roamin44

We (two retired couples) are looking to make a three week tour of Rushmore, Custer battlefield,Yellowstone, Salt Lake City, Brice, NR Grand Canyon, Glenn Canyon Dam, Monument Valley, Four Corners, Mesa Verde then down to Albuquerque on back East on Rt 66 toward Ohio. Hikes will be limited to a mile or so due these old knees. Doable? What did we miss other than the Tetons and Zion?

utahtea

That's a lot of ground to cover even for three weeks. I estimated almost 4,800 miles Things you missed, Badlands National Park in South Dakota which can easily be driven though on your way to Rapid City, Devil's Tower National Monument in north eastern Wyoming and just a little out of the way, but I'd rather see you use these extra miles to go see Zion.

You already mentioned missing the Grand Tetons and Zion. I'd recommend at least driving down to the Grand Tetons and then cutting over to Idaho Falls to take I-15 down to Salt Lake City. I'd also recommend making a little side trip to Zion, you really don't want to miss this park.

What month are you planning your trip?

Utahtea

roamin44

Headed West next week. Planned to go past the Badlands to save some time. Yes, Devils tower is on our "hit list" We had planned to go out of Yellowstone thru W.Yellowstone and head to SLC. Zion is a must then? Our plans are fairly flexible except for 3 nights in Yellowstone and 2 at the North Rim Lodge. If we can find an extra day,we could drive past the Tetons heading south. You're right on the miles I figured 4775 not counting misc. miles. Thanks Much

minnehappylis

The Buffalo Bill museum in Cody is excellent and worth a stop if you are entering the park on that side.
Four Corners is a fun stop but a long drive for a three minute thrill...I might skip that if you get crunched for time. (but I am not looking at a map...maybe it is on your way to SLC or Brice) We loved Mesa Verde. I too have bad knees and was able to climb down into the kivas.
Happy Trails!

cferrb

Absolutely drive through Teton National Park on your way out of Yellowstone. It is not to be missed.

roamin44

We are entering Yellowstone from the north so we will miss Cody on this trip and I agree about Four Corners being a quick thrill but, since we are driving from Page AZ East to Mesa Verde it is not much out of our way. Looks like we will make time for a drive thru the Tetons and save Zion for another time...perhaps a cooler time of the year.

emalloy

When in Page, do take the time to tour Antelope Canyon and consider taking the half day smooth water raft trip down the Colorado river from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry. On your way to Bryce, do a loop by Cedar Breaks, not far out of the way and equally spectacular. Two nights is a lot at the North rim IMHO if you are not into hiking, the scenery is spectacular though and if you want a break from driving that would be fine. Zion will be hot but will give you a very different perspective, from the bottom instead of from the top looking down as Bryce and GC both are. You can do the loop through Badlands that parallels i 90 without losing much time and be sure you get a pass at your first NP. The pass for seniors is $10 and is good for all NPs for everyone in your car for the rest of your life and the regular America Beautiful Pass is $80 and is good for a year for all national parks. On your way down to Albuquerque, stop in at Bandelier NP and consider a stop in Santa Fe. I have some pictures posted on www.flickr.com/photos/emalloy2009/sets if you want to see if those are places you would like to visit.

roamin44

Thanks for the tips & pictures emalloy. Upper or lower antelope canyon for easy access?

emalloy

Just south of Page take the road east there should be signs to the areas. We just drove into the parking lot and paid our money and the Navajo guide drove us us to the canyon. They say that noon is the best time for pictures but is more crowded with people. We were there at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and there was only one other couple in our group, although there was a group that had gone in ahead of us.

have a fantastic trip

Dayle

roamin,

If you are planning to spend the night in SLC before continuing south, I'd recommend staying overnight in Park City instead. It was almost 100 in SLC today, but in PC, it's always 10-15 degree cooler. Even if you are only staying overnight, an outdoor dinner in the cool evening and a stroll down Historic Main Street with all the shops and art galleries is pretty hard to beat.

Park City is just a 20 minutes drive up the canyon from SLC.
Or, if you want to drive down through GTNP and Jackson, head west through Hoback Jct, south through the gorgeous Star Valley and east of Bear Lake through Evanston, WY on Hwy 89. I drive this way all the time and it's about 4.5 hours from Jackson - very scenic. I like it much more than coming down I-15.

Have a great trip.

Dayle

PS - I would skip 4 Corners. In my opinion, worthless and cheesy to the max!

roamin44

Dayle,

I like the Park City idea because I was looking at the temps at SLC,Brice and Grand Canyon today....Wow! Yep, 4 corners is a scratch. After Monument Valley, it's a bee line for Cortez.
We WILL have a good trip no mater what. thank you for your help.

RandiRA

Zion and Monument Valley are both very hot this time of year, but Bryce is 9,000 ft so quite comfortable. It's an amazing park that would accommodate your desire for short walks as the Hodoos are easily viewed from the many pullouts and paved trail above the rim. Another incredible, unique park.
I agree with Dayle that Four Corners is not much other than a "I've been there" stop and Hwy 89 is beautiful all the way south to Byrce, if you have the time to skip the interstate.
Have Fun

roamin44

Thanks RandiRa, Hwy 89 is going to be our old friend from Livingston, MT to Page, AZ. Brice will be a morning visit on our way south to NR GC

RandiRA

Hi Roamin,
You'll love Bryce and the old lodge is worth a stop with lots of history & photos. Always amazing to see the Victorian generation that made the first long, no amenities, dusty, hot, trips to our Nat. Parks in their ankle length, chin high dresses, suits & ties. Those were adventuresome travelers!