Atlanta to Grand Canyon

I commend you for giving your family these experiences. I'm trying to do the same. Mine are both 9, so I'm a few years behind you. We are leaving in June for 42 day trip to the same areas. Just this last week I nailed down the last of our reservations. We're leaving out of Greenville, SC, so a very similar trip to yours.

Here's our itinerary:

-El Malpais
-Petrefied Forest
-Painted Desert
-Sunset Crater
-Walnut Canyon
-Grand Canyon (4 nights)
-Vermillion Cliffs
-Zion (5 nights)
-Bryce
-Capitol Reef
-Arches (3 nights) - off roading
-Mesa Verde
-Durango
-Ouray (4 nights) - off roading
-Black Canyon of the Gunnison
-Pikes Peak
-Home

Hope that gives you some ideas. Enjoy the planning and the trip!

If you're towing the Jeep, that opens up a lot of options for you.

The campground at North Rim was great when we last stayed there, but if you can't book a space, there's a commercial campground with hookups(haven't seen it myself), and an unreserved forest service campground at Jacob Lake which is quite nice. Just beware that there are few options for fuel, and where you find it, it won't be cheap. That's why we stay at Jacob Lake and drive in.

A few years ago we went in July and it was not that hot. We did the mule trip down the canyon, awesome experience. Hike the rim trail we took 2 days to do that. They do have a shuttle to ride around the Grand Canyon from stop to stop. See a sunset. So much to do and see.

Thank you for all the information. It is very helpful. I am in the process of making my camping reservations. I will be towing a jeep behind the 32 foot Storm. It sounds like vegas is something to skip. Yes, it is going to be hot and it is all part of the adventure. Keep the comments. Thanks

Your plans of Zion and the North Rim are good. I would suggest adding Bryce, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef, Monument Valley and Arches to complete your trip. Skip Lake Mead and Vegas. That's a great thing you're doing for you kids. They'll have life-long memories!

The other sites will be hot enough in July, but the Las Vegas area will be extremely hot. I agree with lane hog. Go to Page, AZ instead and see Lake Powell (which IMO is more scenic than Lake Mead), Glen Canyon Dam, Antelope Slot Canyon, Horseshoe Bend overlook, and do the float trip on the Colorado River.

Other suggestions are great too. How long do you have for this trip? There is alot to see in the Southwest.

Sounds like a great itinerary. The South Rim is certainly closer for us to visit, but we love the solitude of the North Rim.

If you're coming up to the North Rim from Flagstaff, you'll want to add Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument (same road connects the two).

Hoover is certainly more famous, but you can also do the dam tour at Glen Canyon in Page, AZ. If you've seen one dam, you've seen them all... The only concern might be the detour, but that's also part of the adventure.

A side benefit of going to Glen is that you'll have no excuse to go see Las Vegas unless you really want to. Personally, I'd stick to the national parks and avoid it.

Now, a question... are you planning to tow a vehicle, or just do everything from the motorhome? It's certainly doable without a tow vehicle, but you may have a few more opportunities with a toad.

If you're coming on I-40 to Flagstaff, Meteor Crater (5 miles off 40) & Painted Desert/Petrified Forest NP are worth a visit. The 'back stories' of those were far more interesting for me than the GC, tho' it's more picturesque.

Jim, "When did my wild oats turn into prunes and AllBran?"

I would also suggest Bryce Canyon, and some of the other parks in Utah like Moab and Canyon lands but July is extremely hot there, at least for me it was.

The Grand Canyon is much more than a "hole in the ground" as a previous poster indicated. There are Ranger programs at the South Rim, hiking trails into the canyon, and if you book now, you probably could get on a mule trip into the canyon, That is a life experience like no other. With the kids, I would skip Vegas. They will not be allowed into any of the Casinos, many of the shows are a little off color for kids, and the in your face crime element can be daunting. Hoover Dam is OK if you like to tour factories and the like. I suggest you research the National Park's website, www.nps.gov, to study the parks along the way.