twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 We're slated for a trip to the SW, around the middle of April (should be gone 3-4 weeks). Driving from the Atlanta area. We have reservations for Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. I'm also considering stops at the following: White Sands National, Petrified Forest National and Meteor Crater in AZ. I'm not sure which route I'll take out (have more time out than back)...I'm pretty open. One option is: up through I20 and I40 through AL, MS, OK, TX, NM, AZ and NV. Another option: going down through AL, MS, LA, TX, OK, NM, AZ and NV. If you've been in these areas... any suggestions of must see sites? Keep in mind, I'll be traveling without Tom (he's flying out to hit the Zion, Bryce and the GC, but has to get back for work), so I need to be aware of not having that second pair of eyes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PGHFiend 140 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 That sounds like a fun trip and I'm impressed you'll be wheeling solo. I've never been out that way, save for a trip to Colorado on I-70 once. I'll be interested to hear about the trip- safe travels! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 4 minutes ago, PGHFiend said: That sounds like a fun trip and I'm impressed you'll be wheeling solo. I've never been out that way, save for a trip to Colorado on I-70 once. I'll be interested to hear about the trip- safe travels! Did Colorado in July... it was awesome. Didn't brave I70 though, lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 On 1/5/2018 at 9:27 AM, twiceblessed....nacole said: We're slated for a trip to the SW, around the middle of April (should be gone 3-4 weeks). Driving from the Atlanta area. We have reservations for Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. I'm also considering stops at the following: White Sands National, Petrified Forest National and Meteor Crater in AZ. I'm not sure which route I'll take out (have more time out than back)...I'm pretty open. One option is: up through I20 and I40 through AL, MS, OK, TX, NM, AZ and NV. Another option: going down through AL, MS, LA, TX, OK, NM, AZ and NV. If you've been in these areas... any suggestions of must see sites? Keep in mind, I'll be traveling without Tom (he's flying out to hit the Zion, Bryce and the GC, but has to get back for work), so I need to be aware of not having that second pair of eyes. I hate to say this about my home state area but I really dislike I-10 through Louisiana. Mostly Baton Rouge to Lafayette, you can hit traffic there daily (usually east bound). Baton Rouge actually has i-10 go down to one lane after the Mississippi Bridge so at the wrong time of day it backs up. That being said don't let is scare you away just plan to avoid Baton Rouge during your typical rush hours. Other than that I haven't been west of San Antonio in quite a while, I-10 to San Antonio isn't bad, not sure how you feel about towing through Houston traffic but I'm sure you could handle it. Also if you take I-10 you can stop at 3 or 4 Buc-ee's along the way in Texas, clean bathrooms, cheap gas and great snacks! WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 6 minutes ago, WannaBeImagineer said: I hate to say this about my home state area but I really dislike I-10 through Louisiana. Mostly Baton Rouge to Lafayette, you can hit traffic there daily (usually east bound). Baton Rouge actually has i-10 go down to one lane after the Mississippi Bridge so at the wrong time of day it backs up. That being said don't let is scare you away just plan to avoid Baton Rouge during your typical rush hours. Other than that I haven't been west of San Antonio in quite a while, I-10 to San Antonio isn't bad, not sure how you feel about towing through Houston traffic but I'm sure you could handle it. Also if you take I-10 you can stop at 3 or 4 Buc-ee's along the way in Texas, clean bathrooms, cheap gas and great snacks! WBI Good information...thanks!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 I would recommend I-20 to US 287 to I-40 in Amarillo. Dallas/Ft. Worth is the only trouble area. There is a way around if you get off I-20 and go north a little before you get to Tyler. There is a great and cheap campground at Witchita Falls run by the city with a view of the falls. The meteor site is not much and located in the middle of nowhere so I would not plan my trip around it. All the tourist signs about seeing the "Thing" is just an old Volkswagen so don't get caught by that one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 The other route is to go from Birmingham to Memphis but I-40 across Arkansas makes I-10 across Louisiana appear smooth. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
