Cross country, only have 2 weeks, suggestions?

[eleader]

So I'm trying to plan a roadtrip this summer with my husband and a couple friends, we are from Atlanta, GA so we're starting there, but we'd really love to go to the Northwest and back (we are thinking about moving to Portland, OR so we'd like to get there during our trip). We have friends and family between us for plenty of stops along the way if we want, and we'd also like to do alot of hiking and camping out.
Issue is, I've only got 2 weeks to do it in. Is this even doable?
Suggested trip so far, I'm positive we can't fit this all in so tell me what I should take out:
Start in Atlanta, GA
Stop in St. Louis, MO (10 hr drive)
Stop in Denver, CO (14 hr drive)
Hike Yellowstone for a day or two (12 hr drive)
Stop in Seattle, WA (12 hr drive)
Stop in Portland, OR (3 hr drive)
Hike Redwood Natl Forest (6 hr drive)
Stop in Grass Valley, CA (6 hr drive)
Hike Yosemite for a day or two (4 hr drive)
Stop in Las Vegas, NV (8 hr drive)
Hike Grand Canyon for a day or two (5 hr drive)
Stop in Roswell, NM (10 hr drive)
Stop in Austin, TX (9 hr drive)
Stop in New Orleans, LA (9 hr drive)
Back in Atlanta! (7 1/2 hr drive)

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Unfortunately, the first thing you're going to have to do is to go back and redo your entire driving itinerary. You no doubt got those estimated driving times from a computer based model (Google Maps, MapQuest, Streets and Trips, or others). They are NOT realistic. Computer programs assume that you can drive at or above the posted speed limit for every second, that you never have to stop for gas, that you never get hungry, that you never need to go to the bathroom, that you never encounter traffic, and that you never ever just get tired. They are simply fantasy. The most you should plan on driving on any given day during a multi-day RoadTrip is about 550 miles, less if you actually want to stop somewhere and have fun, or enjoy the many places you'd otherwise just be whizzing right past. So until you redo your plans with that limit in mind, you simply won't have a clear idea of where you're going to be each night when your body screams "Enough!".

AZBuck

[Midwest Michael]

I have to agree that you're just trying to do way too much with too little time.

Just driving directly to Portland and back, you'd need 5 days for the drive, but the loop you've laid out adds about another 1000 miles to that, so basically you're up to 12 days on the road before you've factored in any time at all to stop anywhere - bit it cities, national parks, short hike, etc.

If you want to do the northwest, then I'd focus on the northwest, but even there if you could add a long weekend to your 2 weeks, you'd be in much better shape. The obvious things that need to go are the southern stops like Roswell and NOLA, but even places like Yosemite, Vegas, and the Grand Canyon are going to be tough if your goal is the northwest with the time you've got available, nor does it include time for driving on slower non-interstate highways.

[Mass Tim]

As others have stated, you're trying to do too much. Add in having another couple of people with you and you'd be looking at a sorry state of affairs towards the end of the trip. The Grand Canyon / Vegas / etc. portion appears to be the result of a "while we're there" moment, which is okay when dealing with short distances (say, 100 miles) but on this scale it's just not feasible.

Find one key location that you are interested in exploring and stick with an itinerary that includes just that location.

[eleader]

Thank you for your responses!
I knew going into it that it would be too much, but since I haven't done almost any of these destinations before I was wondering your suggestions for a must-see kind of list?
Also, I'm the only one with the time limit, so what do you think of this list if I was travelling one way for two weeks, then I flew back from Seattle or Portland and the rest of the crew continued on?
Atlanta to New Orleans
New Orleans to Austin, TX
Hike in Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
Las Vegas to Yosemite, hike there for a couple days
Yosemite to Grass Valley, CA (I have family there)
Hike in Redwood National Forest
Portland
Seattle, then fly back to Atlanta

[AZBuck]

You can look through each and every one of the tens of thousands of responses on these forums over the years and nowhere will you find any list of 'must sees'. They simply don't exist and (like the Easter Bunny) we don't believe in them. An attraction that I absolutely would go out of my way to see might be one that you go out of your way to avoid. Similarly there's simply not much we can do with a random list of cities other than map it out and tell you whether it's feasible to do in the time frame you say you have. That clearly wasn't possible with your first list. It is with your second. You even would have a few days to spend en route enjoying something - although other than hiking, the only activity you've mentioned - I have no idea what. The best I can offer you, based on what you've give us, is for you to check the various national park, state park, and national forest service websites for public lands along your travels, and see what appeals to you.

AZBuck

[Mass Tim]

Pick the places you want to see and the things you want to do - there should be something that draws you to a particular location. It seems you enjoy hiking, so that is one activity you can concentrate on. If there is some other interest or interests that could be fulfilled by the places you've mentioned, then you've made the right decision. But if you are going to certain places and aren't clear as to why, then you need to make an adjustment. Either have a reason (and "just because" is as good a reason as any) or alter your plans.