Planning to fly to Phoenix (from FL) and driving up to Yellowstone

[Joani]

Want to experience "the west" as I am an east coaster. Planning on flying to Phoenix last week of August and then renting a car and driving up to Yellowstone Park. Would like to do in 9 days and see some cool stuff on the way. Maybe on the way back hit Zion Park and Grand Canyon. Suggestions?

[AZBuck]

Tempus Fugit
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I'm assuming that your nine days includes flying to and from Florida as well as driving both ways between Phoenix and Yellowstone. In that case, you simply don't have time to do justice to such a trip. You will use up by far the better part of a day getting to Phoenix and two more days (easily) getting from Phoenix up to Yellowstone. And that's all before you'll have seen anything. Then it will take another three days to reverse the process and get home. If you start taking detours to see Arches, Bryce and Zion (the "cool stuff on the way"), you'll chew up a bit more time and at best you can only spend several hours each at the four incredible national parks that you'll have spent so much time and money to get to. It's just not worth it. Yellowstone alone should easily command every one of the three days that you have left for sight-seeing, and if you're only going to see Yellowstone, then you might as well fly into a major (Denver or Salt Lake City) or minor (Bozeman, Casper or Boise) airport closer to that park and spend more time there rather than driving for four days.

AZBuck

[Joani]

Tempus Fugit
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I'm assuming that your nine days includes flying to and from Florida as well as driving both ways between Phoenix and Yellowstone. In that case, you simply don't have time to do justice to such a trip. You will use up by far the better part of a day getting to Phoenix and two more days (easily) getting from Phoenix up to Yellowstone. And that's all before you'll have seen anything. Then it will take another three days to reverse the process and get home. If you start taking detours to see Arches, Bryce and Zion (the "cool stuff on the way"), you'll chew up a bit more time and at best you can only spend several hours each at the four incredible national parks that you'll have spent so much time and money to get to. It's just not worth it. Yellowstone alone should easily command every one of the three days that you have left for sight-seeing, and if you're only going to see Yellowstone, then you might as well fly into a major (Denver or Salt Lake City) or minor (Bozeman, Casper or Boise) airport closer to that park and spend more time there rather than driving for four days.

AZBuck

Thanks - I guess its obvious that I am a novice about this. I can't take more than 10 days and I want to fly into Phoenix so what do you think I should concentrate on then?? It's just me and one other person.

[glc]

If you must fly into Phoenix, I'd leave Yellowstone for another time. Go to the Grand Canyon and southern Utah parks.

[Southwest Dave]

I want to fly into Phoenix so what do you think I should concentrate on then??

From Phoenix you could drive through Red rock country around Sedona, up to the Grand canyon and then head towards Page AZ [Antelope canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell] with a possible side trip to Monument valley. After Page, drive to Bryce canyon NP, Zion NP and then towards Vegas with a possible detour through the Valley of Fire. From Vegas you could visit the Hoover dam on the way back to Phoenix.