Western states road trip

[Colleen27]

The new year is here and the 4H schedule for the summer landed in my inbox last week, so I've decided it is time to get planning for our summer 2019 adventures, so as usual I'm turning to the CB for advice.

Everything is still super-tentative because I'm just starting the plans, but the rough outline is an extended American West road trip, flying into a major market (I'm leaning toward Vegas because Southwest flies there and fares are reasonable from Detroit) and rent a car to do our touring. None of us have ever been that far west, so the itinerary at this point is pretty much a blank slate - DD knows she wants to see the Grand Canyon and Disneyland, and we have family near Tahoe and in a small town in western Montana that we're planning to visit. It'll just be me and my two girls (18 & 10), all experienced road trippers, and we'll have about three weeks to spend exploring.

So, what would make your "can't miss" list for a state-spanning road trip around the western states?

 

[aprilgail]

We loved Yellowstone and want to go back there and spend more time (we only spent 2 days there)- on our latest road trip we flew into Utah and did Bryce, Zion then headed to Vegas and stayed there 3 days, drove back to Arizona area to Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon- then we went to monument valley and Arches and Canyonlands- had a great time. Our road trip before that we went to California, Disney California to us is a waste, wouldn't go back there. If you have 3 weeks why not drive and hit Badlands and Yellowstone before going to CA then head back through AZ.

 

[amberpi]

If you're going to Disneyland, (which is awesome) you might consider San Diego; its a lovely city and their zoo has koalas! The redwoods are beautiful and I seriously hate outdoorsy stuff.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

Not knowing where you call home, I'll say this - when you tour the west, be aware that there are large open spaces between the major cities. Like, empty space. It may be 60+ miles between rest stops (if they are even open... otherwise I hope you can hold it another 60 miles!), let alone actual stores/gas stations/restaurants. We've had visitors who thought they would just rent a car and then stop at some (non-existent) diner whenever they wanted.

 

[Colleen27]

We loved Yellowstone and want to go back there and spend more time (we only spent 2 days there)- on our latest road trip we flew into Utah and did Bryce, Zion then headed to Vegas and stayed there 3 days, drove back to Arizona area to Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon- then we went to monument valley and Arches and Canyonlands- had a great time. Our road trip before that we went to California, Disney California to us is a waste, wouldn't go back there. If you have 3 weeks why not drive and hit Badlands and Yellowstone before going to CA then head back through AZ.

Yellowstone is definitely on my list. It isn't terribly far (relatively speaking - about 4.5hrs drive) from my uncle's place in Montana, and we're thinking a national parks pass is probably going to make sense for this trip anyway so we'll be looking for chances to use it.

If you're going to Disneyland, (which is awesome) you might consider San Diego; its a lovely city and their zoo has koalas! The redwoods are beautiful and I seriously hate outdoorsy stuff.

Hmm, DD10 would love the koalas. I hadn't really thought about San Diego because I've been thinking of all the outdoorsy stuff, but I'll give it a closer look.

Not knowing where you call home, I'll say this - when you tour the west, be aware that there are large open spaces between the major cities. Like, empty space. It may be 60+ miles between rest stops (if they are even open... otherwise I hope you can hold it another 60 miles!), let alone actual stores/gas stations/restaurants. We've had visitors who thought they would just rent a car and then stop at some (non-existent) diner whenever they wanted.

I'm from Michigan, and I've spent enough time in the Upper Peninsula to know that feeling! I'm also anticipating vast wastelands without cell service and having to occasionally resort to paper maps - also a common experience in northern MI. I'm figuring on being relatively self-contained for some parts of the trip, packing snacks/drinks and not counting on a whole lot of anything between stops, which is why I'm pretty set on flying Southwest. I can do a LOT with two checked bags per person, times three people, including taking along my collapsible soft-side cooler.

 

[sasywtch]

If you're set flying in to Vegas, I'd do the Grand Canyon then head over to Disneyland for 3 days (or if you decide you are going to San Diego, go there first before DL), then drive up Hwy 1 a bit, then head over to Yosemite. From Yosemite go to Tahoe. South shore is my favorite. Take a trip to Virginia City on your way to Montana by way of Utah and their parks???

