Posts by Cedk03

Good evening, For the second night to add, I’d split the drive between Moab and Bryce Canyon. Torrey is really well located, and there’s so much to see in the area.

Hi there,

Thanks for the feedback. Where did you buy the transit Pass for SF? I’ll get one too—last time I had a car...

Hello

I’m thinking about 11 months in advance.

Discover Airlines (Lufthansa) offers direct flights to Tampa. (I’m leaving from Frankfurt)

It’s still really convenient to be able to juggle between several nearby airports.

Hi there,

I’m heading out next year for roughly the same route as you. (Miami-Keys-west coast-Orlando)

Booking a multi-destination flight can save you a day on the ground depending on your planned schedule, unless you’re planning to do sightseeing on the Orlando-Miami leg?

The drop-off fees for the rental car are “hidden” in the total price when comparing to a round trip (in my case).

I found direct flights to and from Orlando expensive, so I opted for a departure from Tampa instead—it’s a reasonable distance away and helps lower the fare. I’m leaving in the early evening, which gives me plenty of time for the drive.

It could work, yeah—especially since eruption forecasts are pretty reliable. 🤪

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are planning a road trip with our 18- and 17-year-old kids in the western USA. We’d like to end with a few days of beach time. Here’s our itinerary—could you let me know if it’s doable in the given time and if the route makes sense?

Arrival Las Vegas 07/29 Zion National Park 07/30 Bryce Canyon 07/31 Monument Valley 08/01 Lake Powell-Antelope Canyon 08/02 Grand Canyon 08/03 Phoenix or Scottsdale (I’m not sure yet—could you share your thoughts?) 08/04 Oatman 08/05 San Diego 08/06–08/08 Los Angeles 08/09–08/13 Las Vegas 08/14 departure

For Los Angeles and San Diego, do you have any nice hotels to recommend?

Thanks so much

Hello,

Your itinerary is generally well thought out, but I have two suggestions:

It would make more sense to follow this order: Zion – Bryce – Page (Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon) – Monument Valley – Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon–Phoenix–Oatman–San Diego stretch feels a bit odd. I’d skip Phoenix since it takes you off course for the rest of the trip, especially since you’d only spend one day there. You’d gain at least a full day, maybe two. Instead, you could go straight from the Grand Canyon, pass through Oatman, then visit Joshua Tree (stay overnight in the area) before heading to San Diego.

You’re only "passing through" Las Vegas—it’s a shame not to spend a full day there. People either love it or hate it.

Here’s the detailed itinerary:

Day 1: Depart from Orly for San Francisco (flight at 6:30 PM) with French Bee, arrive in the evening so spend the night at the airport

Day 2: Flight to Los Angeles at 6:00 AM, arrive around 9:00 AM, pick up the car in Santa Monica, morning at Venice Beach, then lunch, and in the early afternoon head to the hotel in Buena Park. Either relax by the pool or go grocery shopping. In the evening, take a walk in Hollywood

Day 3: Visit the Getty Villa, Malibu, Point Dume, downtown Santa Monica, lunch at New Panda, then the art museum, Original Farmers Market, Central Market, and in the evening, Santa Monica Pier and a good burger at In-N-Out Burger

Day 4: Depart for San José, and on the way, visit Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign, then a 5-hour drive to the hotel in San José. In the evening, walk around Municipal Rose Garden and Santana Row

Day 5: Explore San Francisco using public transport—park at the entrance of the city near a station and cover all of downtown San Francisco, ending with the sunset at the Golden Gate

Day 6: (It’s a Monday, I’ll spend it in Palo Alto) Free time for the rest of the family—either stay at the hotel and enjoy the pool or explore San Francisco. They’ll have the car, and I’ll take an Uber and meet up with them when I’m done

Day 7: Early departure around 7:00 AM for Lassen Volcanic Park (4-hour drive). Spend the day there (maybe head down to Lake Almanor if it’s too hot), then drive to the hotel in Yreka (3-hour drive)

Day 8: Leave for Portland (5-hour drive), arrive at the hotel, spend the afternoon by the pool, then head out in the evening to explore Portland (Pioneer Place, Portlandia)

Day 9: Relaxing day in Portland—walk in Washington Park, International Rose Test Garden

Day 10: Depart for Seattle (3-hour drive). I’ll drop everyone off at the hotel in Renton after lunch and head to see my supplier. In the evening, explore Seattle

Day 11: Walk around Seattle—Space Needle, Seattle Great Wheel, aquarium, Gum Wall, etc.

