Some questions about a trip out West
I am retiring early next summer, and to kick off my retirement, my husband, who has already retired, and I are thinking about taking a trip out West. We live in Pennsylvania. We would probably visit T...
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We just did a 2-1/2 month trip out west from Atlanta that included several of the parks you mention. I agree with the comments above that during the summer, if you don't have a high tolerance for uncertainty and last-minute changes in itinerary, you'll need reservations. That's especially true if you'll need hookups. Having said that, though, you are right that there are lots of first-come/first-served options in the National Parks. Even at Grand Tetons, where our campground was totally booked months in advance, folks who lined up at the other campgrounds early in the morning and waited to fill in whatever sites were available seemed to get campsites eventually. That's not our style of camping (I am the poster child for obsessive/compulsive personality disorders) but it does work. I think.
As to duration, I learned a lesson on our summer trip. Our plan started by picking places to stop and reserving a number of days. After we arrived, we looked at the park newsletter and guidebooks to figure out what we wanted to do. Several times that resulted in a major shortfall with way, way too much to do in the alloted time. At Grand Tetons, for example, I had only booked 3 days, which was too short by at least half. I'm planning next summer's trip right now and mapping out what we'd like to do at least as a general concept at each stop, then booking the stops. Again, if you're less OCD than I am, that may be too much planning for you, but even a less compulsive version of a stop-by-stop plan will let you know if 2 months is right.
Have fun! Sounds like a great trip.
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As to duration, I learned a lesson on our summer trip. Our plan started by picking places to stop and reserving a number of days. After we arrived, we looked at the park newsletter and guidebooks to figure out what we wanted to do. Several times that resulted in a major shortfall with way, way too much to do in the alloted time. At Grand Tetons, for example, I had only booked 3 days, which was too short by at least half. I'm planning next summer's trip right now and mapping out what we'd like to do at least as a general concept at each stop, then booking the stops. Again, if you're less OCD than I am, that may be too much planning for you, but even a less compulsive version of a stop-by-stop plan will let you know if 2 months is right.
Have fun! Sounds like a great trip.
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