 into Moab. route as described is 365 miles and about 7 hours driving time.

Day 4 Moab - See Arches
Day 5 Moab - See Canyonlands & Dead Horse State Park
Day 6 Moab via Capitol Reef and scenic Hwy 12 to Bryce 275 miles about 8 hr drive.

Day 7 Bryce
Day 8 Bryce to Zion 86 miles 2 hr drive
Day 9 Zion
Day 10 Zion to North Rim of Grand Canyon. I take it you are going to the N. Rim because you have Page, AZ after and not before the Grand Canyon. I really think that the N. Rim can be seen in a short amount of time. 122 miles 3 1/2 to 4 hr drive

Day 11 N. Rim to Page, AZ. 125 miles 4 - 4 1/2 hr drive.

NOTE: There is no reason to spend a whole day at Page, AZ unless you want to do an all day boat tour on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge or a 1/2 day float trip on the Colorado River. Both are excellent choices!

Day 12 - Float trip or boat tour

Day 13 Page, AZ take Hwy's 98 & Hwy 160 to Kayenta, AZ. Take the short 20 mile trip to Monument Valley and then back to Hwy 160 and Durango, CO. 313 miles about 7 hrs driving.



Day 14 Durango - Head north on the Million Dollar Highway 550 passing Silverton and Ouray to Montrose, CO. This area should be beautiful with fall color on the aspens this time of the year! I would make a quick stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park before working my way back to I-70 and stopping say around Georgetown, CO. 395 miles and 7 1/2 hrs driving.

Day 15 Georgetown drive to the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and spend the day driving in the park to Estes Park.

Day 16 Start working your way home maybe by going north into WY and spending the night in Rapid City, SD. 387 miles 7 hr driving.

Day 17 Rapid City via Badlands National Park to Sioux Falls, SD 370 miles 7 hrs driving time.

Day 18 Souix Falls to Grand Forks 320 miles 4 1/2 hrs. driving

As far as making reservations, I can only help you with camping and at this time of the year you really won't need camping reservations.

Utahtea

Hi again S,

Utahtea is our resident expert on the driving distances. Since I live here and tend to go to one destination at a time, routes and times are just givens for me.

Since this is your first real road trip and one that takes a lot of driving, carefully consider if you want to spend this much time in a car. 8+ hours of driving a day gets old fast.

Also, since you are on a fast pace, DO make reservations ahead. You will be arriving at your overnight destinations late to get a motel. Lodging at Bryce is very limited. This is NOT low season for most of your destinations. Why spend an hour or more finding lodging only to end up with the least desirable place for the highest price? As the rooms fill, the price goes up!

In the larger cities, you can easily wing it, but lodging at the national parks should be reserved ahead.

Good luck!

I do my Microsoft Streets & Trips software!

Utahtea

My husband's idea of a vacation is to see as much as possible in as little time as possible. He's prepared to get up really early in the morning and drive for hours to get to the destination sooner. That's not my idea of a vacation. That's why he thought to stay on the Interstate as much as possible to get there sooner. Is that a misconception? My husband doesn't think he'll be driving in the dark and missing the scenery. What time does it gets dark then?

Our initial sightseeing plans are:
1) Grand Junction - Colorado National Monument, Grand Mesa
2) Bryce Canyon (close 2nd)
3) Zion Canyon (close 2nd)
4) Grand Canyon (must-see)
5) Page - the "Wave" (must-see), Vermillion Cliff, Horseshoe Bend, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon (must-see), Grand Staircase Escalante
6) Moab - Arches NP (must-see), Canyonland, Dead Horse Point State Park, Chautauqua Park
7) Boulder - Rocky Mountain NP, Boulder Creek Path

We want to spend more time at the must-see sights, while others can be seen drive by or on the way. So, are we crazy or what? Is there anything we missed? or should be taken out? Originally my husband wants to go to Badland in South Dakota too. Now that Utahtea's route pass through there, I'm sure he wants to work that in too.

The reason why I want to go to Rocky Mountain NP is to see autumn colours. However if it's possible to see this elsewhere, I'm willing to give it up.

What is the Million Dollar Highway? Why is it called that? Is this one of the highway that has steep drop and no shoulers or barriers on the road? I have a fear of heights.

Thanks so much for your comments, Dayle & Utahtea. Both of you are wonderful and so glad that you would help us out. My husband is reconsidering the trip, though he won't admit it right out loud. Have to work it gently so it won't affect his male ego. Thanks again!

Hi S,

We're "road warrior" vacationers, too, so I'd be the last person to offer you advice on whether you're days are too long.

But when I saw you mentioned the "Wave" I do know a little about that. We're going on May 18th. The main thing you need to know, if you don't already, is that you must have a permit to go. Only 10 are allotted 3 months ahead of the month (not day) you want and another 10 are given out the day before your day in a lottery. (Hope that makes sense.) To be safe, you'd want to get yours early.

September and October are very popular months for hiking to the "Wave" according to the very nice man I talked to at the BLM.

Having been to this area before I can only say - however much of it you get to see, you'll love it. And what you don't get to see will have you planning your next trip out there before you even head home.

I can't wait for May. I just hope Delta keeps flying or we'll be driving from Florida. Talk about some loooong days in the car.

Have a great time.

