Time management?-Kenosha,Wi.>Grand Canyon

What is the best way to figure out how much time we will need for our trip? We plan on driving from Kenosha, Wi. straight to the Grand Canyon then to the Four Corners monument and also to see some family in Greeley, Co. for a couple days we will be taking turn's driving 4hrs. at a time between my husband and I. Napping while the other drives. We have two kids, 15 G & 11 B. We are also bringing our 7yr. old yellow lab. We would love to camp but think that might be pushing it with time. We have 10 days(with a couple on the back burner for emergencies), there and back. We usually map out corky landmarks/monuments to stop at when we take our fill up breaks but this time we are going to try and hit some of the diners drive-ins and dive restaurants for when we need to stop and eat. Im not sure if we should go south then west, north then back east or do do the other direction circle. or just do as mapquest says go west then south and reverse the same way?

Roadtrippers seems to be a good site. I just haven't figured out how to change the route without pulling the white dots and messing up the map.

what other site could you recomment. We are also a retired Navy family. Not sure if there are any cheaper facilities for that reason.

Thank you for reading my frustration's. I hope i made some sense in what I was trying to ask. This is my first post to this site.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Kenosha to the Grand Canyon is about 1800 miles, which requires a minimum of 3 days travel each way. Even those are long days being on the road for at least 10-12 hours a day, with very limited time to stop for anything beyond food, fuel, and letting the dog run around for a bit. Considering you're traveling with kids and a pet, planning for 4 days each way - making lots of little stops each day, would probably be a lot more enjoyable for everyone involved. For that matter, I don't know what stopping at diners/dives would keep you from also visiting quirky landmarks along the way.

As far as how to plan your trip, I don't see any significant difference in the direction you travel, but I would certainly be looking to use different routes for your trip there and your trip back. I would also not at all discount a good paper map/atlas. First, real maps are essential for travel - and can not be replaced by a GPS - but they will give you a big picture look at all of your options and what will be along your way in fashion that you just can't get on a computer screen.

Of course there are tools online that can also help you plan, with this site of course being one of them. RTA's Map Center is designed to help you find personally recommended sites right along your path.

Following Michael's advice will ease some of your frustrations. Laying out a good sized map of the US will help as well. Get a good overview of what you are planning and where you are going. Then go online and see what there is along your chosen route which interests you.

To ease your frustrations even further, why not get the children to do some of this research. The whole trip will be much more interesting for them if they have an investment in its planning.

Enjoy the planning, it is such a large part of the trip.

Lifey

Thank you so much Michael. You have given me some vital information to implement. It took us one day to travel to Florida from Kenosha. While stopping for breaks and cool landmarks. People told us that, that was fast. With that in mind do you still think it would take 4 days for us to get there? I agree with you 100% about the paper atlas. we bring one on every road trip and sometimes i have a printed direction sheet and we use our gps. Over planning slightly i know. I like to have back ups and sometimes backups for those backups. lol

I think your idea of getting the kids involved is an amazing idea. I will do that! thank you

Getting from Kenosha to Florida isn't just fast, it's dangerous. Even at its closest point, it's a 1000 mile drive, which is just way too much for 2 drivers to safely do without stopping for real sleep. It had to take you about 20 hours on the road. Doing something like that, especially while traveling with children, is strongly discouraged on this site.

Having said that, driving 1000 miles in 1 sitting is vastly different from trying to cover anything close to that over multiple days. Think of it as the difference between a marathon and sprint. The inevitable fatigue you'll have after the first day is going to increase multiple times over when you try to get back on the road for day two.

600 miles a day is the absolute maximum that can be recommended over a multiple day trip. That also happens to be roughly along the same lines as what professional drivers are allowed to do. As was mentioned, that will already be at least 10-12 hours on the road before you add in anything beyond the minimum, basics stops.

It did take us about that amount of time.

The perspective you gave on the differences of traveling multiple days with the marathon and sprint is what i need to hear. This is why I am asking those who have more experience than I / we do! Thank you for the information. It is helping me bring things together.

I'm thinking I will see if there are any camp sites along the way. This will be cheaper and more dog friendly im sure. I think we might travel south then west, see the sites and stay a night and then go north and visit family for a day or two and head home.

Do you think we will have enough time that way? I do appreciate your helpful information

These days, if you are card-carrying retired military, you can stay the night on most military bases at quite reasonable cost.

If you can take the emergency days off the back burner and add them to the trip, you will find it could make for a memorable trip. A couple of days with family, a couple of days at the GC and 7 - 8 days there and back. That should give time to check out things of interest along the way.

