south west family trip itinerary
 

I have a plan to travel with my family (wife, my 8-year boy and me) from 15th on June to 8th on July.
My itinerary is like follows. Could you recommend some coordinations ?
My kid likes to see wild animal and can walk some distances. What I am worried is that consecurative similar scenery can make travellers fed up. It is common that more longer travel can make people very tired. So a wide variety of expericence (like trail, different scenery, swimming and fishing, and so on) and dynamic travel itinerary is needed for my family. If you advise this itinerary, it would be helpful, thank you.

6.15 Lasvegas arrived
6.16 Zion canyon - Narrows trail --> Kanab
6.17 Grandcanyon Northrim
6.18 Bryce canyon
6.19 Escalante, Willis slot, Capitol reep, Torrey
6.20 Goblin valley, Little wildhorse canyon, Arches, Moab
6.21 Canyonlands, Arches, Moab
6.22 4 courners, Monument valley
6.23 Horeseband, Lake powell, Page
6.24 Antelope canyon, Grandcanyon southrim, Sedona
6.25 Sedona, Sandiego
6.26 Sandiego
6.27 Sandiego, LA
6.28 LA, Sanrababara
6.29 Santababara, Montrey
6.30 Montrey, Sanfranscico
7.1 Sanfranscico
7.2 Sanfranscico, Yosemitie
7.3 Yosemite
7.4 Yosemite, Bishop
7.5 Bishop, Deathvalley, Lasvegas
7.6 Lasvegas
7.7 Lasvegas
7.8 Lasvegas out

Thanks for your interest..^^

The thing most difficult aspect of travel for my son when he was young was very hot weather. If you haven't made your flight reservations yet, I suggest you shift your entire trip to the West Coast, or just California. There's more to do than you'll have time for and summer temperatures will be far more comfortable.

you are missing Mesa Verde, IMO, or Canyon de Chellys, IMO.
I think your travel time/timeline is VERY tight for instance, in getting from SF to Yosemite, etc. In other words, you are not building in enough travel time between your destinations unless this is just a drive by.

I like the "drive by" comment. Slow down, and include Canyon de Chelly. You'll be glad you did.

The Grand Canyon is best enjoyed by being there in the morning and evening before the day-trippers arrive and after they depart. Perhaps visit the north rim or the south rim, but not both.

Some of your drives are not well considered. For instance you drive the 500 miles between Sedona to San Diego in one day, but the 450 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in three days.

HTtY

I would cut out half the stops between Vegas and Sedona. You are jumping all over the place and spending so much time driving that you aren't allowing much time to get out and do anything.

I would eliminate a day or two from Las Vegas - it will be very hot and you are somewhat limited in what you can do with an 8 year old. You've given Vegas more time than any other city and it is the least family friendly of all of them.

I would also rearrange your itinerary to avoid Yosemite on the 4th of July weekend. Perhaps do your trip in reverse?


>>Some of your drives are not well considered. For instance you drive the 500 miles between Sedona to San Diego in one day, but the 450 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in three days.<<

Well, there's a lot more to do and see from LA to SF than from Sedona to San Diego. It makes sense to me.

I agree that you are spending a lot of seat time and less time actually experiencing the parks. I would never want to spend the last three days in Vegas with an eight year old who will not be allowed on the playing floors and the outside pools will be a billion degrees by 10 AM.

Look at this map system with distances and times to put the Vegas/parks part of the trip into perspective.

http://ohiohickstraveltips.weebly.co...-utah-map.html

If you don't have lodging at many of your desired sites, you need to arrange that asap.

Have a wonderful trip.

For starters, cut out 1/2 your stops. You are spending waaaay too much time in the car.

Here's what I would cut out, at a minimum.

GC North Rim, Escalante, Willis slot, Capitol reep, Torrey, Goblin valley, Little wildhorse canyon, Arches, Moab, Canyonlands, Arches, Moab, 4 courners, Monument valley, Horesebend, Lake powell, Page, Sedona, Biship, Death Valley, and several nigts in LV.


I would spend that time added to Zion (3 days/2-3 nights), Bryce 1.5d/ 2 nights, and GC South Rim.

Thanks a lot, everyone. Your comments would be helpful.
Though I must admit this itinarary needs strenuous drivings, I intend to visit a wide variety of places
as Southwest traveling should be a difficult opportunity to visit there again for me.
But, I have to cut off my some schedules, for example, too many staying in Lasvegas, grandcanyon (North & South)

This is a revised itinerary (2nd version)

6.15 Lasvegas arrived
6.16 --> Zion canyon (170m, 3h)
* Narrows trail
--> Bryce canyon (90m, 2h)
* sunset
6.17 Bryce canyon
* sunrise, Queen's Garden/Navajo loop trail
--> Escalante (51m, 1h10m)
--> Capitol Reep (65m 1h20m)
* just drive, sightseeing

6.18 --> Goblin valley, Little wildhorse canyon
--> Arches (sunset, Delicate Arch trail)
--> Moab (160m, 3h)

6.19 --> Canyonlands (Mesa arch, In the skyview)
--> Arches (sunset, Landscape arch)
--> Moab
* driving UT128

6.20 --> 4 courners
--> Monument valley (120m, 3h15m)
* View hotel, recess

6.21 --> Page (121m, 2h15m)
* Glencanyon dam, Lake powell(sunset)

6.22 --> Horseband
--> Antelope canyon tour
--> Gland canyon Southrim (140m, 3h)
* sunset

6.23 Gland canyon Southrim (sunrise)
--> Sedona (110m, 2h15m)
* on the way
Red Rock Crossing or Crescent Moon Ranch

6.24 Sedona (* trail)
--> Joshua tree NR (330m, 4h47m)
* It is a just pass stop, so it can be adjusted)
* Where is the best place to stop by ?

