Help me pick between two Grand canyon areas

I know you don't want to hear any of what I'm about to tell you, but nevertheless it must be said.

Day 1) Champaign IL to Glenwood Springs CO: 1180 miles. No. I don't care how many people you have, assuming you can cover 70 mph for 17 hours straight is simply unrealistic. And when you do eventually get there, you will be exhausted, cramped and out-of-sorts. This is not getting your trip off to a good start.

Day 2) Glenwood to Bryce: 465 miles. That's fine as a relaxed day's drive, but to plan on spending 3 hours in Arches and an hour in Bryce on top of that is too much, especially since you will still be drained from your previous day's marathon.

Day 3) Bryce to Vegas. This day is quite doable on only 5-6 hours of driving. So I guess my question is: Why are you running yourselves ragged the first couple of days if you can take a few hours from this day (and others) to make each day enjoyable rather than starting off on the wrong foot?

Day 11) Grand Canyon to Amarillo: 700 miles, again 12 hours is extremely optimistic and that would allow no time for the stops you list.

Day 12) Amarillo to Champaign: 940 miles!!! Sorry, this is simply not possible in 13 hours.

Look, your trip is quite doable in the time you have, but if you want to have fond memories of it when you're done, you have to cut out the death march drives and better allocate the time that you do have.

AZBuck

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Day 1) Champaign IL to Glenwood Springs CO: 1180 miles. No. I don't care how many people you have, assuming you can cover 70 mph for 17 hours straight is simply unrealistic. And when you do eventually get there, you will be exhausted, cramped and out-of-sorts. This is not getting your trip off to a good start.

Due to our schedule I don't see any other way. Unless you could formulate something different I would be happy to hear. Getting there between 1-2pm will be nice because we have all night to relax. We have rooms with hot tubs and king beds.

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It will probably take closer to 21 hours to make this drive. I think even with 4 drivers that this is a poor way to start out your trip. I would probably take a day from San Diego or Vegas and add it here so you could break the drive up. Maybe first night in Des Moines? That would still make the drive to Glenwood Springs dang long at about 825 miles but still more do-able.

If you insist on doing it, then try to do it "smart" and as safely as possible. Make sure the backseat is set up to be as comfortable as possible for sleeping. The driver/navigator team should keep the noise down so people in the back can sleep. At the same time, those in the back sleeping should have earplugs so that those in the front can talk as needed to keep each other alert and on the right road without worrying about waking those in the back up. Maybe something to block light, too. Ensure that the navigator and driver will both be awake and that the navigator's job is to also to help keep the driver awake. If everybody is groggy, pull over and nap for awhile in a safe parking lot. Even an hour or two can make a huge difference in your alertness. When the car is stopped for food/fuel/bio breaks, everybody should get out and hop/skip/jump/run around a bit to get the blood flowing. Even just 5 minutes of doing this can make a huge difference in alertness. Exceptions to this might be if the two in the backseat are sleeping. But once they wake up, and before driving, they should get out and move around like that to get really woken up before they take their turn driving. Stay away from sweets and carb-laden snacks as both turn to sugar in the body and will create a sugar-high and then a sugar-low that can make you groggy. Concentrate on eating healthy, protein-based foods during this portion of the trip, i.e. hard-boiled eggs, cheese, etc. to avoid these sugar highs/crashes. Drink lots of water.

To be honest, I see two separate vacations here. One that is the Southwest; and one that is California. I think it's a stretch in the time you have to enjoy both areas.

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Day 2) Glenwood to Bryce: 465 miles. That's fine as a relaxed day's drive, but to plan on spending 3 hours in Arches and an hour in Bryce on top of that is too much, especially since you will still be drained from your previous day's marathon.

We didn't plan on getting to Bryce till evening to catch a sunset. And in the morning explore the park. We can leave glenwood 6am get to bryce around 7pm that's 8 hours of driving and 3 hours at arches a few spare hours.

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This is do-able if you're fresh. However, I'm skeptical if you can do it AND enjoy it after your marathon first day. If you don't get out the door by 6am, I think you'll have to skip Arches.

I basically agree with AZBuck. If there's anyway you can add a day or two to take the pressure off those marathon drives, the better.

Thanks for the comments, azbuck I responded to everything you said with the post above but it was edited the quote and responses. < > That first day we just really want to get through the central U.S. If we get to Glenwood springs between 1-3pm how come an entire night wouldn't be enough to rest? We have rooms with hot tubs and king beds. Also how come it would take 21 hours? Mapquest says 17 hours not counting a time saver. That's 16 on the clock with 2 hours of extra time for stops. 18 total hours on the watch should be very accurate. It's an overnight drive so traffic is no big deal and going a few mph over the speed limit would probably work also. I believe after a talk last night we are going to try and push for one more day on the way back. The amarillo to champaign IL drive.

