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Week Long Road Trip


SimonBolivar

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So we're off Friday April 12 through Sunday April 21 and will be leaving From CenTex around 6PM on the 11th. It'll just be me (30) and the lady (24, no pics). I'm a hiker and this is "my trip" of the year so it's more what I want to do than what she wants to do. Now after saying that, she will not camp so it'll have to be hotels. Is that enough time to get out to Yosemite for and do the lower elevation stuff? If so would that even be enjoyable in mid-April? It looks like Moab does have pretty decent weather normally in April so maybe that's the better choice? I also thought of doing a mixed Vegas/Zion trip, but Vegas isn't that appealing to us. Any other ideas we should look at?

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CenTex --> Carlsbad Caverns NP --> Mesa Verde NP --> Moab (Arches & Canyonlands) is about all I think you could do in the time you have.

Plenty of the usual hotels in Carlsbad (Hampton Inn, Farfield Inn, etc).  At Mesa Verde I recommend the Far View Lodge (on the park grounds).  It's not plush, but clean and convenient.  Restaurant is actually not bad.  Bar is pretty nice.  Service is slow but reliable, but who cares...?  Moab is like Carlsbad...all the usual hotels.  Last summer we stayed at Springhill Suites and liked it a lot.

Bonus suggestion:  If you like the line up above, you might consider hauling ass to Moab and work your way back.  That way, you could eliminate a stop if you get fixated on one location (Arches/Canyonlands and Moab are awesome).  The weak link in my proposal is Carlsbad Caverns.  That's the one I would drop if I didn't have time for all of them.

Edited by gecko
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Yosemite seems a bit far for that length, 24 hours of driving, especially when all the mountain passes are closed.  Tioga Rd and Glacier Point Rd will still be closed, so you're limited to the Valley (which is awesome to see, but crowded), Hetch Hetchy and Wawona area, which just had some bad fires.  So you'd miss out on some of the best parts.  You could also hit up Sequoia and Kings Canyon, but with that amount of driving, you'd probably have 5 days to enjoy out there.

Southern Utah would give you more time (obviously its closer).  There's a Utah National Parks thread that has good stuff in it, but a week is possible to go to a lot of great places.  

Davis Mountains (Indian Lodge for hotel) or White Sands or Carlsbad would make a decent, place to stop on your way out.

The area around Page, AZ is awesome.  You can get your token Instagram pictures at Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Edited by Digdogger
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32 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

So we're off Friday April 12 through Sunday April 21 and will be leaving From CenTex around 6PM on the 11th. It'll just be me (30) and the lady (24, no pics). I'm a hiker and this is "my trip" of the year so it's more what I want to do than what she wants to do. Now after saying that, she will not camp so it'll have to be hotels. Is that enough time to get out to Yosemite for and do the lower elevation stuff? If so would that even be enjoyable in mid-April? It looks like Moab does have pretty decent weather normally in April so maybe that's the better choice? I also thought of doing a mixed Vegas/Zion trip, but Vegas isn't that appealing to us. Any other ideas we should look at?

For Yosemite, the roads out to Glacier Point will likely still be closed. The lower stuff is chock full of tour buses to see the Vernal Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitan etc. 

Moab/Brice/Zion/Arches would be much more timely since they get really hot in the summer.

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37 minutes ago, gecko said:

CenTex --> Carlsbad Caverns NP --> Mesa Verde NP --> Moab (Arches & Canyonlands) is about all I think you could do in the time you have.

Plenty of the usual hotels in Carlsbad (Hampton Inn, Farfield Inn, etc).  At Mesa Verde I recommend the Far View Lodge (on the park grounds).  It's not plush, but clean and convenient.  Restaurant is actually not bad.  Bar is pretty nice.  Service is slow but reliable, but who cares...?  Moab is like Carlsbad...all the usual hotels.  Last summer we stayed at Springhill Suites and liked it a lot.

Bonus suggestion:  If you like the line up above, you might consider hauling ass to Moab and work your way back.  That way, you could eliminate a stop if you get fixated on one location (Arches/Canyonlands and Moab are awesome).  The weak link in my proposal is Carlsbad Caverns.  That's the one I would drop if I didn't have time for all of them.