djsamuel 322 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 On 1/5/2018 at 10:27 AM, twiceblessed....nacole said: We're slated for a trip to the SW, around the middle of April (should be gone 3-4 weeks). Driving from the Atlanta area. We have reservations for Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. I'm also considering stops at the following: White Sands National, Petrified Forest National and Meteor Crater in AZ. I'm not sure which route I'll take out (have more time out than back)...I'm pretty open. One option is: up through I20 and I40 through AL, MS, OK, TX, NM, AZ and NV. Another option: going down through AL, MS, LA, TX, OK, NM, AZ and NV. If you've been in these areas... any suggestions of must see sites? Keep in mind, I'll be traveling without Tom (he's flying out to hit the Zion, Bryce and the GC, but has to get back for work), so I need to be aware of not having that second pair of eyes. You will LOVE this trip. I would take your first option of I20 to I40. you will need to get to I40 anyway, so why drop down to I-10/12 and then have to deal with Dallas? When we head out west from Central Florida we take I-10 and then in TX move north to I-20 and up to I-40 and avoid Dallas. Meteor Crater was something I really liked. the crater is really big, the tour is fun, and just an overall fun thing to remember. And since it is near Winslow, you can just stop and stand on the corner in Winslow, AZ. Petrified Forest was interesting, and doesn't take too long to go through. Walnut Canyon National Monument is also near I-40 around Flagstaff and is really interesting. make sure you spend enough time exploring the Grand Canyon. Hike down the Bright angel Trail at least a little bit; but take into account how much more difficult it is to walk back up. My wife and I hiked to the 3 mile mark; which is a descent of 2,000 feet. It was 2 hours down and 4 hours back up. WELL worth it though; amazing. Hermit's Rest is a really interesting building designed by Mary Coulter, as are some of the other buildings there. Check out the inside of the El Tovar Hotel. Beautiful. The Bright Angel restaurant in the Bright Angel Lodge was really enjoyable and reasonable. We liked it better than the Arizona Room which was fancier and more expensive. At Bryce, try to hike the Queens Garden Trail. It is an easy hike, but it takes you to the bottom and the scenery is beautiful. Lots of great hiking at Zion. Angels landing doesn't look bad at first, but it can be very strenuous depending on how far you want to go so make sure you check it out first. How are you traveling between the parks? Is the Grand Canyon your first stop? If so, what route are you taking to get to Bryce and Zion? If you are traveling from the Grand Canyon to Bryce, you may want to see if you can fit in Capitol Reef as well. That is also a really nice place. As you can probably sense, I love that area of Arizona and Utah. You will have an amazing trip and be sure to take a lot of pictures. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 Sounds like a fun trip. Your becoming an old pro at this. One thing to keep in mind when you go to the Grand Canyon is they stay on Mountain Standard Time year round. I second seeing the Petrified Forest since you would be going by there. As you are going to be in the area you might want to see if you can find the time to visit Canyons of the Ancients or Mesa Verde NP. Both have ancient first peoples archeological sites. I would say Mesa Verde is probably more tourist friendly whereas Canyons of the Ancients is more hiker/outdoor oriented. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
djsamuel 322 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 10 minutes ago, keith_h said: Sounds like a fun trip. Your becoming an old pro at this. One thing to keep in mind when you go to the Grand Canyon is they stay on Mountain Standard Time year round. I second seeing the Petrified Forest since you would be going by there. As you are going to be in the area you might want to see if you can find the time to visit Canyons of the Ancients or Mesa Verde NP. Both have ancient first peoples archeological sites. I would say Mesa Verde is probably more tourist friendly whereas Canyons of the Ancients is more hiker/outdoor oriented. Really good points. I would second the recommendation for Mesa Verde if you can make it there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PGHFiend 140 Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 7 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: Did Colorado in July... it was awesome. Didn't brave I70 though, lol It's flat, mildly rolling and pretty to look at. Its the first time I learned about what they call "post rock country", and it's not what you think. I drove a 45 foot MH with a toad there for a side gig and flew home. On the way I passed so many cool things. I want to actually go back on my own time and visit on purpose. djsamuel 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 21 hours ago, Specularius said: . The meteor site is not much and located in the middle of nowhere so I would not plan my trip around it. All the tourist signs about seeing the "Thing" is just an old Volkswagen so don't get caught by that one. Thank you!! 18 hours ago, djsamuel said: You will LOVE this trip. I would take your first option of I20 to I40. you