west trip help

[tom12]

hi .my family has 10 days starting and ending in las vegas in early june.my thoughts are to zion(1 day)then drive to yellowstone(2 days)then to mt. rushmore(little bighorn + devils tower on way)then to arches on way back to vegas.is this too much for 10 days? should i add bryce or anything else?also is yellowstone too crowded in early june? thanks

[Quebec Gen]

On your way to Zion, take the highway that goes through Valley of Fire and runs beside Lake Mead. it'll lead you back top I-15 eventually. You should really go to Bryce, it is pretty close to Zion and very different. And if you have some extra time after Mt Rushmore, go to Badlands NP. You should buy an National Parks Annual Pass (50$) it's really worth it since some parks entrance fees are as high as 20$...However, strangely, the pass doesn't work at Rushmore... (???)

Have a great trip!

Gen

[Midwest Michael]

The excuse for why the Parks Pass doesn't work at Rushmore: Technically it's free.

Of course, you have to pay 8 bucks to park in their parking ramp or walk 10 miles from Hill City to see it.

[Mark Sedenquist]

The excuse for why the Parks Pass doesn't work at Rushmore: Technically it's free. Of course, you have to pay 8 bucks to park in their parking ramp or walk 10 miles from Hill City to see it.

When Gen told us about that charge, we wondered about it. Ya gotta love entreprenuers!

[Robert Schaller]

June in Yellowstone is a "shoulder" month. NPS stats for 2003 show June as about halfway between Spring numbers and Summer peak numbers -- so it isn't going to be deserted, but neither will it be the zoo it will be in July either. The earlier in June you go, the fewer the people, but you may find some areas still closed from winter snows. MOST everything will be open by then, though, usually. Bob

[Quebec Gen]

Yes, it's kind of "free" because you can see it from the road but when you want to get closer it's another story! Plus, there are not many places where you can stop along the road to take great pictures unless you like to take profile pictures:oP But don't worry I didn't pay the fee anyway and I didn't have time to hike up there either:-(. Personally, I thought Badlands was much more impressive and less touristy, just the way I like it! Too bad I hadn't much time to do some hiking and exploring!

Gen