michigan to yosemite help!

[twolf]

we are looking at driving from michigan to yosemite in 7/06, 2 kids 8 and 10, would like any help on a good route through national parks, etc. probably take 5 days out and 5 back, any help or ideas would be appreciated. thanks

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

Well, Michigan to Yosemite is around 2300 to 2400 miles, depending on exactly where you're starting from. Using our handy-dandy rule of thumb for long-term average speed (53-55 when rest, food, gas and traffic delays are factored in), that works out to about 43 and a half hours of on-the-road time each way. Even with 10 hour days, that only leaves you 2 days at Yosemite and almost no time for sightseeing along the way. If, on the other hand, you meant to indicate that you're going to take five days for the drives, and have other time for Yosemite, then you have a minimal amount of time to at least poke your nose under the tents of some of the parks along the way. In the first case, I'd suggest that you stick mainly to the shortest route, I-80 to the Lake Tahoe area and then drop down into Yosemite via US-395 and CA-120 through Tioga Pass. The only National Park along the way you might have time for in that event is Rocky Mountain in north central Colorado.

With an extra day each way, you can start to consider a couple of slightly different routes. One would be to use I-90 and see Badlands National Park and Yellowstone National Park before taking I-15 to Salt Lake City (and the lake) to join I-80 westward. The other would be I-69 to Indianapolis, I-70 to St. Louis, I-44 to Oklahoma City, and then I-40 westward. This would let you drive through Petrified Forest National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Death Valley National Park. But I wouldn't count on being able to do more on either of these than just drive through with maybe a quick photo stop or two. Even with 5 days for travel each way, that's really all you'll have time for.

AZBuck

[Mark Sedenquist]

take 5 days out and 5 back,

I agree with AZBuck, you are pushing the clock to cover this much distance in 10 days of travel. Professional drivers would allow seven to eight days of travel to cover this distance-- but they are not faced with keeping young children happy and rested. Is there any way you can extend this trip?

Mark

[Utahtea]

If you want to stay in Yosemite this summer you will need to make reservations AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Yosemite Valley is the place to stay and lodging and campground reservations fill up FAST so as soon as your have your dates start making the reservations!

If you can't get the dates you want, then make reservations outside the park and then 10 days before you are to arrive keep calling to see if you can get in on a cancellation.

Utahtea

[twolf]

Thanks for all your help! I would like to pursue the idea of going the Yellowstone/Badlands route. To be clear, I have 5-6 days to drive out to Yosemite, staying overnight three nights (reservations made - thanks for the tip) and 5-6 days to return. With that added info, what are your thoughts on whether I am still biting off more than I can chew?

[AZBuck]

As I said earlier, 5 days is the absolute minimum just to make the drive and make a few quick photo stops in the major parks along the way. Mark was even a bit less sanguine about the feasibility of such a trip. Adding a sixth day means that you get that many more hours (maybe 8 to 10) to use in seeing some (but most assuredly not all) of the sights in Yellowstone such as Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Upper and Lower Canyon Falls, and Fountain Paint Pot, OR (not and) take some hikes through Badlands. How much you can chew is up to you and your children, but you are planning to take a very big bite indeed, and it seems to call for an awful lot of time in the car for not much time on the ground.

AZBuck