Cross country trip

Parent Cafe
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Since you said Grand Canyon (Arizona) and Yellowstone (Wyoming), I will repeat my push for the Grand Staircase, which goes from Arizona through :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Staircase

The Grand Staircase includes the Grand Canyon, the Vermilion Cliffs (highway 89A), Zion, and Bryce. IMO, Utah is THE most beautiful state in the country, bar none. So in addition to Zion and Bryce, you can easily also see Capital Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. Then spend a night in Salt Lake City before pushing onwards to Yellowstone.

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we do plan on seeing zion, bryce and the arches

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After Zion, Bryce, Arches you may have to do the long detour to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim can close early due to snow in October.

But after Arizona, head east to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is one of the few totally unique looking cities in our country. Then head to Taos, another unique place.

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Zion is my favorite national park after Yellowstone. Yosemite was something of a disappointment. Sequoias were amazing though.

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Antelope canyon in AZ is not far off of route 89, which you would take south to get to the South rim of the GC from Utah.

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Death Valley is amazing–my D’s bff, who was a geology major, called it geogist’s porn.

If you are in Cleveland, consider going to the upper peninsula of Michigan to Isle Royale National Park. It is remote and isolated–no cars, bikes, cell phones don’t work. You go there via ferry. It is a great wilderness experience–lodging through National Park Service or camping. Best time to go is now. Park closes in September. If you want something that isn’t rugged, visit Mackinac Island–no cars but bikes, horses, and carriages allowed. Lots to see and do–it is touristy although it is mostly day trippers.

If you get to New Mexico, go to Santa Fe or Taos–Taos Pubelo is a must see. Also, Iloved Ghost Ranch. It was the retreat of painter Georgia O’keefe. You can take a tour.

Have fun–it sounds like a great trip.

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Check, but Glacier has some road closings, especially by October and later. When we go to National parks, we love staying IN the park and you have to make advanced reservations with Xanterra to get them. Online works or call them. Yellowstone Association leads amazing private tours. We went in June and the guide showed us baby animals all over the park fir 2 days.

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I know that Glacier has closings in October. That’s why we’re heading that way in September. As far as the upper peninsula in Michigan, it appears quite out of the way relative to going from Cleveland to Chicago. I don’t think we can plan ahead in terms of where to stay on this trip since we have no idea how long we’re going to be anywhere. I expect this is less of a problem in the fall than in the summer months when there are typically more visitors. Can anybody give me an idea how long we should plan on staying at places like the grand canyon and yellowstone?

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We were able to eat at the El Tovar lodge in the Grand Canyon. If you can’t stay there, try to eat there at least!

Also, check out Pendleton blankets. They are linked to the NPS somehow and have different designs for different parks.

https://www.pendleton-usa.com/thumbnail/Blankets-Throws/Featured/NATIONAL-PARKS/1839/c/2421/pc/2178.uts

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Not sure how far south you might go on your return but i would include both New Orleans and Charleston SC as musts if you haven’t seen them yet. Two unique American cities and great food in both locales.

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If you spend much time in NM, Abique Ghost Ranch is quite spectacular, and there is some great hiking there. We spent a week in Taos and loved it. The Rio Grande Gorge goes through NM, and hikes around it were nice.
Glacier Natl Park was spectacular. glad you’ve got it on your plan. We liked the part of the park that’s in the north east the best. It’s divided into 4 sections. If you can travel across Going to the Sun Road it’s a must do.
Moab Utah is home of or close to several national parks.
A totally random place I thought was really cool is Antelope Island, in the middle of the great Salt Lake (Utah).

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I loved Abiquiu too. It is owned by a church now and they have week long classes there most of the year. Still, it’s open for visiting to hike, walk around their labyrinth, etc.

It was years ago but we stayed at the nearby Abiquiu Inn which has a wonderful restaurant (tamale napoleon, yum). NM can be provincial and restaurants close rather early.

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Plan with some caution. When we went it snowed at Crater Lake…in July.

