I'm cramming too much in - please help me cut some things

[mermaidwannabe]

My DH, DD11, DD8 and DD5 and I are taking 14 days to drive from Bozeman, MT to DL in July. We were thinking we could see Zion NP, LV and San Diego all in the same trip, but I'm thinking I'm cramming too much in. I thought we'd need a few days at Zion NP and even thought Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon would be fun. We'll spend 3 days at DL/DCA and want to go to SeaWorld and the Zoo plus some beach time. LV would just be to stay the night on the way down. We like road trips, but this will be the longest we've ever tried. Going to Oregon last summer with a trailer was barely doable, but we thought if we stopped a lot on the way down and back, the kids (and DH and I) wouldn't go crazy.

Any suggestions?

TIA!

 

[endy]

We've driven from Calgary to San Diego for the past 7 years for the 2 weeks. I think you're biting off a lot in a short time. Tho we do have probably another 9 hours drive each way so that could give you extra days. Last summer we spent 5 days in Anahiem and then to SD for 5 days. We go to Sea World everyday - we get season passes and a day at Legoland. Son is now 11 and Sea World is his most favorivite place & then Legoland. He does want to go back to Disney tho.

We usually spent a night on the way home in Mesquite. Cheap motel, cheap food and decent pools especially at the Oasis. Motel is usually less than $30 during the week. Sometimes we'll spend a couple hours in Vegas.

I find we have no more than 2 extra days on the way home. So we take it easy. We'll stay a night in Idaho Falls & go to Bear World in the morning. It's a great drive thru the animals place. Son has feed the bear cubs from milk bottles a couple times, that is pretty incredible experience.

A great short stop is the rest area (I think just north of Idaho Falls) there are trails thru the lava rocks, you can do a long or short walk, make a sandwich and relax for a few minutes before hitting the boring road again. I prefer the rest stop going south over going north.
Then I try to have a whole day of shopping in Great Falls before we cross back into the land of taxes. We don't shop much in CA, as I don't find there are many deals and like to have the extra room in the truck for shopping in Montana.

 

[casaazul]

Here's an idea. Las Vegas is a fun place for grownups, but July with kids will be hot, hot, hot. If you want to stay there, I would look at MGM Grand. They have an awesome pool area and we were there late last June in 115 degrees! Spent 3 days in the lazy river pool!

day 1 Bozeman to Provo UT would be a full day of driving 8 hours
day 2 Provo to Zion Nat Park 4+ hours driving. Visit and stay there.
day 3 Zion to Anaheim, 7-9 hours of driving.
Day 4 DL
Day 5 DL
Day 6 DL
Day 7 San Diego - Mission Beach, Coronado Beach
Day 8 San Diego
Day 9 San Diego
Day 10 Drive to Phoenix or Prescott AZ
Day 11 Drive to Grand Canyon. Stay inside park or in Tusayan
Day 12 GC
Day 13 Drive to SLC 8 hours driving
Day 14 Drive home

 

[ducklite]

I'd definitely cut Las Vegas out for this trip. That might be a better trip for the adults to take alone sometime.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thanks for the specific tips and opinions! I'll check out Mesquite for the cheap motel. I think I will nix Las Vegas...maybe we'll just drive through. I think my kids just wanted to see it since I've been and I AGREE it is NOT a kid's place. I do adore the Mandalay Pool and thought we could just stay in the hotel the whole time but would rather spend the time and money somewhere else.

Loved your itinerary casaazul. I was going to forego the GC to see Zion and possibly Bryce NP, but maybe I'll rethink that since we'll be right there. I was going to drive the first day all the way to Cedar City but maybe that'd be too long. We'll definitely take longer coming home than getting there since DL will keep their eyes on the prize on the way down. Didn't even think about going thru Phoenix. Since it will be July will we really want to spend time on little hikes in the Zion, Bryce, GC NPs? There was supposedly a half-mile shady hike in Zion where you could then see Angel's Landing...I really want to firm this up since we haven't even gotten ressies anywhere. I'm torn between BWPPI, HOJOS and CCI at DL but better get off the fence.


Thanks for the input! Anymore would be welcome.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

We've driven from Calgary to San Diego for the past 7 years for the 2 weeks. I think you're biting off a lot in a short time. Tho we do have probably another 9 hours drive each way so that could give you extra days. Last summer we spent 5 days in Anahiem and then to SD for 5 days. We go to Sea World everyday - we get season passes and a day at Legoland. Son is now 11 and Sea World is his most favorivite place & then Legoland. He does want to go back to Disney tho.

