Tips for a 20-day family itinerary in the American West in 2028
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DR
Hello everyone,

After our first trip as a young couple to the West in 2007 (yes, that doesn’t make us any younger!), we’re planning to go back in 2028, but this time as a family of four! (We have two boys who’ll be 5½ and 13 years old in the summer of 2028.)

Our plan is to combine a few big cities (SF and LA, maybe San Diego) with national parks and state parks, mostly! Ideally, we’d like to leave at the end of June and head back to France around July 19–20, so we can enjoy the first week of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Since we already did the "loop" in 2007, there are must-see places we absolutely want to revisit—and especially share with our kids: Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, and above all, the Grand Canyon, which is still the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen on Earth!

On the other hand, some places didn’t leave a big impression on us for various reasons, so we’re not making them a priority: Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, for example.

We’re planning ahead, but might as well be smart about it😏

Do you have any tips for a fun and doable itinerary over about 20–25 days with kids, without rushing?

Thanks in advance for your feedback😉
Mes photos, bons plans et carnets de voyage sur www.jeromecitytrip.com
CA Caussat Globetrotter ·
Just a thought: For our first trip out West (with many more to come—it sure doesn’t make us any younger!), each of us picked one place we *had* to visit, and I built the trip around that. Something to think about?

Otherwise, I don’t know what your budget is, but just so you know, prices have skyrocketed in recent years, especially for hotels. Last summer, to find something decent in LA, we had to stay way outside the city. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like during the Olympics!!!! Not to mention getting around LA is a nightmare in general—so during that time, I wouldn’t even consider it.

Personally, I’d avoid summer 2028, which is going to draw huge crowds before, during, and after the Olympics…

San Diego didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. Maybe the zoo for your youngest? My daughter was the same age as your oldest on our first trip. Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon are still some of her best memories—more than the cities: LA (including Universal Studios), SF, LV (with a Cirque du Soleil show).

Just a few ideas.
CA Calisson94 Veteran ·
Hi Jerome,

20/25 days minus the week in LA at the end leaves you with a max of 18/19 days for the loop. Like Caussat, this was one of our very first trips we tracked based on others’ great tips. So I totally get why you’d want to go back with the kids! We did a classic 17-day SF>LA route with our three kids, hitting the major parks. If you want to check it out, I kept a travel journal (HERE), and the itinerary is in that first post. But it’s probably similar to your 2007 route. Beyond the usual highlights, here are a few lesser-known spots we really enjoyed along the way: Mono Lake (east of Yosemite), the Alabama Hills (access via Lone Pine on Hwy 395 heading down to DV—gorgeous drive, by the way), Kodachrome Basin State Park (near Bryce, though it was unfortunately too hot for us to fully enjoy), Red Canyon between Bryce and Lake Powell, and Hanging Garden at Lake Powell. The kids loved Mesa Verde (MV) (so did we, actually). There’s definitely plenty to do! Happy planning! Laure
DR Drazen Veteran ·
Just an idea: For our first trip out West (with many more to follow—it’s not like we’re getting any younger!), each of us picked one place we *had* to visit, and I built the trip around that. Something to think about?

Otherwise, I don’t know what your budget is, but just so you know, prices have skyrocketed in recent years, especially for hotels. Last summer, to find something decent in LA, we had to stay way outside the city. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like during the Olympics!!!! Not to mention that getting around LA is already a nightmare—during that time, I wouldn’t even want to think about it. So personally, I’d avoid summer 2028, which is going to draw huge crowds before, during, and after the Games…

San Diego didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. Maybe the zoo for your youngest? My daughter was the same age as your oldest on that first trip. Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon are still some of her best memories—more than the cities: LA (including Universal Studios), SF, LV (with a Cirque du Soleil show).

Just a few thoughts.

