CindyP

My husband and I are planning 8 days to drive from Seattle to the Grand Canyon and back. Normally we backpack on our vacations, but due to certain "age" (cough cough) related issues this year involving knees mostly, we've elected to try a driving trip in late September.

Not afraid of long days in the car but would rather not have EVERY day spent there. We love scenic drives as opposed to freeways (although sometimes those are a necessary evil in terms of making up time)

Bryce/Zion./Lees Ferry/Grand Canyon are all of interest - anything else there and back?? Probably see about staying at Marble Canyon instead of at the GC....

Looking for suggestions as to routes, sites, sights, must sees or must avoids.

Would really appreciate any ideas at all - we're just now in the planning stages, so everything is open and on the table!

Thank you!!

utahtea

You are looking at around 2,700 miles round trip. You're looking at 2 1/2 days of just driving there and another 2 1/2 days of just driving to get home. That only leaves you 3 days to see the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion and Lees Ferry.

I'm not aware of any place to stay at Lees Ferry except a campground. Marble Canyon is 125 miles and about 2 hours away from the S. Rim of the Grand Canyon or 83 miles and at least 1 1/2 hours from the N. Rim...could be longer if you get stuck behind an RV. Not really the best location for seeing the Grand Canyon.

What month are you planning this trip? Any way of making it longer than 8 days?

Utahtea

janisj

utahtea: the OP says it will be in late Sept.

CindyP: Your plan is crazy IMO. If you flew one direction and rented a car it would still be fairly hectic. But to drive both ways is crazy-making.

3/4 of your time will be stuck in a car and 1/4 will be seeing/doing.

CindyP

yeah, but that's the plan. (crazy? maybe....but I'm going along with it nonetheless). There are two motels at Marble Canyon...which is a 2 hour drive from the south rim (I've been there, having visited my daughter working at the Condor project at marble canyon. DH has not been there and has always wished to go) we would stay up at marble canyon.

CindyP

could possibly extend beyond 8 days (if we can warn employers ahead of time, of course)..... but let's say we have a little extra time - any good scenic routes, or directions to go or avoid?
(and yes, I've already nixed the "side trip" to Santa Fe... that was just a bit too optimistic!)

utahtea

I'd probably do the interstates one direction to make some time. I-84 & I-15 to Scipio, Utah, then take Hwy 50 then south on Hwy 24 to Torrey, Utah and drive Scenic Highway 12 down to Bryce, Utah. This will add about 65 miles to your route. If you find time while in Torrey, Capitol Reef National Park is just 11 miles east.

On the way back you might consider taking Hwy 95 north from Las Vegas to Fallon, NV and then work your way up to Susanville, CA and Burney Falls before working your way to I-5 for a quick drive back home.

You sure you don't want to add Santa Fe? It's only add 960 miles.

Utahtea

CindyP

@utahtea ~ very funny I really don't have a great sense of distance or direction, and my husband doesn't have great common sense (as in, he just figures that anything is possible - and it works out often enough that I usually can't dissuade him) I originally did have Santa Fe in my sights but figured that might be just a wee bit far - but had no idea it was 960 miles!

I'll check out the maps with your roads and places ~ thanks!

I wish one way rental cars weren't so pricey because that really would be the way to go....

TAW

have you considered flying to maybe Las Vegas, rent a car and do a loop and then fly home from Vegas? It would give you more time to actually see something as opposed to just driving.
Just a thought. Whatever you decide, have fun!

tomfuller

Do you live in the Seattle area or just planning to fly there and start?
Would you consider taking Amtrak to Salt Lake City (CA Zephyr)?
You can easily see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Southern Utah National Parks by driving a rental car from SLC.
Flying to SLC is another option to avoid a huge amount of driving from Seattle.
Flying to Vegas is your best option if you want to go to the South Rim.
Even if the CA Zephyr is running late, it's not a problem since the schedule is 3AM into SLC.

happytrailstoyou

As long as you are content with long days of driving, the best routing would be Boise, Twin Falls, Salt Lake City, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Grand Canyon North Rim and then back--possibly through Elko, Mountain Home, Boise, etc.

Allowing two days to Bryce and two days from the Grand Canyon back to Seattle, you would have four days to enjoy Bryce, Zion, the North Rim, and the 200 mile drive from one to the others.

