First ever trip in an RV - Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite - Route guidance please

It's hard to say what time you will get on the road by as it can depend on how busy they are and how many changeovers they are dealing with. In the past we have contacted the local CA office direct and requested an early pick up time, one was no problem and the other wouldn't commit to it, so you could contact them. If you have no luck I would get there an hour or so early and you may get lucky. If your hotel is near to a store you could do a basic shop before heading to your RV depot as well. As it's your first ever RV trip, stopping earlier may remove some pressure and allow you to relax a bit more while you adjust to the driving style. However, there are RV parks a bit further on that would give you more time to adjust to the vehicle, there is a KOA in Kingman which is also a route 66 town where you could settle down and get yourself organised. Don't forget you need to make beds and stow stuff away etc as well. You could go further so it's a matter of how you feel about it.

You may think you will get to Page by Lunchtime but if you haven't already stopped along Desertview drive on the way out the east entrance you could easily spend half a day just admiring the views. There are also some native American stalls along the roadside selling their wares and the Cameron Trading post on US89 which has fascinating stores. You don't have to stop but just keep in mind that each journey between 'A' and 'B' will have lots of opportunities to discover new things.

After Tonopah there is an overnight rest area called 'Millers rest' (Google it) and is a pretty cool spot just to rest up. From Zion you could take the ET Highway and stop at the Little A'Lien Inn for a bite and to look at the 'Out of this world' alien photos.

The overnight temps will be dependent on the outside temps but you can have air vents etc open to help.

Miller's Rest was mentioned in post #12. There's overnight RV parking at the Little A'Le'Inn as I mentioned in post #18.

You can't just park up anywhere, that's generally illegal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Redw28

We have looked at the walking tour of Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon and the kayak tour through the flooded portion of Antelope Canyon. We can't choose between them and might do both but I'm interested in whether anyone has experience of these or other tours.

---

Hello again! You've got that a bit mixed up. Antelope Canyon (both Upper and Lower) are the slot canyons, and they are strictly walking tours. Horseshoe Bend is NOT a slot canyon, it's the Colorado River and you most definitely won't be walking through there! I've not done the kayak tour (of Horseshoe Bend), but I'm sure it would be fun. There's also an overlook, about half a mile from the highway, where folks commonly go just to look down on the amazing view of the 270 degree bend.

I've toured Antelope Canyon many times, and it's become so insanely popular that you can't just walk up and join a tour anymore, you need to pre-book (especially in the summer). The Upper Canyon and the Lower Canyon are seperate; (seperate admission, seperate tour companies); Upper Antelope Canyon is more popular, and more expensive, because it involves transportation to the canyon from Page, and does not require any climbing. It's a small area, and there are multiple tour companies, so it gets a bit like Times Square on New Year's Eve (with everybody taking selfies)!

The Lower Canyon has a parking lot that's walking distance from the entrance, so no transportation is required. The Lower Canyon is longer, and narrower, so the crowds are more spread out and it doesn't ever seem quite as jam-packed. The only drawback: the lower canyon requires climbing up and down steep metal ladders. Mid-day tours are best for taking pictures at either location. If you seriously want to see Antelope Canyon, reserve your spot on a tour as far ahead of time as possible.

Rick

Thanks for the quick response guys!

Dave, I did see KOA and that looks interesting but I didn't realise it was on Route 66 (might have to take a guitar!) so that looks really interesting. I am planning on talking to them about an early pick up but as you say, experience seems mixed. We have been to the Canyon before but it was before the kids were born so it's a fair point that we may well stop along the way for other options. Good thing is that if we only pick one tour in Page we have plenty of time.

Had a quick google of millers rest and that looks an interesting option.

GLC, Thanks, I thought it was illegal!

Rick, just goes to show how difficult it is without help! This is the site that is advertising the Horseshoe ben slot canyon tour, sounds like it's different to the main area?
This one is the kayaking tour. We like to kayak which is why it appealed and it looks like a different canyon to the other one.

Really appreciate all the help!

Peter

Thanks for the links--that changes just about everything I said! Looks like "Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon" is a completely different slot canyon that's in the same area as Antelope Canyon, and has nothing to do with the Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. The Antelope Canyon kayaking tour explores a segment of Antelope Canyon that's much closer to the lake, NOT the area with the world-famous walking tours. I'm not personally familiar with either of those excursions, so I can't yell you much more than that. If you end up doing those tours, it would be great if you could report back to us, and let us know how it went!

Rick

Of course Rick, I’ll report back on all aspects of the trip. I can’t wait!

Hi again! Thanks to all the help I received with my original post, we have a great trip planned starting in Las Vegas going around Grand Canyon, Antelope, Zion, Yosemite and in to San Francisco.

However, on the trip from Watchman, Zion to Upper Pines, Yosemite we are stopping in Tonopah for the night to break up the drive. We have three nights in Zion and only two in Yosemite, so only one full day. So I am thinking about trying to do the trip in one day to gain a valuable day in Yosemite. Is this possible? I expect it to take nearly 12 hours including breaks and I could bale out at one of the campgrounds near Lee Vining and have just 2 hours in the morning to get there and have most of the day in the park. I am assuming that whilst I can’t check in at that time I can park around Yosemite village.

What do you think? Is it worth trying?

Thanks.

Peter

moderator note: please don't create new threads to ask addition questions about this same trip.

It might be possible, but it is certainly a bad idea, and not just because it's way too far to try and travel in a day in an RV (although that's an issue too).

Under your plan, you're completely dismissing Tioga Pass and the high country as a part of Yosemite to be enjoyed, instead trying to race over it, at the end of a brutally long day on the road.

Also, it's all but guaranteed that any campground near Lee vining will be packed full long before you arrive. You could probably find a place to park and boondock, but even that will be something of a challenge, especially after 500 miles of rv travel.

Thanks Michael (and sorry for the new thread��).

I had forgotten about the recommendation for Tioga pass in my attempt to maximise time in Yosemite. I’ve had a quick look and I can see that I can make more than a day of travelling through there and stopping for walks.

Looks like Tonopah is the last proper RV site before there so parking there overnight and then driving the following morning through Tioga pass and stopping en route before arriving at upper pines (hopefully as can’t book it until 15th March) late afternoon might not only be the easiest option for me driving wise but also provide us with some amazing views on the way.

I’m definitely happy not to drive that far in a day so any tips about wher to stop on Tioga pass would much appreciated.

Ok, so I heeded the advice and booked the campgrounds as soon as they became available. However, there is a problem with Yosemite. I was online as they became available but they just disappeared as I watched. Every time i selected one, it had already gone.

But I did manage to get my 2 nights, just in 2 different pitches.

Are there any options to try to resolve this so I don't have to check out and in again? I don't want to waste any of our exploring time when we are there!

Thanks.