2-3 week roadtrip Summer or Fall 2011

Hi,
Me and my boyfriend are planning to travel to the US for a massive roadtrip in 2011 (most likely early September, or possibly late September)... I'm new to planning road trips, and have never driven in the US before, so any help or opinions would be appreciated. We have a rough idea of things we'd like to see and what route we'd take, but really not sure if this is realistic given the time frame, or whether we're trying to cram too much in too short a time, and it would be better to cover a shorter distance, but see more things, or spend more time at each stop on the way. As we're flying over from Europe flight tickets are quite expensive, so we want to see as much as possible during our time there, but not to the point of being exhausting/unrealistic/unenjoyable.
Ok so here is our plan so far:

Day 1: LA
Day 2: Drive from LA to Morro Bay along Pacific Coast Highway
Day 3: Morrow Bay - San Francisco (either coastal route, or interstate)
Day 4: San Francisco
Day 5: San Francisco - Eureka, CA
Day 6: Eureka - Redwood (Avenue of Giants) Route 101 - Shady Cove (or somewhere near Crater Lake National Park)
Day 7: Crater Lake National Park - Burns, Oregon
Day 8: Burns, Oregon - Yellowstone
Day 9: Yellowstone
Day 10: Yellowstone
Day 11: Long drive from Yellowstone to Moab (near Arches NP) and via Salt Lake City
Day 12: Arches - Kayenta near Monument Valley or should we stay at the other side of Monument Valley that is on the way from Arches?
Day 13: Monument Valley - Grand Canyon
Day 14: Grand Canyon - Las Vegas
Day 15: Las Vegas
Day 16: Las Vegas to Death Valley
Day 17: Death Valley to LA (do we need more than two half days at Death Valley?)
Day 18: Fly home

Ok so here is our plan, any comments, ideas, suggestions would be greatly appreciated in terms of what we're missing out, or doing wrong, or anything at all :)

We may be able to add an extra day or two if necessary, so it would be great to have some suggestions where these extra days would be best spent...

Thanks :)

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

You have basically done a fine job with your planning, well done ! It's going to keep you busy, but it's very doable and you have some time remaining to get an overview and enjoy the places you are visiting.

I would try and get under way by Mid September, as Winter can come thick and fast to Yellowstone. Other than that Sept/Oct is a great time to visit as the crowds dwindle.

Some points; I would consider stopping in Cambria or San Simeon from LA, it's a little further but would give you more time to drive along the coast around Big Sur, something I would recommend.

If you have an extra day, then Yellowstone to Moab via Salt lake City would be one place to use it. You won't have the time for SLC City and will still be a long day on the road. Another spot to consider when leaving Yellowstone would be the Grand Tetons, but again will need extra time.

As you are a little rushed for time in Grand canyon, I would consider stopping a couple of hours at Monument valley and then continue to GC if your budget can stand it, or to Cameron that is located a few miles from the East entrance, check out 'Cameron trading post'. This is where you could really do with that 'other extra day, driving from Yellowstone to Moab and then on towards Grand canyon next day is not going to leave you any time to really explore the wonder of Arches NP [or Canyonlands for that matter].

You can be in Death valley in a couple of hours from Vegas via Pahrump and then the Locals route along Ash meadows/ State line Rd to Death valley junction and 190. This will give you a lot of the day to do some exploring and perhaps spend the night at Stovepipe Wells or Panamint Springs, near to the Western edge of the park.

The place that stands out most to me by it's absence is Yosemite NP, it's one of my all time favorite places. If you haven't considered it I would recommend checking it out, but [and it's a big BUT] to fit it in to this trip I think you would have to sacrifice the Redwoods and Crater lake and re-direct your route. It would however clip a little over 200 miles off your mileage.

Look around the forums, road trip planning pages and Map centre where you can explore lots of other possibilities. Keep asking questions as the need arises and we will do what we can to help, Enjoy !

Hi,

Thanks so much for replying so quickly and giving so many great suggestions. If you think Yosemite is worth it, then we'll try to replan our route, or else (and preferably) take a few extra days holiday and do that as well as Crater Lake and Redwood that we had originally planned. I'll check out all your other suggestions as well. Being new to the forum I am still discovering all the available info, but everything I've found so far has been really useful - fantastic site overall!

I have one more question (and sorry if this is something that has already come up in another thread) but what do you think about booking accommodation? Should I book in advance, or are we likely to have no probs finding something while we're out there?

Burns to Yellowstone is just a bit much for a 1 day drive. It's over 600 miles, quite a bit of which is on 2 lane roads. Same goes from Yellowstone to Moab - 600 miles with a lot of 2 lane.

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I have one more question (and sorry if this is something that has already come up in another thread) but what do you think about booking accommodation? Should I book in advance, or are we likely to have no probs finding something while we're out there?

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You will almost always find lodgings but it depends on your style of travel. Some like the freedom to change things around and 'wing it', while others prefer to be secure in the knowledge they have somewhere booked for the night and to know where they staying. I fall in between the 2 categories really. I tend to book around the popular places like Yellowstone, Grand canyon etc to know that I can stay nearby and not spend valuable time chasing around after a vacancy, while leaving the 'bits in between' open in case I leave later or arrive earlier than planned and can then adjust accordingly. The main bookings also help to keep me on track time wise, to be able to complete the route.

I normally do a little research on possible towns etc where I haven't booked and take phone numbers of the places that suit my budget and tastes, so that I can call ahead if I want to. Not to adventurous I know, but I really don't like the idea of driving around looking for lodgings at night when I could be having a cold beer ! Having said that you never know what you might find when looking hard enough !

I can make a lodging recommendation for Yellowstone - everything in the little town of West Yellowstone is somewhat expensive, but the Evergreen Motel is a little gem. It's a very small motel from the 50's, but it has recently gone through a complete refurb. They have an online reservation system.

i am not an expert but we did some of this trip last year... i have a thread on it. I loved Crater Lake area it was more beautiful than pics, we did sequioa national park, you do know that the big redwoods are located there right? again awesome!we are doing the yellowstone and rest of utah this year.lake shasta area looked neat but we did not stop and wished would have spent more time in carmel area. we drove from diamond lake/crater lake 8:00 am- monteray ca8:00pm including our siteseeing.lots of these places even the drive check out the sites and carry on is doeable and enjoyable.

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we did sequioa national park, you do know that the big redwoods are located there right?

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Just for accuracy, [and not trying to be picky] the Redwoods are a different species to the giant Sequoia's found in the National park, the Redwoods are usually found in coastal areas. The Redwoods are generally taller, but the Sequoia are much bigger in diameter as well, making them the largest of all. Found in the Giants forest in Sequoia NP, is the General Sherman Sequoia tree, the largest living thing on earth !!

Thanks I really did not know that. When we were going that way we thought Redwoods meant all the" Big trees" but maybe that tip will help others understand as well.Thanks!