14 day road trip from Denver to San Francisco
Replies: 8 - Last Post: Nov 14, 2012 1:41 PM Last Post By: Gregorykane
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14 day road trip from Denver to San Francisco
We're flying into Denver from the UK (via NYC 4 days) late July 2013. We then plan to drive to San Francisco, staying at hotels and motels en-route and have 14 days.We haven't been to this side of the States before so have no experience of the area. We have two children (9 & 7) and like the outdoors. We were thinking that maybe Grand Canyon and Yosemite NP would be the main stays of the trip but aren't at all sure. We've seen recommends for various National Parks, lakes, ghost towns and, of course, Death Valley.
We'd be really, really grateful for any advice from people familiar with the area and it's attractions.
Thanks in advance...........
1
I suggest Meteorite Crater, just east of Flagstaff, Arizona, on the interstate highway to Albuquerque.It is a nice geological contrast to the Grand Canyon, which is a productof erosion and uplift over geological time. Meorite Crater was done in seconds when a rather modest meteor hit the area before humans arrived. The arid country has discouraged vegetation and reduced erosion, so we can see the results rather much as they have been since the impact.
2
We've seen recommends for various National Parks, lakes, ghost towns and, of course, Death Valley.
National Parks? yep, I recommend those. Seriously though, we get a ton of requests for advice about touring this region of the country, so a good place to start for you might be simply doing a couple of searches on the Forum here. You'll see many topics on the national parks of southern Utah, the Moab area, Grand Canyon...all of which qualify as "must-see".
By "lakes" you probably mean Lake Powell. Be thoughtful here. The lake itself has little offer a casual visitor without a boat. There are boat tours of the lake, or to Rainbow Bridge, that you might be interested in. Many people do stop at Page, near Lake Powell, for the short tour of Antelope Canyon, or the popular "mini-hike" to the Horseshoe Bend overlook. IMHO, this area is interesting, but probably a notch less interesting than other parts of the region, considering that you can hike slot canyons and see many wonderful overlooks elsewhere.
Death Valley is a drive-by this time of year. Step out of the car at Badwater, feel the heat, and move on towards Bishop, the spectacular eastern Sierra, and the east entrance to Yosemite on the Tioga Road.
One suggestion that I strongly advocate, and isn't quite as obvious as these others, is taking your route through southwestern Colorado - Ouray, Silverton and Durango. This area contains arguably the most spectacular mountain scenery in the southwest. Last summer, we took a family vacation up that way, rented jeeps and drove the dirt roads high above the tree line. Everyone had a blast - my inlaws, the kids, everyone. And there's limitless non-motorized fun to be had here also. Really a great place.
Edited by: FlagStuff
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I second what Flagstuff said - Ouray, Silverton and Durango - gorgeous part of the world! The Meteorite Crater is kinda interesting, but I wouldn't put it high on the list - you'll be in & out in an hour or so.....not worth a massive detour, unless you happen to be going past it anyway. You need to see Vegas, even just for one night - can be expensive if you let it, but doesn't have to be - and there's no town on Earth quite like it. Grand canyon goes without saying...amazing!Cheers
R
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Two weeks is a stellar amount of time for a CO to CA road trip. Grab a map or use Google Maps and see if this proposed route meets your travel criteria. Head out from Denver airport south to the Great Sand Dunes National park outside of Alamosa. From there back track a bit and head west to Durango. Spend the night. Next morning stroll around durango and have some breakfast. Check out and hit the road heading south again to this wonderful and intriguing bit of New Mexico. http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/wilderness/bisti.html Absolutely one of the most interesting, scenic and less visited spots in the States. Hiking into and around it is fascinating. From there it's a four hour drive to Santa Fe. However, you will be stopping to visit the Puye Cilff dwellings at the Santa Clara Pueblo outside of Santa Fe first. http://www.puyecliffs.com/tour-info.php Then onto Santa Fe to spend the night