Planning a trip from central Kentucky to Grand Canyon area, either north or south side. Leaning to North side at the moment. Any advice or preferences? Pulling Rockwood 8310 travel trailer with Silverado Duramax. Thanks

Well looking at the map, I'd take I-65 southwest to I-40 then west on that. The disadvantage to that route is Oklahoma City, not a major problem. Then at Flagstaff take 89 north. Otherwise you could take I-70 all the way west to Denver then south on I-25. The problem with that is St Louis and Denver, both I try to avoid.We greatly prefer the North Rim but there are others who like the South Rim. We like the minimal crowds. You'll find a lot of the trails almost devoid of other people. And there are many back country roads. If you want reservations in the park you better make them early also be aware of the opening dates for the North Rim. Otherwise it's boondocking in the National Forest around the park or FHU in Jacob Lake.

My suggestion is for the first time you should see the South side. The beautiful antique facilities are so worth the visit. Another suggestion for first timers is to stay in Williams AZ at the Grand Canyon RR RV Park and take the train to the canyon. Once there, a bus tour is such a fun way to see the sights without dealing with finding parking spots for a car. Williams is a great destination in itself and is walking distance from the RV park. The above itinerary will not disappoint but better reserve NOW if you decide to do it. About an hour and a half West of Williams on the old Rt 66 alignment outside of Seligman is Grand Canyon Caverns. This place is a time warp that will take you back to the tourist trap 50s and also has an RV park. I consider it a must see for anyone close the GCNP.

Remember the North Rim is closed until about May 15 or so. Check with the NPS.

What time of year will you be making this trip?

Good Route | Good Sam Community

jplante4
Explorer II
Dec 15, 2018
agesilaus wrote:
The interstates suck, especially I-70 through Ohio and Illinois. Find a US highway route if you're not in a hurry. US 50/54 or US 60 goes that way.

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Yeah but most people with limited time are in a hurry at the start and finish of their trips. They want to reserve the time for when they get to their destination or at least to interesting country.

On I-10 (pre-retirement) we didn't consider that interesting country started until San Antonio, or on I-20 it was past DFW. Before that we want to get past as quickly as we could. And I had a lot of vacation time 3-4 weeks.

Ya well, the title of the thread is "Good Route" not "Fastest Route" or "Route where I only see mile markers". You really don't save that much time on the interstates, and you see a lot more on the older US route system. If you're all about the destination, take a plane and rent a rig at the other end.
agesilaus
Explorer III
Dec 15, 2018
I take secondary roads all the time but they are quite a bit slower. All those stop lights and 30 mph zones after all. We'd do 500-600 miles on the Interstate and maybe 300-350 on secondary roads

We have all summer to travel now I'm retired and will have all year in another year when my wife does. But many folks don't and likewise we didn't have the money to rent a Class C near our destination we needed to travel on the cheap with two or three kids along.

So it's Interstates for the first part of the trip. I agree about I-70 in the Midwest that why I suggested I-40. Maybe not the most scenic but better than Illinois.
profdant139
Explorer II
Dec 15, 2018
In September, the aspens on the North Rim are amazing. The north is nice and cool, too -- bring a sweatshirt.

The choice of north vs south will, of course, have a big impact on routing!!
harley-dave
Explorer
Dec 15, 2018
randy1953 wrote:
Planning a trip from central Kentucky to Grand Canyon area, either north or south side. Leaning to North side at the moment. Any advice or preferences? Pulling Rockwood 8310 travel trailer with Silverado Duramax. Thanks
How about I-70 across into Utah, hit 89 south of Richfield. Past Bryce and Zion, Jacob Lake to the North Rim. IMHO North Rim much nicer than south rim which is normally crawling with tourists.

Dave

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