 

[Caseheidi]

There is so much you could see, just in parkland that you are really going to have to pick. Yosemite National Park in CA is beautiful, the Redwoods are breathtaking (Trees of Mystery and Avenue of the Giants are great stops), Lake Shasta, and the Shasta Caverns are great stops as well. You could probably spend days exploring San Francisco and everything there. And Monterey is a great stop with the Aquarium a must do. In Oregon you have Crater Lake, and the coast is unique and beautiful. Driving through the Columbia River Gorge is a treat too. There are lots of hikes and waterfalls to explore. A few fun spots in Oregon if you are heading through the areas (not really a destination on its own) are the Wild Animal Park in Winston (just off I5) or the walk through Wild Animal Park in Brandon OR (on hwy 101).

I personally would head north for the more mild weather, but maybe because I am from NW Oregon, and we don’t get much hot. But thinking of AZ in summer makes me hot right now, and it is only in the 30’s. I know that the canyons can be cooler, and they are incredible. Lake Powell is fun. Touring the Hoover Dam is a great stop not far from Vegas.

Good luck in your planning. Hopefully some of these ideas will give you a starting point for research.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Consider starting a thread in the California & the West forum. You can get lots (!) of very good, detailed information there about things to do, routes, hidden gems, etc. And, of course, ask any and all questions about DLR in the Disneyland (California) forum -- TONS of great information and help to be found there! With SWGE scheduled to open in DL "Summer 2019," the more information you have, the better your advantage. Have fun planning your trip!

 

[clutter]

I'm from Michigan, and I've spent enough time in the Upper Peninsula to know that feeling! I'm also anticipating vast wastelands without cell service and having to occasionally resort to paper maps - also a common experience in northern MI. I'm figuring on being relatively self-contained for some parts of the trip, packing snacks/drinks and not counting on a whole lot of anything between stops, which is why I'm pretty set on flying Southwest. I can do a LOT with two checked bags per person, times three people, including taking along my collapsible soft-side cooler.

Except you don't need a map, there's only the road you're on!!!

I was planning to do something like this in September, but it got deferred to another year. It's tough, fitting it all in.

Why not fly into LAX? As much as I hate driving in LA, it usually has the cheapest flights and the cheapest car rentals. From there, head up to Sequoia (spectacular and without as much of a crowd as Yosemite or Yellowstone), then Yosemite. Go through Nevada (no map needed, lol), cut through Utah to go to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. From there, get down to Grand Canyon, back to LA and do a day or two at Disneyland. If you watch ANY tv, do a tour at Warner Brothers before going home. Honestly, if you flew into Vegas, I don't know that a DL visit would be worth the detour. Same with San Diego Zoo, and I would love to go back there. And if you're going to detour to LA or San Diego, then how could you skip the CA coastline? But then....

We are so very lucky to have so many wonderful places to explore in our country, but choosing among them with limited time is SO tough. The highlights are amazing, but some of the lesser known attractions are even better.

I do agree with reading the CA board.

 

[cabanafrau]

If your plan is to travel through Vegas via Southwest it may be worth taking a look at departing from Bishop FNT rather than Metro DTW. Cuts a tremendous amount of the mishegoss out of flying -- and when you return you will be oh so happy to be headed home within 15 minutes.

San Diego Zoo is special for much more beyond koalas. They also have a Wild Animal Park that is wonderful to explore. Choosing San Diego as part of the itinerary will probably mean cutting some national parks off the list, so I'm not sure how that tradeoff will balance out in the end.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm partial to NM since I went to high school there but all of the southwest is beautiful. My son had never been out of Georgia so I was missing "home" one year and took him and his girlfriend on a trip there. We flew into Albuquerque, rented a car and just took off. Had no reservations or plans anywhere, I knew what towns I wanted him to see and that was it. I did buy them a book about hidden places and places off the tourist track to look through before we went so they could see if there was anything they wanted to see. We found our best experiences were just coming upon small places and stopping and exploring. My family did the same thing when I was a teenager. My Daddy had 2 months of vacation he had to use so we took off heading west, with 3 of my brothers (I have 5) myself and Mama and Daddy in the family VW van loaded with camping gear. Back then you could camp pretty much anywhere you wanted as long as it was private land and we would just head out and stop where wanted, pitch the big tent and two of my brothers would pitch little pup tents. We had a ball, went through Arizona and up the coast of California then back across and down. No plans, just going where the road pointed and stopping at interesting places.

 

[Colleen27]

If you're set flying in to Vegas, I'd do the Grand Canyon then head over to Disneyland for 3 days (or if you decide you are going to San Diego, go there first before DL), then drive up Hwy 1 a bit, then head over to Yosemite. From Yosemite go to Tahoe. South shore is my favorite. Take a trip to Virginia City on your way to Montana by way of Utah and their parks???

