Hi there,

I'm currently planning a trip to the USA: about 24 days in total. Right now I do think of:


San Francisco - Yosemite - Death Valley - Las Vegas - Zion - Bryce - Canyonlands - Capitol Reef - Arches - Mesa Verde - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon - Palm Springs/Joshua Tree - San Diego - Los Angeles

I'm really not quite sure if we probably should forget about Palm Springs and the rest. To reach Palm Springs when departing at Grand Canyon Village would mean 700 kilometers and a day just sitting in the car. Nothing special seems to be on the way.

Would you suggest to skip the south west coasts and to drive back from Grand Canyon to San Francisco via Highway No. 1 or via Sequoia with 2-3 overnights stays instead? I'm not sure what of those 3 possiblities would be the most recommendable. Therefore I'd appreciate a comment of someone how knows the region quite well. (Sorry if I made mistakes, I'm German)

Hi, baerbeln. You didn't say when this trip is - it does make a very big difference.

For instance - in the winter/spring you can't drive straight from Yosemite to Death Valley. And in summer Death Valley and Palm Springs are best avoided due to the EXTREME heat.

So tell us when your trip is and we can help more.

But just for starters - you are covering a LOT of territory in a bit over 3 weeks. It is possible to do, but you will be very busy.

Adding San Diego to the route really doesn't complicate things and it is very nice.

Are you flying open jaw into San Francisco and out of LA? If so San Diego fits in OK.

Do you really want to see that much brown desert? The whole West is pretty visually appealing and there are lots of things to do and see. You are right about driving. You'd be doing a whole bunch.

You have a lot of time, but then again you are trying to cover a lot of places. I think I would skip Joshua Trees, San Deigo and LA. I think I would drive along the coast. You can see some giant Sequioa's in Yosemite.

janisj is correct. The time of the year you are coming will make a BIG difference on how you get from Yosemite to Death Valley! Tioga Pass, Hwy 120 will be closing soon for the winter and won't open until spring. Sometimes the pass can open as early as May or as late as July 1 (in rare cases...depending on the snow fall this winter.)

Here is a list of the opening and closing dates of Tioga Pass:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/trip/tioga.htm

As also mentioned, Death Valley is extremely HOT in the summer months!

I'm not sure if your list was in the order you were going to visit or not. I would do Capitol Reef after Bryce. Make sure you drive scenic Hwy 12 between Bryce and Torrey, Utah! Plan at least 2 - 3 nights in Moab to see Canyonlands and Arches. Plan at least 2 nights at Mesa Verde and 2 at the Grand Canyon. There is a lot of driving between these parks so you will need at least 2 nights to have one full day to appreciate the parks.

Utahtea

My suggestion would be for you to visit the North Rim of the GC during your visits to the Utah attractions. That is, if you will be during the summer. If you do go to the north rim, you wouldn't even have to go to the south rim, which is a loooong drive around and much more crowded than the north rim.

Personally, I would skip Palm Springs, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

This sounds like a once in a lifetime trip and if it is, I'd highly recommend the South Rim of the Grand Canyon over the North Rim.

You will be driving back from Mesa Verde so you might as well do the S. Rim then.

Utahtea

Wann fahren Sie? Ich glaube, Palm Springs, San Diego, und Los Angeles nicht sind gut. Aber das Getty Museum in LA ist sehr gut.

And your English is excellent.

Come on Wayne...we all don't speak German so how can I tell if you're giving good advise or not!

Utahtea

Hi, thanks your your comments. The journey will take place beginning/mid of September up until early/mid of October 2006.

Just in case Utahtea wants to evaluate the advice here's a rough translation of what Wayne said...

...When are you going? I think Palm Springs, San Diego and LA aren't good. But the Getty Museum in LA is very good.....

To baerbeln, your trip sounds wonderful but if you don't cut out the South West coast bit you won't have time to appreciate the rest. Do you intend to do any hiking or just drive through the parks?

Long drive, and if it is a summer trip it will be HOT. Here are a few places to assist you with your plans.
www.byways.org and www.recreation.gov, don't forget the NPS site that was also given..............

Hi, thanks for your postings. I know it's gonna be hot, I know we'll have a lot of red rocks. Actually we made our homework and did read a lot of travel reports on the internet of people who've been in the area. We did as well study maps and guides. The route is absolutely fixed up until Grand Canyon, but THEN we're still not sure wether to drive more south (Palm Springs, Joshua, San Diego) or do go west (Santa Barbara, Highway No. 1 - I know the route Carmel to San Francisco already) or to drive back to San Francisco via Sequoia. We'll have about 1 week for that part and do need some impressions, what's worth the trip, what will round up everything.
We will have at least one hike per day (short or long) and if possible scenic drives. We do not prefer to drive for hours on interstates.
Looking forward to get some more suggestions. It would help if you do explain WHY you would suggest a route more than the other. Thanks a lot,
greetings from snowy Germany

Since your trip is in the early autumn you will be fine - the desert will still be hot, but not HOT

As for what to do after the Grand Canyon -- the coast from Santa Barbara to San Francisco is at its very best at that time of year. The scenery will be magnificent and the days usually clear and warm. Big Sur, Carmel, and the San Mateo/Sanfrancisco coasts will amaze you.

I would DEFINITELY go north along the coast instead of Palm Springs/Josua Tree. You have plenty of mountain and desert scenery in the rest of your itinerary. You can finish up on the central/northern California coast at the very best time to see it.

Because you might want to leave some options open, I suggest you go to Las Vegas and Death Valley on the way to the coast via Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo. That way you can always choose to skip one or both destinations if you do not have the time or wish to spend more time at the Grand Canyon, etc. From Yosemite, I would cut across Nevada, going from Tonopah to to Panaca using the "extraterrestial highway". Make sure you fill up on gas on Tonopah, although there is a gas station halfway across the state.

In 1998 we did our 25 day tour as follows:
- Los Angeles-San
Diego-Phoenix-Flagstaff-Tusayan(grand canyon)-Monument valley-Lake Powell-Bryce canyon-Zion N. Park Las Vegas-Death valley-Mammoth lakes- Yosemite-San Francisco-Monterrey-Santa Barbara-Santa Monica-Lax and back to Belgium. We did the more eastern part in 2002 in a months tour of nearly 9500 kilometers covering Colorado- Wyoming- S.Dakota-Utah-Arizona-New Mexico. Paul

Thanks guys and girls. The final postings did help to plan our final route I think.Thanks for your responses. Have a great christmas and a happy new year!