FF

Hello FF,
Thanks for the tip. Hopefully we would finalized our itinerary by June and go online for the tickets to the "Wave". Did you have to book it by 12:01AM Mountain Time? What does BLM stands for? We love to know about your trip to the area. What did you like or didn't like? Also can't wait to hear about your trip to the "Wave". Hope you will post a trip report afterward. Best of luck with Delta & happy travels!

Hi again,

Sorry about the BLM thing. I've spent so much time investigating the "Wave" and other places that I just use that like some people use NP for National Park. It's the Bureau of Land Management - part of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. They're in control of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument wilderness area which is where the "Wave" is located. They have a great website with lots of info about the VCNM area blm.gov/az/paria.
The "Wave" is in the North Coyote Buttes part.

To give you an idea of how fast the permits for May went. I logged onto the permit site about 12:45 pm MT. I kept checking the calendar and as soon as the month of May popped up (a couple of minutes before 1:00 by my computer's clock) I started filling out my application. By 4 minutes past 1:00 all 310 permits for May were gone. When I first got the calendar, not a single permit had yet been issued.

This trip we're hitting some of the same spots you are. Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse, Grand Canyon, Bryce and Capitol Reef. We're also doing Antelope Canyon and, as you know, the "Wave."

It's our second trip to Bryce so we're only spending the afternoon, night, and next morning. Saw more of it and Zion on our last trip.

I'll post a report when I get back and I'll be glad to answer any questions you have.

FF

Hi SSN -- I hope that certain aspects of my trip report will be helpful to you. Click on my screen name & it is # 162 or 163 on my list. Good luck & have fun.

The Million Dollar Highway is Highway 550 between Durango and Montrose, Colorado. Yes, it's one of those cliff drop of the side of the road, kind of roads. Fall color should be in full swing while you are on vacation in this area. It is one of the major places to see aspen fall color and a very scenic drive. You can check this website as the date draws near for updates on the 2006 fall color.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/recr...olor-rpt.shtml

History of the Million Dollar Highway: http://www.rmpbs.org/byways/sjs_million.html

When you start your trip in mid-September you will have about 12 1/2 hours of daylight. By the time you end your trip in early October you will be a little less than 12 hours.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html

Something else to keep in mind, is you will gain hours as you drive west but lose them as you drive back east.

The Badlands of South Dakota can easily be seen with just a drive through. I like driving different roads home than the ones I drive out on and this route is actually a little shorter if you are leaving Rocky Mountain National Park.

BTW, driving after dark through Kansas to Denver, you won't miss much! Just don't drive after dark west of Denver!

Utahtea

FF:
Can't believe the permits are gone so fast! At least I don't have to stay up in the middle of the night to go online. Hope it will be on the weekend when I do. Otherwise I have to take a day off from work. Wish me luck!

Laurie:
Cool function, didn't know you can do that. After reading your trip report, ours seem like Mickey Mouse. Now we've got more to look into....ah....the fun of trip planning. But I'm sure all the work will pay off. Did you book hotels ahead of time?

Utahtea:
Good point about driving in different direction, didn't think about that. The websites are terrific and come in handy when we are ready to plan in more details. The pictures on the Million Dollar Highway website don't look bad at all. Does it have railings on the side of the cliff?

Thank you everyone for your terrific information and tremendous help. At first, I wasn't crazy about a long road trip, but now I'm more excited by the minute. Thanks again & please keep them coming.

I'm not trying to scare you, but just want you to be aware of what you are getting into on the Million Dollar Highway. You asked if there are railings. Drop off's don't bother me when my DH is driving so I don't pay attention to those kinds of things....I'm usually to in awe of the scenery. I didn't remeber if there were areas without rails so I went looking and found this:
http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/...re_you_go.html

"The 2-lane road between Ouray and Silverton has incredibly beautiful views. Drivers should know that while this is a perfectly adequate and well-maintained road, it is also narrow and steep, has many hairpin switchbacks and a tunnel, tremendous dropoffs with no railings or shoulders, and few places to pass. Some curves are signed at 10 mph. There are some pullouts, particularly at scenic vistas. Large vehicles do drive this road regularly, but we recommend all drivers take care and call ahead to check road conditions, especially in winter or inclement weather."

Here's another great website on mile by mile travel guide on Hwy 550.

http://www.milebymile.com/main/Unite...el_guides.html

On that last site you can also find many great roads you will be driving on.

If it makes you feel any better we have driven the Million Dollar Highway in our motorhome.

Utahtea

Hello Utahtea:
We will have to give serious thoughts about Million Dollar Highway. Chances are my husband will be driving which leaves me open to the great scenery but also the steep drops. Do you get dizzy due to the curves of the highway? Have there been lots of accidents there? Can't thank you enough for all your help. Nothing beats talking to someone who experienced it.

IMHO, I don't think the Million Dollar Highway is that curvey. You get a lot of straight sections too. Yes, I can get a little montion sickness on very, very curvey roads, but this isn't that curvey to me.

I don't know about accidents on this road. I've never seen one. I'd say we've done this route about 4 or 5 times over the last 28 years.

Utahtea

Utahtea: Thanks so much for all the information. We are reviewing the itinerary and looks like more changes are coming. Hopefully we can finalize it soon and start working on the hotels.