I have a friend out there who spends a lot of time in the Utah parks and the photos she shares look stunning, so that's definitely something I have in mind. The question - as always when it comes to vacation! - is going to end up being if we have enough time for it all!

There is so much you could see, just in parkland that you are really going to have to pick. Yosemite National Park in CA is beautiful, the Redwoods are breathtaking (Trees of Mystery and Avenue of the Giants are great stops), Lake Shasta, and the Shasta Caverns are great stops as well. You could probably spend days exploring San Francisco and everything there. And Monterey is a great stop with the Aquarium a must do. In Oregon you have Crater Lake, and the coast is unique and beautiful. Driving through the Columbia River Gorge is a treat too. There are lots of hikes and waterfalls to explore. A few fun spots in Oregon if you are heading through the areas (not really a destination on its own) are the Wild Animal Park in Winston (just off I5) or the walk through Wild Animal Park in Brandon OR (on hwy 101).

I personally would head north for the more mild weather, but maybe because I am from NW Oregon, and we don’t get much hot. But thinking of AZ in summer makes me hot right now, and it is only in the 30’s. I know that the canyons can be cooler, and they are incredible. Lake Powell is fun. Touring the Hoover Dam is a great stop not far from Vegas.

Good luck in your planning. Hopefully some of these ideas will give you a starting point for research.

Thanks!

I'd forgotten about Crater Lake. That's on the list too. The uncle who is now in Montana used to live near Grant's Pass, OR, and my mom still tells stories about summer snowball fights at Crater Lake when they went out to visit. But he moved up to Alaska when I was small, so I've never been.

Consider starting a thread in the California & the West forum. You can get lots (!) of very good, detailed information there about things to do, routes, hidden gems, etc. And, of course, ask any and all questions about DLR in the Disneyland (California) forum -- TONS of great information and help to be found there! With SWGE scheduled to open in DL "Summer 2019," the more information you have, the better your advantage. Have fun planning your trip!

See, this is why the CB is amazing. I didn't even think to look for a general west forum - I knew there was a DLR forum but since this is the only board I spend time on these days, it didn't occur to me to look at the other parks section.

 

[VandVsmama]

@theluckyrabbit suggestion about posting this on the Disneyland forum is a good one. There's a sub-forum on there for just this sort of thing. I live in AZ so Disneyland (DL) is our 'home' park (compared to WDW, much farther & more expensive to go there for us). Here are a few things that I think you might want to consider:

1. Starting/ending your trip in Vegas is not a bad idea. In terms of proximity to the Grand Canyon, it's a pretty good idea, in fact.
2. Allow yourself 3 days, preferably 4, at Disneyland. Get park hopper tickets. If you're going this summer, then 4 days would be better because Star Wars Land is supposed to open some time this summer, but the opening date has not been announced yet. There's a lot of very helpful DL planning info on the DL board. People there are very friendly & helpful there.
3. Also on the DL board is a thread titled something like "DL for WDW veterans." Read it if you're more familiar w/WDW. It's very useful info.
4. Staying 'on site' at DL is NOT as big a deal as it is at WDW. Stay w/in walking distance (i.e., 10 min walk or less) from the park at 1 of the hotels/motels along Harbor Blvd. If you're going to be going this summer, then start actively researching & booking your hotel now.
5. Disneyland park ticket prices usually go up some time in early February. If you can afford it, buy your tickets this month. And just go ahead and spring for Max Pass for each day if you can afford it ($10/day per person). It's REALLY WORTH IT! If you're there when Star Wars Land is open, the $10 is worth it. Fast Passes operate very differently there...no reserving them before you arrive INSIDE the park. And don't sweat it w/dining reservations...those are only open 60 days ahead of time. For dining packages, it's usually 6 weeks beforehand because that's when they publish the park hours. However, the DIS has historical DL park hours published on this site, so you can go and look and see what it will likely be.
6. You could drive from Vegas to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. But there's really only national park lodging ($$$$) there.
7. If you go to the Grand Canyon via the south rim entrance, your driving route might take you through Williams and Seligman. Parts of both of those towns were inspiration behind Carsland. So it's worth it to go see the Grand Canyon before DL. A lot of people end up staying overnight in Williams when visiting the Grand Canyon. It'll be hot in AZ in the summer. Drink plenty of water.
8. Along the Vegas --> south rim route, you could stop over in Oatman, AZ. It's a small touristy Old West-y town that started out as a mining town, but was used in some Hollywood old west movies back in the day ("How The West Was Won"). There's tons of wild burros that wander through the town. Not enough to do there for half a day, but it's a fun stop over to stretch your legs.
9. Las Vegas Airport --> Grand Canyon south rim is a 4 hr drive. From the Vegas airport to Williams, AZ is a little over 3 hr. Then from Williams to South Rim of Grand Canyon is 45 min to 1 hr.
10. Williams, AZ to Anaheim will be ~ 6.5 hr drive. So you'll spend a decent part of a day en route.
11. Anaheim to Yosemite valley is another 6.5 hr drive. Summer hotel rentals fill up very fast inside Yosemite itself, so start figuring that out now. You'll find more hotel lodging availability in Oakhurst or Coarsegold.
12. Yosemite to South Lake Tahoe will be ~ 4.5-5 hr drive. As you can tell, California is a very large state. Virginia City, NV is a fun old west town. It's not enough to keep you occupied for a day, but it's a fun stop over on a longer road trip. I would probably go there on your way from Tahoe to Montana.
13. On your way back from Montana to Vegas, you could drive through Utah instead of through Nevada. You could spend a couple of days at Zion National Park. Zion NP to St George, UT is about an hour's drive in case you need hotels/motels that aren't in the national park (i.e., if the national park lodging is full).

