Western states road trip

[Colleen27]

How about Canadian Rockies? Their national parks are more likely to be open. Even if ours are back open, it sounds like they're getting quite the trashing right now. As they would be a highlight of any Western US road trip, I probably wouldn't risk planning something around places that may not be open.

I have a hard time imagining a shutdown lasting 6 months, and while the cleanup will undoubtedly take time I don't think they're likely to close the parks for the effort. I'll certainly keep an eye on things on that front, and we're not likely to book anything non-refundable for another month or two anyway because the better airfares are usually on a bit shorter notice, but I'm not terribly concerned at this point.

 

[AntimonyER]

So we have this as our summer trip for 2020. One thing I found is you can save a LOT of money if you are going late may/early june, and do a one way drive starting from AZ, and ending somewhere up north (Minnesota in my case). Even though the flight is a couple hundred extra total for my family of 5 going into Phoenix rather than Las Vegas, the amount of savings on the car rental makes up for it 5-6 fold. The car companies want the vehicles moved that way at that time of year anyways, so offer super low rates if you do it for them.

 

[bcla]

I have a hard time imagining a shutdown lasting 6 months, and while the cleanup will undoubtedly take time I don't think they're likely to close the parks for the effort. I'll certainly keep an eye on things on that front, and we're not likely to book anything non-refundable for another month or two anyway because the better airfares are usually on a bit shorter notice, but I'm not terribly concerned at this point.

Right now the issue is really lack of services, given federally operated facilities are closed. However, they've left outhouses open and garbage cans are still there. The biggest problem is how they're servicing them. There have been volunteers doing what they can, but someone still needs to pay a professional to get a pit toilet serviced. I'd expect that once the shutdown is over, it's not going to take that long for garbage to be hauled out and everything back to a relative normal. The big issue is going to be resource damage. I've read reports of people taking the opportunity (with fewer federal employees out there) to drive off-road where it's not allowed, vandalize buildings/plants, etc. It's kind of hard to say how that will affect the visitor experience, but it's not really something that I'd let affect my choice of where to visit, nor anything that could be fixed quickly.

And in any case, most of the official concessionaires are remaining open. I guess one rationale for not closing them like in 2013 is that it would stop their revenue along with the fees that they owe to the federal government. And they're more or less picking up the slack by providing places to leave trash and use of restrooms.

 

[Colleen27]

Revisiting this thread with a major change in plans - my daughter decided on a college in San Francisco, so instead of flying out west and renting a car for a June tour, we're now driving cross-country in July/Aug! So that will give us a little more time, probably 4 weeks total, because I was holding some time back knowing I was going to be need time for a college move-in later in the summer, but will make the weather more of a challenge for the southernmost parts of the trip. I'm just starting to dig in on the planning, but I'm excited to be able to work in a few of the recommendations I got on this thread that I didn't think we'd have the time for or that would have been too far off our planned route.

 

[meggiebeth]

One of our highlights was Death Valley, which was an incredible place to visit. We really liked the ghost town, Rhyolite, near the entrance. It was just such a unique day in general that nothing else we did could top it! We did it on the drive down to San Diego from Las Vegas - long but definitely worth it!

 

[Sandeep1]

Revisiting this thread with a major change in plans - my daughter decided on a college in San Francisco, so instead of flying out west and renting a car for a June tour, we're now driving cross-country in July/Aug! So that will give us a little more time, probably 4 weeks total, because I was holding some time back knowing I was going to be need time for a college move-in later in the summer, but will make the weather more of a challenge for the southernmost parts of the trip. I'm just starting to dig in on the planning, but I'm excited to be able to work in a few of the recommendations I got on this thread that I didn't think we'd have the time for or that would have been too far off our planned route.

Have you done the Disney Family Museum in SF before? That's obviously a must if you haven't.

 

[nd5056]

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!
...

Smart thinking.

We did 3 weeks last summer driving thru California, Nevada, Utah and part of Arizona. Still wasn't enough.

Definitely leave Yellowstone for separate trip, you're so close.

