September Road Trip from Denver

[lillibell]

Hi, Myself, husband and two friends will be returning to the US in Septmeber from the Uk. We are flying into Denver then travelling up to Yellowstone National Park where we have booked 4 nights, from there we will travel to Mount Rushmore via Deadwood. We have in total 18 nights in the US and want to make as much of them as we can. Our husbands would especially like to try trout fishing (any recommendations!).

Last year when we traveled from Denver we visited Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and Colorado Springs. One of the problems we encountered was when driving on the highways, even on the remote areas we were unsure if we could pull over to admire the wonderfull secenery as in the UK you cannot stop on the highway unless it is an emergency.

If anyone can recommend a route starting at Denver - Yellowstone Park - Deadwood/Bell Fouce - Mount Rushmore - Denver that we can cover in the time allocated, and give us your views of the must not miss! we would be gratefull. regards Liz

[Quebec Gen]

Hi Liz Welcome to the RTA Forum!

One of the problems we encountered was when driving on the highways, even on the remote areas we were unsure if we could pull over to admire the wonderfull secenery as in the UK you cannot stop on the highway unless it is an emergency.

Technically, you cannot park along most highways but as you probably noticed when you came to America, we have a huge territory and very little population that means less traffic...and less patrol cars!:-) Seriously, I think if you use common sense (ex. : no stopping in the middle of the road or on the top of a steep hill, use hazards, avoid stopping when there's traffic behind you or at night) stopping to take photographs or to enjoy a scenery shouldn't be such a problem. If you do get pulled over by a cop just tell him what you were doing, they're usually pretty smooth, especially in the West. In some areas, I tend to stop every 300-500 feet to take pictures and no one ever bothered me. Sometimes, some folks will even pull over to see if you need some help.:-)

must not miss

Fishing spots near Denver, CO
Rocky Mountain NP;
Cheyenne, Wy (Old West Museum, Cowboy Out South Saloon);
Oregon Trail Sites and Monuments (Register Cliffs, Ft. Laramie, Scotts Bluff NM);
Ayres Natural Bridge State Park, WY (west of Douglas)
Dinosaur Graveyard, Medicine Bow, WY
Seminoe State Park is a great fishing spot, WY
Other fishing spots in Wy;
South Dakota;
Mt Rushmore and the Black Hills, SD;
Badlands, NP, SD;
Custer State Park, SD;
Grand Teton NP, WY;

Have a great trip!
Gen

[AZBuck]

Fishing in the US is regulated at the state level and each state has a different set of rules, but every state requires, at a minimum, that you buy a license to fish. Here are links to the regulations for a few of the states where you may want to drown some flies:

Wyoming
South Dakota
Colorado
Utah
Nevada
Arizona

But, I'll second Gen's encouragement to you to feel free to stop and take all the pictures you want from the side of the road. In the US most roads have sufficient shoulders or berms to allow you to pull completely off the traveled portion of the highway. As long as you do that and are not impeding traffic, you should not be bothered by anyone. Just be careful opening that driver's side door!

AZBuck

[lillibell]

Hi Gen

Thanks very much for the info. It is as we thought, this year we will definitely be stopping for phot opportunities. Thanks also for all the web links.

Hi AZBuck

Many thanks for your reply - we will use your links, feel much more comfortable this year as we are returning again to the US, and have a bit of driving experience, you guys have been really useful. I'm sure there will be many drowned flies - but not much else, when they go fisihing in the the UK the fishing trip is usually an excuse for free time.