will need to get to I40 anyway, so why drop down to I-10/12 and then have to deal with Dallas? When we head out west from Central Florida we take I-10 and then in TX move north to I-20 and up to I-40 and avoid Dallas. Meteor Crater was something I really liked. the crater is really big, the tour is fun, and just an overall fun thing to remember. And since it is near Winslow, you can just stop and stand on the corner in Winslow, AZ. Petrified Forest was interesting, and doesn't take too long to go through. Walnut Canyon National Monument is also near I-40 around Flagstaff and is really interesting. make sure you spend enough time exploring the Grand Canyon. Hike down the Bright angel Trail at least a little bit; but take into account how much more difficult it is to walk back up. My wife and I hiked to the 3 mile mark; which is a descent of 2,000 feet. It was 2 hours down and 4 hours back up. WELL worth it though; amazing. Hermit's Rest is a really interesting building designed by Mary Coulter, as are some of the other buildings there. Check out the inside of the El Tovar Hotel. Beautiful. The Bright Angel restaurant in the Bright Angel Lodge was really enjoyable and reasonable. We liked it better than the Arizona Room which was fancier and more expensive. At Bryce, try to hike the Queens Garden Trail. It is an easy hike, but it takes you to the bottom and the scenery is beautiful. Lots of great hiking at Zion. Angels landing doesn't look bad at first, but it can be very strenuous depending on how far you want to go so make sure you check it out first. How are you traveling between the parks? Is the Grand Canyon your first stop? If so, what route are you taking to get to Bryce and Zion? If you are traveling from the Grand Canyon to Bryce, you may want to see if you can fit in Capitol Reef as well. That is also a really nice place. As you can probably sense, I love that area of Arizona and Utah. You will have an amazing trip and be sure to take a lot of pictures. The kids really wanted to see the crater and there is an RV park nearby so... it's a consideration. Our first park is Zion (I was actually able to score 6 nights, inside the park at Watchman campground!! Super excited about that). Next is Bryce (outside park... Ruby's Inn). Last is the Grand Canyon (inside the park again, Camper Village CG). I looked into Capitol Reef and it's possible that we might try a day trip there as we have so much time in Zion but... it's a pretty far drive, so I'm not sure. We have double the nights in Zion, compared to Bryce. I'm really looking forward to the scenery of the SW; I've seen some amazing shots from that area of the country! 16 hours ago, keith_h said: Sounds like a fun trip. Your becoming an old pro at this. One thing to keep in mind when you go to the Grand Canyon is they stay on Mountain Standard Time year round. I second seeing the Petrified Forest since you would be going by there. As you are going to be in the area you might want to see if you can find the time to visit Canyons of the Ancients or Mesa Verde NP. Both have ancient first peoples archeological sites. I would say Mesa Verde is probably more tourist friendly whereas Canyons of the Ancients is more hiker/outdoor oriented. I had soooo much fun traveling to Washington state, this past summer, that I had to try it again. Our kiddos are getting bigger and (I suspect) life will only get busier, so I figured I better do it now. Our daughter will be 11 in a couple of weeks, so I know that she'll remember pieces of the trip, our son (who is 6) probably won't however.... what I told Tom is that this is our life. We they get to be adults, then they get to choose where they drag their kids to I am blessed however, as the kids at least enjoy the trips. Mesa Verde... I had really wanted to hit this one. Actually, it was originally on our route (back home), but just not enough time. Oh well, another time 14 hours ago, PGHFiend said: It's flat, mildly rolling and pretty to look at. Its the first time I learned about what they call "post rock country", and it's not what you think. I drove a 45 foot MH with a toad there for a side gig and flew home. On the way I passed so many cool things. I want to actually go back on my own time and visit on purpose. Oh...sorry. I meant I70 over the pass (Eisenhower Tower). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 Just now, twiceblessed....nacole said: Oh...sorry. I meant I70 over the pass (Eisenhower Tower). Eisenhower TUNNEL... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
djsamuel 322 Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 Here are a few pictures from the Grand Canyon's Trailer Village where you will be staying: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 11 minutes ago, djsamuel said: Here are a few pictures from the Grand Canyon's Trailer Village where you will be staying: Awesome!!! I knew that the campground itself, was nothing special... but that the wildlife and being inside the park, was priceless. Watchmen (inside Zion) on the other hand, looks like it might be something special Quote Link to post Share on other sites
