thoughts on itinerary for road trip from Memphis to DL and back

[jkluttrell]

I am so overwhelmed by the amount of info I am trying to take in from the internet and I'm looking for a few thoughts from normal people (ha!) on our road trip agenda.
I am looking for things I am missing; fun, quircky hotels and eating places; etc.

A few things-- we will be going in the middle of July, I know that is not ideal and probably the worst month to go but it is the only time I can work it in. There will be 4 of us, my husband (40), me (39), daughter (17), and son (13). We are not hiking people. Most of this stuff we just want to see to say we did and enjoy the beauty of it for a little while, we don't have to hang out forever. Oh and I love photography!

day 1-- leave memphis, drive
day 2-- drive, arrive at 4 corners monument
day 3-- monument valley, antelope canyon
day 4-- grand canyon (not sure which rim yet, was thinking about the skywalk on the west side but that is slightly out of my way)
day 4/5-- Las Vegas (thinking of staying at NY, NY)
day 6/7/8-- Disneyland
day 9-- day tour over to LA (see Hollywood sign, chinese theater, walk of fame, maybe santa monica pier)
day 10-- head home, stops at Joshua Tree, Devils bridge, Chapel of the Holy cross, Winslow, AZ (you know to stand on a corner and take a picture, ha!), petrified forest, painted desert, tower station and U-drop inn cafe, maybe route 66 museum
Be home by day 14

We have done some fun stops on the front I-40 part of the trip on a previous trip (stopped in OKC for bombing memorial, Amarillo for Big Texan and Cadillac ranch and Albq for Balloonfiesta) so we don't have to do those again.

Other than day 1 we don't plan to drive more than about 6-7 hours without stopping to do something. I know my teenage children might find some of this stuff boring but hopefully they will just let me be entertained and keep the eye rolling to a minimum.

 

[Purrkins]

The Skywalk can be done on the way to Las Vegas but the real vistas are the North and South Rim with the South having the most infrastructure. (I prefer the North).

Hoover Dam?

On the way home perhaps travel a bit North and do Zion and Bryce Canyons?

 

[jkluttrell]

I'm not sure I can stomach the skywalk so I am thinking the north or south rim. The south seems to be where more tourist stop to look. I am also considering the train ride up from Williams, AZ.

Hoover Dam is on my maybe list, I've read I can just stop about 30-45 minutes for that one and it is not far out of my way?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Purrkins]

Hoover Dam is really impressive if you take a tour which can be around 90 minutes to two hours. The one that takes you down inside near the turbines is impressive. Otherwise, yes, it's a 30-40 minute stop. If you take the main route from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas you'll drive right by it. If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, the South Side is amazing and gives you those post card vistas people crave. Although coming from Monument Valley, you're actually closer to the North Rim - and puts you also close to Bryce and Zion - these are two are in my top 10 National Parks. It's a lot of driving. But it's fast driving and the landscape is some of the best in the world!

 

[ncc1701]

OP regarding your Vegas portion, is pool time is part of the plan (especially for your teens)? Unless they have substantial changed it, the pool at NYNY wasn't all that great.
We liked the one at the Mirage much more. Haven't stayed at Mandalay Bay or MGM but those pool areas looked very good.

 

[jkluttrell]

OP regarding your Vegas portion, is pool time is part of the plan (especially for your teens)? Unless they have substantial changed it, the pool at NYNY wasn't all that great.
We liked the one at the Mirage much more. Haven't stayed at Mandalay Bay or MGM but those pool areas looked very good.

No, we have a pool at our home so pool time is not of great importance. We will only have a half day and then the following morning/early afternoon in Vegas so I want to pack in as much fun free stuff as I can.