HTTY

Bleeding_Eagle

The time is an issue but how much gas are you going to need, and what are you paying a gallon this week, it might pay to fly?

NorthwestMale

Whatever you do, CindyP, go DOWN on the Idaho-Utah path, and then soooooooorta play it by ear in terms of how much time you can squeeze out of hauling A** to get there.

Expect that m-m-m-m-MOST likely you'll return along the same route, perHAPS with some special and short side-trip of your choosing ON THE WAY HOME.

IF you are successful at hauling A** to get there, and seeing the Canyon in a day or two, only then could/should you even THINK about what would perHAPS be a more sluggish trip through California.

You can DO it... but there won't be much time for dilly-dallying at any point... but whatever ya do, save any crazy ideas for the path HOME... so you can make sure you see the central attraction.

utahtea

I'll second TAW's idea to fly to Las Vegas and do a loop trip. You could even include Santa Fe and still keep your miles under 2,000.

Las Vegas will be the better choice over Salt Lake City for the parks you wanted to visit.

Utahtea

CindyP

Great ideas and suggestions - sorry I've been out, took a 3 day weekend away

Conversations with my sister and her husband who do motorcycle trips every summer. Suggested a concentrated two day drive south thru eastern Nevada; hang a left into Utah near Bryce and Zion, and take in Cedar Break, Escalante, etc. Skip the Grand Canyon (I've seen it, hubbie not, he says he's ok skipping it) but will see Lee's Ferry (he's a history buff) and the condor release site near there at Vermillion Cliffs (daughter worked there for a time and those birds are magnificent). then head home, either north thru Utah OR head west-ish toward Tahoe, then north and figure it out from there. I'm thinking it's too far....but am trying not to be negative.

Flying? not this trip; we travel fairly often but this trip is a ROAD trip - mostly to see if we can preserve our marriage during an 8 day vacation involving much car time ok, not quite that serious, but that really is one of the purposes

I suggested next year flying to Santa Fe and renting a car to drive to Seattle. Maybe - if we do the SW now we'll explore New Mexico then head north into Colorado and do western CO etc. I've been these places, but not my buddy....

Does this make sense? Oh, and yes we do live in Seattle...so that is the start/end of these trips

tomfuller

Cindy, Why did you leave Seattle for the weekend? I was in Seattle until about 3PM Saturday for the Groundspeak Block Party along with about 1200 of my closest friends (geocachers).
The weather was just perfect.
Seattle is a great place to start an Amtrak adventure on either the Coast Starlight or the Empire Builder. Go to a city near a park or city you want to visit and then rent a car for 2-3 days. If you have the time ride the train to another place and rent again. From Oregon on a 15 day USA Railpass, my DW and I made it as far as Orlando FL and back.

CindyP

Tomfuller ~ we headed north to Bellingham for 3 days. Visiting family, staying in Fairhaven, graduation party for a favorite niece graduating from WWU....good food, great weather, wonderful people ~ a very good weekend away!

Would love to do a train trip across/around the USA sometime. Haven't been on Amtrak since I used to take it home from college (WWU). Seems like I'm always in too much of a hurry, which I recognize is not good when traveling......trying to work on that more these days

utahtea

Suggested a concentrated two day drive south thru eastern Nevada; hang a left into Utah near Bryce and Zion, and take in Cedar Break, Escalante, etc. Skip the Grand Canyon (I've seen it, hubbie not, he says he's ok skipping it) but will see Lee's Ferry (he's a history buff) and the condor release site near there at Vermillion Cliffs (daughter worked there for a time and those birds are magnificent). then head home, either north thru Utah OR head west-ish toward Tahoe, then north and figure it out from there. I'm thinking it's too far....but am trying not to be negative.

If you just drive you can make it to southern Utah late the second day. I'd skip Cedar Breaks because it's just smaller version of Bryce Canyon and your time is so limited.

Good luck!

Utahtea

pdx

My husband and I have wonderful memories of a similar road trip from Portland to Bryce and Grand Canyon, then over to California and came back I-5 to Monterey and Ashland. We had several more days than you but aside from time two of the best conditions of the trip were a good car and Lord of the Rings audiobook. It was just magical to listen to the story while driving through the wonderful scenery.