3 weeks summer road trip

Hi everyone !

I am really happy to have found this site ! I hope you could give me some advice on the road trip I just started planning for this August.
We would have only 3 weeks and it is our first time in USA.
So, we thought we would fly to New York and stay there for 3-4 days. Then we thought of flying to Phoenix where we would rent a car and start our road trip.
We would like to do Sedona, Grand Canyon, see Hoover Dam proceed to Las Vegas then through Death Valley to Los Angeles, Big Sur, San Francisco then drive north to Portland and Seattle (maybe even to cross over to Vancouver...) and then fly back home to Europe.

I would really appreciate your opinion on this 'ambitious' plan (planning is such a joy:) ) and also on the other things that might be interesting on the route especially the long drive from San Franciso to Portland.

Thank you all!

Lidija

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

With, say for instance 2 weeks from the Grand canyon to cover your road trip miles it would certainly be doable if you don't mind a fairly busy pace you should be fine, other than finishing the drive in Vancouver as you won't be able to rent a car in the US and drop off in Canada but you could use public transport if you wanted to.

There are quite a few options along your route and it would probably be wise to look at a good map and search the RTA pages for more info on what might appeal to you. You could cut inland from San Fran and visit Yosemite NP, a truly magnificent place. Some other inland options could include Tahoe, Lassen volcanic NP, Mt Shasta, Crater lake or following the coast some more through Fort Bragg towards the coastal Redwoods and towns or even a mixture of the two.

Have a look around, the planning really is part of the joy of a road trip !

Hi, 3 weeks its possible but you wont have much time in places as stated - youll want 2 to 3 days in vegas surely and you cant really go LV to LA via death valley without coming back on yourself a bit (enter via shoshone, leave via panamint) stay for a sunset if you can

We did san fran to yosemite to mamouth to death valley to vegas in 4 days taking it easy (300 miles aday approx)

Agree with going to yosemite - its one of the most awe inspiring places I've ever seen (2 days min needed here) glacier point at sunset is breathtaking (1/2 hour drive to top)

so much to do and see, just take your time to enjoy it and not just drive

Hello janzbro and welcome to the RTA forums ! Thanks for jumping in on your first post to offer help.

Quote:

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you cant really go LV to LA via death valley without coming back on yourself a bit (enter via shoshone, leave via panamint)

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There is also what is known as "the locals route" into Death valley by heading through Pahrump and taking Bell vista Ave/ Ash Meadows road to Death valley junction and then 190.

Thank you very much for your advice.
Janzbro thank you for signing in to the forum to reply to my post :)

I am happy to know it is doable and that you gave me a couple of more ideas on what to see on the way.
One more question - I was thinking to stay one night in a Hopi reservation. I know it is a bit off the route, but am really interested in their way of life. Has anybody been there?
Thank you for now - when we plan a more detailed program, we will come back to check with you (it's really not easy to 'cut down' on all the things we would like to see... :( ).

All the best!
Lidija

Dear all,

a friend and me are planning to go to Grand Canyon and visit skywalk. Since we will come there early afternoon and I guess we will want to spend there a couple of hours we are searching for accomodation nearby.
We plan to continue to Las Vegas next day and therefore we are looking for something on the way and it doesn't really seem that there are a lot of options...
It would be great if anyone can help with suggestion.

Thank you!

Lidija

Since the skywalk is a very long way removed from Grand Canyon National Park, there are pretty limited options for lodging. Hualapai Ranch is located right on the Indian Reservation where you'll find the skywalk, but that really is your only option right there. Otherwise, your only real nearby options are in Kingman - which is 70 miles away, and because of the nature of these underdeveloped roads, you're looking at nearly a 2 hour drive. Beyond that, you pretty much have to drive all the way back across the Hoover Dam, and get into the Vegas area which will take about 4 hours from GC West.

Thank you Michael for the quick reply. One more question regarding the road to there. Is it really that horrible as I have read in some reviews. We are going there with a rental car and would like to know that we will not make damage to the car.

Thank you!

BR,
Lidija

As the road is in parts unpaved you will have to check your rental agreement, and it will most likely state that you can not go off road, therefor making you responsible for any repair and/or recovery costs should they occur, plus they won't be happy that you broke the contract agreement..

I understand there is a bus service that takes you the final few miles over the unmade road but by the time you have added all the costs up it becomes expensive, especially for a "couple of hours". I would consider the South rim in the National park with it's easy access and it's many great views of the canyon.

Thank you cery much for your reply.
I am now trying to find a place to stay in Death Valley, or to be more exact , on the way from Las Vegas to Los Angeles through Death Valley. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you!

For an overnight stop and to give you as much time in DV as possible exploring I would look at Stovepipe Wells or Panamint Springs towards the Western edge of the park. There is limited lodging options and booking in advance would be advisable.