djsamuel 322 Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 10 minutes ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: Awesome!!! I knew that the campground itself, was nothing special... but that the wildlife and being inside the park, was priceless. Watchmen (inside Zion) on the other hand, looks like it might be something special I've never been to Watchman. You'll have to post some pictures and opinions. The pictures look amazing. Besides the wildlife in Trailer Village, the fact you are an easy walk from the shuttle bus to take you to the canyon rim is a big plus. In addition, the nearby store is good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 24 minutes ago, djsamuel said: I've never been to Watchman. You'll have to post some pictures and opinions. The pictures look amazing. I'm looking forward to it. Getting a site... was a lot of work (lots of people stalking the site and trying to snag it for me). I'll make sure to take pictures (of course...getting them on here, is another thing. I need to get that app. Haha). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamagradx2 0 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 We did a similar trip to this in Summer 2016 from the Birmingham area. Our outward leg was similar to what Specularius posted. The outward trip was: Gladewater, TX, Shallowcreek RV Park, http://www.shallowcreek.com Then routed north avoiding Dallas. Texas state routes were excellent. Remember most all of them being divided 4 lanes. Amarillo, TX, Oasis RV Resort, https://www.myrvoasis.com Gallup, NM, USA RV Park, http://www.usarvpark.com All of the parks were very nice. We stayed several days in Gallup with long-ish day trips to the 4 corners and Mesa Verde. Then into Trailer Village, GCNP . From there, we moved north to visiting Cedar Breaks, Zion and Bryce. We then moved east to Moab for Canyonland and Arches. Finally headed north to Dinosaur then around to RMNP. So much to see and so little time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 I can't add anything to this because the Texas hill country is as far west as I have been yet. But looking forward to hearing how your trip goes, it is a trip I want to do one of these days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 8 hours ago, bamagradx2 said: We did a similar trip to this in Summer 2016 from the Birmingham area. Our outward leg was similar to what Specularius posted. The outward trip was: Gladewater, TX, Shallowcreek RV Park, http://www.shallowcreek.com Then routed north avoiding Dallas. Texas state routes were excellent. Remember most all of them being divided 4 lanes. Amarillo, TX, Oasis RV Resort, https://www.myrvoasis.com Gallup, NM, USA RV Park, http://www.usarvpark.com All of the parks were very nice. We stayed several days in Gallup with long-ish day trips to the 4 corners and Mesa Verde. Then into Trailer Village, GCNP . From there, we moved north to visiting Cedar Breaks, Zion and Bryce. We then moved east to Moab for Canyonland and Arches. Finally headed north to Dinosaur then around to RMNP. So much to see and so little time Thanks! I actually have the Gallup RV Park, down as a quick overnight stay. 7 hours ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said: I can't add anything to this because the Texas hill country is as far west as I have been yet. But looking forward to hearing how your trip goes, it is a trip I want to do one of these days. Thank you... I'll try and take good notes Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 9 hours ago, bamagradx2 said: We did a similar trip to this in Summer 2016 from the Birmingham area. Our outward leg was similar to what Specularius posted. The outward trip was: Gladewater, TX, Shallowcreek RV Park, http://www.shallowcreek.com Then routed north avoiding Dallas. Texas state routes were excellent. Remember most all of them being divided 4 lanes. Amarillo, TX, Oasis RV Resort, https://www.myrvoasis.com Gallup, NM, USA RV Park, http://www.usarvpark.com All of the parks were very nice. We stayed several days in Gallup with long-ish day trips to the 4 corners and Mesa Verde. Then into Trailer Village, GCNP . From there, we moved north to visiting Cedar Breaks, Zion and Bryce. We then moved east to Moab for Canyonland and Arches. Finally headed north to Dinosaur then around to RMNP. So much to see and so little time How long did you go for? It sounds like you hit a lot of places. I like to dream and plan a trip like this all the time but I haven't been able to commit to enough time off all at one time. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamagradx2 0 Posted January 13, 2018 Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 We were out for 20 nights. What I did not put in the previous post were the LONG days of driving to get back into AL. Fort Collins, CO --> Salina, KS -->Fort Smith SP, AR-->Tuscaloosa, AL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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