1 to 2 Day trips out of Palm Springs

[timdalefan]

Hi, I've been reading this forum for a couple months now and seen as I have just booked flights for my first trip to the States I might aswell start posting.

I'm Tim, 24, from England and the long-term plan is a cross country trip across the US next summer but in the mean time my girlfriend (Jen) and I are coming over in september this year (8th - 21st) for a concert in San Diego whilst staying with family in Palm Springs.

We fly into LA via Charlotte, NC and pick up a rental car for the fortnight. Other than the trip out to San Diego (17th-18th, any good routes appreciated!) we have no firm plans other than to lounge around in the sun (probably in the shade for me).

We are both into nature and wildlife and would love to hear of any suggestions that we could drive out and see as it would be a shame to go all that way and not explore. I'd like to see the grand canyon or the meteor crater but would they be feasible in 2 days as I wouldn't like to just dump our stuff at Jen's Uncle's house and then disappear for most of the holiday!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading any replies

Tim

[glc]

Joshua Tree would be a great 1/2 day trip out of Palm Springs.

My favorite route to San Diego from Palm Springs is 74 south out of Palm Desert, then 371 to 79 to I-8.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If you really plan on being back in Palm Springs by evening and want to do something besides drive for half a day, turn around and drive for another half s day, then you're really asking "What's within 3 hours or so of Palm Springs?" And actually you have quite a few options. there's the real London Bridge and the ersatz London town of Lake Havasu city. There's the charms of a harbor cruise and/or a stroll through Balboa Park in San Diego. There's the site of the 'Right Stuff' at Edwards Air Force Base. And if the weather has cooled, there are great hikes into the slot canyons of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

It would be nearly two full days for the round trip drive to the Grand Canyon, but id you left early one morning, you could spend a few hours driving the South Rim Drive, viewing the Canyon at sunset, and then getting a start on the drive home before completing the journey the next day.


AZBuck

[timdalefan]

Thanks for the replies guys.

glc, your route to San Diego seems much more appealing than what google maps came up with so I appreciate that.

AZBuck, thankyou for the suggestions, there seems like so much more to do and see than i imagined. The real London Bridge sounds like something I have to see/get a photo at, even if it is just to annoy my friend in London.

The couple of days in San Diego are looking pretty full already with the concert at Chula Vista and the Zoo/Animal park to take in.

Sorry if i caused confusion with my thread title, by 1/2 days i meant 1 or 2 and not a half, i should have made that clearer. If it's feasible to get over to Arizona and spend the night there seeing what i want to see (however brief it may be) and get back to Palm Springs the next day that would be great.

I'd love to eat dinner at the Big Texan in Amarillo but that will have to wait 'til next summer, plus I need to build myself up for that one, we are lucky if we find more than a 12oz steak over here!

[Southwest Dave]

Hi Tim,

With a couple of long days the GC is certainly an option and one worth taking. I would estimate a bit over 7 hours for the journey each way which would give you part afternoon and evening to witness a sunset and a morning there [ possibly a sunrise] which is quite spectacular. If you added a day or even 2, it would be more enjoyable heading towards Needles and I-40 with a possible detour onto part of original route '66 and back to I-40 and 64 to GC South rim. The 64 continues out of the East entrance along Desert view drive with lots of wonderful viewpoints and the Old watchtower where it eventually joins the 89 which takes you to Flagstaff heading South. You could continue South on I-17 towards Phoenix [Sedona and Red rock country through Prescott with a little extra time] to I-10 and home, creating a nice loop.

Las Vegas, Mojave National preserve and Death valley are also possibilities with 2 day jaunts.

[glc]

The 72 ounce steak is not the only thing on the menu at the Big Texan. They have steaks of all sizes along with other entrees. If you are going to be going through Amarillo at dinnertime, it's worth the stop.

Now, you could still do Joshua Tree as a day trip out of Palm Springs. If you do want to go over to Arizona, you could take 62 north out of Palm Springs to 29 Palms. Take Amboy Rd north to old 66, and take that over to I-40 and Needles. When you cross into AZ, at Topock you can take old 66 north into Oatman. From there, you can take old 66 toward Kingman. From there, depending on time, you can go to the Grand Canyon, or head to Las Vegas. There are a lot of possibilities.

Then again, you can do the old 66 and Oatman thing on your way to Palm Springs from back east.

[timdalefan]

Hello again. I posted a few weeks back asking for potential trips out of palm springs in september, thanks for all the suggestions btw.
Now our trip is getting closer I have been playing around on google maps and have planned this trip:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&so...mid=1249768094

I like the look of this trip but my only concern is if I would be able to do it 1 day with time to stop off at the desert state park and the imperial sand dunes and wherever else takes my fancy along the way. Would I be better off turning back at Glamis and follow the Salton Sea back into Palm Springs? Or do I have the time to make it to the Arizona border and back along I-10?

One more question while i'm here, has anyone got any comments regarding renting a car with Atwest from LAX? They seem to have the cheapest under 25 surcharge I can find at $5 per day compared to $25 per day with most of the major rental companies, is it too good to be true or should I stick with the big boys?

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Sure, you can drive the 370 miles involved in this loop in a day, and maybe even have a couple of hours to enjoy some short excursions. But many of the miles involved will be on two lane roads and particularly those between Palm Springs and Borrego Springs will be slow going through the mountains. What you should lop off is entirely up to you, but I would lop off something!

I've never heard of Atwest. That doesn't mean they're no good. They may be trying to fill a niche that is under-served by the major rental companies. You might start with an inquiry to the Los Angeles Better Business Bureau to wee if they're a member and/or have any unresolved complaints, but this is something you're in a better position to check out than we are.

AZBuck