First Solo Road trip to westbound from Boston

New here! What a nice and helpful forum.

I just graduated and are done with school for good, so this is probably the last long vacation I can get once I start working. I am an international student and I can legally stay here until mid July. I have nothing much to do during this period so a long road trip sounds interesting to me as I can have a good last look of USA and think of my future when I am on the road alone.

My campanion will be a 98 VW GTI VR6. My traveling profile is:
Sightseeing, attractions, nature, major cities (not priority though), wildlife, buying magnets, sports (not too extremme though).
Have not tried camping but don't mind trying, motel, nice special must see hotel, car...
I guess rising at 5am and rest around 8~9pm.

I am looking to spend 2-3 weeks on the road alone, but may visit friends if I have the chance. I am not sure where to go but Yellowstone will be a must. Probably a circle like going to westbound thorugh the south and getting back through the north. I am still doing research in this forum and will post my tenative plan in here during this week. Please gimme feedback and recommendation during the process. I hope this will be a great and memorable trip!

I'd suggest a loop that includes: Colorado Rockies, Tetons (Jackson, WY), Yellowstone, Bryce and Zion (UT), Grand Canyon - DO NOT SKIP THIS, it is the single most spectacular place in the US of A. Might want to see Chicago on the way - nice art museum and pretty lake front. Maybe Philadelphia, NYC or DC on your way home.

Better get started. Alot of traveling to get done before July.

I have been to Grand Canyon before, so I am not gonna go there again.

Day 1: Depart at 5:30am, Boston to Indiana (836.3 m)
Day 2: Depart at 5:30am, Indiana to Kearney, NE (1705.0 m) Maybe make this into 3 days
Day 3: Arrive Rocky Mountain NP at noon (2032.7 m)
Day 4: Depart at 5:30am and arrive Great Sand Dunes NP at noon (2344.4 m)
Day 5: Depart at 5:30am and arrive Million $ hwy around 11am, chill there for a while and have lunch (not sure yet what to do). Leave around 2pm and get to Arches NP around 6 (2689.8 m)
Day 6: Depart around 1:30pm, arrive to Bryce Canyon NP at 8pm. (2968.6 m)
Day 7: Depart around 1:30pm, arrive Zion NP around 4pm. (3065.7 m)
Day 8: Depart around 6am, arrive Grand Teton NP around 7pm (3709.9 m)
Day 9: Depart around 4pm, arrive YSNP around 6pm (3794.7)
Day 10: YSNP
Day 11: YSNP
Day 12: Depart at 5:30am, arrive at the Mount Rushmore around 4pm (4297.7 m)
Day 13: Depart at 2:30pm, using I90 to head back toward east, stop driving around 8, call it a day at a motel. (4635.9 m)
Day 14: Depart at sunrise, drive and cruise toward east to get to Michigan. (5481.3 m)
Day 15: Depart at 5:30am, arrive Toronto around noon!! (5820.8 m)
Day 16: Depart at 1:30pm, get to Niagara Falls (5905.3 m) at 3ish, chill there for few hours, get back to US and drive towards home untill tired.
Day 17: drive home.

That's my rough plan... let me know what you think.
I see there are many NPs, especially in Colorado. I wonder are there be big differences bewteen Zion, Arches and Bryce?
I am kinda flexible, and actually have 21 days to go around. Which places I should go or stay longer?
I still have not figured out what to do in each places. I think figure it out tomorrow. Suggestions are welcome!


Thanks!

Quote:

---

Day 5: Depart at 5:30am and arrive Million $ hwy around 11am, chill there for a while and have lunch (not sure yet what to do).

---

How about a little train adventure? Mesa Verde seems like a great place to visit. If you plan on sleeping in that area, you could spend the night at The Kokopelli's Cave B&B.

Quote:

---

I wonder are there be big differences bewteen Zion, Arches and Bryce?

---

Yep, they're pretty close from each other but they have huge differences. Bryce is my favourite (highly sharpened pink needles and pine trees), closely followed by Arches (red rock formations) and finally Zion (golden rock and trees). If you go to Arches NP, be sure to hike to Delicate Arch. It is fairly easy (3 mi) and the view is breathtaking.

Have a great trip!
Gen

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by welllam

I see there are many NPs, especially in Colorado. I wonder are there be big differences bewteen Zion, Arches and Bryce?

---

I can only think of one NP in Colorado -- Rocky Mountains NP near Estes, Coloroado. The others you mentioned are in Utah. Here is a short field report about the area around Bryce.

Mark

Oh yea.. they are in Utah. Does the duration per stay sound reasonable? Is there any places I should stay longer or shouldnt go?

I just went to AAA to pick up the vacation guide. I got like 6-7 and they each worth at least $10 for free!

