Trip from Denver to SFO

[ruchi]

Need help planning a trip from Denver to SFO and back in end of May for 3 weeks.. would like to see good places in New Mexico, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, SFO (Yosemite,Redwood forest NP) alonf the way...Please help as to what are the possibilities and the best possible itinerary ...

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

The possibilities are endless and therfore the best possible itinerary is the one that holds the most interest for you, and what will fit at a pace you like to travel and sight see at.

An itinerary to meet your needs could look something like this. It includes the giant Sequoia trees near Yosemite, but not the coastal Redwoods.

Days 1- 4] Denver to Moab. Attractions> Rocky mountain NP, Colorado National Monument, Arches and Canyonlands NP.

Days 4- 6] Moab to Springdale UT [Zion NP] Attractions> Capitol Reef NP via UT24 to Torrey. Utah Scenic Byway 12 to Bryce canyon. Zion NP.

Days 7-9] Zion to Las Vegas. Attractions> Valley of Fire State park, Vegas.

Days 9-11] LV to Yosemite. Attractions> Death valley. [Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias trees in Yosemite] Yosemite.

Days 12-13] San Francisco. Attractions> Alcatraz, Cable cars, Fishermans Wharf, China Town, Union square.

Days 14-15] Coast Highway to LA. Attractions> Big Sur, Hearst Castle, seaside towns.

Day 16-17] LA and to Grand canyon.

Day 18]GC to Durango. Attractions. Monument Valley and Four corners. [Put one leg in New Mexico]

Day 19] If you wanted to venture into New Mexico you could head to Santa Fe via Pagosa Springs. What I would do is go north from Durango on the spectacular 'Million dollar Highway' through the mountain towns of Silverton and Ouray to Gunnison/Salida.

Day 20-21] Make your way from Santa Fe to Denver via Taos Pueblo and Colorado Springs. If you have a day '21' on the road you could stop in Manitou Springs and visit Garden of the Gods.

Option B] From Salida back to Denver. Attractions>Historic town of Leadville, Loveland Pass [US6 detour from I70 at Dillon Res.]

This is just a small selection of possibilities and it would keep you on the go to try and see all that is listed, but it should give you some ideas to work through and select from.