We usually spent a night on the way home in Mesquite. Cheap motel, cheap food and decent pools especially at the Oasis. Motel is usually less than $30 during the week. Sometimes we'll spend a couple hours in Vegas.

I find we have no more than 2 extra days on the way home. So we take it easy. We'll stay a night in Idaho Falls & go to Bear World in the morning. It's a great drive thru the animals place. Son has feed the bear cubs from milk bottles a couple times, that is pretty incredible experience.

A great short stop is the rest area (I think just north of Idaho Falls) there are trails thru the lava rocks, you can do a long or short walk, make a sandwich and relax for a few minutes before hitting the boring road again. I prefer the rest stop going south over going north.
Then I try to have a whole day of shopping in Great Falls before we cross back into the land of taxes. We don't shop much in CA, as I don't find there are many deals and like to have the extra room in the truck for shopping in Montana.

THANK YOU for the Mesquite tip. The Oasis looks great for that much money!! We will definitely be staying there on the way back or there depending on how long we take. I agree about the Idaho Falls rest area. VERY nice!

 

[CPT Tripss]

July in Zion can be hot, hot, hot and for us sea level types, Bryce and Grand Canyon are at altitute - 7,000 plus. I don't know if that will be a issue for you or not.
San Diego to GC is a one day drive . . . you might think about skipping the night in Phoenix/Prescott.

 

[Barbday62]

If this helps any I have driven SanDiego to Phoenix and its 5 hours, then Phoenix to the Grand Canyon is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thanks for the idea of how long from San Diego to the GC. Would you all go for the GC over Zion and Bryce? I guess I don't really know how far they all from each other - I went to a map online but you know how you never really know how windy or high traffic it can be.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Thanks for the idea of how long from San Diego to the GC. Would you all go for the GC over Zion and Bryce? I guess I don't really know how far they all from each other - I went to a map online but you know how you never really know how windy or high traffic it can be.

I refuse to answer that question on the advice of my attorney.
Would you recommend going to Yellowstone or Glacier?
What follows is probably more info than you want, but you asked
Zion is right next to the town of Springdale, a small town with a lot of h/motels and restaurants - limited lodging in the park. Great short hikes
Bryce has the same issue with limited lodging in the park and about the only thing nearby is Ruby's. Again great short hikes.
GC is grand! A lot more lodging in the park . . . the adjacent town is a bit of a drive and the toll booth gets congested. The trails are longer if you want to get to the good spots.
Zion and GC (west end of south rim - the major tourist spot) are carless with frequent shuttle service. I'm not certain about Bryce. I have only visited these parks in "value" season, but I suspect July is busy, so make ressies soon!
Zion is easily accessible from the north-south interstate (I15?). It's not far from Bryce . . . the road out of Zion heading to Bryce is spectacular. The first part is windy - up over and thought the mountain! Once you hit the main north-south road on the east it's much straighter whether heading off to the GC or to Bryce. GC to Bryce/Zion will not be a bad drive and you will go by the Glen Canyon Dam.
As I recall, the mapquest travel times are fairly accurate (unless you stop and sightsee. Also, if you do Bryce/Zion, it's easier to combine them with north rim rather than south rim of GC. The down side is there isn't much lodging nearby . . .
It's not hard to get between the interstate and Bryce without going through Zion - the roads that show on the maps are fine. The same for North Rim GC. Just limited services.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

I refuse to answer that question on the advice of my attorney.
Would you recommend going to Yellowstone or Glacier?
What follows is probably more info than you want, but you asked
Zion is right next to the town of Springdale, a small town with a lot of h/motels and restaurants - limited lodging in the park. Great short hikes
Bryce has the same issue with limited lodging in the park and about the only thing nearby is Ruby's. Again great short hikes.
GC is grand! A lot more lodging in the park . . . the adjacent town is a bit of a drive and the toll booth gets congested. The trails are longer if you want to get to the good spots.
Zion and GC (west end of south rim - the major tourist spot) are carless with frequent shuttle service. I'm not certain about Bryce. I have only visited these parks in "value" season, but I suspect July is busy, so make ressies soon!
Zion is easily accessible from the north-south interstate (I15?). It's not far from Bryce . . . the road out of Zion heading to Bryce is spectacular. The first part is windy - up over and thought the mountain! Once you hit the main north-south road on the east it's much straighter whether heading off to the GC or to Bryce. GC to Bryce/Zion will not be a bad drive and you will go by the Glen Canyon Dam.
As I recall, the mapquest travel times are fairly accurate (unless you stop and sightsee. Also, if you do Bryce/Zion, it's easier to combine them with north rim rather than south rim of GC. The down side is there isn't much lodging nearby . . .
It's not hard to get between the interstate and Bryce without going through Zion - the roads that show on the maps are fine. The same for North Rim GC. Just limited services.