Ouray(aka switzerland of America) is a little over-rated(it does have cool waterfalls: Box canyon & Chasm- check with the locals for directions). But if you are stopping at Telluride, I would recommend taking the free Gondola to the top. The view is amazing! The walk from the parking lot to the Gondola start point along the river is too good.
There are a lot of waterfalls along the highway. Just pullover where you see cars and you may not miss anything. The San Juans are gorgeous. They are everywhere.
Visit the four corners National monument(UT, CO, NM, AZ) while you are in that area...I mean, if you visit Mesa Verde(good too), you are not far away.

If you visit Bryce, don't miss the sunrise.
Arches is a personal favourite too!

You have an amazing trip planned.
Good luck!

cheers :)
cool

Thanks for all the input. I have question about camping. Is it hard to camp in the national parkswithout a prior booking? I dont really know the exact day that I wanna camp until I am in the region. Is early june in the peak season already?

Also, i have heard about grizzle bear killing people for food. Does it really happen? If yes, what should I do to kill the bear?

First, early June is generally before peak and you shouldn't have too much trouble getting campsites. However, having reservations for weekend dates - particularly at the more popular parks isn't a bad idea.

As far as bears, You're not going to kill one without a high powered rifle, so the best bet is to avoid them in the first place. Seriously, If you put your food away when you are done with it and don't leave leftovers lying around your campsite, it is extremely unlikely you will have any problems with animals. To put it another way, the number of people who camp each year in Bear country is in the millions, but there are only a handful of bear attacks during a year - and most of them involve people who failed to use some of that precious common sense.

Believe me, if you are in an area, especially in a national park, where bears are an issue, there will be plenty of signs and instructions on what to do.

However, I believe that the more educated you are on something, the more comfortable you are going to be in the off-chance it does become an issue. I suggest reading this article that will give you tips on camping and hiking in bear country. It will also tell you what to do if you do encounter a bear.

I have camped in many dozens, if not hundreds, of campgrounds in my life. I have logged a lot of miles hiking. My husband has spent much more time in the woods than I have because he is also a hunter. And neither one of us have ever encountered a bear. Oh, my husband has seen evidene of bears (scat, footprints) and he has seen them way off in the distance (little specks even when using binoculars or scope) but never up-close. And we have camped/hiked in known bear country.

Since you are going to Yellowstone, and that is probably the place you would be most likely to encounter a bear (but still rare even there), you might want to read their tips on bear safety here. (Scroll about half-way down the page.) And then you might want to follow their suggested link to safety on the trails.

But, like Michael says, the chances of you encountering a bear are so rare that your chances of being struck by a meteor are probably higher.

Day 1 6/5/2006 Driving Day
05:30 Depart from Boston (I-90W)
20:00 Target Indiana (836 miles)

Day 2 6/6/2006 Driving Day
05:30 Start driving at I-80 W
20:00 Target Lincoln NE (869 miles)

Day 3 6/7/2006 Rocky Mountain National Park
05:30 Start driving at I-80
11:45 Rocky Mountain National Park


Day 4 6/8/2006 Great Sand Dunes National Monument
05:30 Start driving to Great Sand Dunes N.P.
12:30 Arrive Great Sand Dunes National Park (1 hr minimum)
2 Hours Jeep tour at 11AM


Day 5 6/9/2006 Durango and Silverton Train Ride
05:00 Start driving to the Durango and Silverton Station (4.5 hrs drive)
08:15/09:00/09:45 Train departs
19:00 Head towards the Gondola in Telluride (5:30 or 6:15)


Day 6 6/10/2006 Arches National Park
05:30 Start driving to Million Dollar Hwy
06:30 Arrive to Million Dollar Hwy
11:34 Entering Utah
13:40 Arrive to Arches National Park
Hike
Sunset

Day 7 6/11/2006 Bryce Canyon National Park
08:30 Start driving to Bryce Canyon National Park
15:12 Arrive to Bryce Canyon National Park
Sleep there...

Day 8 6/12/2006 Zion National Park
06:00 Wake up
06:30 Sunrise at Bryce Point
08:00 Start driving to Zion National Park
10:00 Arrive Zion National Park
Maybe leave earlier and get closer to Grand Teton

Day 9 6/13/2006 Grand Teton National Park
05:30 Start driving to Grand Teton National Park
15:52 Arrive Grand Teton National Park

Day 10 6/14/2006 Yellowstone National Park
13:00 Start driving to Yellowstone National Park
15:00 Arrive Yellowstone National Park

Day 11 6/15/2006 Yellowstone National Park
Day 12 6/16/2006 Yellowstone National Park

Day 13 6/17/2006 Mount Rushmore

Day 14 6/18/2006 Driving Day
08:00 Keep checking out South Dakota
14:30 Start driving towards Toronto!
20:00 Target Aurora