 

[HeatherC]

I did a round trip cross country trip with my kids this summer for six weeks. Our absolute favorites were southern Utah. We did the Mighty Five National Larks and were blown away. By the time we got to the Grand Canyon, we all took our first look at it and were like ...nice. After Utah it didn’t have the wow factor we thought it would.

Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons were also amazing.

Colorado was also incredible.

I would have to say these places were the highlights of our trip which started and ended in Massachusetts and all the places in between.

And I do have to say, California was one place we would have skipped to spend more time at these other places.

Have a blast planning!

If you need suggestions on where to stay, I would be happy to give you the names of where we stayed.

 

[VandVsmama]

Oh! One more thing!

If you go from Vegas to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, stop to eat at Mr D'z Route 66 Diner in Kingman. It's awesome in there.

 

[VandVsmama]

And don't bother with Death Valley in the summer. It's horrifically hot and that's coming from somebody who's lived in hot AZ for 15 years.

 

[Colleen27]

Why not fly into LAX? As much as I hate driving in LA, it usually has the cheapest flights and the cheapest car rentals. From there, head up to Sequoia (spectacular and without as much of a crowd as Yosemite or Yellowstone), then Yosemite. Go through Nevada (no map needed, lol), cut through Utah to go to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. From there, get down to Grand Canyon, back to LA and do a day or two at Disneyland. If you watch ANY tv, do a tour at Warner Brothers before going home. Honestly, if you flew into Vegas, I don't know that a DL visit would be worth the detour. Same with San Diego Zoo, and I would love to go back there. And if you're going to detour to LA or San Diego, then how could you skip the CA coastline? But then....

So far, it looks like Las Vegas is going to be cheaper/easier than LAX, especially if I stick with Southwest because they don't go nonstop to anywhere in California from here. But I'm watching fares and car rental prices for both.

I'm kind of thinking San Diego isn't worth the tradeoffs we'd have to make to fit it in, but DLR is a serious must-see - getting to all the Disney parks is on our collective bucket list (for me and both daughters), and this'll be the first time we're anywhere near DLR. There's not much else in LA that caught my eye so far - we really don't watch TV and Disney accounts for an embarrassing portion of our movie-watching habits so the entertainment industry sights don't wow me. Sequoia and Yosemite both look incredible, though, and DD mentioned finding a dark sky park so I'm thinking maybe we'll stay a night near Joshua Tree to do that. Vegas to Joshua Tree to Disneyland doesn't look like a terrible route, though I know SoCal traffic may make parts of it take longer than the mileage suggests it should.

If your plan is to travel through Vegas via Southwest it may be worth taking a look at departing from Bishop FNT rather than Metro DTW. Cuts a tremendous amount of the mishegoss out of flying -- and when you return you will be oh so happy to be headed home within 15 minutes.

San Diego Zoo is special for much more beyond koalas. They also have a Wild Animal Park that is wonderful to explore. Choosing San Diego as part of the itinerary will probably mean cutting some national parks off the list, so I'm not sure how that tradeoff will balance out in the end.

I wish I could make flying out of Flint work - the airport is actually a bit closer to us (in drive time, but prob. a bit further in miles) than the Detroit airport, and it is just so much easier to deal with security and parking there. But Southwest isn't flying out of Bishop any more, and I'd really like to stick with them because of the baggage policies. Paying per bag for an extended trip would add up fast! Plus the only flights out of Bishop now are very regional - I think to get out west, you'd have to change planes in Chicago.

