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We have about 2 weeks to see as much and experience as much as possible out West. We live in southwest Va (where VA, TN , and KY all meet). We were thinking Grand Canyon? Colorado? We'v done all East & South but not West any ideas on what can be reached in that amount of time. We will be camping/ few hotels. Any ideas would be great. We have 3 kids 5 to 12. Thank you so much.
Hello and welcome to the R.T.A forums.
If you wanted to "just get out West" and then start exploring I would allow 6 or 7 days to travel from home and back, [If the kids are OK travelling] Using I-25 between Albu and Denver for instance as a start and finish point for a week to the West of there, visiting Grand canyon.
Some of the best parks can be found in this region and along with the Grand canyon there is Monument Valley, and Zion, Bryce canyon and Arches in Utah, Mesa Verde, in Colorado as well as parts of New Mexico you could choose from.
The National parks website is very useful to help with your planning and they are great for camping in.
Have a search of the forums and road trip planning pages and as you build your trip we can help you piece it together.
Hello Sunshinetrails,
I've had the pleasure of travelling in every state in the Mountain West. What I can tell you is the variety of landscapes is amazing: Everything from pure, flat desert to desert mountains to painted redrock desert to forested verdant mountains to high alpine valleys. You've got a good amount of time to really get around out there.
So it really amounts to what the parents and kids might find most interesting. If you prefer the Grand Canyon and the more desert-like terrains you'll spend most of your time in NM, AZ, and UT. If it's alpine scenery and snowcapped mountains you want, you'll probably choose CO, WY, northern UT, and MT.
I think it's likely the kids would want to see some of the "flagship" National Parks, such as the Grand Canyon as you've suggested. The more alpine settings would include Rocky Mountain National Park near Denver, the Tetons in WY, and the combination of forested mountains and volcanic/geyser activities at Yellowstone.
Have fun planning and taking your RoadTrip.
Foy
Has anyone stayed in Havasupai? Where is the best place to tent camp in the Grand canyon.
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
Camping in the West Canyon is on the Havasupai Reservation, is controlled by the Tribe, and moderately expensive. Camping on the South or North Rims is within the National Park, is less expensive, but books up fast. There is also camping in the Kaibab National Forest south of the National Park. But wherever you decide to stay, it is in your best interest to make reservations as soon as possible, and to have alternate days in mind.
AZBuck
If it's the South rim you decide on, Mather campground is well situated and within easy reach of the village and rim by foot or the free shuttle bus runs from there.
As Buck pointed out, book early !
We are beginning to finalize our vacation "out West" plans. We live in Va and have lived in midwest and adventured all through there and so we don't want to use up the two weeks we have to go through there. So our plans are to send our tent & camping supplies general delivery to some post office (we still need to research where) to be picked up when we get there. We plan to fly to San Francisco so we can see the west coast, rent a van (we have 3 kids) and drive to Yosemite tent camp for 4 nights. Drive to Las Vegs stay for 2 nights, drive to Zion Nt Prk in UT stay for 2 then spend remainder camping in Grand canyon. We would then mail our supplies back home and fly out of Phoneix. We have never been out West so it is all still a blur. We will be leaving end of June till around 11 of July. Finding camping spots in the parks or at least near enough to feel like you are there that has a shower and bathrooms seems very difficult. Any suggestions?
What are some meals that vegeterians cook while tent camping? We have a coleman stove (and a fondue pot?).
Well, there are certainly some veggie-processed foods like burgers and hot dogs that cook up quick and easy in camping situations. However, if you've got a coleman stove, one of the nice things is that you can cook pretty much anything that you'd normally make at home.
This has often been a challenge for me as well.
If you want something in the national parks, use the national parks website specific to that park.
ReserveAmerica is another good one that has most state, national, BLM, Army COE, and other government-owned campgrounds all in one location. Hope that helps.