West Vacation

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

stray_bullet

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
Posts
14
Hello everyone!

I will be taking my family on a twelve day vacation out west. I thought we would fly by the seat of our pants (without reservations or a schedule) but i would like everyone's input if this is a good idea. I will be leaving Indiana July 19th. The points that I thought we would go are: Deadwood or Rapid City.......then to Yellowstone.........then to Grand Tetons.........and then to Grand Canyon......and then head home. Any recommendations or places to stay or thing to do would be appreciated. This will be our first major coach travel. I'm sure happy to see fuel prices will be at or near the top right in time for our trip, not! This trip might turn out to be our own version of " Family Vacation". The kids (17 & 21 and their girlfriends) already call me Clark Grizwold.

Your help appreciated,

Brad
 
Take a look at the mileage for the entire trip.  I would recommend forgetting the grand canyon this year and do it, Zion and bryce on another trip. 

I think you are trying to do too much too fast.  BG

 
A check of the route you outline on MS Streets and Trips reveals a tour of some 4200 miles -- over 8 days involved with just driving out of 12 days of vacation.  You want maybe 4- 5 weeks for that sort of trip.  Like Jim said, cut out the southern leg and stay north -- Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, maybe Glacier NP.

Some other season, in May or early June or early autumn do Moab UT, Grand Canyon, Zion and home again. 
 
I would have to agree with everyone else, You've got two trips in one. I live right in the middle (SLC) and the roads are not flat and the scenery in between is not great. That is unless you like sage brush.  Like Carl said, stay North then come south Next year, It'll still be here and hopefully gas will go down, Who am I kidding? 

If I were you, unless your a nudist, I would stay North, cause July in the southern part of Utah/AZ can get very warm which with  6 people in your coach could get tempers flaring. That would be a much better trip in the Spring or late Fall.  On the other hand it is a perfect season for Yellowstone and Tetons, maybe throw in Mt. Rushmore on your way or if your two wheel inclined there is sturgis and the Black Hills that I hear is beautiful, but I think that is more towards the Beginning of Aug. Now, I'm very bias, so take this with a grain of salt, but I would also travel to Bear Lake which is on the Utah/Idaho border. It is a spectacular lake and lots of great camp sites, plus this time of year is perfect, weather wise. I go up there monthly and love it, but just a thought.

It really depends on if you are wanting to hit "popular" tourist spots or not, but I would agree that Staying closer to the North Pole this time of year would be best.  Then when your ready for the Southern Leg come on back, we can give you some great destination spots.

Sounds like an awesome trip, I wish you safe travels and a great adventure.

 
Whoa! Slow down. You have outlined a road trip from hell. You have 2 months of travel crammed into less than two weeks. Scale back to one destination, such as the Black Hills and explore it well. Don't spend all your time rushing from place to place. vacations are for fun not stress.
 
Sure glad I'm not envolved with that trip.  That's no vacation, it's a total nightmare.  You'd have a very rough time doing that in an Auto and only see 1/3 of what you wish to see, left alone in  an RV.  But if you plan on making that trip, please let us know so we can all get off the road and out of the way.  You would have to driv over 100mph in order to make your mileage and eat on the run.  As others have said NO WAY JOSE
 
I agree with the others.? IMHO it appears you are not planning a vacation just a very miserable marathon drive.? Please reconsider for your own safety and sanity.? RVing is suppose to be fun not stressfull.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
131,749
Posts
1,384,219
Members
137,520
Latest member
jeep3501
Back
Top Bottom