Day 12: Woodland Park Zoo, take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, or spend a quiet evening in Seattle. Need to go to bed early

Day 13: Leave early around 6:30 AM for Butte, stopping at the famous Dutton Ranch (9-hour drive), then 2 more hours to Butte (this is the only long leg at 660 miles)

Day 12: Day at Yellowstone (see the geysers, Artist Point, Mammoth Hot Springs), then return to the hotel

Day 13: Leave the hotel and head to Grand Teton Park (3.5-hour drive). Spend the day there, then sleep in Idaho Falls

Day 14: Leave Idaho Falls for Salt Lake City (3-hour drive). Visit the Capitol, the two Temples, Tabernacle, relax at the hotel, then explore downtown in the evening

Day 15: Visit Bonneville, the Great Salt Lake, and Spiral Jetty

From here, I think I’ll revise the rest of the itinerary

Day 16: Leave the hotel for a 4-hour drive to St. George—Red Hills Desert, Pioneer Park, Snow Canyon—arrive in Las Vegas at night

Day 17: A full day in Las Vegas

Day 18: Leave Las Vegas for Williams (3.5-hour drive)

Day 19: Day at the Grand Canyon

Day 20: Depart for Los Angeles

Day 21: Relaxing day in Newport

Day 22: Depart for France

So I’m considering maybe doing:

Day 16: Leave the hotel for St. George and sleep in La Verkin

Day 17: Head to Page to sleep (see what we can do there)

Day 18: Depart for Williams

Day 19: Grand Canyon

Day 20: Depart for Las Vegas

Day 21: Full day in Las Vegas

Day 22: Depart for Los Angeles (flight at 7:45 PM)

Hi,

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your itinerary is unsustainable. You’ve bitten off more than you can chew. You’re spreading yourself way too thin, unfortunately.

Just Yellowstone alone requires at least 3 or 4 full days, plus a full day at Grand Teton.

Hi there, Yes, accepted without any issues.

Hi there, Hotel choices in Las Vegas are so subjective that everyone will share their past experience—it’s a bit hit-or-miss, as you said... Of the three hotels you mentioned, Planet Hollywood seems like the best option because of its more central location compared to the others. Check-in and check-out can take a long time depending on the time or timing. Tip: sign up for a membership/gaming card on the Mgmresorts website (for MGM group hotels like New York, Park MGM for you) or on Caesars for Planet Hollywood, and you’ll be able to check in via the app and skip the lines.

Hi there This hotel seems to be closing at the end of April for renovations (demolition). It used to offer great value for money, really.

Hello

What Usafan is suggesting works really well:

Staying in Lee Vining after Yosemite is a great alternative (that’s what I’m doing next September).

It’s better to spend 2 nights in Page and 1 at the Grand Canyon, which you can visit in less than a day.

Using a car in San Francisco—where parking is relatively tricky and pretty expensive—is worth thinking twice about. Public transport is really well developed (unlike in LA). A 3-day pass is $31, so it’s worth comparing the savings against the cost of a car. (Maybe your hotel includes free parking?)

There’s no need to spend too much time at Valley of Fire if you’re making a detour. This gorgeous little park can be visited fairly quickly in summer since the most interesting hikes are closed between May and September, which is super frustrating...

For the car rental, I’m not seeing any significantly better rates.

Hello

To answer your question—yes. Bryce Canyon doesn’t take too much time if you’re not hiking. Even with a short walk/hike, it’s easily doable in a half-day, so you’ll save Day 19.

I’d even go further. Day 12 isn’t necessary either. By arriving at the Grand Canyon on Day 11, you can already see the highlights. You’ll just need to finish your visit early in the morning on Day 12, then head to Monument Valley, where you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the day.

Bonjour,

Je ferais personnellement toute la scenic road et garderait Dead horse point SP pour la fin.

Je vais me faire huer mais j'ai trouvé Dead horse point SP cher pour ce qu'il y a à voir. 20 dollars l'entrée pour voir un point de vue correct mais pas aussi impressionnant que d'autres de Canyonland NP. Le prix s'est envolé ces dernières années et je trouve qu'on est arrivé à un point où cela se réfléchit.

Hello !

Je suis assez d'accord !

Si je me souviens bien je crois que j'ai payé 25$ l'année dernière...🤪😠

Je n'étais pas chaud pour y aller mais comme on passait devant et que tout le monde en disait beaucoup de bien j'ai voulu voir par mes propres yeux.

Et mon constat : si c'est juste pour aller faire le point de vue du fond du parc et un ou deux autres éventuellement ça n'en vaut pas la peine...

D'un point de vue rapport qualité/prix, on n'y est pas malgré la jolie vue.

Je l'ai vu et n'y retournerais plus.

harry porter, personne n aime chez nous !

je sens qu on va profiter de la réduc !!!!

On sent la motivation pour cette journée 😛

Bonjour

Tout à fait. Si vous passez par le site officiel vous aurez le droit de rentrer 1h avant dans le parc pour profiter de la partie Harry Potter qui est ouverte avant les autres. C'est à conseiller, le parc étant plutôt petit il y aura beaucoup de monde à partir de 9/10h et les files d'attente s'allongent vite. Durant cette heure vous devriez presque en avoir fini avec cette partie alors que la plupart des touristes commencerons leur journée.

About the animals...

We arrived just after sunrise, and 15 minutes later the arch wouldn’t have been glowing anymore. There were slightly fewer people. What a view, though! An amazing effort-to-beauty ratio

Hi there,

I’ll add my little contribution too.

Since no one’s posted it yet, let’s continue with Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park.



A short morning hike—easy and very accessible.