Road trip through western U.S.

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So I am going to drive from the St. Louis to Southern California in late June. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips about "must see" destinations on the way out there. I'm thinking Colorado must have some cool places and I'm interested in specific recommendations. Will probably hit the Grand Canyon. Anywhere else?

Thanks
 
Do you have any specific interests?

On my x-country drive i stopped by the US Calvary Museum in Ft Riley Kansas and also the Geology Museum @ the Colorado School of Mines; In no way am I suggesting stopping @ those, but a some interests might give you better results.

Sometimes the places not visited by hoards of tourists are the most interesting (except the twine ball in Cawker City Kansas)

The Desert Museum in AZ is a good stop.
 
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I second Sedona and Monument Valley. You probably want to skip Death Valley though.

Also consider Sequoia National Park.
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Do you have any specific interests?

On my x-country drive i stopped by the US Calvary Museum in Ft Riley Kansas and also the Geology Museum @ the Colorado School of Mines; In no way am I suggesting stopping @ those, but a some interests might give you better results.

Sometimes the places not visited by hoards of tourists are the most interesting (except the twine ball in Cawker City Kansas)

The Desert Museum in AZ is a good stop.


I'll be with the family so it will be the wife and 9-11 year olds. If it were only me, I'd be mountain biking in Sedona and Moab the whole time, but with the family, we need to have activities for everyone. Thanks for asking!

Great suggestions already btw. Sedona and Southern Utah are intriguing.
 
Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
So I am going to drive from the St. Louis to Southern California in late June. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips about "must see" destinations on the way out there. I'm thinking Colorado must have some cool places and I'm interested in specific recommendations. Will probably hit the Grand Canyon. Anywhere else?

Thanks


I'd love to visit the Grand Canyon.
 
Originally Posted By: Crusher
VeeDubb
In my opinion Southern Utah had the most beautiful scenery in the US. Arches,Bryce ,Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion. aka "The Mighty Five." www.themightyfive.com


Just be aware that the promotion of the National Parks in Utah for the last 10 years or so, has made them very crowded places to visit. Especially Arches and Zion. Plan accordingly.
 
After Kansas you'll need a break....
smile.gif
Pike's Peak is very neat to drive up and down and has stunning views. Just West of Colorado Springs on Route 24. There is also Garden of the gods on the way up, as well as some other things to see.

You might want to look up Bishop's Castle, a little off the beaten path of I25 going south but might be in the direction you are headed.
 
Originally Posted By: BobFout
Meteor crater in AZ.


For sure, we went to that instead of the Canyon when we were in Flagstaff. (the Tmoahawk steak at the broken arrow resort was brilliant).

Family loved Tombstone.
 
Originally Posted By: Kuato
After Kansas you'll need a break....
smile.gif
Pike's Peak is very neat to drive up and down and has stunning views. Just West of Colorado Springs on Route 24. There is also Garden of the gods on the way up, as well as some other things to see.

You might want to look up Bishop's Castle, a little off the beaten path of I25 going south but might be in the direction you are headed.


What about the Royal Gorge? Worth a visit?
 
Yes the Royal Gorge is worth a stop. I enjoyed it anyway.
 
Seems like guys love the meteor crater and wimmens not so much. Go figure. You didn't mention the route you're thinking of, I-40 is the straight shot, are you willing to zig-zag 5-6 hours north or south for some of the suggestions?

FYI if you can manage the Grand Canyon at sunrise you won't forget it.
 
I have traveled to many states and all I can say is:

Colorado has been my most favorite state and in my opinion, the most beautiful. I will reiterate what others have said, YOU MUST SEE THE ROYAL GORGE. Awesome view. Garden of the Gods is also a really beautiful place.
 
Pikes Peak has been mentioned, but Mount Evans (just outside of Denver) was really spectacular, too. We also loved Bryce Canyon. See the Hoover Dam if you're in the area.
 
Yosemite National Park hands down, my favorite national park.

I'll be there in 2 weeks from today actually.
 
If you will be in Colorado, then I will throw a vote in for Mesa Verde NP, near Cortez, CO. It would be roughly midway between Royal Gorge and Grand Canyon, NP. If travel time is a concern, the routing will be something you have to look at closely in CO and AZ; quite a bit of travel on two-lane US or State highways.

02SE is correct about National Park popularity. Most big parks have been setting new attendance records every year. I was at Arches NP, UT, briefly last Wednesday because I was travelling northbound on US 191.
Amazed at the amount of people and traffic in the park. Not overflowing like in the summer, but some parking lots out at the attractions were nearly full.
 
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