Just to point down one thing for you so you can plan on it, Yosemite, Giant Sequoias, and many Canyons. If there's a drastic elevation change between 2 relatively close driving destinations, they are connected by windy, narrow road that sits on the edge of the cliff.

After a couple of those drives I learned that no one wanted to sit in the front passenger sit anymore...

I'd try to narrow down driving within Vegas, Moab UT & Page AZ. Arches NP, Canyonlands, Antelope Canyon / Big Bend, Grand Canyon, the scenic drive between Bryce & Capital Reef Canyons on Rt.12, Zion NP...

There's not enough time just for that area alone. You'll have to choose for what you'll want to see, depending on your time allowance and the activities you'll want to engage in.

I'd try to leave California for separate trip, accept for Disneyland, if you must of course.

Time for you to hit the Google, you're late to the party a little. Lodging and tours reservations would be the biggest issues right now.

 

[Colleen27]

Have you done the Disney Family Museum in SF before? That's obviously a must if you haven't.

No, we haven't, and I'm really looking forward to it! I've done a lot of traveling, but all up and down the East Coast - I've hardly been west of the Mississippi, so pretty much everything on this trip is going to be new experiences.

 

[Sandeep1]

Smart thinking.

We did 3 weeks last summer driving thru California, Nevada, Utah and part of Arizona. Still wasn't enough.

Definitely leave Yellowstone for separate trip, you're so close.

Just to point down one thing for you so you can plan on it, Yosemite, Giant Sequoias, and many Canyons. If there's a drastic elevation change between 2 relatively close driving destinations, they are connected by windy, narrow road that sits on the edge of the cliff.

After a couple of those drives I learned that no one wanted to sit in the front passenger sit anymore...

I'd try to narrow down driving within Vegas, Moab UT & Page AZ. Arches NP, Canyonlands, Antelope Canyon / Big Bend, Grand Canyon, the scenic drive between Bryce & Capital Reef Canyons on Rt.12, Zion NP...

There's not enough time just for that area alone. You'll have to choose for what you'll want to see, depending on your time allowance and the activities you'll want to engage in.

I'd try to leave California for separate trip, accept for Disneyland, if you must of course.

Time for you to hit the Google, you're late to the party a little. Lodging and tours reservations would be the biggest issues right now.

Lodging can always be had. Personally (and I might be in the minority), I think lodging within the park is overrated. Yes it reduces drive time but it also severely limits dining options. I like being outside the park in an actual town. I'll sacrifice some extra driving for more dining options.

Utah parks it's easy to get lodging.

 

[nd5056]

Lodging can always be had. Personally (and I might be in the minority), I think lodging within the park is overrated. Yes it reduces drive time but it also severely limits dining options. I like being outside the park in an actual town. I'll sacrifice some extra driving for more dining options.

Utah parks it's easy to get lodging.

It's always a game of trades, it all depends on many factors. For hikers, they can get farther with early start. Others, lodging within the park is part of the experience.

In reality, it is fairly easy to find accommodation for 4 or less. We were party of 6, that would be very challenging based on a short notice. However, National Parks get very crowded during season. Grand Canyon South Rim doesn't allow you to drive, must use their shuttle, too many visitors. I'd not bank on finding a lodging since you may have to go out of the way to find one.

Also, the Antelope Canyon Tours are booked out way in advance for example.

Colleen27, I didn't notice your change of plans until after my respond. I'm happy to see you'll get more time for your trip. I'd recommend getting America the Beautiful annual Pass if planning on visiting few National Parks.

 

[Sandeep1]

It's always a game of trades, it all depends on many factors. For hikers, they can get farther with early start. Others, lodging within the park is part of the experience.

In reality, it is fairly easy to find accommodation for 4 or less. We were party of 6, that would be very challenging based on a short notice. However, National Parks get very crowded during season. Grand Canyon South Rim doesn't allow you to drive, must use their shuttle, too many visitors. I'd not bank on finding a lodging since you may have to go out of the way to find one.

Also, the Antelope Canyon Tours are booked out way in advance for example.

