First trip out west from FL.... need help
Well, we retired. :) DW and I haven't been out west and we have a 26' tt and a F150 We've been in the Smokies and WV but not out west. As this is our first trip out west and we want to take 2 ...
Forum Discussion
Whatever route you use to go out, use a different one to come home. Make a big loop. If you are going only as far north as the Grand Canyon, then I-40, I-10 or I-20/I-10 are good as fast East-West routes. If you go on up to southern Utah canyon country (i.e. Moab parks and Colorado National Monument) then the upper east-west leg could be as far north as I-70, although there are more interesting routes (more to see) through Colorado, e.g. along US-50 and US-160.
The Interstate system is quite sparse west of the Mississippi River tier of states and east of California. The main roads are on the US-numbered highway system. Almost any route you choose will have many interesting stops along the way, depending on what interests you.
My high points on loops through the west include Bent's Fort, Royal Gorge, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the Book Cliffs around Green River (all along US-50); the Arches and Canyonlands parks around Moab, Monument Valley (all in SE Utah); the Grand Canyon NP and Meteor Crater (along I-40); Carlsbad Caverns (SE New Mexico); city of San Antonio (on I-10). This is because I'm a geologist.
If I were interested in Native American history, my routes would rather be through northern New Mexico, northern Arizona and southwestern Colorado, mostly north of I-40 but south of US-50, as that is where the remains of the settlements will be found.
Another loop took me through Wild West - Billy the Kid - Roy Bean territory, i.e. New Mexico south of I-40, southeastern Arizona (Tombstone) and West Texas between the Pecos and Rio Grande. That's from an interest in western history.
For more recent western history, consider than I-40 west of Oklahoma City essentially follows the final route of old US-66, and there are history museums along old 66 all through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and California, to take advantage of the nostalgia traffic.
Get a big US road map that includes at least all the US highways and mark some potential loops. Then research what is along those routes, see what interests you, not what interests me. I find Jamie Jenson's "Road Trip USA" most useful for figuring out what I might want to see along the old major highways. I have a couple editions of the book, because I prefer to read books, but you'll find most of the information about what there is along any route on the World Wide Web, if you look for it.
The Interstate system is quite sparse west of the Mississippi River tier of states and east of California. The main roads are on the US-numbered highway system. Almost any route you choose will have many interesting stops along the way, depending on what interests you.
My high points on loops through the west include Bent's Fort, Royal Gorge, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the Book Cliffs around Green River (all along US-50); the Arches and Canyonlands parks around Moab, Monument Valley (all in SE Utah); the Grand Canyon NP and Meteor Crater (along I-40); Carlsbad Caverns (SE New Mexico); city of San Antonio (on I-10). This is because I'm a geologist.
If I were interested in Native American history, my routes would rather be through northern New Mexico, northern Arizona and southwestern Colorado, mostly north of I-40 but south of US-50, as that is where the remains of the settlements will be found.
Another loop took me through Wild West - Billy the Kid - Roy Bean territory, i.e. New Mexico south of I-40, southeastern Arizona (Tombstone) and West Texas between the Pecos and Rio Grande. That's from an interest in western history.
For more recent western history, consider than I-40 west of Oklahoma City essentially follows the final route of old US-66, and there are history museums along old 66 all through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and California, to take advantage of the nostalgia traffic.
Get a big US road map that includes at least all the US highways and mark some potential loops. Then research what is along those routes, see what interests you, not what interests me. I find Jamie Jenson's "Road Trip USA" most useful for figuring out what I might want to see along the old major highways. I have a couple editions of the book, because I prefer to read books, but you'll find most of the information about what there is along any route on the World Wide Web, if you look for it.
