Trip advice - New to RV'ing and from London UK!

[gtrstill]

Hello everyone. I am travelling to the US this weekend and after a business event I am renting an RV for 1 week. We had planned to check out Arizona and the general area but I think we have underestimated the planning side of our trip. I am looking for some friendly advice on the routes we should consider and where to stop along the route. I know this is a really green and newbie set of questions but I think we just ran out of time and I stumbled across your forum.

Look forward to hearing back.

Alex

[tonyandkaren]

Veebyes wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
Flight Plan: Vegas to Zion NP 160 mi, Bryce NP 90 mi, Grand Canyon North Rim (not the more popular South Rim) 155 mi, return to Vega 670 miles total. These three parks are spectacular and can consume 7+ days easily.

The bad news is that those are British miles, the good news is good roads and you'll be driving on the right side of the road. :B

Or Zion and Grand Canyon South Rim 770 mi.

Now that sounds like a reasonable doable plan.

The problem is that y'all drive on the WRONG side of the road. You see, most guys are right handed. You need to have your right hand to carry your jousting pole in case you meet another knight going the other way. And THAT is the reason the Brits, and an awful lot of the rest of the world for that matter, drive on the left.

Now you know.

Driving to the north rim is impossible right now because the road is still closed for the winter and is not scheduled to open until May 15 -http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/weather-condition.htm#CP_JUMP_582522

Have a good trip!

[Veebyes]

CA Traveler wrote:
Flight Plan: Vegas to Zion NP 160 mi, Bryce NP 90 mi, Grand Canyon North Rim (not the more popular South Rim) 155 mi, return to Vega 670 miles total. These three parks are spectacular and can consume 7+ days easily.

The bad news is that those are British miles, the good news is good roads and you'll be driving on the right side of the road. :B

Or Zion and Grand Canyon South Rim 770 mi.

Now that sounds like a reasonable doable plan.

The problem is that y'all drive on the WRONG side of the road. You see, most guys are right handed. You need to have your right hand to carry your jousting pole in case you meet another knight going the other way. And THAT is the reason the Brits, and an awful lot of the rest of the world for that matter, drive on the left.

Now you know.

[CA_Traveler]

So how does 2 weeks sound?

[CA_Traveler]

Flight Plan: Vegas to Zion NP 160 mi, Bryce NP 90 mi, Grand Canyon North Rim (not the more popular South Rim) 155 mi, return to Vega 670 miles total. These three parks are spectacular and can consume 7+ days easily.

The bad news is that those are British miles, the good news is good roads and you'll be driving on the right side of the road. :B

Or Zion and Grand Canyon South Rim 770 mi.

[dcason]

Report back and let us know where you ended up and when you are coming back:B

A week is kind of short you know. Hope you had a wonderful time.

[bigred1cav]

gtrstill wrote:
What a lovely group! thank you so much for this advice and feedback. Really means alot.

wish us luck. We are very excited.

Alex

Alex, don't fret to much about violence, we are for the most part a civilized nation. You will hear a lot about guns and such. Those mostly happen in cities and slum areas of cities. Find some good local restaurants and enjoy the local food. Beware it can be very spicy.

Almost all of us are friendly and especially like our UK cousins. We can be "Cheeky" and what seems rude to you isn't intended as rude. We rarely say "Thank you very much." Over the past 50 years we have lost our manners.

REMEMBER WE DRIVE ON WRONG SIDE OF ROAD. That got me in trouble while in UK. We also have few roundabouts and left turns will get you out of town. I spent several hours trying to get out of Aberdeen always ended up on a beach with a bunch of blue people,getting out of the North Sea.

For goodness sake when you camp don't walk on anothers rented camp area, some of us are insane and think that is an affront to our manhood.

Most of all have fun, this is a marvelous country with wonderful people.

[bigred1cav]

Must see 4 corners and Mesa Verde. Grand Canyon.

[RWDIII]

gtrstill wrote:
What a lovely group! thank you so much for this advice and feedback. Really means alot.

wish us luck. We are very excited.

Alex

Don't forget to enjoy some of our
ice cold beer.

When I was in the Marines,our ship visited Portsmouth and was the guest of some Royal Marines for a day.
while visiting a local Pub,I made the error of asking for a cold beer.
Anyway welcome to you.

[Veebyes]

Don't be over ambitious. Our first RV experience was also a rental. 15 nights, 2500 miles & we were busted at the end.

First day is picking it up, stocking it & not getting very far after that. Last day is returning it. That leaves 6 days. Not much time but you might be able to pull off a Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam loop. Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon will need a full day each to get the quick whip around tour. Then there is the commute between each with time to stop to ooooh & aaaaah at various viewpoints along the way.

[gtrstill]

What a lovely group! thank you so much for this advice and feedback. Really means alot.

wish us luck. We are very excited.

Alex

[rfryer]

Tonyandkaren’s suggestion isn’t a bad loop. But it’s near a 1,000 mile trip. So if you want to drive 3 days and sight-see 4 days you’ll be driving about 6 or 7 hours on the driving days. And at best you’ll only have a day at each place, not much time for extracurricular activities. You could trim a couple of hundred miles off by going from Zion to Grand Canyon to Sedona and on to Vegas. But I can’t suggest anything shorter and still be able to see any nice country. With a week you’ll just have to settle for a taste of what you see and plan another trip to those places you really like.

As far as roads go you could take I-15 and then route 9 into Zion. And then 89 and 64 to the Canyon. If you go to Sedona you can go back to 89 or take 64 to Williams, then I-40 back to Flagstaff. To Sedona you have two choices, I-17 to route 179, then on to Sedona. Or 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona. The latter is a very pretty drive. But it’s a two lane mountain road with steep grades and tight curves. It’s your call whether you would be comfortable with that. If you have a big RV I-17 is probably the better choice. Good luck and I hope you have an enjoyable trip.

[kaydeejay]

Alex,
TonyandKaren have given you a brilliant potential itinerary that will let you see lots without driving 8 hours a day.
A great starting point
Oh, and don't forget to drive on the RIGHT!
And have fun!

[DiploStrat]

Alex,

Beloved Spouse and I have the opposite problem when traveling in Blighty; remembering that the distances are so short!

As others have said, Arizona alone is not a very big state, but it is still larger than UK. What to do? Pick two or three sites and have a great trip. The Grand Canyon is probably a "must" but consider cliff dwellings like Mesa Verde.

Then relax, you can't see it all. So come back again when you can spend more time. The good news is that prices are generally lower than in UK.

Have a wonderful trip!

[tonyandkaren]

I'm a big fan of national parks for the scenic beauty plus you'll be able to rent horses at some of them and also get out on the water.
Here's a good loop that should fill up your week but give you plenty of time to enjoy seeing and doing rather than driving,

Las Vegas - camp at Valley of Fire

Zion National Park - camp,hike,horse rides

Glen Canyon - camp, boat

Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument - these three are close together

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Sedona

Grand Canyon National Park - camp, hike. south rim- north roads are still closed

Death Valley National Park - if you have extra time

Google map with links - Las Vegas loop