Thanks for your input! Actually, the whole point is to be there for the Olympics since we’re huge sports fans. We fully experienced the Paris 2024 Games and set ourselves the challenge of going to the LA 2028 Olympics. Even though we’re being realistic, we started saving right after the Paris 2024 closing ceremony. That said, if prices get completely out of hand (flight tickets, accommodation, and car rental), we’ll push it to the following year.
Mes photos, bons plans et carnets de voyage sur www.jeromecitytrip.com
DR Drazen Veteran ·
Hi Jerome

20/25 days minus a week in LA at the end leaves a max of 18/19 days for the loop. Like Caussat, this was one of our very first trips following others’ great tips. So I totally get your excitement about going back with the kids. We did this with our three kids—a classic 17-day SF>LA route through the big parks. If you want to check it out, I kept a travel journal (HERE), and the itinerary is in the first post. But it’s probably similar to your 2007 route. Beyond the usual highlights, a few lesser-known spots we loved along the way: Mono Lake (east of Yosemite), Alabama Hills (access via Lone Pine on Hwy 395 heading down to DV—gorgeous road, by the way), Kodachrome Basin (near Bryce, though we were unfortunately too hot to really enjoy it), Red Canyon between Bryce and Lake Powell, and Hanging Garden at Lake Powell... The kids *loved* MV (so did we, actually). There’s so much to see! Happy planning! Laure

Thanks, Laure, for taking the time to reply. I just checked out your "loop"—it’s pretty much what we did in 2007. There are definitely some small variations possible. I’ll look into it quietly online.
Mes photos, bons plans et carnets de voyage sur www.jeromecitytrip.com
CA Caussat Globetrotter ·
I get it about the Olympics—we made the most of them (Bordeaux, Lille, Paris) and were lucky enough to have accommodation in each place. It was magical! 😊

Just so you get an idea of how accommodation prices in the US have changed, here are some hotel prices from last summer, one room for two per night: - Los Angeles: had to stay way out in Calacalas, and a decent hotel was $150 WITHOUT breakfast ($20+taxes per person!) - Grand Canyon: a very basic Comfort Inn in Williams (100 km from the GC, but anything closer was unaffordable!): $160 - Monument Valley: in the run-down town of Kayenta, a decent Hampton Inn: $245!!! - Bryce Canyon: in Panguitch (30 km from the NP), a modest Quality Inn: $130 - Monterey: had to retreat to Morgan Hill (80 km from Monterey) for a very good La Quinta to get a "reasonable" rate: $172

On top of that, the exchange rate is way less favorable than it used to be. It stings now...
DR Drazen Veteran ·
Yeah, I know... Hard to believe that back in 2007, I could get by with $60–70 max for a room for two. Crazy inflation! But we all know how it is. We saw the same thing in Florida—went in 2013 and then again in 2020, and lodging costs doubled or even tripled! For SF and LA, we’re planning to stay a bit outside the city and rent an apartment or small house on Airbnb. It’ll still be cheaper than two hotel rooms.
Mes photos, bons plans et carnets de voyage sur www.jeromecitytrip.com
CA Caussat Globetrotter ·
You hadn’t specified about the experience, and I admit I didn’t check your profile! In LA, we booked through Airbnb and got scammed! But everything turned out okay in the end.
PE Peggy16 Globetrotter ·
I can confirm the price explosion! Last year, we weren’t in Utah, Arizona, or California but in Oregon and Washington. We mixed hotels and Airbnb or Abritel rentals: we stayed in some nice places and cool hotels, but nothing extravagant, and we paid an average of 210 € per night for 4 people 😲😲😲 That’s a far cry from the 100 € average in our early days and even the 130 € in 2023... We knew these two states were known for being expensive, but we didn’t think prices had risen *that* much... And on top of those hotel prices, you’ve got to add the cost of food, which has also skyrocketed. These two expense categories have made us think twice about going back for now...
DR Drazen Veteran ·
I can confirm the price explosion! Last year, we weren’t in Utah, Arizona, or California but in Oregon and Washington. We mixed hotels and Airbnb or Abritel rentals: we stayed in some nice rentals and cool hotels, but nothing extravagant, and we paid an average of 210 € per night for 4 people That’s way off from the 100 € average in our early days and even the 130 € in 2023... We knew these two states were known to be expensive, but we didn’t think prices had risen *that* much... And on top of those hotel prices, you’ve got to add the cost of food, which has also skyrocketed. These two expense categories have made us think twice about going back for now...

Thanks for your feedback. Prices have indeed shot up everywhere. Still, I visited the beautiful city of Chicago in May 2025 and found the prices relatively reasonable.
Mes photos, bons plans et carnets de voyage sur www.jeromecitytrip.com

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