First time help please- from UK

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to plan the ever popular road trip from SF to vegas taking in the important sights over 14 nights. I can even start at say pnoenix and finish there if a circuit is best. Basically i'm open to all the help i can get.

We are a married mid 30's couple who take photography equally seriously with good holidays. We are hoping to pick up a car and move comfortably through yosemite, utah, arizona, nevada, new mex etc etc but don't know exactly. This may need two trips to do well. My main concerns are;

1) when do i go?
2) where do i stay that is scenic or rustic, yet comfortable. we'd love to be at a ranch and then move on to a motel if required and then to whatever so we get a feel for the place.
3) Where are the photos best taken and what time of day?
4) How much should this cost?
5) Is there a good guide to planning the roadtrip ?

Thanks in advance, i'm sorry for the list.

K

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Well, the first thing I'm going to tell you is that in my opinion, there are no hard and fast answers to any of your questions. There are options and preferences, but everyone will pick a slightly different route and places to see, that's the beauty of the classic RoadTrip, so let me just lay out what some of your options are. First, I think, you'll need to decide when to come and what city to use as your flight destination. You actually have several options. I think that there are direct flights between London and San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, and maybe even Salt Lake City. Each of those would serve as a gateway to the American Southwest.

As far as timing, I'd suggest either late spring or early fall, say May or October. These times would have the advantage of being outside the most heavily traveled periods and would offer the best chance of having moderate temperatures in both the desert and mountain portions of your trip. The downside is that you run some risk of having some of the Sierra Nevada mountain passes being closed due to snow. Still there would be ways around in that case. In general, the best pictures of the amazing landscapes are taken in morning and evening light, but if you're even an avid amateur, you can get great images at any time of day.

Cost will depend to a very large extent on your travel style. My wife and I tend to travel modestly but well (no camping but comfortable accommodations and good meals) and I use $150/day as a rule of thumb for food and lodging. Flights and care hire are separate unique items and petrol can be calculated once you know how many miles you'll be driving. And finally, the regulars around here would agree with me (I think) that you have in fact already found one of the best all-around guides to planning a RoadTrip by finding this web site. To help you plan your trip, you should start by looking through these discussions of what's available in the general area you want to visit. That should get you started.

AZBuck

Hello and welcome to R.T.A.

I can't add much to what Buck has said, but I will emphasise that these forums are a fantastic source of information and helped us a great deal in planning our first ever trip from the U.K and you can see how it turned out in our trip report that covers much of what you have mentioned already and may give you an insight.

San Francisco was our choice, I am not a city fan but have always wanted to visit S/F and enjoyed our short time there with a side trip to Alcatraz.
We went in mid October and was glad we did, the crowds were gone, the colours and light were great for photography and the temperatures were just right for hiking through the canyons, although you need layers of clothing as it gets chilly to cold on the high ground at night. Our only regret is that the waterfalls in Yosemite are pretty much dried up this time of year but missing the crowds and closures on the high ground in the park was more of a priority.
Although the days are getting shorter it gives you ample opportunity to capture those sunsets and sunrises, and boy, they're incredible.

Once you have got a couple more ideas come back with some more questions
and we can help you piece it all together.

Thank you guys for the pointers.


I'm not sure i'm patient enough to wait till next october so it's likely to be may 2009. I will use your advice and look at the links here. This is a great site and i'm glad i found it. I was lookin at the North American Travel service brochure for hotel/motel ideas and a route structure. There's one they call the pueblos and canyons which i broadly like. I wouldn't book that though because then i'm restricted to that timescale. Also, does one drive without hotel/ ranch etc reservations ahead or can you just roll up?

Which map, accomodation guide should i buy to plan this thing?

Thanks

Kul

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Also, does one drive without hotel/ ranch etc reservations ahead or can you just roll up?

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It largely depends upon your own comfort level/desire to balance risk (that you won't easily find a room) with freedom (to change your plans at will). This article discusses the pros and cons of each option. Personally, I rarely make reservations, except when I know I'm going to be in a specific place at a specific day or I know the area is in high demand (like the grand canyon) and motels are likely to fill up.

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Which map, accomodation guide should i buy to plan this thing?

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You can check out our map recommendations here, but you might also check into the UK's version of AAA (I believe its called the AA?). They should be able to provide both maps and books with hotel recommendations.

