Southwest US trip ideas

[thbarnett]

Trying to pull together ideas for a trip from southern Indiana across the southwest and back. Hitting some National Parks, Grand Canyon and reasonable sites in a realistic itinerary for a 2 week trip. I know a 3-4 week trip would be better, but just not an option right now.

Second question: We have a family of 4 (wife & 2 teens), a 29' TT and a HD 3/4 ton V8 gasser. Is there any reason to look at borrowing a smaller unit for better towing/MPG? Thought about renting a C-class, but WOW...not for 2-3K for 2 weeks+mileage. I can buy a lot of gas for that price.

Any links for itineraries, blogs or thoughts would be appreciated. There's so much info online I'm "locked-up," so details ideas from those that have done it would be great.

[eubank]

Yes, there's always confusion on locations and their names. For folks coming from far away, especially from other countries, the southwest includes California, perhaps as the most southwest of all of the states in this region.

Well, sure, California is the southwestern-most state in the whole country, but is it the southwest? Many locals would beg to disagree. (Please note that this has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Nothing.) California (and the two states above it) is a Pacific state, not a southwestern state, in their view.

So it's hard to define exactly what people understand under southwest (and other regions as well, I'm sure). Part of it is likely not just geography, but also some kind of state of mind or culture.

🙂
Lynn

[dewey02]

.Depends on the expert you consult.
The US census call Colorado simply in the West Region, or calls it a Mountain state.
Some maps and Geographers call it within the Southwest as you do.
And others call it a Great Plains State because of the eastern part of the state.

So take your pick. I think the various regions that it is put in contributes to the confusion.

Arizona and New Mexico are always considered SW, no confusion there.

[fanrgs]

What region would you say Colorado and New Mexico are in--the Northwest, the Great Plains, the Pacific Coast? I believe that every geographer in the U.S. puts Colorado, and certainly New Mexico, in the Southwest. Let's give people who have lived here for 50 years a little credit for knowing what region they live in!

[bee_46]

Somehow I can not figure out how Yellowstone, Estes Park and Denver are the Southwest U.S. which the OP asked about. I believe they can make Arches NP in three days of reasonable driving. As I said earlier, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon are all close, less than a day's drive from each other. The Grand Canyon is about a half day drive from Page including stopping at the various overlooks coming in from the East Entrance. We found that 2 1/2 days in the Grand Canyon was plenty although we do not hike at our age. They should be able to get back to Southern Indiana in four days from the Grand Canyon. Assuming two weeks is actually 16 days with the weekends, 7 days driving and 9 for visiting the parks.

[Heisenberg]

Two weeks?? From your home I would just go to Estes Park (Rocky Mountain National Park) and Denver. There is plenty to do and the scenery is magnificent. Mary's Lake Campground in Estes Park and Chatfield State Park in Denver will cover a lot of activities. Just use your Google skills ... activities abound.

[bee_46]

We just took a 23 day trip from Maryland to South Dakota, Wyoming, eastern Utah and northern Arizona. To see all those areas involved a number of long days of driving. If you wanted to see the Southwest U.S. I would not go to Yellowstone. It is not really the Southwest to me. You can see a number of parks close together in southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. Arches and Canyonlands are basically "across the street" from each other. Just south into Arizona is Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon. If time permits it is less than a day from Page to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Probably less to the north rim although I have not been there. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon that gives you unique photos.

Our entire trip blog is the attached link "Arches, Geysers and Canyons". Feel free to take a look

[fanrgs]

If I were coming West from Indiana with two teenagers for two early summer weeks, I would get on I-70 and head straight to Denver. Unless you really like heat, I would avoid southern Utah at that time of year and substitute the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico instead. Drive from Denver up to Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park and, if you are comfortable towing in the mountains, go over Trail Ridge Road to Granby, west on US 40 to Kremmling, south on CO 9 to Silverthorne, and back to I-70. Next stop--Glenwood Springs for the kids to have a great time swimming in the gigantic hot springs pool.

From Glenwood, use CO 133 and US 50 to Montrose, with short side trips to Redstone, Marble, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. If you are brave, head due south on US 550 to Durango and Mesa Verde. If not, use CO 62 and 145 to Telluride, Cortez, and Mesa Verde. Finally, head south on US 550 to Aztec (more Anasazi ruins, but not cliff dwellings) and Albuquerque. Then take a side trip on I-25 to Santa Fe (at 7,000 ft, so normally warm but not extremely hot), then south to I-40 via US 285.

From there you can head home on I-40 through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. There are many more things to see along the entire route that I didn't mention, but you can find those you are interested in during your own research. And PM me if you would like campground recommendations along any of those routes.

