Coming from Australia

[Pazza]

Hi peeps, I'm chasing some info on a driving trip I'm planning next yr. I am picking a hire car up in Los Angeles on the 19th august and wanna drive for 3 weeks. I have planned drive up to Las Vegas stay a few nights then some how get on the Route 66 and drive through Arizona and then through New Mexico ( obviously stopping at different places ).

From there is it worth continuing on with the Route 66 drive or after New Mexico I would love to head up through Denver etc and onto Yellowstone national park. I was going to drop the car off in Salt Lake City and fly to Seattle to board a ship to Alaska or is it worth doing a big loop and drop the car back in Los Angeles . ?

I must say I'm coming from Australia and I hired a Winnebago in 2012 for 13 days and drove through Yellowstone . It was still snowing so I really didn't see much.

I would love to hear from some experts and what to see along the way on my journey and also give me some advice on it too. I need to be in Seattle by 4pm on the 9th September , so I have 3 weeks of driving and seeing the sights of your beautiful country. I love it so much this is my 7th visit. Thanks

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

The advantage of driving a loop is that you will avoid one way drop fees on your rental. As for what you should do with your time really comes down to what interests you and grabs your attention. Why New Mexico for example ? Are there things along route 66 that really interest you ? At the end of the day it's just a bit of 'black top' and much of it was decommissioned many years ago and replaced by Interstate.

What I recommend you do is dig around the forums and trip planning pages here at RTA and gather info through research, look at maps and see what appeals to you. Once they are marked you can see how to join the dots and we can help with that but we can't make meaningful suggestions until you have a least the basics clear in your mind. What I will say is that between LA and Denver you will be near to a number of great National parks, scenic drives, mountain towns etc throughout the Four corners region and you could make an amazing loop trip with 3 weeks at your disposal. If you wish to go to Yellowstone that could also work. Enjoy the planning !

[Lifemagician]

so I have 3 weeks of driving and seeing the sights of your beautiful country. I love it so much this is my 7th visit.

That is so great, and I know just what you mean. Am right now waiting for the flying kangaroo to take me home after my eighth visit.

Do you have any maps or a road atlas from your previous trips? They would be a good start. If you study them carefully you will see so much along the routes. Choose those which interest you, to help build a trip which will be of interest to you. Not sure I would necessarily stick to Historic Route 66, there are many other natural wonders and historical sites which may be of greater interest than a route which really no longer exists, and which bypasses so much of the natural features for which this area is famous.

If you did not use or bring any maps with you, you may consider purchasing a road atlas from the RTA stored via the link at the bottom of this page. Order it now, and you will have it in a couple of weeks.

In which State do you reside?

Lifey

[Pazza]

In which State do you reside?

Lifey

Hi , i live in Queensland,what about yourself. What i have planned is pick car up at los angeles,drive to vegas (do grand cayon)then onto monument valley.After that im not really sure. But im guessing i will end heading for yellowstone and then make my way back to los angeles.

I was thinking of dropping car in salt lake city but i have just found out its 9.5hr drive from salt lake to los angeles,so im guessing will do some exploring in between them 2 places.

[DonnaR57]

It's about 700 miles from SLC to LA. That would be more of a 14 hour drive, not 9.5. Even Mapquest says 11 hours. If you try this on a Sunday, it will be even longer than that. The traffic from Las Vegas to LA is thick anyway, but on a Sunday, it's practically a parking lot!



Donna

[Midwest Michael]

Another idea to consider is to go from Yellowstone right to Seattle. That's about a 750 mile drive, so you'd want an overnight stop along the way, but it would be shorter than driving all the way back to LA. It would likely still mean you'd be paying a one way drop fee on the car rental, but that would be offset a bit since you wouldn't have to worry about buying a plane ticket onto Seattle.

[Pazza]

Another idea to consider is to go from Yellowstone right to Seattle. That's about a 750 mile drive, so you'd want an overnight stop along the way, but it would be shorter than driving all the way back to LA. It would likely still mean you'd be paying a one way drop fee on the car rental, but that would be offset a bit since you wouldn't have to worry about buying a plane ticket onto Seattle.

Thanks michael ,that is a great point you have pointed out. Flying from LA to Seattle will set me back roughly about $700 us dollars for 3 of us.Im guessing the drive would be pretty interesting also.

I guess the thing is, 3weeks is it long enough to do that drive.I suppose if i run into trouble i can always drop the car off and board a jet to seattle.

[Southwest Dave]

3 weeks will be plenty of time for that journey but you can fill it with other things or spend longer at fewer places depending on your style of travel. It's best to allow a minimum of 3 days around Yellowstone. From the Grand canyon to Monument valley you could then head to Moab for Arches and Canyonlands NP's and then head north past Dinosaur NM and Flaming Gorge and then visit the Grand Tetons [and perhaps Mormon Row] as you head into Yellowstone. From Yellowstone you could even head as far north as Glacier NP before heading towards Seattle. This is just a few of many options you could take so have a look.

[Pazza]

Thankyou very much Dave. That is what I needed some advice on what to see and which way to go. Very much appreciated. I would love to hear of more things to see if you have time Dave. I'm in the process of playing with the maps on the site.

[Southwest Dave]

There are so many places to choose from that you really need to map out your key places, say LA > LV > Grand canyon > Monument valley > Yellowstone > Seattle and then look at your options in between. With an extra 2 or 3 dots on the map it will really start to take shape and then we can help fit the pieces of the Jigsaw together with you. After MV I suggested Moab for Arches and Canyonlands, but you could also head through Page AZ and visit Zion and Bryce NP's, maybe hop on Interstate to Yellowstone via Salt Lake City. I also mentioned Glacier NP, a real gem of a place, but that's not your only option. You may only have time left to drive more direct to Seattle, depending on your plans to that point. You could head towards Portland via the Columbia river gorge or head to Mt Rainier NP. Again, these are just a few of the highlights but once you have taken the next step you can post up a [very] rough itinerary based on your findings and then we can go to work with 'Fine tuning' and offering alternatives.