Thanks all,


I've read SW daves trip report. Great pics and description. It seems there's a lot of RV talk here. Is this what makes it best or can i hire a nice 4x4 or something as there's only 2 of us?

Also RV suggests campgrounds rather than hotel motel etc? Is this right? Do u choose this because you're closer to the scenery or does it not matter ?

We'd like to stay in places that are reasonably comfortable except pay more where the view or the experience counts. By this i mean maybe a night in a ranch as opposed to a hotel. Or maybe in San Fran and vegas?

I don't know if there is an accomodation guide. Is there one?

Cheers

Sorry bout the questions.

Kul

I think your biggest problem might be that you don't understand what an RV is? An RV is a self contained unit, basically a home on wheels. You wouldn't stay in a motel because you'd already have everything that you'd get in a motel with you. Campgrounds give you a place to park, with water and electricity, and a place to dump the sewage tanks.

Its certainly not the only way to travel, but its an option that a lot of people like. It sounds to me like you're looking for more of a motel based trip, which is a perfectly fine way to travel.

4x4's are available to rent, but they tend to be more of a vanity issue than a practical one. Even if it has 4 wheel drive, you can't take it off road, and you'll end up paying significantly more than you would for a regular sedan.

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Originally Posted by K and S

Thanks all,


I've read SW daves trip report. Great pics and description. It seems there's a lot of RV talk here. Is this what makes it best or can i hire a nice 4x4 or something as there's only 2 of us?

Also RV suggests campgrounds rather than hotel motel etc? Is this right? Do u choose this because you're closer to the scenery or does it not matter ?
Kul

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The R.V is just a personal choice and the way we like to get around. It offers a lot of advantages as well as some disadvantages, the main disadvantage, especially for 2 of you would be the cost, which would more than likely come to more than renting a car and hotels, but it does give you a certain amount of freedom. Once again it's a personal opinion but It can get you closer to the scenery, it's the whole 'sitting around the campfire' thing appeals to us and makes us feel more part of it.
Personally I would'nt bother with a 4x4, you won't need one and it will just add costs so a nice car will do the same job for less, and quite possibly more comfortably.

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We'd like to stay in places that are reasonably comfortable except pay more where the view or the experience counts. By this i mean maybe a night in a ranch as opposed to a hotel. Or maybe in San Fran and vegas?

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For accomodations in the National parks you can navigate your way around there site. More expensive than staying outside but it saves you a lot of time travelling in and out in some cases and puts you right amongst the heart of it.

For other accomodations we just googled places that we thought we may end up in on a night and had a look through vacancys and checked them out on trip advisor.

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Sorry bout the questions.

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No problem, all the time you need to just keep asking away. ;o)

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Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

I think your biggest problem might be that you don't understand what an RV is? An RV is a self contained unit, basically a home on wheels. You wouldn't stay in a motel because you'd already have everything that you'd get in a motel with you. Campgrounds give you a place to park, with water and electricity, and a place to dump the sewage tanks.

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Hi,

I do understand what an Rv is but not the reasons behind choosing one for us. As Dave has said, we can go with a comfortable car and have the same access to areas. I think an Rv might be too big to drive around for just 2. It does sound nice to sit round a fire etc but emptying sewage tanks etc isn't quite as nice sounding.

How bout a convertible? That sounds good, but are they cold in the higher passes in may or too hot in the day to enjoy?

We had one in england but it was as useful as a chocolate teapot with the weather here.

I will look at the lodges in Grand canyon, yosemite etc.
Should i be planning the route first with a map. I have 14 days or so, any thoughts on how many days in each place?

Do i see denver in all this or am i going too wide here?

Cheers,

K

Hi,
A convertable does sound good and I would think you will have plenty of opportunity to get the roof down, whether it is practical for carrying all your stuff around and the extra expense is something you would have to look at.

I would start by looking at some on line mapping such as google maps or windows live to get an idea of distances but there times are often way short of the reality.
The parks are massive and a couple of nights in each will give you time for an overview of Yosemite and Grand canyon but again in reality you could spend 14 days in Yosemite alone. A lot will depend on how you want to split your time between driving and sight seeing and walking, it's good to get a nice balance.
Unless you do a one way drop off between San Fran and Denver [which would cost extra] then I would say it's to far from S/F to Denver and return given your time frame.

The idea of pointing you towards our trip was to give you an idea of possibilities for visiting rather than the R.V approach.

I would do a little more research on distances, where you are going to start and put a rough itinerary together and we can then help you piece it together and fine tune it with you.

