West Coast USA Trip Part 2 - Recommendations

[Riskins]

my wife and I had a trip to the west coast in 2013 with the following itinerary;
San Francisco - 3 nights
Yosmite National Park - 2 nights
Death Valley - 1 night
Bryce Canyon - 3 nights
Vegas - 3 nights (stayed in Venetian)

It was by far the best holiday I have ever had and thoroughly enjoyed every moment, even the 48hr delay in Vegas at the end which extended our stay to 5 nights in Vegas.

We are planning to go back next year and trying to work out a trip which will start in Vegas for a couple of nights so we can shake off the jet lag and then start travelling.

Thinking 12-14 nights, would like something form the Hertz Adrenaline Collection ( we had a V8 Toyota Sequoia last time) and want to see a mix of city and scenic landscape.

Initial thoughts are travelling west ( via Yosemite again which I loved) to pick up the coastal road and driving down to San Diego. My wife fancies travelling inland towards Monument Valley.

Any experience which can be offered or recommendations on a trip which is a second time around would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Matt..]

You could do something like:

1. Fly in to Denver, either stay in Denver, or Rocky Mountain NP (maybe Estes Park)
2. Denver/Rocky Mountain NP
3. Moab (Arches NP/Canyonlands NP/Dead Horse Point SP)
4. Moab
5. Moab
6. Monument Valley
7. Page (Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe Bend)
8. Zion NP
9. Zion NP
10. Las Vegas
11. Las Vegas
12. Santa Barbara
13. Santa Barbara
14. Fly out from LA


There are many options in the south west! Mostly outdoorsy though...

Another outdoorsy one would be: Yellowstone NP > Grand Teton NP > Salt Lake City > Moab > Monument Valley > Page > Zion > Las Vegas > LA

Edited by Matt.. on Saturday 23 May 18:35

[anonymous-user]

Monument Valley is amazing and has to be seen to be truly believed. Well worth a route going that way.
We went East from Vegas, stopping at Mexican Hat which is pretty much two motels, a steak house and a gas station, returning Westward the next morning.
It's basic and out of the way but perfectly ok for a night stop. The Hat Rock Inn has a stunning pool out the back, with the valley as a backdrop.

[Riskins]

Thanks guys, will have a look at the map and Google tomorrow.

[anonymous-user]

It's even better on a bike.....

[LarryLamb]

We did the National Parks of Utah last week - stupendous, but of them all, Bryce is the best, so as you've seen that one, the others won't quite match up to that level. However, we loved Monument Valley and Arches and Canyonlands for that matter!

Other areas to consider:
Explore more of Yosemite, there is so much there and we do something new on every trip
Lake Tahoe - one of our favourite places - so much to do and see there and stunningly beautiful.
Mammoth Lakes is up that way to, but we've not been
Napa, again we've never been, but everyone loves it.
Sausalito and the north Bay Area, on a sunny day and a great area to explore
U.S. Highway 1 aka Pacific Coast Highway - from San Francisco down as far as you want. We've only been down a certain way, but points to note: Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur - all places to see that are amazing. Big Redwoods State Park to see the giant Redwoods. Pinnacles NP a slight detour, but our favourite close NP.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
If you're feeling more adventurous, take Highway 1 northbound to Oregon to see Crater Lake - truly spectacular.

[Riskins]

I did say to the wife that the road trip on bikes would be great, but as neither of us has ever ridden a bike not sure we would be safe or even legal to do it.

I agree that Bryce blew my mind, the sheer beauty and enormity of it was epic. We were there in June too with crystal clear blue skies and the contrast of the sky against the orange rock was stunning.

Lots of options, thank you.

[anonymous-user]

Biking in the States is dead easy and we felt so much more connected with our surroundings. Also far more sociable as people can (and will) talk to you more easily. They also assume you're a local as opposed to a PH tourist in the oh-so-easy-to-spot Hertz Adrenaline Collection rentals ;-)
....but yeah, you would need the appropriate license.

[Matt..]

Riskins said:

I did say to the wife that the road trip on bikes would be great, but as neither of us has ever ridden a bike not sure we would be safe or even legal to do it.

I agree that Bryce blew my mind, the sheer beauty and enormity of it was epic. We were there in June too with crystal clear blue skies and the contrast of the sky against the orange rock was stunning.

Lots of options, thank you.

I've been to loads of US parks (16 national parks so far! and adding more to that this year). Utah and Colorado are two of the best states for them, and most of the parks are relatively close together which makes it easy to do.

I quite enjoy going during May/early June or September/October.

Bryce is a good one, and really compact, so easy to see. Canyonlands on the other hand is fairly big, and most people only visit the Island in the Sky section.

I'd say that with the parks a lot of it is about knowing what time of day to be in certain locations, as it can add so much to your enjoyment. Eg. (a couple of popular ones) Mesa Arch in Canyonlands at sunrise, and Delicate Arch in Arches at sunset.

