Cincinnati-New Orleans-Grand Canyon-Rt66-California-Yellowstone! One month, advice pl

[Sophiest]

Ok, we have a month to see as much as we can on an average budget. We thought we'd drive one way and fly back. We'd like to see New Orleans and anything thats good on the way there, after that we need to find the best route to the Grand Canyon taking in any natural wonders on the way...or awesome cities. We'd like to do a little bit of Route 66 and have heard that the best bit is on the way to GC from Flagstaff. From there, it'd be nice to visit California (San Fran, Napa Valley) for a while and then go on to Yellowstone. We'll be going from mid May to mid June so thought the weather in Yellowstone would be better in June...is this right? We're from Australia and have done some big road trips there but don't know the best things to see here! Advice would be appreciated very much.

Moderator Note: Please do not create multiple threads about the same trip.

[Lifemagician]

Ji, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Since you already have a good collection of places you wish to visit, May I suggest the following paragraph will be your best help.

Start with maps. Not GPS, not software, not Google, but real honest-to-god paper maps that show you your entire route, that you can mark up (and erase), that you can stick pins in, and that show something about the land you'll be driving through. Those are your essential tool in any RoadTrip planning process. Start by marking all the places you know you want to visit. Then connect the dots. Then look for more places of interest and scenic routes along the lines connecting the dots. Repeat until you've got as many sites and roads as you think you want.

If detailed maps are not available locally, I suggest you purchase a Rand McNally road atlas from the RTA store via the link at the bottom of this page. If you order it now, you will have it in a couple of weeks.

Bring the atlas with you on your trip, as it is essential to have good maps on a roadtrip. Don't be tempted to rely on electronics. Many have done so at their peril - some fatal.

As you are planning your route, following the advice above, and more questions arise, feel free to ask.

Yes, you are better off visiting Yellowstone in June, despite the crowds. You will most likely have access to all of the park.

Lastly, if you are a member of RACV or similar - you don't say where you live - be sure to bring your membership with you. It will give you access to tourism information from the AAA all over the country.

Enjoy the planning

Lifey

[Sophiest]

Thanks for the tips Lifey,

I'll order one of those atlases and a map, it'll be good to visualise the journey.
We live in Florence KY, so were even thinking of flying down to New Orleans and hiring a vehicle from there... We have to work out the most cost and time effective way to go about this.
I'll also check out RACV membership.
I'll certainly ask as questions arise!
Cheers

Sophie

[AZBuck]

As you plan, you should give serious consideration to closing the loop on your fly/drive vacation. Doing so has several advantages. First and foremost you won't be hit with either a one-way drop off fee on the car or the added cost of internal flights or open-jaw tickets. If you were to rent the car locally (with unlimited miles, of course!) and make the trip in a clockwise direction, that would put Yellowstone and other northern Rocky Mountain locations near the later portion of your time on the road and help with getting some of the snow melted.

For a full up loop including all the places you've listed you'd need roughly 11-12 days worth of full-time driving, so less than half of your time would be spent in the car. You'd still get to spend most of it actually enjoying the places you've driven to. There is an awful lot to see in the 'in-between' places that will surprise you about America. It would be a shame to just fly over them. As your plans firm up a bit, please come back for more hints on filling in those in between blanks.

AZBuck