It doesn't sound like an RV is for you. It's mostly a lifestyle (or travel style) choice and unless you've done it before and find that you really like it, a trip of this magnitude is not the place to try it out, regardless of what others (who love that mode of travel) might say. If you're traveling for the scenery and want to stop at motels and ranches, then what you want is a vehicle that gets pretty good mileage and has good visibility. A convertible certainly fills that bill, but will cost a bit more than a standard sedan. By the same token a 4x4 (light truck) or 4WD/AWD car are not really going to help you on this kind of trip. You can get pretty much anywhere you want to go in a normal sedan and besides, if you read the fine print on any rental contract for a rugged SUV it will almost invariably prohibit taking the vehicle off-road in any event. Just get a comfortable car that will get you where you want to go in some semblance of style and ease. The rest is all just window dressing and usually not worth it.

You mentioned in an earlier post that you were thinking about staying at ranches and such. That is also possible and such accommodations range from B&Bs similar to the Irish Farmhouse accommodations to Dude Ranch Resorts that will cost you several hundred dollars a day but include horseback rides, lectures and all meals. Everybody's tastes are a little different, so search the web using the terms "dude ranch", "bed and breakfast", "vacation rental", and the name of any town or area where you think you may want to stay and see what pops up.

By all means get a map of the U.S., or better yet just the region you'll be traveling in and start marking it up. Not only will it give you a clearer picture of where you're going, the distances involved, and the other sites that are nearby, but it will also serve as a great reminder of your trip years from now. And personally, I would think that Denver is a bit far afield for a 2 week trip through the American Southwest. I'd limit myself to California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. You can't even do just those 4 states justice in two weeks. Trying to do more would just spread yourself too thin.

AZBuck

What do ya think of these tourism DVDs available through national parks?

Do you advise buying this for me to plan?


Cheers,

K

I think a convertible would be great but my camera stuff is worth 1000's so thats a ?

I'm not sure that they would help you plan but rather to show you what to expect when you get there. Personally I think you should find plenty of info on the Internet and none more so than at The official N.P.S site for the parks. Use the map to navigate your way around the parks you may want to visit and you will find lots of visitor info on each one.

Like I said earlier, you can't really go wrong with a nice sized comfy car for practicality and cost, but it really is down to the individual.

Those videos are coming from a private travel company that isn't affiliated with the National Parks System. Quite frankly, it looks to me like you'd be spending $20 for a commercial for a travel company - and one that at least in my opinion doesn't look all that reputable.

The official national park website (linked above by dave) does have a ton of great information and it would be the first place I'd look. There are also a number of DVDs out there to help you get a preview of what you'd see, but I would look for ones produced by a more repuatable company like National Geographic or maybe the Travel Channel.

As far as a convertable goes, they will still have a trunk where you could lock your gear. It may be smaller than a standard sedan, so you might need to pack a little more lightly, but you should still be able to have security and the fun of a convertable, if thats what you decide to go with.

Hi again,

Thanks for the advice, and please don't get bored telling me. I need help.

Looked at the yosemite official site- wow there's a lot to see and do just there!!! They have a daily photography tour, art classes and guided walks etc. But is end of May a good time or earlier or later. Photographically as well as temperatures in nevada, etc?

The ahwanee lodge seems to be well liked place to stay at yosemite, any user reviews?

also had a brief look at dude ranches. These tend to tell you where they are but no idea if they are close to parks or en route or out of the way. Also they tend to be for a long stay than overnight. Would anyone know more about just staying one night or is it not worth it?

I haven't looked into the places you're talking about myself, but I suspect the biggest reason that these places aren't usually one night stays is because they are destinations in and of themselves.

By that I mean, I imagine they are resort type places with a variety of activities to give a "ranch experience." Staying just one night wouldn't give you the opportunity to take part in those activities, thus you really wouldn't be their target customer.

As far as locations, I think you'll just have to take their addresses, put them into a map program like Google and see where they are in relation to the rest of your stops.

If that's the kind of thing you want to experience on your trip, you should go for it, but you probably should set aside at least a couple days to make it worthwhile.

I have the following as a wish list. Is this a possibility or not?

San Francisco or Phoenix to enter USA and leave by vegas.

I'd like to see Bryce, zion, GC, monument valley, yosemite i guess.
Lodges in the park- Xanterra is a company with many but are they ok?