[agesilaus]

Yeah we were there a couple years ago in summer. We did our hiking at sunset when it cooled off rapidly. Around sunrise also would be good but we never got up that early...heh.

BK

[legolas]

We just left Palo Duro Canyon State Park, stayed at the Mesquite campground which is at the bottom of the canyon. Beautiful place....just too hot, 106 at the campsite...so the hiking we planned turned in to sight seeing, RV Museum as well as the Quarter Horse museum in Amarillo, Panhandle-Plains museum in Canyon,the state park is a great place to stay an in about a week as the weather cools off a good deal.

[agesilaus]

We spent 5 days down at Big Bend this summer, wanted to look for agate but it was way too hot.

[tatest]

agesilaus wrote:
That's a new one for me, Texas Meteor Crater. We've been to Barringer's but I'll have to remember this other one. ...

BK

Just west of Odessa, and visit is no-fee. Wasn't looking for it, just saw and followed the signs. But looking for the signs, asking at visitor centers is how I do trips. Also how something I planned to drive in three hours takes three days.

[agesilaus]

That's a new one for me, Texas Meteor Crater. We've been to Barringer's but I'll have to remember this other one.

We've found over the years that to explore any of these large SW parks, we need a minimum of 4-5 days and a week is better. It all depends on what you like to do. If driving the paved roads and stopping at the visitor center and scenic pullouts is what makes you happy, then a couple of days is plenty. If you are like us and want to hike some trails, drive 4WD back roads and really investigate a park then a week maybe too short.

For the years that we had maybe 3 weeks a summer we would pick one major park, say Bryce and spend a week there. And we'd stop at other parks for a few days. Of course we had a longer drive time to get to Utah---four days of pushing it to 500-600 miles a day.

BK

[tatest]

I don't think there is anything you can rent for the amount of money you might save on gas. Anything full profile is going to take as much or more gas to move it, as your truck and TT, so a C might be $1500-2000 a week and use even more gas (but sure nice for family travel). You might find a small popup for $500 a week, but added gas cost, over just the truck, will be about half the added cost of towing your TT.

Allow 4 days going out to GC-Moab-SW Utah parks, about the same going back, leaving about six days for visiting and traveling between parks and other sights. I tend to look for places enroute, so each travel day is at least a couple hours visiting something interesting. What happens to be interesting is very much an individual thing, I like historical sites and geology, othersmay want outdoor sporting activities or nature activities like hiking, and still others shopping malls and theme or amusement parks (thus no way I could take my sister's twins on a trip I would like).

My childhood experience was that the only really bad road trips were those that were too ambitious, i.e. the whole vacation time spent in the car moving place to place on the "must see" list. E.G. Grand Canyon and/or Las Vegas, LA and Disneyland via Las Vegas, Black Hills and Yellowstone, or Colorado Rockies and Canyonlands might eac work for two weeks from the Great Lakes (Detroit for us) but Yellowstone and Grand Canyon in same two week trip is a problem because for two weeks we would never stop driving long enough to see something.

FWIW my last two SW trips, slightly longer than 2 weeks each, from central Oklahoma:

Guthrie - Great Salt Plains Lake - Dodge City - Bent's Fort - Pueblo - Royal Gorge - Curecanti NRA, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado NM - Green River - Moab: Arches and Canyonlands - Monument Valley - NW New Mexico - Palo Duro Canyon - Home.

Guthrie - Route 66 museums in Oklahoma - Bosque Redondo - Roswell - Lincoln County - Ruidoso - Alamogordo - White Sands - El Paso - Davis Mountains - Texas Meteor Crater - Red Rock Canyon - Home

Just a couple of two week circle tours, lots of places in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas bypassed because we'd been there already or they need more time of their own. Also, that's my SW, because to me Nevada beyond Las Vegas down at the tip, and any part of California, are part of my Far West, beyond a reasonable two weeks from where I am close to the center of the lower 48.

I did these at a pace such that no day was exclusively a travel day. Any route you take across the U.S., any day you move more than 250 miles, there is at least one place that is interesting to somebody to stop and see for at least an hour or two. At the same time, we stayed no longer than two nights in any one place, even some places where other people go to spend the whole two weeks (or several months). Finally, some places where I had planned 250 or 300 miles of travel in a single day, I found reasons to take 3 days instead.

[vermilye]

As everyone states, with only two weeks it will be tough to see the southwest. One of my favorite websites for exploring what is available is Utah.com. The Grand Circle is a ring of National (and state) parks. The linked page has a suggested 11 day tour. I've been to all the locations on the itinerary; you will see some of the best of the southwest.

I'd never try to do this much in so little time, but have the advantage that I'm retired, and can take as long as I want. My last trip was 304 days...