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i am planning to make a roadtrip with my parents before leaving the States.
Our current itinerary would be:
A: San Jose
B: Yosemite
C: Death valley
D: LAs Vegas
E: Grand canyon
F: Monument valley
G: Zion National park
H: Bryce canyon
I:San Jose
to be finished in 3 1/2 weeks.
I have been looking around for campsites and sightseeing along the route, but i'm sure there are some people here that already toured these areas!
So, are there any places& campsites you would recommend?
And would we have reserve certain places at certain campsites? so far we only booked a site in Wawona valley (yosemite)
If you are traveling in the summer or during a holiday period then you should book your overnight stays in advance. I have friends who have done this, but I personally haven't.
There is a good site called RV Campground Reviews, campers themselves do the reviews.
I went out west in my motor home last summer, spent 63 on the road. Had to book a full hook up site in Yellowstone 4 months in advance, I would assume Yosemite and Bryce might also need a reservation, if, hookups are needed. If you are tent camping you should not have a problem getting a site anywhere, unless it is a holiday weekend.
There is a good site called RV Campground Reviews, campers themselves do the reviews.
I went out west in my motor home last summer, spent 63 on the road. Had to book a full hook up site in Yellowstone 4 months in advance, I would assume Yosemite and Bryce might also need a reservation, if, hookups are needed. If you are tent camping you should not have a problem getting a site anywhere, unless it is a holiday weekend.
Hotels and campsites are at a premium in Yosemite during the summer months.
i am planning to make a roadtrip with my parents before leaving the States.
Our current itinerary would be:
A: San Jose
B: Yosemite
C: Death valley
D: LAs Vegas
E: Grand canyon
F: Monument valley
G: Zion National park
H: Bryce canyon
I:San Jose
to be finished in 3 1/2 weeks.
I have been looking around for campsites and sightseeing along the route, but i'm sure there are some people here that already toured these areas!
So, are there any places& campsites you would recommend?
And would we have reserve certain places at certain campsites? so far we only booked a site in Wawona valley (yosemite)
Thanks!
Sounds like a plan--but it makes more sense to go from Las Vegas to Zion, then Bryce, then cut down through Monument Valley, and then Grand Canyon. It would actually be easier to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon through Kanab, before going to MV. The you might even catch two more national parks on the way back if you can handle more rocks : go north from MV to Moab and see Arches and Canyonlands, and then head back west toward San Jose.
If you plan on going to Death Valley after Yosemite, allow for an extra day in Lone Pine on 395. The Alabama Hills just west of Lone Pine have some of the strangest rock formations in the world, and have been used in hundreds of movies. There is an excellent little museum in town with props and info about Hollywood in Lone Pine.
You could play this game all day long but, as long as you will be fairly close, I'd make a point of visiting Mesa Verde in SW Colorado, one of just a handful of US Nat'l Parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Largest cliff dwellings in North America and they do a good job of limiting the visitors in stages to many of the sites to avoid big crowds tripping over each other. We spent maybe 4 to 6 hours there and got to see the Cliff Palace with a ranger-led group of a dozen or so people. Beautiful SW scenery in every direction.
Wow, thanks a lot everyone for your posts! all your ideas sound great, i'm writing them down to add to the trip, and it definitely makes sense to change up the route like you said @Clark for Fantast!
we are indeed travelling in the summer months, so i guess we don't need to worry about tioga pass being closed. Is the tioga pass something i should not miss by the way?
@Ghengis that sounds actually really awesome, i definitely want to go there right now!
@SoCalTwinkie we're staying around this area before and after the roadtrip, so trips to San Francisco, Monterey and Carmel will definitely be made!
by the way, we will be just using a car and a tent and we do like small, relatively unknown campsites too. Has anyone been to a campsite that nobody really knows of but is awesome?
...by the way, we will be just using a car and a tent and we do like small, relatively unknown campsites too. Has anyone been to a campsite that nobody really knows of but is awesome?
Good, stay out of the motor home campground slums. I can't think of a worse thing then being in nature and hearing non-stop generators at night with people in there mobile monstrosities watching Dancing With The Stars.
It's been awhile - but I know that Monument Valley has a tent only campground. Not much seclusion, but it's just a great place to be. We also camped at Canyonlands national park (I think it was) at a glorious site without motor homes, because they can't make it up there. Can't remember the name I don't see that in your plans but it's worthwhile to check out. I think some of these places are first come/first served.
We also camped in Yosemite but I can't remember the place, we also hiked backcountry but that takes a backpack and a bit more equipment.
I would also check out BLM land - they have plenty of tent campsites to choose from.
If you go through Tioga pass you might want to check out Mono Lake and it's moon-like landscape. I also second for a Mesa Verde visit. Also the crater in Winslow Arizona is worth a look if you are in the area.
Wow, thanks a lot everyone for your posts! all your ideas sound great, i'm writing them down to add to the trip, and it definitely makes sense to change up the route like you said @Clark for Fantast!
we are indeed travelling in the summer months, so i guess we don't need to worry about tioga pass being closed. Is the tioga pass something i should not miss by the way?
Tioga Pass is just the quickest way to get from Yosemite to 395 and Death Valley, but it is spectacular. We were just watching a video of a trip we did over the pass from some years back, and I'd forgotten just how incredibly steep some of those rock walls are. We were going west, but if you go east you'll have an amazing view on the downslope!
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: go north from MV to Moab and see Arches and Canyonlands, and then head back west toward San Jose.