6.23 --> Sandiego (164m, 2h37m)
* sightseeing, beach

6.24 Sandiego (* Seaworld)

6.25 --> Losangelis (120m, 2h30m)
* Hollywood and so on
(Downtown sightseeing and meeting relatives)

6.26 --> Santababara (110m, 2h)
* or somewhere like that, enjoying beach

6.27 --> California 1 coastline way sightseeing
* somewhere accomodate (not sure the distance)
* Where can you recommend ?

6.28 --> Montraty (27~28, 235m, 4h)

6.29 --> Sanfrancisco (120m, 2h20m)
* Sightseeing

6.30 Sanfrancisco

7.1 --> Yosemitie NP (165m 3h30m)

7.2 Yosemitie NP

7.3 Yosemitie NP --> Lonepine

7.4 Lonepine --> Death valley --> Lasvegas (340m, 6h)
* start at a very early time (hottest at Death valley)
* Plan to start at 6 a.m
* Independent day to arrive LAS

7.5 Lasvegas (Buffet & hotel recess all days)

7.6 Lasvegas out

21 Night 22 Day Trip
Thanks for reading a long itinerary !!
What could you recommend to coordinate, add or cut out ?
Also where do you recommend more places to visit ?

MmePerdu on Nov 24, 15 at 10:50am
--> I agree with you....but I want to go Grancircle
at this time. Other than next Summer, I can't go there

Gretchen on Nov 24, 15 at 11:08am
--> Frankly speaking, I am also worried about it now..
but I trust the fact that there will be scenic driveway



happytrailstoyou on Nov 24, 15 at 12:50pm
--> Reflecting your comments, I include a place between
Sedona and Sandiego. And I remove Grandcanyon Northrim
I hesitate to leave out GC Northrim...
because I know which is better for me (North or South)
But I think South is more famous place than North
& It would be efficient for my itinerary.

WhereAreWe on Nov 24, 15 at 1:56pm
--> Thanks for your recommendations,
I cut out some stops (between vegas and sedona) and
I change my schedule (from Yosemite to Vegas, 4th July)
and lastly I reduce staying in Vegas. Thank you !!



emalloy on Nov 24, 15 at 9:31pm
--> I appreciate your information. Your map is very
helpful for my itinarary & I reduce schedules of Vegas



J62 on Nov 24, 15 at 10:09pm
--> I could not erase Yosemite, LA and Sandiego.
Instead of this, I eliminate Grandcanyon North,
Willis slot and several nights in Lasvegas.
I Know too much drivings from Sedona to Sandiego
and from Sandiego to Yosemite (via SF)
But I already promised to go Seaworld with my kid.
Zion and Bryce are very good place to stay.....
I am so sad not to stay long enough now....

Thanks for telling us how you are using our suggestions.

Enjoy, HTtY

Glad you found the map helpful I do too, but I can't take credit for it. I got it from a post from someone else here and have bookmarked it for several trips.

It sounds like your trip is shaping up nicely and you will see some fantastic and beautiful places. You can figure out what you want to add for your next trip and what you want to revisit then too.

Some general advice.
Always carry water and food in your car.
Fill the gas tank when it gets to the half point and there is a station near.
Get a good paper map of the area for those times when there is no service for your electronics.

I am sorry you are shortchanging time in LA (second largest US city) and San Diego. Both need about 3 days to appreciate them.
I would skip Seaworld (attendance is down dramatically, won't go into the politics on a travel forum) and instead take your son to Legoland in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego.

Santa Barbara to Monterey along Highway 1 is about 5 hours of driving not including stops and there are a lot of scenic stops you can make. I would try to get farther north than Santa Barbara (maybe Pismo Beach, Morro Bay or Cambria) on the 26th and spend 2 nights in Monterey. Your son may enjoy the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos for easy hiking and wildlife and possibly a whale watch and/or kayak tour. Other wildlife spots are the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery just off of Highway 1 north of San Simeon and Moss Landing State Beach/Elkhorn Slough north of Monterey. You can almost always see rafts of otters from the parking lot at Moss Landing State Beach and kayak tours in the slough usually offer close views of wildlife.

You really do need to figure out a balance between is this a vacation for you or your child? Because I can assure you, that vacations for you are not necessarily what your child wants to do. I travel with my kids to Southern Utah every year (if not 2x a year). I make sure it is fun for them.

Cut down on the driving. Spend more time in one place. Figure you will have to come back at some point--even if you never do.

You can click on my user name and see all of my trip reports (with kids) to Zion, Bryce, Moab, Kanab, Bluff, Capital Reef, Goblin Valley etc etc. I also have a couples trip report on travels to Monterey and Santa Barbara and a kids trip report to San Diego.

Skip Sea World--spend a day at the Monterey Bay aquarium. Lego Land is great IF your kid is into Legos and you figure a day when the lines are lower. (we went in February during a rain storm--we got on every ride we wanted :-) )