I'd imagine that staying in Durango would be an option for Mesa Verde. Prices look right there for the offseason.

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1 hour ago, SimonBolivar said:

I'd imagine that staying in Durango would be an option for Mesa Verde. Prices look right there for the offseason.

Staying at the park has it advantages (timely access being the one) but Durango has its advantages as well (more food options and chances for your lady friend to bankrupt you on some overpriced piece of art).

Hot tips for Mesa Verde:

Hike the Petroglyph Point trail.  It's about 3 miles, moderately strenuous.  Great views.  The petroglyphs themselves are "meh" but the trip in and out is great.  Also, do the guided tours late in the day (less kids).  Take the last tour of the day of the Cliff Palace.  Few kids, smaller tour group, and no other tours in the Cliff Palace while you look around.

Edited by gecko
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Alright thanks for the tips guys. It's gonna be a fast trip for sure and have refundable plans for

 

Thurs Night Post Work - Snyder TX

Fri- Drive

Fri Night- Durango

Saturday- Mesa Verde

Sat Night- Moab

Sunday- Arches

Sunday Night- Moab

Monday- Canyonlands

Monday Night- Moab

Tuesday- Bryce Canyon (or another day at Canyonlands?)

Tuesday Night- Moab

Wednesday- Drive

Wednesday Night- Santa Fe

Thursday- Santa Fe chill to home late thur/early fr

 

Does that appear to be workable?

 

 

 

Edited by SimonBolivar
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1 minute ago, gecko said:

Moab to Bryce is a gorgeous drive, but it's a long one (if I recall it was a full 8 hrs).  You'll go right by Capitol Reef NP, which is impressive on it's own.

You are a lucky SOB.....

I meant Capitol Reef which is 2-3 right?

Edited by SimonBolivar
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Digdog is correct....its about 4 1/2 hours Bryce to Moab.  That assumes you drive it straight through but if you are sucker for scenic overlooks you won't make it straight through.  When made this drive 2 summers ago we ducked into Capitol Reef...we were in there for probably 2 hrs (not near enough).  Also....wife (no pics) reminded me we drove from Bryce all the way to Mesa Verde.  We ate and gassed up in Moab.  That's where the 8 hours comes from....though she remembers it being nearly 10.  When we cruised into Mesa Verde we were exhausted.

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19 minutes ago, idigTexas said:

That's a lot of driving.  I would hop a plane to Phoenix and drive up to Sedona.  Some of the  best hikes anywhere, and your lady can do the spa thing. 

We do usually fly, but I like a change of pace from time to time (see the country and what not). When I was in high school we loaded up the family truckster and drove to NYC with myself and 4 others in a sedan. It can't be any worse than that. 

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Don't get me wrong, I love a good road trip, but you are going to eat up a lot of your time and energy getting to the cool places you want to go.  The trips that have been suggested seem like two-week expeditions crammed into one week.  Not ideal for me, but maybe you like a fast paced excursion.

 

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58 minutes ago, idigTexas said:

Don't get me wrong, I love a good road trip, but you are going to eat up a lot of your time and energy getting to the cool places you want to go.  The trips that have been suggested seem like two-week expeditions crammed into one week.  Not ideal for me, but maybe you like a fast paced excursion.

 

Agree. I'd do two nights, and a full easy/relaxed day, in Durango after that drive combined with 2 nights in the Santa Fe area before driving back.

A stress management doctor told me a number of years ago, 'Never rush to relax.'

Edited by ShaggyBevo RIP
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1 hour ago, idigTexas said:

That's a lot of driving.  I would hop a plane to Phoenix and drive up to Sedona.  Some of the  best hikes anywhere, and your lady can do the spa thing. 

Or fly in and out of Santa Fe/Albuquerque.

Or really slow it down and fly into NM and back home from SLC.

Edited by ShaggyBevo RIP
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11 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

So we're off Friday April 12 through Sunday April 21 and will be leaving From CenTex around 6PM on the 11th. It'll just be me (30) and the lady (24, no pics). I'm a hiker and this is "my trip" of the year so it's more what I want to do than what she wants to do. Now after saying that, she will not camp so it'll have to be hotels. Is that enough time to get out to Yosemite for and do the lower elevation stuff? If so would that even be enjoyable in mid-April? It looks like Moab does have pretty decent weather normally in April so maybe that's the better choice? I also thought of doing a mixed Vegas/Zion trip, but Vegas isn't that appealing to us. Any other ideas we should look at?