Day 15 6/19/2006 Driving day
05:30 Start driving to Toronto!
07:06 Entering Minnesota
11:56 Entering Wisconsin
15:03 Entering Illnois
17:12 Entering Indiana
19:03 Entering Michigan
20:00 Drive until seeing a motel

Day 16 6/20/2006 Toronto
05:30 Start driving towards Toronto
12:24 Arrive Toronto

Day 17 6/21/2006 Niagara Falls
13:30 Start driving to Nigara Falls
15:04 Arrive Niagara Falls
19:00 Drive home


Day 18 6/22/2006 Drive Home

I still have 3 days as margin in case I wanna stay in some place longer or getting tired. I haven't gotten any camping equipment though. I wanna get something cheap, but not bad. I saw some in Target today and it was like $30 for a backpack camp. It sounds kinda sketchy but there is better looking one selling at $60 which fits 3. Is there any shops that I should go check out? I have about $150 to spend on and I have to get it tomorrow.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by welllam

[ .. ]

I still have 3 days as margin in case I wanna stay in some place longer or getting tired. I haven't gotten any camping equipment though. I wanna get something cheap, but not bad. I saw some in Target today and it was like $30 for a backpack camp. It sounds kinda sketchy but there is better looking one selling at $60 which fits 3. Is there any shops that I should go check out? I have about $150 to spend on and I have to get it tomorrow.

---

Is that the Greatlands tent? I've never owned one, but the folks I know that have say its an OK tent -- not real heavy duty but not bad. Just make sure you set up it at least once before you go to make sure you have all the parts and know how to put it together (and take it down). If you're traveling solo, its a big enough tent it looks like (9' x7', and 4' high), and big enough for two.

From the look at your itenerary you'd be doing to a lot of camping in the dark. Give some thought to maybe slowing down a little and damping around dusk. Else get yourself an LED headlamp (and you might want to get a headlight anyway). Why? If you're putting together your tent after dark, you'll want to use both your hands -- and a headlight is the best way to do that job in the dark. I've held lights in my teeth, propped them on rocks, hung them from tree branches, used the headlights of my car, etc -- but a headlamp is the best solution. The LED lights aren't super bright but will burn for about 80 hours on a set of AA batteries. Similarly if you're putting together a sandwich or something after dark -- or rolling out your sleeping bag. Consider how you'll do it in the dark... I also use my headlamp to read in the tent after dark..

I'd also consider backing off a little on the itenerary -- if you're hitting the road at 5:30, that's just when the sun comes up. And it looks like you'll be pushing until 8 pm at night some nights.. Treat the road trip as a vacation, and relax a bit, IMHO. Some of the best road trips I've taken had no itenerary or plans, but just flipped a coin and headed out.

Also, consider "Plan B", contingeny plans just in case. What happens if its raining somewhere? Do you stop? Keep going? Pitch the tent anyway (if its time to stop)? What about a flat? or a need a new battery? Notthing to freak out about, but always something to keep in the back of your mind.

My expensive ($300+ way back in the 1980s) REI dome tent bit the dust a few years back. I didn't have the funds to replace it with another good one. So I visited Sears a bagged a tent for $35 that I've been using for 7 years now. It's excellent. It's a 2-person, lightweight tent with a nice rainfly and good features that allow for release of condensation, etc. It has served me well and has been real sturdy. I've been fairly careless with the way I've treated it since it was so cheap and it's still almost like new. I'm impressed. It's a Hillary brand.

I don't use my expensive down sleeping bags unless I'm backpacking because I really prefer soft flannel to nylon for sleeping. My current sleeping bags were about $12 each at Wal-Mart.

My sleeping pad is a nice Coleman self-inflating one but if you're not gonna use it often, you could probably get by with a cheap closed-cell pad that you can buy most anywhere for about $10-15.

And then just the pillow from off your bed at home.

If you're planning on cooking, you can get buy with an inexpensive single-burner propane stove that shouldn't run you much more than $20-25. Then add a cheap cookset for about $15 and you're pretty well set.

That's around $100. Shop around. Lots of good stuff for not much cash out there!

I totally agree with Larrison about the headlamp. I love mine. And, to be honest, if you are trying to put up a tent using your car headlights in a campground with other tent-campers close by, you're not gonna make any friends.

I also agree with Larrison about your itinerary. You've scheduled yourself way too tightly, my young roadtripper. Is this a business trip or a vacation? Do you want to come back from your trip feeling refrreshed and rejuvenated or so tired you'll need to sleep your trip off? Ease off on your schedule. You don't have to see it all this trip. You're young and you will have the opportunity for many more roadtrips in your future.

Like Larrison, some of my best trips have been when I've just gotten in the car and driven wherever my fancy leads me without any itinerary.

I have been thinking of taking it easy, but this is most likely the only time that I can travel for such extended period of time before retiring :( Once I start working, I have no idea whether I can take a vacation longer than a week. I wanna take a good look at the colorada plateau before I leave America. My plan is all flexible. If anything goes wrong, I will just skip those that I am less interested.