I'm partial to NM since I went to high school there but all of the southwest is beautiful. My son had never been out of Georgia so I was missing "home" one year and took him and his girlfriend on a trip there. We flew into Albuquerque, rented a car and just took off. Had no reservations or plans anywhere, I knew what towns I wanted him to see and that was it. I did buy them a book about hidden places and places off the tourist track to look through before we went so they could see if there was anything they wanted to see. We found our best experiences were just coming upon small places and stopping and exploring. My family did the same thing when I was a teenager. My Daddy had 2 months of vacation he had to use so we took off heading west, with 3 of my brothers (I have 5) myself and Mama and Daddy in the family VW van loaded with camping gear. Back then you could camp pretty much anywhere you wanted as long as it was private land and we would just head out and stop where wanted, pitch the big tent and two of my brothers would pitch little pup tents. We had a ball, went through Arizona and up the coast of California then back across and down. No plans, just going where the road pointed and stopping at interesting places.

I used to love that kind of road trip when I was a kid! I've lived my whole life in Michigan, so for us it was the east coast - the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, upstate New York, one really cool trip to Cape Cod - but back then flights were expensive and camping was cheap, so most of our vacations were loading up the car and getting off the beaten path.

I'm using the fact that we're flying out as an excuse not to camp this time. We might rent cabins at the occasional KOA, something we've done in a half-dozen eastern states without a single bad experience, but there's no practical way to haul a tent and proper camping gear... which is good, because it has been years since I tent camped and I really don't love it any more. I do think I'm going to miss having my own van on this trip, though. I just got window screens for it, and it isn't a bad place to spend a night when we're on the road. But driving cross country would add too much time to the trip - I lucked into three weeks of vacation this year thanks to a change in how we accrue time, but even that isn't long enough to drive from Michigan to California and back.

 

[cabanafrau]

So far, it looks like Las Vegas is going to be cheaper/easier than LAX, especially if I stick with Southwest because they don't go nonstop to anywhere in California from here. But I'm watching fares and car rental prices for both.

I'm kind of thinking San Diego isn't worth the tradeoffs we'd have to make to fit it in, but DLR is a serious must-see - getting to all the Disney parks is on our collective bucket list (for me and both daughters), and this'll be the first time we're anywhere near DLR. There's not much else in LA that caught my eye so far - we really don't watch TV and Disney accounts for an embarrassing portion of our movie-watching habits so the entertainment industry sights don't wow me. Sequoia and Yosemite both look incredible, though, and DD mentioned finding a dark sky park so I'm thinking maybe we'll stay a night near Joshua Tree to do that. Vegas to Joshua Tree to Disneyland doesn't look like a terrible route, though I know SoCal traffic may make parts of it take longer than the mileage suggests it should.



I wish I could make flying out of Flint work - the airport is actually a bit closer to us (in drive time, but prob. a bit further in miles) than the Detroit airport, and it is just so much easier to deal with security and parking there. But Southwest isn't flying out of Bishop any more, and I'd really like to stick with them because of the baggage policies. Paying per bag for an extended trip would add up fast! Plus the only flights out of Bishop now are very regional - I think to get out west, you'd have to change planes in Chicago..

Well didn't you just bust my bubble . . . did not realize Southwest had pulled out of Bishop. They did have a nonstop to LV out of there that we absolutely relied on previously and I assumed we'd use again when in need. SE Mich to CA flights are always expensive and such a pain IME.

 

[Colleen27]

Well didn't you just bust my bubble . . . did not realize Southwest had pulled out of Bishop. They did have a nonstop to LV out of there that we absolutely relied on previously and I assumed we'd use again when in need. SE Mich to CA flights are always expensive and such a pain IME.

It has been a while - over a year, at least, because I discovered it the hard way when planning our WDW trip last year. Between their flights to Orlando and to DC (Baltimore), we hadn't flown out of Detroit in a several years... but Allegiant is the only one going nonstop out of Flint now, and after all the add-ons with the budget carriers, I'm better off just dealing with the Detroit airport. At least SW still has a nonstop to Vegas from DTW.