If you're not sure you have enough time, you won't have enough, especially traveling with a woman, because everything will take longer than you expect.

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To hell with flying, a nice drive is worth it sometimes. I make 14 hour trips each way to our other house regularly and it’s just nice to drive sometimes and not have to deal with airports, late flights, etc.That goes double for the areas you are planning on driving through. Personally, I would take Tuesday and rent a Jeep and spend the day off road around Moab or even go kayaking. You can also be in Park City in about 4 hours or so. The complete change in weather over 4 hours between Moab and PC is crazy during the summer. We had a 60+degree swing in July. Then do Zion/Bryce/Capitol on a different trip.

Edited by Brew
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15 minutes ago, gecko said:

I fly all the freekin' time for work (humble brag).  To me there is nothing like a good road trip.  Wife (still no pics) and I re headed East this summer through TN headed to Asheville and Great Smokey Mtns. 

Man I love Asheville in the summer when it's 100 degrees at home.

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Planning a long road trip from Texas to Portland, ME in Oct and in no particular rush.  Google maps shows going thru Memphis and Knoxville before hooking up with I-81 thru PA and west of NYC and then up to the northeast.

However, never been to Charleston, SC so might go that route and hit the eastern seaboard (DC, Philly, NYC) but I-95 is always a clusterfuck.  I assume I can take this route up and the above route back for a change of scenery.

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31 minutes ago, APEX said:

Planning a long road trip from Texas to Portland, ME in Oct and in no particular rush.  Google maps shows going thru Memphis and Knoxville before hooking up with I-81 thru PA and west of NYC and then up to the northeast.

However, never been to Charleston, SC so might go that route and hit the eastern seaboard (DC, Philly, NYC) but I-95 is always a clusterfuck.  I assume I can take this route up and the above route back for a change of scenery.

Did a couple similar trips as a kid. We did TX->DC->NYC->NC->ATL->TX and another time we did TX->VA->SC->Orlando->TX both went smoothly and were fun.

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7 hours ago, APEX said:

Planning a long road trip from Texas to Portland, ME in Oct and in no particular rush.  Google maps shows going thru Memphis and Knoxville before hooking up with I-81 thru PA and west of NYC and then up to the northeast.

However, never been to Charleston, SC so might go that route and hit the eastern seaboard (DC, Philly, NYC) but I-95 is always a clusterfuck.  I assume I can take this route up and the above route back for a change of scenery.

We moved from TX to RI last summer and made the drive in five days, mostly by the first route you described. If you're truly in no rush, I would stay off the interstates when possible though. Are you more into the journey or the destination?

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So here's the plan on getting from Dallas to Boston.  We plan to spend at least a day or several in every city except Memphis since it's a shit hole.  Only stopping in Memphis for Gus's from the fried chicken thread.  Thinking of the Outer Banks from Charleston en route to D.C.  If so, any beach city worth mentioning or any other can't miss metropolis via I-95?  About 2,400 miles but it's about the journey.

Seriously considering heading west cross country to Olympic National Park from Boston.  I am planning two months for this dirt bagging trip.

Dallas, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville, Savannah, Charleston, D.C, NYC, Boston

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  • 4 years later...
On 1/31/2019 at 3:22 PM, APEX said:

So here's the plan on getting from Dallas to Boston.  We plan to spend at least a day or several in every city except Memphis since it's a shit hole.  Only stopping in Memphis for Gus's from the fried chicken thread.  Thinking of the Outer Banks from Charleston en route to D.C.  If so, any beach city worth mentioning or any other can't miss metropolis via I-95?  About 2,400 miles but it's about the journey.

Seriously considering heading west cross country to Olympic National Park from Boston.  I am planning two months for this dirt bagging trip.

Dallas, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville, Savannah, Charleston, D.C, NYC, Boston

Did you make it to Maine?  We are doing Houston to Maine road trip this summer with a stop in Disney to make sure we go the least logical route. 

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