Am I biting off more than I can chew?

[dorkygirl]

Hi everyone. I am planning a road trip with my 12 year old son in August. We have 13 days and the tentative plan is Los Angeles - Sequoia Nat Park - Las Vegas - Area 51 - St. George - Zion - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon - Phoenix - Los Angeles. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but am now a little overwhelmed and am worried we will spend most of the time driving. Any ideas as to what is really worth it and what maybe I can leave out? We live in Europe so I got carried away perhaps because of the "when are we going to have the chance to see this again" factor. Any and all help welcome! Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

You're looking at around five days worth of driving to accomplish what you've laid out. Spread over thirteen days of vacation, that's not terrible, but does mean that you'll be doing at least some (to a fair amount) of driving on most days. That's actually a pace that should appeal to a twelve year-old, especially if you have him do some of the navigating, and let you know when turns and towns for meal breaks are coming up. Also note that your itinerary only lists the major stops. But there are lots of less famous but equally interesting places in between. Make use of them and you're never more than 2-3 hours from the next destination. This would be a great way to engage your son in the trip by letting him look over some maps of your route and let him find some 'in between' places to visit. Also, be sure to make the best use of the resources available to you at the national parks, In particular, make sure that you ask about the Junior Ranger program at each one. These include a set of activities to be completed after which your son will have learned a great deal about the

The one place that I would drop from your itinerary is Area 51. You simply can't get there or even close enough to see anything worthwhile.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

I have to agree with Buck with regards to 'Area 51'. It's a nice enough drive and you have the 'LittleAlien Inn' bar and cafe with photo's of 'other worldly' objects, which is great if you are driving through, but not so when having to do quite a detour. Your time would be better spent by taking a detour into Death valley from Sequoia on route to Vegas in my opinion. It will be extremely hot though so take precautions such as sun protection/hats and carry water in the car. I don't think you have got carried away and your trip is perfectly doable and will keep you active. Much will depend on how much time you want to spend in any one place, such as LA. An option north of Sequoia is Yosemite, a real gem of the National parks that you could include, and then cross the Sierra Nevada on Tioga pass [CA120] and down 395 and through DV to Las Vegas. That will add some driving, but personally I think it's worth it and something to consider, even if it were at the expense of Area 51 and Phoenix.