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Originally Posted by Traveldude

Also how come it would take 21 hours? Mapquest says 17 hours not counting a time saver.

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Well, you could take our word for it -- a bunch of us have actually driven this route many times over the years -- whereas a complex series of algorithms predicts that it could driven in less time. But I have never seen "Mapquest" behind the wheel -- as far as the editing goes -- it was my mistake -- cleaning up navigation on the thread and I must have missed your posts. My apologies. Our advice is based on real-world travel conditions -- something that even the best math models in the world can only guess at.

Mark

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If we get to Glenwood springs between 1-3pm how come an entire night wouldn't be enough to rest?

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An entire night would not be enough to rest because you'd be looking a one night break after 20+ hours of non-stop driving. That's like running 2 marathons in one day and wondering why you wouldn't be ready to go on a 5k run first thing the next morning. On paper, you can say its another day I'll be fine, in reality, your body just can't adjust that fast.

Clearly, you've got your mind set on doing what you want to do, and I suspect the only way you'll understand is to see first hand what many of us have already seen and/or done. Its possible that you and your friends are a very rare breed who can maintain a 70+ mph average speed over 18 hours on the road and who only needs one night to fully recover from the stresses of a 1200 mile drive. However, what the voices of millions of miles of experience say the odds are highly unlikely. It is much more likely that it will take you 20+ hours to cover the distance, and more importantly, your lack of a realistic recovery time is a recipe to make a "fun on paper" roadtrip a stressful experience that can stretch the limits of even the most hardy and long standing friendships. You might not even feel it immediately that 2nd day as you travel through Utah, because the adrenaline of the start of an exciting trip can help push through a couple days. Unfortantly, at some point that adrenaline eventually comes to a crashing end and thats where many people - including many people just like you who have posted here in the past who said, "it won't happen to us" - see the dreams of an amazing roadtrip come crashing down around them.

I understand your point about mapquest and how you may "old school" on roadtriping. But math doesn't lie and mapquest for me has been very accurate several times. Me and my GF drove to Albuquerque last year and according to mapquest it 18 hours from my house. And exactly 18 hours later when got there even with rainstorms in oklahoma. Same goes for my trips to niagra falls, NYC, Maine, Yellowstone. It has always been right on. I don't stop alot on the road execpt for bathroom/gas/food. And 1 night in colorado i plenty of rest cause we have a big day in utah and then 3 days of rest in vegas and 3 days in san diego. We are all in our mid 20's and don't tire very easy. Thanks for your ideas though.

I'm also in my 20's so I'm not sure how "old school" that makes me. Irregardless, this isn't about age or even style as much as it is about experience, and knowing first hand that what you are proposing to do has side effects that you aren't taking into account.

But I suspect you will have to find that our for yourself first hand. Good Luck on your trip.

I sometimes have good luck with Google's time-to-travel estimates, too. And then I have had times when those estimates have been way, way off. Sometimes it says it will take longer to get there than it really did, or vice-versa. I have found the 57mph average rule to be more accurate more often than Google's estimates (or those of other online mapping programs).

It's also interesting that the online programs don't usually agree on their time-to-travel estimates. If you compare Google's to Yahoo's to Mapquest's, they will often different. Sometimes significantly different.

When planning a roadtrip, I always like to use the estimate that is the longest. That way, if it's clear I'm making better time than the estimate, I know I can meander a bit, relax and explore more, and still make my target for that night. I much prefer that then having to press on and push myself past my limit if I have to be in a certain place that night and under-estimated the travel time.

It's your trip, Traveldude. Go with the suggestion that you feel the most comfortable with. I still think you're pushing yourself to much on that first leg but you know what you and your travel partners feel comfortable with and your endurance levels. Have a great time and I hope it works out for you. Please consider returning here after your trip to give us a roadtrip report. We love those! :)

Thanks judy for your imput that made alot of sense. And I will post a trip review as soon as I get back. The reason for such a long drive the first day is to get out west and enjoy our time to the max. Between my house and Denver there is nothing to see Geographically speaking. Growing up in Illinois you tend to hate driving through flatlands.

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Originally Posted by Traveldude

The reason for such a long drive the first day is to get out west and enjoy our time to the max. Between my house and Denver there is nothing to see Geographically speaking. Growing up in Illinois you tend to hate driving through flatlands.

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Around here, we tend to agree that there are no boring roads. Why do you find flatlands boring? And what does growing up in Illinois have to do with it?

I live in an area where driving on the beach itself, along the winding coastline, and twisty-bits in wooded hills are the norm. While I enjoy our scenery and roads, I enjoy flatlands as a change of pace. And the scenery can be remarkable. I think you should work on changing your POV and enjoying every moment of your roadtrip instead of thinking that the best stuff is farther down the road. Remember, it's the journey not the destination.

I'll look forward to hearing about your trip! Happy journey!