American Southwest trip thoughts

djgarcia wrote:

DeanRIowa wrote:
What are the thoughts on the below itinerary? What changes if any would you make? i.e. Different parks or time. We have 2 or 3 extra days to fill, where or how would you fill them.

Here are the overnights and duration

Starting Northeastern Iowa

• Aurora, CO - 2 Nights - Visit friends
• Albuquerque - 1 night - Travelling Stop
• Grand Canyon - 3 Nights
• Sedona/Flagstaff area - 2 Nights
• Las Vegas - 2 Nights
• Zion -2 Nights
• Bryce - 2 Nights
• Chaco Canyon Historic Park - 2 Nights
• Pueblo - 2 Nights - Visit friends
• Aurora, CO - 2 Nights - Visit friends
• ? - 1 night - Travel Stop to home
  

Notes:

• Not a big hiking family, limited by some family members
• Would liketo see another native American sites

Thank you for your help.

Dean

You have picked some interesting areas to visit. Your itinerary sounds a little like a a mini marathon:) I like the north side of the Grand Canyon, would skip the Sedona area, too commercial for my taste. I would add those 2 days to the Bryce and Zion parks. Unless you like the **** tables( I do) in Vegas, I would skip Vegas and add them to the national parks. Just my opinion

I'm sort of in the question ..... what are we doing on this "Vacation"

When I connect the dots I get 4,200 miles just point to point - or a minimum of 84 hours on the road? At 6 hours a day (I like 4, but you could do 8 so I went with 6) you end up being on the road for 84/6= 14 days driving and 6 days visiting friends in the towns of Aurora and Pueblo 6+14 = 20 not much time to do any more than just drive by the points on the map.

So for me I always ask what is the Mission? see locations? visit friends? drive around the country? explore new terrain?

While you are asking for us to suggest additions - all I see is a need for a mission and then a lot of deletions.

IMHO you should select a State to tour (Colorado - Utah - Arizona - New Mexico - ?Nevada?) - or a group of sites to see - Or friends to visit (posible to meet up with them in a CG along the route)

Now for My Suggestion - Out of Aurora head to Buena Vista - Rafting and just Beautiful area from there to Great Sand Dunes NP - Mesa Verde NP - then to Telluride/San Juan's - Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP - Marble - Maroon Bells - over to Pueblo and home from there.

Simpler and a lot less sitting in the CAR.

JMHO,