 

[Colleen27]

@theluckyrabbit suggestion about posting this on the Disneyland forum is a good one. There's a sub-forum on there for just this sort of thing. I live in AZ so Disneyland (DL) is our 'home' park (compared to WDW, much farther & more expensive to go there for us). Here are a few things that I think you might want to consider:

1. Starting/ending your trip in Vegas is not a bad idea. In terms of proximity to the Grand Canyon, it's a pretty good idea, in fact.
2. Allow yourself 3 days, preferably 4, at Disneyland. Get park hopper tickets. If you're going this summer, then 4 days would be better because Star Wars Land is supposed to open some time this summer, but the opening date has not been announced yet. There's a lot of very helpful DL planning info on the DL board. People there are very friendly & helpful there.
3. Also on the DL board is a thread titled something like "DL for WDW veterans." Read it if you're more familiar w/WDW. It's very useful info.
4. Staying 'on site' at DL is NOT as big a deal as it is at WDW. Stay w/in walking distance (i.e., 10 min walk or less) from the park at 1 of the hotels/motels along Harbor Blvd. If you're going to be going this summer, then start actively researching & booking your hotel now.
5. Disneyland park ticket prices usually go up some time in early February. If you can afford it, buy your tickets this month. And just go ahead and spring for Max Pass for each day if you can afford it ($10/day per person). It's REALLY WORTH IT! If you're there when Star Wars Land is open, the $10 is worth it. Fast Passes operate very differently there...no reserving them before you arrive INSIDE the park. And don't sweat it w/dining reservations...those are only open 60 days ahead of time. For dining packages, it's usually 6 weeks beforehand because that's when they publish the park hours. However, the DIS has historical DL park hours published on this site, so you can go and look and see what it will likely be.
6. You could drive from Vegas to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. But there's really only national park lodging ($$$$) there.
7. If you go to the Grand Canyon via the south rim entrance, your driving route might take you through Williams and Seligman. Parts of both of those towns were inspiration behind Carsland. So it's worth it to go see the Grand Canyon before DL. A lot of people end up staying overnight in Williams when visiting the Grand Canyon. It'll be hot in AZ in the summer. Drink plenty of water.
8. Along the Vegas --> south rim route, you could stop over in Oatman, AZ. It's a small touristy Old West-y town that started out as a mining town, but was used in some Hollywood old west movies back in the day ("How The West Was Won"). There's tons of wild burros that wander through the town. Not enough to do there for half a day, but it's a fun stop over to stretch your legs.
9. Las Vegas Airport --> Grand Canyon south rim is a 4 hr drive. From the Vegas airport to Williams, AZ is a little over 3 hr. Then from Williams to South Rim of Grand Canyon is 45 min to 1 hr.
10. Williams, AZ to Anaheim will be ~ 6.5 hr drive. So you'll spend a decent part of a day en route.
11. Anaheim to Yosemite valley is another 6.5 hr drive. Summer hotel rentals fill up very fast inside Yosemite itself, so start figuring that out now. You'll find more hotel lodging availability in Oakhurst or Coarsegold.
12. Yosemite to South Lake Tahoe will be ~ 4.5-5 hr drive. As you can tell, California is a very large state. Virginia City, NV is a fun old west town. It's not enough to keep you occupied for a day, but it's a fun stop over on a longer road trip. I would probably go there on your way from Tahoe to Montana.
13. On your way back from Montana to Vegas, you could drive through Utah instead of through Nevada. You could spend a couple of days at Zion National Park. Zion NP to St George, UT is about an hour's drive in case you need hotels/motels that aren't in the national park (i.e., if the national park lodging is full).

If you go from Vegas to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, stop to eat at Mr D'z Route 66 Diner in Kingman. It's awesome in there.

And don't bother with Death Valley in the summer. It's horrifically hot and that's coming from somebody who's lived in hot AZ for 15 years.

Seligman looks adorable! We've seen some of the Route 66 sites in Illinois but it is the western towns that really fit the image, so we are totally going to have to fit in a stop there.

I've got a couple of friends who are DLR locals/passholders, so I've been getting some advice from them. I'll definitely check out the DIS DLR board too, though. It amazes me how different the two parks are! But no one warned me that SW:GE was going to be opening earlier out there. that's exciting! We'll be traveling in June so hopefully we'll get to see it, because it might be a while before we get back to WDW to see their version. After a dozen or so trips to the Orlando parks, we're kind of over it and not in a huge hurry to check out every new thing.

I am planning on coming back through Utah if we go in/out of Vegas. My uncle lives about an hour and a half south of Missoula, so it seemed like I-15 would be the best route back and takes us close enough for side trips to Craters of the Moon in Idaho and Zion and/or Bryce in Utah.

Death Valley holds zero appeal for me in the summer. I figure we'll see enough desert without making a trip there specifically!