The thing is, am i better off with a circular route or a one way? Is car hire much more expensive one way?

If i do a circle, which of the above should i miss out?

I will have about 15 days to do this.

Cheers,

Kul

What do you think of the routes attached below?

Hi there,

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I have the following as a wish list. Is this a possibility or not?

San Francisco or Phoenix to enter USA and leave by vegas.

I'd like to see Bryce, zion, GC, monument valley, yosemite i guess.

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Yes, it is.

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The thing is, am i better off with a circular route or a one way? Is car hire much more expensive one way?

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They really are just choices, you can see as many different places in a loop as you can a single route, it would mainly depend on if there is something you must see outside of that loop or you want a different destination.
You would have to look at the different one way drop of fees each company charges, at a guess $2-$300.

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If i do a circle, which of the above should i miss out?

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They are still all possible, as shown in our 15 days. The thing is we are all individuals and a long drive to some maybe a walk in the park for others so we need to establish how many miles/hours you want to devote to travelling and how many to staying in one place, this will determine how much you can get to see, or at least the possibilities.

An example could be
2 nights San Fran > 2nights Yosemite > 2 nights Death valley/Vegas > 2 night Zion >
1 night Bryce > 1 night Monument valley > 2 nights Grand canyon.

Please remember it's just an example, but that is a fairly relaxed pace with 12 nights gone and 3 remaining. Now if you was flying out of Vegas you could skip it on the way down and end up there, maybe spending more time between Bryce and M/V such as lake powell/Page or towards Phoenix such as the Sedona area.
If you headed back to San Fran you could see the Giant sequoias through part of the park or part of the coast would be an option[but poss a bit rushed
Like I say just ideas so you can piece bits together, but it's when you have these bits in place is when we can really help piece it together with overnight stops, timing et.c.

Have you tried a mapping tool yet such as Google maps. Click on the link and you will find the "get directions"
tool on the left of the page, type in a start and finish location and it will give you the mileage and travel time for each possible stop. The mileage is fine but the time does'nt allow for any delays, lunch, fuel stops or sightseeing so you have to allow plenty of time for that.

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Originally Posted by K and S

The ahwanee lodge seems to be well liked place to stay at yosemite, any user reviews?

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We are heading on a trip next month and have pretty much chosen all of our accommodation using this site. The Awahnee gets great reviews but it's VERY expensive. We have chosen to stay at the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, but have booked dinner at the Awahnee so we can have a good look around!

The planning has been SO exciting - I hope the trip lives up to it!

Tracey

I do use tripadvisor and it's ok i suppose. I wonder whether people just get their in and out flights and then make the journey up as they go. My fear is that my wife and i really love a place and have to move on.

It would be nice to have a couple of days but what do you all think of how long at each spot below

San Fran
Yosemite
Monument Valley
Bryce
Zion
Grand canyon
Las Vegas


That seems a long list for 15 days but i'm sure some places could have a full week. I'd need to be there for the best light for photos if possible.

Any ideas on how to break this up. I do take note of SW daves plan and appreciate it. I only think i'd like 3-4 nights in vegas at the end before flying home.

Forgot to ask when it's best to go for less crowds but maybe flowers out. Is end of may best or earlier?

Cheers

I've been in Southern Utah and just finished a trip to California. Mile-per-Mile, I think Utah and the Grand Canyon area wins. California's Sierras were nice, but the time to drive through the real mountainous areas really limits your time.

Southern Utah is a must see for any world traveler. So many national parks that are absolutely stunning. Arches was the one I made it to. But even the back roads through there are a sight to see.

Sykotyk

Just got back from 2 weeks in the west coast.

We flew fron London to LA. 2 days in LA then hired a car and drove the coast route to Monterey (amazing scenery). 1 night in Monterey where we did the '17 mile drive' which was mega! Then onto San Francisco for 4 nights. Left San Fran and drove to Yosemite and staying in Curry Village - excellent location. After 2 nights in Yosemite we headed for Las Vegas to drop the car off and spend 4 days! Took the chopper from LV to the Grand Canyon which was great. We then flew out of Las Vegas. Really easy and amazing road trip!

wow,

i'm glad u guys posted ur views. I love so many places but i don't want my wife to feel rushed and on the road all the time. i realise we're on roadtripamerica and i love this site, but we want to take it all in.

I am considering the time of year as well as the circuit.


is ther a big hot baloon event in the area that is on next year?

we'd love to catch some festivities.

Kul