Grand Canyon to Yosemite.

[Mjrpgapro]

Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice. I am from the east coast and want to take my family on a trip that includes the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. I would also like to take them to San Francisco so I don't mind flying into one airport and returning from another.
I have 6 or 7 days of driving time and with 8 people traveling, I was thinking it would be cheaper to stay in bed and breakfasts.

Money is a big factor

I know there is so much to see between the Grand Canyon and Yosemite but I don't know what would,be the best places to visit.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mjrpgapro

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Do you have a good detailed map to plan this trip. It will show you much more than electronics.

We really do not believe in any generic best here. Everyone's best is different, and the best route for you is the one that takes you to places which interest you most.

Popuular places to visit between GC and Yosemite are Hoover Dam, LV, and Dante's outlook, Badwater, Artists Drive and other places along the road through Death Valley.

Ypou don't say when this trip is to take place, but if Tioga Pass is open, that is a spectacular entry into Yosemite. Allow at least two nights at the GC and a minimum of three at Yosemite. A night in DV would be agreat experience.

Unfortunately none of these places are budget friendly in the summer, though I came across a nice looking place yesterday, on your way to Yosemite which sounds nice and is not too expensive. Check out this place.

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

As Lifey mentioned, when you plan to take this trip will have a big impact on how much more you could see or do.

I don't think B&B's will be a good choice for this trip. Most B&B's in the US are really more aimed towards romantic getaways, so they aren't always the most budget friendly, and more importantly, I think you'd have a hard time finding B&B's that can will even have room for a group of your size. Staying with budget hotels or perhaps looking at something like Air BnB for rental homes would make more sense.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I don't mind flying into one airport and returning from another.

8 people traveling

I was thinking it would be cheaper to stay in bed and breakfasts.

Money is a big factor.

I'm sorry but the combination of the first three factors is going to result in this being anything but an economic trip. While 'open jaw' air fares aren't charged at quite the premium they used to be, the one-way drop off fee on rental vehicles is still steep, several hundred dollars. And travel is one of the few places where economies of scale are hard to come by. There's no volume discount on air fares. In fact, if you try to buy all your tickets at the same time, you'll find each individual ticket costs more than the lowest cost fare available. You will instead be quoted the lowest fare for which eight tickets are currently available which is probably going to be pretty close to full fare. And the car(s). Eight people will not fit in any reasonably priced vehicle. You'll need either a very large specialty vehicle such as a Chevy Suburban, or two mid-sized or intermediate (at least!) sedans. Oh, and there's no volume discount on one-way drop off fees either. Then there's the desire to stay in B&Bs. No, they are not cheap. They tend to be aimed at people who are willing to pay a bit more for a homier and less 'cookie cutter' experience than staying in motels, and many of them simply aren't set up to handle 8 people in a single entourage. And the 'free' breakfast is not going to be enough to offset the additional cost of staying at such boutique establishments.

So, the first thing you need to do is to really establish whether cost is a factor or not, and if so what you are willing to give up to keep within a budget. As it stands, you're choosing the costlier option almost exclusively. If, instead, you decide to limit the expenses, you'll probably have to start with limiting the extent of the trip to something that can be done with a minimum of driving while returning to your gateway airport and staying in more bare bones accommodations.

AZBuck