Colleen27, I didn't notice your change of plans until after my respond. I'm happy to see you'll get more time for your trip. I'd recommend getting America the Beautiful annual Pass if planning on visiting few National Parks.

I would actually skip Upper Antelope Canyon. It's famous but lower is just as nice and significantly lower crowds. Easy to get tickets as well.

Agreed on the America TB pass.

 

[Colleen27]

Lodging can always be had. Personally (and I might be in the minority), I think lodging within the park is overrated. Yes it reduces drive time but it also severely limits dining options. I like being outside the park in an actual town. I'll sacrifice some extra driving for more dining options.

Utah parks it's easy to get lodging.

We're probably not going to do any staying inside the parks. From what I've looked at so far - just the Detroit to Seattle leg of the journey, until we hear back about whether DD17 is going to be serving as a welcome ambassador there - the National Parks lodges are pretty pricey and hard to book, and at least for that stretch of the journey, there are a lot of inexpensive lodging choices in the area. With a trip this long, I'm inclined to save on lodging where I can so we can splurge on the city parts of the trip b/c I know staying in Anaheim and San Fran won't be cheap.

It's always a game of trades, it all depends on many factors. For hikers, they can get farther with early start. Others, lodging within the park is part of the experience.

In reality, it is fairly easy to find accommodation for 4 or less. We were party of 6, that would be very challenging based on a short notice. However, National Parks get very crowded during season. Grand Canyon South Rim doesn't allow you to drive, must use their shuttle, too many visitors. I'd not bank on finding a lodging since you may have to go out of the way to find one.

Also, the Antelope Canyon Tours are booked out way in advance for example.

Colleen27, I didn't notice your change of plans until after my respond. I'm happy to see you'll get more time for your trip. I'd recommend getting America the Beautiful annual Pass if planning on visiting few National Parks.

Yeah, it'll only be the three of us which makes lodging a lot easier. I had to do a lot more pre-planning when the whole family was traveling together, but now my boys are grown and DH can't take enough time off to join us for the drive, so we'll fit in any old hotel room.

We're not going to be doing any serious hiking. Shorter trails, yes, but the most my 10yo has done in a day so far is 11 miles and between the summer heat and the unaccustomed elevation at many of our stops, I doubt we'll even push it that far. If DD17 wants to do serious hiking in the parks out west, she'll have four years at a university with an "outdoors club" to do it.

We're definitely getting the National Parks pass. I count four in my plans just on the first leg of the trip, so it'll definitely be worth the money!

 

[marthachick]

I wouldn't get the ATB National Parks pass too soon before your trip. They are good for a year from purchase and we got 2 years worth of vacations our of ours because of how our vacations fell. The year we purchased vacation was in August and the next year vacation was in June.

 

[nd5056]

Then the Rt.12 drive thru the Canyons with small detour on the Scenic Drive in the Capital Reef would be perfect for you. There's even a small Petrified Forest along the Rt.12 in Escalate.

Moab and Arches are a georgios place to visit. Inside Arches, you could do mostly driving with short walks. The hike to the Delicate Arch is not easy, but very rewarding once you get there. And it's downhill on the way back. Highly recommend to go at the end of the day, to get there at least an hour before the sunset.

In Canyonlands, Mesa Arch, Needles and island in the Skies.

Page, Az. The Bend should be the first thing to visit with the sun behind you.

Agreed with Sandeep1 on Lower Antelope. And it's better for pictures, there's more light inside since Lower is wider on top and narrower on the bottom. The Upper is wide at the floor and narrow on top, making the Upper famous for the "light beams".

Every place out there has something unique to offer, all depends on how you'll build your itinerary.

 

[nd5056]

Forgot, July/ August, be aware of the Monsoon season. Learn as much as you can before going there.

 

[Colleen27]

I wouldn't get the ATB National Parks pass too soon before your trip. They are good for a year from purchase and we got 2 years worth of vacations our of ours because of how our vacations fell. The year we purchased vacation was in August and the next year vacation was in June.

I haven't seen any reason to buy in advance, so I was planning just to pick it up when we get to Badlands (our first NP stop). That way, it'll be good for spring break and the first half of summer next year.