Page is a really good place to go too, eg. Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend (one of my favourite views in the US). Also worth checking out the Wave (though is really difficult to get a pass for it).

Outside of Utah/Colorado, Wyoming is a good place to be. Yellowstone is truly amazing, and Grand Teton is right next to it, so you get two for one You can fly in to Bozeman to do it, so it's not as difficult as it might seem when you look at the map!

[JONSCZ]

Like Matt above, we've also been to loads of US National Parks - especially in the 'mid West' - we've been doing US National Parks for hiking / walking for over 20 years.
Last year, we went on possibly our best holiday in a long time (with the exception of Yellowstone which is my favourite place ANYWHERE) - we flew to Las Vegas then went to Grand Staircase National Monument area (stay at Escalante, UT) and there's loads to see and do - including some amazing 'off the beaten track Slot Canyons' that will challenge if you want that, but have very few visitors (Google/Youtube Peak-a-boo and Spooky slot canyons - amazing area).
Then onto the Capitol Reef National Park (stay at Torrey). Again, amazing scenery and great hikes in the Canyons and one of the least visited NP's in the area. Also check out Goblin Valley State Park NE of Torrey - fantastic scenery (think Bryce on a smaller scale with virtually no-one there) and more slot canyons (Bell and Little Wild Horse Canyons).
All around are some truly great back roads to do some off-roading, too (4X4 recommended - especially if it rains, but not always necessary) - if anyone goes to that area, then the 'Burr Trail Road / Norton Bullfrog Basin Road' in the area is a must (4X4 if wet - and even then, it suggests not going down it if it has rained a lot).
Can't recommend the area enough.

[Riskins]

Thanks for your help, I think we have sorted our trip;

Fly into Phoenix - 2 nights
Flagstaff - 2 nights
Grand Canyon - 3 nights (looking to do a quad bike tour and river rapids)
Monument Valley - 1 night
Lake Powell - 1 night
Zion NP - 2 nights
Vegas - 3 nights (Aria)

Think we are going to stick with a large SUV like we had before just as it was so comfy for cruising about in and the extra space.

[Matt..]

Riskins said:

Thanks for your help, I think we have sorted our trip;

Fly into Phoenix - 2 nights
Flagstaff - 2 nights
Grand Canyon - 3 nights (looking to do a quad bike tour and river rapids)
Monument Valley - 1 night
Lake Powell - 1 night
Zion NP - 2 nights
Vegas - 3 nights (Aria)

Think we are going to stick with a large SUV like we had before just as it was so comfy for cruising about in and the extra space.

Make sure you stop by Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon near Lake Powell Both relatively quick stops if you want them to be. (Horseshoe Bend especially so, as you it's just a short walk from a carpark (like most things in the US!).

[JONSCZ]

Again, I agree with Matt about Antelope Canyon, but if you are short of time and want to see a Slot Canyon without the 'hassle or expense' of Antelope Canyon (the one below isn't as 'photogenic as Antelope, though), then this is a 'copy/paste' of a reply I gave to someone else a couple of years back -


"if you do go to Antelope Canyon - and you should as we went years ago before it became a bit more 'touristy' and its one of the best places I've been to in USA - then go to the Navajo office at Antelope Canyon car park in Page(which itself is a fantastically scenic town) and get a car pass (only a couple of $) to park on Highway 89 a couple of miles South of Page (by a road bridge - check with them for exact directions) for the very little known slot canyon off the main Highway there and head East for best part of the canyons - you'll probably have them all to yourselves and if you go a mile or so then it gets really narrow and scenic).

[Robatr0n]

Riskins said:

Thanks for your help, I think we have sorted our trip;

Fly into Phoenix - 2 nights
Flagstaff - 2 nights
Grand Canyon - 3 nights (looking to do a quad bike tour and river rapids)
Monument Valley - 1 night
Lake Powell - 1 night
Zion NP - 2 nights
Vegas - 3 nights (Aria)

Think we are going to stick with a large SUV like we had before just as it was so comfy for cruising about in and the extra space.

That looks to be a fantastic route!

My girlfriend surprised me for my 30th and booked us a road trip from Vegas > Grand Canyon > Monument Valley > Zion Park > back to Vegas. Not as involved as yours but I loved every second of it, particularly Zion park.

We were also fortunate enough to hire a C7 Corvette Stingray. We upgraded on the desk and got it for a steal and there were no markings in it to suggest it was a rental. It got a lot of attention and was just awesome to drive, especially on the twisty bits.

Have fun!

[delboyvette]

Went earlier this monument you are going to Monument Valley and Mexican Hat, try and go a few miles further to Gooseneck State Park to Gooseneck Canyon. Its around an hour and half round trip from Monument Valley, well worth it for the fantastc view.

[delboyvette]

Meant to say went earlier this year and if you are going to Monument Valley! Look up Gooseneck Canyon on Google . It's approx. 1 mile from Mexican Hat then about 2 miles once you turn off the main road and is a good driving road. Last couple of times we have been we have been the only ones there.