Summer Trip From W.NC out West..Where to go?

[SDGoforth]

My husband ,myself and 2 children (ages 10 and 12) are trying to plan a trip from our home in Western NC out west. We want to visit the grand canyon,the petrified forest etc, but I have no idea where to start. I would like to work in some fun things on the way out. We only have 7 days so I would like the kids to see and do as much as possible on this trip of a lifetime in an RV. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas that might help me??? We have never done anything like this before. Thank you so much!!!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I'm sorry, but 7 days is simply not enough time to get from western North Carolina to the Grand Canyon and back, let alone see anything along the way. You're looking at over 3,800 miles of driving, and that alone will take around 8 days in a slow moving RV. All you'd be able to do is watch the world go by from your window as you lived those 8 days essentially boxed up getting out only for food, fuel and bathroom breaks.

AZBuck

[Midwest Michael]

I'm in complete agreement with Buck, there is just no way you can do a trip driving out to the Grand Canyon and back in 7 days and have any fun.

You'd need to be in the car/rv for at least 10 hours a day every day for all 7 days, not stopping for anything other than food/fuel/etc, just to make it to the gates of Grand Canyon National Park and then turn around and head right back home. Again, that includes zero time for the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, or any other places for fun along the way.

If you want this to really be a trip of a lifetime (and not in a nightmare-ish sense), you've got 3 choices: take more time (even 10 days would be the barest of bare minimums), look at flying out west and picking up an RV there, or look for a destination closer to home where you can have time to enjoy your trip, and not watch your family try to tear each others hair out from being locked in a box all day every day.