Rethinking 2 week visit out West

Sounds like a wonderful trip. If you don't try to overplan, something I am often accused of, you can see a lot, enjoy a lot, and not make too many plans. I'd take I-40, see the Highway 66 museum at Elk City, use Williams AZ as a base for the Grand Canyon, I really like Circle of Pines KOA, Then the 160 through Indian Country (Monument Valley) to the 550 to Mesa Verde base camp in Durango. The train ride to Silverton is a lot of fun. Stay on the 160 to the I-25 up to Denver, DO NOT TAKE THE 550 WITH THE RV, I love Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park is the basecamp. I'm affraid that will take most of your two week. But it will be a fantastic trip through some absolutely beautiful country. I didn't list the many places to stop along the way.
Happy Trails.

For great scenery and lots of wildlife go to Custer State Park in South Dakota. Lots to see and do in the Black Hills region.

A friend of mine is on going west right now- He certainly is doing alot of driving - staying one or two nights somewhere then driving again. He has had a couple of non-show stopper breakdowns but it had to be fixed so thats another worry to deal with.

What I have seen some folks do is fly out to Phoenix or some big place like that - Then rent a MH and do the tour that way. Of course the big downside for me would be I don't get to have my personal toys...

Renting is probably cheaper than the 2500 miles trip and the hassle that goes along with it.

Two weeks might get us to Oklahoma haha...

Another way I have some folks do is to swap your MH. Folks can fly out and head out for a weeks trip with your stocked up MH. You do the same on their end with their stocked up MH...

I made a whole bunch of trips from VA to Wichita Falls TX doing extended work the last year before retiring. The work job might be two weeks sometimes three weeks. We would drive the weekends getting there almost non-stop driving. Got to go camping at various places over the work weekends and then take a long way back home to VA... That worked out pretty good for us..

It was funny a couple of times - always went the same route going and out of habit seems like we made the same pit stops along the way. Folks started making comments like "Hey glad to see you all again haha..." I guess you don't see many off-road trailers like mine... One hotel would let us sleep in the back of their parking lot which also had 120VAC utility back there for the handyman. That was nice...

Two weeks sure isnt alot of time. We sometimes stay that long at a real nice spot enjoying ourselves...

Roy Ken

Tara, DesertHawk always has the best recommendations and pictures and details. The suggestions he made to you sound wonderful--I am ready to go to some of the places he mentioned and ride that train! We love New Mexico!!

My suggestion: pick an area (e.g. Moab, Escalante, Durango). Using a compass with that town as the apex, score a circle with a radius of 50 miles around it (OR 75 or 100: it's up to you). Spend your two weeks exploring within that circle. Pretty much guarantee you'll stay busy, you'll have a wonderful experience, and you won't be going crazy trying to see "the whole S.W." in one trip.

That's what we try to do...works for us and we then have a reason to return at a later time to see another part of Utah, Colorado, etc.

Great Sand Dunes south of RMNP is worth a couple days. We plan to spend a full week at RMNP this summer and have been there several times before so you could easily give it 4 or 5 days. Mesa Verde is another good park.

Might do Rocky Mountain, then drop down to Colorado Springs Area, a lot of things to see & do there. Or just go to the Springs.

Or skip Colorado & head to New Mexico:
A little south of Colorado (1,278 mi, 19 hours 32 mins. Work your way down to I-70 W, THEN down through Kansas, a little of OK & TX into NM over to I-25 between Raton & Las Vegas) To Clarify: I Didn't mean take I-70 all the way, only to Kansas City then must cut south & west to get to NM. By taking US 54 toward Liberal (could take I-35 down to the 54 to Wichita), then work over to Clayton, NM & on to Springer & I-25 on US 56/64. One would not need to go all the way to Liberal...US 160, then US 83 S to KS 51 to US 56 W.

Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't <<<<< A Trip Report last summer.

A Little Longer than to Estes Park: 1,173 mi, 17 hours 25 mins. But I was only using from the State of Indiana to each. About 100 mi or 2 hours.

Bandelier Nat'l Mon't had a nice campground, water, but no showers or electric. Nice restrooms--flush & electric in them. Neat place to visit. Easy to get to on paved roads. Free Bus rides down to the sites.

We got good Asian at Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe last summer. Someone at the AAA office recommended Tortilla Flats in Santa Fe; it prove to be very good as well.

Normally, we would eat on the Plaza, from Cart Vendors, such as Roque's Carnitas. Cart Cuisine, but they were not there that week-end. Due to the 'Santa Fe Indian Market', "a 91-year-old Native art market", we didn't find the normal street food venders on the Plaza.

More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded.

I-25 N (Just East of Santa Fe) , in the Glorieta Pass & Pecos Area: Civil War Battlefield and Pecos Nat'l Historic Park, the remains of an Indian pueblo.

Off I-25 between Santa Fe & Las Vegas, NM, you might enjoyed an overnight at Villanueva State Park. It is off the 25 a bit.

One can also go from Santa Fe (I-25 S down to US 550) or US 84 N to Chama. US 84 on to Farmington and/or Four Corner's Area.

One can also go to Taos after Santa Fe & use the high road over to the Chama Area. US 64 out of Taos; US 84 N to Chama, etc. goes into high country.

The Cumbres Toltec Steam Train at Chama is a neat one. Heron Lake State Park, Chama, Train Photos

Cochiti Lake COE campground, between ABQ & Santa Fe & at a lower elevation should have sites open. As would Bandelier National Monument's Juniper Campground. Higher than Cochiti Lake. Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area a BLM site with campgrounds is 30 miles north of Santa Fe (near Santa Cruz). Not as high as Santa Fe.

Black Canyon Campground is just before Hyde State Park & is one of the more popular campgrounds on the Santa Fe National Forest....not electric, but water, restrooms. No showers at both Black Canyon & Hyde State Park. Seasons: Weather dependant, April through November. Depending on size of your rig, might be too small sites.

We used Hyde SP last summer on two trips in the area. No showers, too high in the mountains, I assume. But have a few electric sites, fairly long ones. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/hydememorialstatepark.html

There are many Indian Casinos on the way to ABQ & in the ABQ area. They sometimes have RV camping at them. http://www.indiancasinos.com/newmexico.shtml

At times fuel price maybe better at them as well. Not always.

Or spend all the time in & around Rocky Mountain Nat'l Pk. We have never camped there, but we did a day trip to it from Loveland, CO. We drove over the Trail Ridge Road from Estes Park to Grand Lake, CO. Very neat drives. Went by the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center returned by Fall River Visitor Center route. Should be Elk Herds to see. Plenty of scenery to marvel at.

If you use I-80 at North Platte, Nebraska, the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park and Camping; never stopped there, but driven by on US 83; nice looking campground by the river.