Austin - Los Angeles - last two weeks of October 2023

[lm5623]

Hello,

I am looking some general advice about my planned road trip route from Austin to Los Angeles - any knowledge and recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I am from the UK and this will be my first trip to this part of the USA (although I have done three other road trips of similar length elsewhere).

Currently, we are flying into Austin (found some super cheap flights & heard it is a cool city) and will be staying for four full days. After some research, it looks like it would be best to get an internal flight to Albuquerque to start our road trip rather than the long drive out of Texas (comments on whether this is the right idea are very welcome though).

From there, the current route planned is:

Day 6 of trip: morning flight into Albuquerque from Austin. Collect car and drive straight to Santa Fe.
Day 7: Santa Fe to Ouray via Million Dollar Highway
Day 8: Ouray to Monument Valley to Page
Day 9: Page - North Rim of Grand Canyon to Kanab
Day 10: Kanab to Las Vegas via Zion National Park
Day 11: Vegas to Joshua Tree
Day 12: Joshua Tree to Palm Springs to LA up Highway 1
Day 13-15: Stay in LA. Fly back to UK.

Any suggestions are very welcome - we don't mind the long days driving and are the type of people that prefer to drive and see things quite quickly, rather then get out the car and go for a hike for an afternoon. We also want a good mix between city and nature for this road trip.

Thank you!

Lucy

[AZBuck]

I think there's a lot to like about your plan. Most people would ignore that northerly 'detour' to see some of the Rockies. But I would strongly suggest that you head for Cameron rather than Page for the second night's stop. That would set you up to see the South Rim of the Grand Canyon rather than the North Rim. The North Rim has only one viewing spot at the end of an in-out road, and is at a lower elevation than the South Rim. In contrast, the South Rim road follows the Canyon for a fair bit and offers multiple pull-offs, and since it is at a higher elevation, the views are that much more spectacular. Doing so would mean missing Zion, but as always with travel, choices must be made. None of them are wrong.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

It's a difficult one as there is so much to see and do so at the end of the day it comes down to your choice. I get you want to see things "Quickly" but it feels like your rushing despite having quite a bit of time. If you want to spend a week in total between Austin and LA then I would consider flying from Austin into Vegas and then going to Zion through Page to Monument valley then into the South rim of the Grand canyon via Desertview drive and exit via Tusayan to the south on route to Joshua tree and Palm springs. You could visit the North rim if you have a preference to the the south rim, and even consider Bryce canyon. It's there as a suggestion and as much as I love the Million dollar highway and Ouray, I think you would get more out of your time on the road with the option I suggest.

[DonnaR57]

My husband and I have been to both rims of the Grand Canyon, within the past 6 years. If we had to choose one or the other, it would probably be the North Rim. Why? It's not so dang crowded!

That said, though, the North Rim has a considerably shorter season. As pointed out, the North Rim is 1000 ft higher in elevation than the South Rim. There are less services up there. It's a long drive from Page to that Rim, and it doesn't take but a half day to drive out to see the major viewpoints of the North Rim. That said -- both Lodge and Campground close on October 15th this year. So you'd have to find lodging at Jacob Lake, about 42 miles (50+ minutes) away. Then you have to figure out food, because that's also closed.

The South Rim does have a longer viewing road, some of it only accessible by tram/bus service. Most services are open year-round, except some campgrounds will close. For all those reasons, and its accessibility from Flagstaff/Williams/Cameron, it's more crowded.

It's your call, but it sounds to me like you're better off at the South Rim merely because of the time of the trip.



Donna

[Lifemagician]

I'd have to agree with Donna. I too have been to both, and far preferred the North. However, there are greater challenges with which you'd have to deal at the North Rim, during your trip.

Lifey

[Mark Sedenquist]

And I will weigh to support the South Rim option.

Traffic in October is not as tough as as it is in the summer, but it could still be quite busy. That said, it is the "famous" view and nothing quite compares with the view from the south rim.

I was fortunate enough to spend three days at the El Tovar last January. The road was icy and a tad dangerous, but it felt like we were the only ones there.

During busy weekends, at the South Entrance Station there can be long lines and up to two hour wait times between 10 am - 5 pm.

here is a small taste:


Granted there might not be much snow on the ground when you visit, but...I have seen snow on the ground in October in past years!

[landmariner]

Both Rims are great -- the higher North Rim provides different views than looking up to the North from the South. Trams are basically mandatory on the South Rim from the Visitor's Center to the end of the Rim Road. Not sure if there are mobility issues, but one really needs to hop on and off with the tram. I'd also recommend arriving from the East Entrance if possible as you are less likely to be caught in Entrance traffic from the south. The East Entrance has a great visitor center and viewing point. It is also the natural entrance if coming from the North Rim. Off the road to the North Rim you can take Rt 610 to Saddle Mountain Overlook, a leisurly beautiful drive. The drive from Jacob Lake to the North Rim is scenic and alpine.

[Ram4]

You have a fantastic trip planned! Hopefully you'll get to see some of the blazing yellow Aspens in Colorado by the time you get there but it will likely be past peak. They are amazing. I was there last September. Saw the Milky Way too.

I am one of the strange people who absolutely loves driving through the Great Plains (Texas panhandle, western Oklahoma, eastern Colorado, western Kansas, western Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, etc) so when you say you are flying from Austin to Albuquerque I say no way! But seriously you probably aren't going to miss it. Are you planning on stopping in Zion? Not many people drive as far just to pass through it on the way to Vegas and it could be crowded. Parking at Zion is tricky and you have to rely on shuttles.

What do you mean by Palm Springs to LA up Highway 1? I am thinking you mean you will take I-10 to Santa Monica and then drive Highway 1 a bit before turning back to LA?

[Mark Sedenquist]

What do you mean by Palm Springs to LA up Highway 1? I am thinking you mean you will take I-10 to Santa Monica and then drive Highway 1 a bit before turning back to LA?

Good catch Ram4 -- yes, that would be tricky.

Although I think that what the OP meant was that they would drive west from Palm Springs via Temecula (maybe) before heading north on I-5 (because there is no CA-1) south of Dana Point.

Or maybe the OP was planning on using CA-74 to San Juan Capistrano and then north on CA-1?

[glc]

A note - if you are planning on going north past San Luis Obispo on CA-1, it's closed between Limekiln State Park and Lucia. There is no estimated opening date.