I bought the tent from Target. It is the backpack size from Greatland. I set it up in my room in a pretty straight forward manner. It looks decent! I havent bought any cooking tools though, but I will get some snacks, bread, delimeat, and V8 i case I get hungry.

I will head out tomorrow and see how far i can go in a day. I hope this will be fun. Thanks for all the input. I will keep you guys posted.

Since you're pushing yourself, eat healthy. Get fruit and cut-up veggies at delis in grocery stores, eat salads, and other healthy options. When you say you're getting snacks, I hope that means healthy snacks and not junk food. It will really make a difference when you're pushing yourself.

Have a great trip! I'll look forward to your reports!

Hello, I am at Nebreska right now and dinning at Applebee's. Nothing really special along the way before arriving the first national park I will see -- Rocky Mountain National Park.

I drove 600 yesterday and about 900 today. Eating mostly the better fast food, such as quiznos, some fresh sandwiches, and salads. I will most likely go to a family resturant at night.

Havent been to a camp site yet, but I will most likely camp in Rocky mountain.
Driving long distance isnt as bad as I though. I kinda enjoy it, but not only when I am sleepy. Really love it when there are a line of cars moving at really high speed.

I will take good pics tomorrow at Rocky!

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the long drives. Just make sure not to push yourself when you're sleepy. It's better to pull over in a parking lot somewhere and catch some winks than to fall asleep at the wheel. And caffeine only goes so far. Take care of yourself and I'll look forward to your Rocky Mtn pictures.

been to:
Great sand dunes: got lost going there. trusted the gps so much that leaded me to the other side of the park, which wasnt the entrance. however it was an unpaved road i got a fishtailing at a turn. it was awesome!! the bad part is the bumpy road screwed up my alignment.

Durango and Silverton Narrow gauge
Awesome scenery alone the ride. I love the river, which is sooooo grand. I took about 500+ pics in one day. I got soot all around my face and hair, inside my nose and ears...

Today i went to Mesa Verde NP and Telleride...:
Wow... absolutely amazing. Went to the CLiff palace and the balcony. Couldnt believe how the ancient poeple build something like that.
Telluride... what a chill-out town. Ridiculously slow speed limit (15 MPH). Surrounded by very tall mountains. Rode the gondola up to the top. Watched hte sunset. Very nice view.

Unfortunately, i havent had the chance to camp yet because I mostly finish visiting around 5~6 and feel that driving closer to the next destination is a better choice. I think I will camp in teton, bruce and yellowstone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by welllam

been to:
Great sand dunes: got lost going there. trusted the gps so much that leaded me to the other side of the park, which wasnt the entrance. however it was an unpaved road i got a fishtailing at a turn. it was awesome!! the bad part is the bumpy road screwed up my alignment.

---

Tsk. Tsk. The next time you are on a bumpy road, lower your tire pressure to 15 to 25 lbs -- better on the road, better on your suspension and alignment and better on your back.

Quote:

---

Durango and Silverton Narrow gaugeAwesome scenery alone the ride. I love the river, which is sooooo grand. I took about 500+ pics in one day. I got soot all around my face and hair, inside my nose and ears...

---

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/durango1.jpg
I will add a photo for you. (In the photo above you can see people in the open-car, probably like Wellam was in -- and you do get covered in soot!)

Thanks for the field reports. One of these days we will get the photo-sharing software working and installed on this site.

Mark

Following r the places that I have already been there! Currently in Mitchell SD and gonna head to Canada tomorrow. Detail report later!

Yellowstone!
http://xa9.xanga.com/971a537ad5c3261.../m40982487.jpg

Rocky Mountain, CO
http://xe8.xanga.com/d81815241930960.../m40310482.jpg

Mesa Verde, UT
http://x44.xanga.com/fcd802275610860.../m40310419.jpg

Zion, UT
http://x56.xanga.com/ae081b2b19d3960.../m40310653.jpg

Telluride, CO
http://x12.xanga.com/e7c80a2b1937860.../m40310531.jpg

Mt Rushmore, SD
http://xe0.xanga.com/d60a04f447c3061.../m41123760.jpg

Badland, SD
http://xdc.xanga.com/a3ba07f7d723061.../m41123485.jpg

Jewel Cave, SD
http://xf9.xanga.com/860a34f5d4c3361.../m41123430.jpg

Durango, CO
http://x62.xanga.com/984086163615860.../m40310191.jpg

Bryce, UT
http://x1c.xanga.com/6fd817275474960.../m40310172.jpg

Arches, UT
http://x79.xanga.com/aab066210005660.../m40310128.jpg

Thanks for sharing your photos.

Mark

Thanks for sharing. Can't wait for more.