Sometimes the journey is as good as the destination
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lifemagician
No need to be afraid. I have never planned a trip in detail. The important thing is to know what is where (do you have good maps?) and leave yourself fairly flexible. Then when you feel you have seen 'enough' canyons, you will know what else there is in the area, which you might go and see instead. Mind you, sometimes the roads/routes are so spectacular, that they could be regarded as a destination in themselves. Do your research, check the maps, and be sure you know all there is in any given area, even if you only plan to visit one or two of them. Nothing quite so liberating as knowing what the alternative is.
Lifey
I agree that the roads you will travel will be spectacular. My wife and I have been to these areas numerous times, and we never tire of the scenery. One point about canyons is that sometimes you drive/hike the canyon floor, and others you are on the rim. The perspective is completely different. I seriously doubt that you will ever get bored or overloaded with what you will see and do on a roadtrip.
I'll even give you an example. Route 9 from La Verkin to Mt Carmel Junction is a public road even though it goes through the southern part of Zion Canyon. That 45 miles is some of the most varied and scenic highway you will ever see, and yet, you really haven't seen the majority of Zion National Park when you drive it. Still, it will amaze you!
I counted between 40 and 50 named sites you will have the opportunity to see on your tentative itinerary, so there are many you will pass without stopping. However, just like the above example, some places don't require hours of exploration to enjoy; merely seeing them is enough.
you certainly don't need more stops
What you do need is more time.
Actually, with the 9 days you have "left," you'll probably be ok, but you've got so many days with 2 days worth of activity packed into one day that you need to start there.
A few of the worst cases, Day 8, seeing the North Rim and driving 255 miles would be a full day all by itself. You want to do that, and see 6 other things. Or day 10, You want to see 3 National Parks and drive 271 miles. One full day just for Arches/Canyonlands is kind of a bare minimum, and Mesa Verde requires guided tours to see the most interesting sites, so that ends up taking most of a day (even if you planned to "see" MV on Day 11, you'd have the same kind of problem the next day.)
Really, you need to take another look at pretty much everything between day 5 and day 13. Nearly all of those days you're planning to drive about 300 miles and see several National Parks or other sites and have to factor in time to set up/tear down camp. None of the drives you have listed by themselves are too long, but if you want to actually see and enjoy all these places you'll be flying by, you need more time to account for that.
Time required for chosen sights
It is difficult to assign times to the sites you'll visit, because we all have different ways to see them; some just drive through and others hike out on the trails or climb the formations where allowed. Also, I cannot address the times for Death Valley or Mojave Preserve (never been to either), but I can tell you that you need more time at some I have visited.
Day 8&9: The North Rim has several overlooks and a few rim trails, so a minimum of 3 hours is recommended plus the drive out to it from Jacob Lake, which I recall is about an hour each way. Then it is at least another hour to Navajo Bridge and still another hour to the parking lot for the Horseshoe Bend. Oops, another hour at least to hike out and back. See how the time piles up on you. Believe me, it will fly. I would add a day at Page to visit and tour the dam and possibly take the boat ride down to Horseshoe Bend and back, or go to Antelope Canyon. I would think twice about driving through Monument Valley in a rental. It is all rough dirt road. Either take the Navajo tour, or see what you can from the parking lot, which is quite a bit. You have a full day ahead anyway, so if you take the tour, you need to add a day in there somewhere.
Day 10: Arches and Canyonlands (plus Dead Horse Point State Park, don't miss that) will easily take a full day, so don't sell yourself short on those. If you do have extra time, there are 3 scenic drives to explore outside of the parks.
Day 11 is way too crowded. Mesa Verde takes a full day to see it (a full hour scenic drive each way to get to the mesas from the entrance) Then you have the Million Dollar Highway to go up between Durango and Ridgeway and you won't do that is less than 3 hours once you see the scenery along it. Black Canyon is at least a 3-4 hour stay and then you still have several hours to drive to Poncha Springs. Take 3 days to do and see all of that, and you'll still wish you had more time.
Day 12: Whether you drive up Pikes Peak or take the cog railway, you're looking at a half-day minimum to do it. Garden of the Gods is lots of hiking, and maybe some climbing if you're up to it, so figure 2-3 hours there. Capulin Volcano is another 2 hours, but you say you're camping there. Plan on at least 3 hours drive time between Colorado Springs and Capulin. Extra day needed here.
Day 13: If you start from Capulin early enough, take US64 through Taos. It will take about an hour more than the direct route, but the scenery will be worth it. The Banderas Volcano and Ice Caves will take about 2 hours, as will El Morro. There is some hiking at both sites with rewarding scenery. At El Morro, you actually hike up over the top and back down the other side.
Day 14&15: Petrified Forest is about a 2-hour drive, but add an hour if you want to see petroglyphs and such. If it were me, I would skip Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon even though they are good, and take the Sunset Crater/Wupatki Ruins Loop above Flagstaff, then enter the South Rim via the east gate near Cameron. You have about 6 overlooks along the road that you can actually drive to as opposed to the part beyond GC Village that requires the bus ride . . . Do that the following day and stay for the sunset and afterglow about 20 minutes later. In other words, spend another day at the South Rim.
Okay, I've added about 5 days to your road trip, but I think you've planned it quite well for a rough draft. I know it has been said before, but make sure you calculate drive times based on a 50mph speed to account for stops and traffic. In other words, divide the miles by 50 regardless of the speed limit on the roads you use. I hope this helps in fine tuning the trip, which sounds great!
San Francisco and Golden Gate Recreation Area
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pujsek
What is the minimum amount of time you suggest for San Francisco? We will buy the city pass and of course we want to drive over you know what and spend some time in the Golden Gate Recreation area.
I hope others will join in on this, but I'll start it. Give yourself a minimum of 2 days in the San Francisco area; one for the city, and the other for the Golden Gate Recreation Area. You might want spend the first day in the city just to get acclimated from your trip. You never said your origin city/country, but any overseas travel will produce jet lag. That means 3 days total.
SFO might include:
Ride on the cable cars and a stop at Ghirardelli Square to watch the cars turned around.
Drive down Lomabard Street (the curvy one) and then drive down Filbert Street (the steepest straight one in the city)
Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill
Fishermans Wharf, Pier 39 and the Maritime Park (National Parks Pass will gain free entrance)
Balclutha 3-masted Sailing ship, or other ships to tour
Golden Gate Park
The Presidio waterfront area
The Area north of the Golden Gate Bridge could include:
Vista Point (first exit off the bridge)
Fort Baker
Marin Headlands
Nike Missile Site
Muir Woods
Mt Tamalpais
Shoreline Highway 1
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes Lighthouse
Drakes Bay & Conservation area
Sir Francis Drake Blvd (inland scenic drive back to Highway 101 from Olema)
Fortunately, the GGRA north of the bridge is very compact, so a day will do very nicely. I provided some links for you, but there are other websites you might want to visit, too. Please understand that this is not a complete guide. You might want to see other places, and very well might exclude some of these.
Harry
