First time help please- from UK

[AZBuck]

It doesn't sound like an RV is for you. It's mostly a lifestyle (or travel style) choice and unless you've done it before and find that you really like it, a trip of this magnitude is not the place to try it out, regardless of what others (who love that mode of travel) might say. If you're traveling for the scenery and want to stop at motels and ranches, then what you want is a vehicle that gets pretty good mileage and has good visibility. A convertible certainly fills that bill, but will cost a bit more than a standard sedan. By the same token a 4x4 (light truck) or 4WD/AWD car are not really going to help you on this kind of trip. You can get pretty much anywhere you want to go in a normal sedan and besides, if you read the fine print on any rental contract for a rugged SUV it will almost invariably prohibit taking the vehicle off-road in any event. Just get a comfortable car that will get you where you want to go in some semblance of style and ease. The rest is all just window dressing and usually not worth it.

You mentioned in an earlier post that you were thinking about staying at ranches and such. That is also possible and such accommodations range from B&Bs similar to the Irish Farmhouse accommodations to Dude Ranch Resorts that will cost you several hundred dollars a day but include horseback rides, lectures and all meals. Everybody's tastes are a little different, so search the web using the terms "dude ranch", "bed and breakfast", "vacation rental", and the name of any town or area where you think you may want to stay and see what pops up.

By all means get a map of the U.S., or better yet just the region you'll be traveling in and start marking it up. Not only will it give you a clearer picture of where you're going, the distances involved, and the other sites that are nearby, but it will also serve as a great reminder of your trip years from now. And personally, I would think that Denver is a bit far afield for a 2 week trip through the American Southwest. I'd limit myself to California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. You can't even do just those 4 states justice in two weeks. Trying to do more would just spread yourself too thin.

AZBuck

[K and S]

What do ya think of these tourism DVDs available through national parks?

Do you advise buying this for me to plan?


Cheers,

K

I think a convertible would be great but my camera stuff is worth 1000's so thats a ?

[Southwest Dave]

I'm not sure that they would help you plan but rather to show you what to expect when you get there. Personally I think you should find plenty of info on the Internet and none more so than at The official N.P.S site for the parks. Use the map to navigate your way around the parks you may want to visit and you will find lots of visitor info on each one.

Like I said earlier, you can't really go wrong with a nice sized comfy car for practicality and cost, but it really is down to the individual.

[Midwest Michael]

Those videos are coming from a private travel company that isn't affiliated with the National Parks System. Quite frankly, it looks to me like you'd be spending $20 for a commercial for a travel company - and one that at least in my opinion doesn't look all that reputable.

The official national park website (linked above by dave) does have a ton of great information and it would be the first place I'd look. There are also a number of DVDs out there to help you get a preview of what you'd see, but I would look for ones produced by a more repuatable company like National Geographic or maybe the Travel Channel.

As far as a convertable goes, they will still have a trunk where you could lock your gear. It may be smaller than a standard sedan, so you might need to pack a little more lightly, but you should still be able to have security and the fun of a convertable, if thats what you decide to go with.

[K and S]

Hi again,

Thanks for the advice, and please don't get bored telling me. I need help.

Looked at the yosemite official site- wow there's a lot to see and do just there!!! They have a daily photography tour, art classes and guided walks etc. But is end of May a good time or earlier or later. Photographically as well as temperatures in nevada, etc?

The ahwanee lodge seems to be well liked place to stay at yosemite, any user reviews?

also had a brief look at dude ranches. These tend to tell you where they are but no idea if they are close to parks or en route or out of the way. Also they tend to be for a long stay than overnight. Would anyone know more about just staying one night or is it not worth it?

[Midwest Michael]

I haven't looked into the places you're talking about myself, but I suspect the biggest reason that these places aren't usually one night stays is because they are destinations in and of themselves.

By that I mean, I imagine they are resort type places with a variety of activities to give a "ranch experience." Staying just one night wouldn't give you the opportunity to take part in those activities, thus you really wouldn't be their target customer.

As far as locations, I think you'll just have to take their addresses, put them into a map program like Google and see where they are in relation to the rest of your stops.

If that's the kind of thing you want to experience on your trip, you should go for it, but you probably should set aside at least a couple days to make it worthwhile.

[K and S]

I have the following as a wish list. Is this a possibility or not?

San Francisco or Phoenix to enter USA and leave by vegas.

I'd like to see Bryce, zion, GC, monument valley, yosemite i guess.
Lodges in the park- Xanterra is a company with many but are they ok?

The thing is, am i better off with a circular route or a one way? Is car hire much more expensive one way?

If i do a circle, which of the above should i miss out?

I will have about 15 days to do this.

Cheers,

Kul

What do you think of the routes attached below?

[Southwest Dave]

Hi there,

I have the following as a wish list. Is this a possibility or not?

San Francisco or Phoenix to enter USA and leave by vegas.

I'd like to see Bryce, zion, GC, monument valley, yosemite i guess.

Yes, it is.

The thing is, am i better off with a circular route or a one way? Is car hire much more expensive one way?

They really are just choices, you can see as many different places in a loop as you can a single route, it would mainly depend on if there is something you must see outside of that loop or you want a different destination.
You would have to look at the different one way drop of fees each company charges, at a guess $2-$300.

If i do a circle, which of the above should i miss out?

They are still all possible, as shown in our 15 days. The thing is we are all individuals and a long drive to some maybe a walk in the park for others so we need to establish how many miles/hours you want to devote to travelling and how many to staying in one place, this will determine how much you can get to see, or at least the possibilities.

An example could be
2 nights San Fran > 2nights Yosemite > 2 nights Death valley/Vegas > 2 night Zion >
1 night Bryce > 1 night Monument valley > 2 nights Grand canyon.

Please remember it's just an example, but that is a fairly relaxed pace with 12 nights gone and 3 remaining. Now if you was flying out of Vegas you could skip it on the way down and end up there, maybe spending more time between Bryce and M/V such as lake powell/Page or towards Phoenix such as the Sedona area.
If you headed back to San Fran you could see the Giant sequoias through part of the park or part of the coast would be an option[but poss a bit rushed
Like I say just ideas so you can piece bits together, but it's when you have these bits in place is when we can really help piece it together with overnight stops, timing et.c.

Have you tried a mapping tool yet such as Google maps. Click on the link and you will find the "get directions"
tool on the left of the page, type in a start and finish location and it will give you the mileage and travel time for each possible stop. The mileage is fine but the time does'nt allow for any delays, lunch, fuel stops or sightseeing so you have to allow plenty of time for that.

[MrsTT]

The ahwanee lodge seems to be well liked place to stay at yosemite, any user reviews?

We are heading on a trip next month and have pretty much chosen all of our accommodation using this site. The Awahnee gets great reviews but it's VERY expensive. We have chosen to stay at the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, but have booked dinner at the Awahnee so we can have a good look around!

The planning has been SO exciting - I hope the trip lives up to it!

Tracey

[K and S]

I do use tripadvisor and it's ok i suppose. I wonder whether people just get their in and out flights and then make the journey up as they go. My fear is that my wife and i really love a place and have to move on.

It would be nice to have a couple of days but what do you all think of how long at each spot below

San Fran
Yosemite
Monument Valley
Bryce
Zion
Grand canyon
Las Vegas


That seems a long list for 15 days but i'm sure some places could have a full week. I'd need to be there for the best light for photos if possible.

Any ideas on how to break this up. I do take note of SW daves plan and appreciate it. I only think i'd like 3-4 nights in vegas at the end before flying home.

Forgot to ask when it's best to go for less crowds but maybe flowers out. Is end of may best or earlier?

Cheers