LA to Mount Rushmore!

[marlenebiller]

Hi!
We are a Swedish family that would like to take a RV roadtrip for the first time. We have 2 children (8 and 11) and will bring my sisters kids from Sweden (16 and 18) We are planning to go for 3 weeks. We live in Los Angeles and would really want to go to Mount Rushmore. We have thought about Santa Fe, Las Vegas, but are not really sure about a good route that will be fun for the kids. Any suggestions about a time-wise realistic route and interesting stops?

[AZBuck]

Välkomnande! Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Since I think it would be very expensive to rent an RV one-way to Rapid City, and because three weeks is plenty of time for such an endeavor, I'm assuming that your trip will begin and end in Los Angeles. In that case, you might as well take different routes up and back, a loop. Described clockwise, one such route that meets your criteria of time effective and kid friendly would go as follows: From L.A. head up I-15 to Las Vegas and then continue north by Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks to Salt Lake City. From there continue up US=89 to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Next head northeast on US-212, the Beartooth Highway, to I-90 and follow that past Little Bighorn Battlefield and Devils Tower to Mount Rushmore. Start back towards home on US-18 west and I-25 south to Rocky Mountain National Park followed by US-70 across the Rockies into Utah. Turn south oh US-191 to Arches National Park and Monument Valley before taking US-163/US-89/AZ-64 through Grand Canyon National Park to Williams and I-40/I-15 home. You could drive that route in about a week, leaving you two weeks worth of time to visit the many parks along the way with the children.

AZBuck