Colleen27
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
We are going to be heading out on an epic road trip to the west coast this summer, and I'm sure it'll be here before I know it so I thought it was time to start digging to the planning. But I only have the vaguest idea of where to even begin, so here I am, looking for tips!
We're going to be driving from Michigan to California, by way of Montana to visit relatives, in July and August. The timeline is still a little up in the air as we wait to hear back from a summer program DD17 may be helping out with, but we will have at least 4 weeks for the trip - three to take the scenic route from Michigan to San Francisco, where we'll be moving DD into her dorm, and a week or so for DD10 and I to head back home.
The problem is, that's a lot of ground to cover and a lot of places we want to see. Working out an itinerary is more than a little daunting! I'm trying to arrange it so we don't do a ton of backtracking, but it is quite the logistical challenge. None of us have ever been out west before, so I have no familiarity with the area, and I'm still working on a list of must-dos that can reasonably fit into the amount of time we have. DD17 is all about the national parks and DD10 is dying to see DLR so I have a few stops already in mind, but it is such a lot of ground to cover that I'm sure I'm missing things. And I'm a little worried about the weather for the trip, how much the heat will effect our enjoyment of some of the places DD17 wants to see (like the Grand Canyon).
Any tips for a first time traveler out west, wanting to pack a whole lot into an extended road trip?
We're going to be driving from Michigan to California, by way of Montana to visit relatives, in July and August. The timeline is still a little up in the air as we wait to hear back from a summer program DD17 may be helping out with, but we will have at least 4 weeks for the trip - three to take the scenic route from Michigan to San Francisco, where we'll be moving DD into her dorm, and a week or so for DD10 and I to head back home.
The problem is, that's a lot of ground to cover and a lot of places we want to see. Working out an itinerary is more than a little daunting! I'm trying to arrange it so we don't do a ton of backtracking, but it is quite the logistical challenge. None of us have ever been out west before, so I have no familiarity with the area, and I'm still working on a list of must-dos that can reasonably fit into the amount of time we have. DD17 is all about the national parks and DD10 is dying to see DLR so I have a few stops already in mind, but it is such a lot of ground to cover that I'm sure I'm missing things. And I'm a little worried about the weather for the trip, how much the heat will effect our enjoyment of some of the places DD17 wants to see (like the Grand Canyon).
Any tips for a first time traveler out west, wanting to pack a whole lot into an extended road trip?