Grab dinner and a pint at the Cowgirl Cafe. Wander Santa Fe the next morning. Great town. From there continue south some more to Roswell, the quirky, alien loving, Roswell. Then continue onto the Carlsbad Caverns. Another overnight but hopefully you'll have made it in time for the bat flight at sunset http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/bat_flight_program.htm. Tour the caverns in the morning then back on the road again. You could then drive into Mexico and then head West to Bisbee AR, the old mining town. Or you could take back track a bit and catch I-10 heading west to Tucson. Spend the night in Tucson or Bisbee and then off to the Grand Canyon where you'll stay two nights to explore. From the Grand Canyon north Mohab Utah where you'll base for antother two days to explore, Arches, Dead Horse and CanyonLands National Parks. This is a good spot to stay; http://www.moabredstone.com with the Moab Brewery and Restaurant right across the road. http://www.themoabbrewery.comGood beers, good food, family oriented. From Moab you'll be heading west with a small diversion here, the Goblin Valley Stete park to see the Hodoos. Back out to I-70 West to the 15 enroute to Sin City. Not my cup of tea and if not yours keep on following I-15 into California. if you do choose to spend the night in Vegas it's a 4.5 drive to LA or 5 hours to San Diego. I live in the Land of La and recommend you go to San Diego. Can hang out at the beach, take the kids to the world reknown San Diego Zoo, stroll around the Gaslight and Little italy neighborhood, visit the San Diego mission even watch a baseball game if you so desire and the team is playing at home at Petco Field. Are you flying home from SFO? Or Denver? From San Diego it's a good 8 hour drive to Yosemite. Stay at the Yosemite Lodge or if the kids are up for it in one of the Tent Cabins. Two full days there. Be prepared it will be jammed packed with tourists. summer months are the worst there and if you are really keen on staying there BOOK rooms or cabins NOW. From Yosemite via 120 it;s about 4 hours to the San Francisco Bay Area. Just some thoughts about places to visit.
Enjoy.
5
Something like http://goo.gl/maps/oz68N will show you a wide variety of amazing scenery.(Oops I forgot to add N. Rim Grand Canyon to the path.)
You'll have to pick-and-choose or, better yet, add another week to the trip.
6
The challenge is that you could spend most of the summer getting from Denver to SF and not run out of great things to see and do.My idiosyncratic trip would be:
Day 1 drive Denver to Ouray (325 miles / 525km)
Day 2 morning in San Juans, afternoon drive to Moab (150 miles / 240km)
Day 3 Arches NP and possibly Island in the Sky, Canyonlands NP
Day 4 drive to Bryce Canyon NP via Capitol Reef (275 miles / 440km)
Day 5 Bryce Canyon NP
Day 6 morning drive to North Rim Grand Canyon NP (160 miles / 255km)
Day 7 North Rim
Day 8 morning at North Rim, then drive to Zion NP (125 miles / 200km)
Day 9 Zion
Day 10 drive to Great Basin NP (200 miles / 320km), afternoon at Great Basin
Day 11 drive to Yosemite NP (440 miles / 710km)
Day 12 Yosemite
Day 13 Yosemite
Day 14 drive to SF (200 miles / 320km)
Obviously, I skipped all kinds of interesting places (e.g., Ancestral Puebloan sites, Death Valley, Petrified Forest, Santa Fe, ...) which you might want to substitute for my choices (see the above posts for a multitude of good ideas).
7
The challenge is that you could spend most of the summer getting from Denver to SF and not run out of great things to see and do
I'll say...you could spend most of the summer driving from Denver to San Fransisco, every summer, for rest of your life, and not run out of things to do along the way.
That said, here is an alternative suggestion. Not that I think it's better, per se, just a little different. Perhaps a little rushed in spots, but with a slower pace in a few key segments:
Day 1 drive Denver to Ouray
Day 2 Ouray to Durango (short but spectacular drive, plenty of time to go on walks or other activites)
Day 3 Durango to Moab (3 hours drive, plenty of time for a stop along the way - Mesa Verde?)
Day 4 Moab (Arches most of the day, drive over to Canyonlands for a view in the evening)
Day 5 Moab to Bryce Canyon NP via Hwy 12
Day 6 Bryce Canyon AM, PM drive to North Rim Grand Canyon NP
Day 7 North Rim
Day 8 drive to Zion NP AM, afternoon Zion
Day 9 Zion AM, drive to Vegas afternoon
Day 10 drive to Bishop or Lone Pine via Death Valley
Day 11 drive to Yosemite NP via TIoga Pass
Day 12 Yosemite
Day 13 Yosemite
Day 14 drive to SF
Edited by: FlagStuff