A couple of suggestions. If they have not done this in the past, make sure the children keep a daily journal of the trip. It need not be lengthy, and can (should) include what they did / see in words, drawings and photos, as well as any souvenirs such as entry tickets. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so allow them each to develop their own style. It might surprise you.

The other is, make sure, if you possibly can, to take in a sunrise and / or sunset over the canyon. It is an experience not to be missed.

Lifey

Camping is a great way to spend the night while on the road, especially when traveling with a family and a dog. Its not usually hard to find good spots to camp - your atlas should have good option, like state parks with camping, marked right on it.

If you do camp, keep in mind, it will require some extra space, which I suspect will already be at a bit of a premium traveling with 2 kids and a large dog. Camping doesn't have to take a lot of extra time, but it will take some, as campsites are a little farther from the highway, and you'll need time to set-up/tear-down, and it does usually mean that you'll want to be off the road by sunset so you don't have to set up in the dark, or run into problems with setting up camp after quiet hours.

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Originally Posted by glc

These days, if you are card-carrying retired military, you can stay the night on most military bases at quite reasonable cost.

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We've tried that on several occasions, but have never succeeded. So many bases have their lodges full with active duty on PCS orders. We generally try reservations for weeks ahead of time, and keep calling back, and still have no luck. Hopefully others have better luck than we have.


Donna

True, there doesnt seem to be very many posts along the route though. We are going to camp in Flagstaff at KOA site.

I really like the journal idea. I didn't think of that! They both have cool journals they could use already. Thank you!! We will try to make a point to see a sunrise/set. The emergency days. Im going to leave those. I know how exhausted we are when we get home from a trip and it will be nice to relax a minute when we get back if possible.

We are going to camp in Flagstaff at the KOA site! Its a LOT cheaper and more one with nature. Just what we like. and then when we go up north we will get a hotel with a pool or something. I figure thats a good compromise. It will be nice if we get there at the site before dark (fingers crossed)

I will tell you that many here, including myself, are not real big fans of KOA campsites, especially if you're tent camping.

They tend to be quite expensive relatively speaking, more RV focused, and rarely "one with nature." If you are looking for a place with resort-style amenities, like pools and arcades, they can work, but if you're looking to save money and enjoy nature, their are often better choices.

Having said that, I don't know anything about the specific location in Flagstaff, it may be perfectly fine, but I would also make sure you look at some of your options in the National Forests that surround the Flagstaff area. Also, just in general, I would keep National Forests in mind as they tend to be much more pet friendly than National Parks.

Oh WOW Michael I did not know that about KOA. Granted it is an opinion but none the less one to take into consideration. I just googled camp sites in and around the area and this was the one that popped up with availability. They also offered a military discount. We already made reservations but next time i will try to opt for something else.

9 times out of 10, a reservation is cancel-able. Check KOA's cancellation policies.

Personally, I'm with the others who say that KOA's aren't really made for tent campers. They're designed mostly for folks with motorhomes (MH), travel trailers (TT) and fifth wheels (5W) that want full hookups, shower facilities, and resort-type amenities. Most KOA's have a small plot of grass or dirt for the tenter, if you're lucky. (My dad is a former KOA owner.)

You can look for the national forest campgrounds. They typically will not have shower facilities, though there will be restroom facilities of some sort, access to water near your site, and the sites are usually flat. They'll also be lots cheaper!

My parents used to stay at Black Bart's whenever they had their TT out. They loved going into the steakhouse to enjoy the food and a show, which was primarily done by students at Coconino College and Northern AZ Univ. However, I'm not sure if they had tent sites, and Mom said she doesn't remember.


Donna

I will check it out Donna. Thanks for the vital information. and asking your mom for me =D

tried looking up a campsite but couldnt find any as close as the KOA one. we dont need all of the extra stuff but we would like to have at least a flushing toilet and shower. does anyone know a website to find one? all that ive found had no toilet, no shower and still wanted $18

How much is the KOA with your discount?

It looks like KOA is about $40 a night, and at that point you might want to look at budget hotels, which might not be much more.

You might want to look at Fort Tuthill, which offers camping for military families for just $9. There is also a county park with a similar name. Not sure about showers on either of them though. You mentioned nothing being "as close" as the KOA. Is there a specific reason you need to stay in town?

Its $33 per night and we get a 10% discount for military...so basically no tax. which is better than nothing. They also gave us an RV spot I guess so we could have extra room. whatever that means. The cool thing is, is that they have showers and flushing toilets!! Since we will be hiking all day, we will need that.