Ha! ha! Love the comment on Glacier and Yellowstone. Yes, love them both and both are very different.
TY for all your info. It DID help. I think I'll definitely see Zion and possibly Bryce since it is so close and save the GC for when we do Lake Powell again someday. It's so hard because when I get to an area far from us, I think "we better see this or that in case we don't get there again." When we went to DW, we also stayed a week in Clearwater. Let's face it, trying to expose my 3 DDs to different areas from Montana when we can only afford bigger vacations every 2-3 years makes me want to see it all. Thanks for the info and the laugh. I really do appreciate it!

 

[CPT Tripss]

Good decision! You can't go wrong in choosing to visit any of our great National Parks! They are treasures and need as many good stewards as possible . . . too many people see them only ast getting in the way of taking the resources.

When you go back to Lake Powell again (if it's still there) try to hit both rims of the GC.

 

[momofeva]

You should take into account that July 24th is an Utah State holiday and all the holiday closures will be in effect, banks, some businesses. And Bryce and Zion's might be busy, so book lodging ASAP.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

You should take into account that July 24th is an Utah State holiday and all the holiday closures will be in effect, banks, some businesses. And Bryce and Zion's might be busy, so book lodging ASAP.

Thank you for letting me know that!

 

[marenian]

One thing to do in Zion that we thought was fun was hiking up the "Needles", I think it is called. This is basically a hike up the Virgin River...IN the river. The river is the trail and you get to see the cool effects of water on the canyon. You can start at the end and just hike until you're ready to turn around and go back. It depends on whether your DDs like water, I guess but in July that may be a fun experience especially because you WILL get wet and that would feel pretty good on those hot summer days. DH and I did this in September when the water level was lower. I'm not sure how high it would be in July and you'd have to watch out for thunderstorms/flash floods. Check out the nps.gov website for more info. We stayed at Zion Lodge and loved it; we had a cabin. Don't remember how pricey it was though but they have THE best oatmeal in the morning! We also did Bryce that trip and love it as well. We only had 1 day there but that was plenty for some short hikes down into the canyon.

Have Fun!!!

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thanks Marinian, that sounds like a neat hike especially if it's hot. I've tried to leave enough hours of open time that if we decide to ditch something, it won't be a big deal, but I'm really excited for Zion and Bryce. I was so bummed about having to drive to DL, but now I'm really glad that we can see these things along the way not to mention we really do like having our vehicle. If you have a minute, would you let me know what hike you did in Bryce? That's really the only place I don't have a plan for. Thanks!

 

[CPT Tripss]

http://www.bryce.canyon.national-park.com/hike.htm
http://www.zionnational-park.com/bhike.htm
http://www.zionnational-park.com/bmaps.htm

Don't let the urls fool you . . . check out Navaho and Queens garden!

 

[mermaidwannabe]

http://www.bryce.canyon.national-park.com/hike.htm
http://www.zionnational-park.com/bhike.htm
http://www.zionnational-park.com/bmaps.htm

Don't let the urls fool you . . . check out Navaho and Queens garden!

Thank you!! I love the map and printed it out to take with us.

 

[EltonJohn]

I would definately stay at or visit both Bryce and/or Zion. Since you live in Bozeman I'm sure that you're family has been to Y'stone so you might as well add two more wondeful National Parks to your list of places to visit! I'm from the same area as you (Hi neighbor ) and me and my hubby are going to drive from Montana to Salt Lake, and on the way down probably visit and/or stay in Bryce or Zion, then travel to Laughlin, Nevada, then Anaheim for four nights to visit Disneyland, then Vegas for two nights, then we'll make our way back home. We will probably have about a week and a half to do this. A trip to the Grand Canyon might be a little too much~like Yellowstone the Canyon probably needs to be a seperate vacation entirely.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thanks for your advice and for the sites! We are staying at the Desert Pearl Inn one night and haven't quite worked out whether we'll just drive through Bryce or will stay there. Thanks!