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Well I’m sure it’s an altitude thing. Last summer I was near the equator and there was snow on the ground at an altitude of 14000 ft.

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@DocT Yes. We arrived at night and drove UP the Crater Lake RD. It was in the 70’s at the bottom…but snowing as we drove up. The best part…we ate breakfast in the lodge and they were playing Christmas Carols. I asked why…and the waitress told us that on the first snow, they always celebrate Christmas in July.

We drove down…and it was 80 at the bottom.

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We like to stay a long while in national parks. We spent a week in Yellowstone, week in Tetons and several days in Rapid City and a day driving from there to Tetons. We could have happily spent longer exploring Yellowstone–there’s just so much land area and we stayed in different portions of the park. We went on a float trip along the Tetons–cold but lovely.

We liked staying in the original Old Faithful lodging (tho H disliked the shared bathroom). We also liked staying in Lake and Canyon cabins.

My brother, on the other hand said he saw all of Yellowstone in a single day! We love Yosemite and Muir Woods as well.

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Saila: What was disappointing about Yosemite? Some of the most amazing scenery anywhere IMHO, but Zion is right up there as well.

DocT: Really look at each park’s website for information about how long it will take you to drive from one spot to another. During the warmer weather, many parks do road maintenance which can add a half hour to any trip. Even without road closings, we were surprised at how long it took to drive around Yellowstone for example.

As for how long to stay, it really depends on what you want to do in each place. Do you just want to see the main sights? Are you hikers? Do you want to move every few days or pick a few places and spend more time knowing you can’t see every site? Do you want to make it all the way to the west coast or consider going south from Glacier through Salt Lake City and Utah to Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon and northeast to the southern part of Colorado and to Mesa Verde.

Alternatively, skip Glacier and head across from Yellowstone to Crater Lake in Oregon, down to San Francisco, then east to Bryce, Zion etc. Or add in some coastal CA like Big Sur and then head east.

There are many possible options and you really need to decide what you want to do and see ahead of time and how much driving time you want.

When we went to Tetons and Yellowstone, wished we had had more time in the Tetons. But we love to hike. We went through Yellowstone and headed east, stayed in Cody, WY where we saw a rodeo, then went to a dinosaur dig site (had a dinosaur-obsessed kid at the time).

To me Grand Canyon is good for 2 nights, assuming a day and a half or a little more to do some hiking into the canyon. Zion could be several days, or just one or two. Bryce a day maybe to see the main sites.

Mesa Verde in Colorado with the cliff dwellings was great for the southern route. Sedona in Arizona is a beautiful spot, but I think the fall is very busy there so lodging may be challenging if you can’t plan ahead of time. It may also give you some structure so that by the end of the trip you aren’t feeling too rushed.

You may want to plan some stays in the most popular National Parks ahead of time, which you can always change. The Zion Lodge, for example, is almost completely sold out for October (but as I recall there are options in the town at the entrance to the park).

Any thought to renting a small RV for the trip? On my retirement wish list!

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No way on the RV. We’ve heard too many horror stories - breaking down, poor gas mileage, unable to go to certain areas etc.

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I go to Yosemite several times a year so ask me anything about it.

In in the fall Yosemite Falls will not be flowing. Vernal and Nevada will be flowing but with reduced water. Remember that all of this is snowmelt and the spring is when the waterfalls are really roaring. In Yosemite Valley be sure to take the trail up from Happy Isles to Vernal Falls. I also like the short walk to Mirror Lake at the far end of the Valley.

Then take the Glacier Point Road (assuming it is still open) to Glacier Point for a spectacular view of the valley and Half Dome. There’s also a nice short trail to take at Sentinel Dome (1 mile) for more amazing views.

If the road is open I love the sights along the Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows. The meadows will be brown but there are peaks like Cathedral Peak, Tenaya Lake, Olmstead Point and other lovely vistas. And you won’t have the crowds of Yosemite Valley.

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You have a lifetime of suggestions. It doesn’t sound like you want a totally National Parks vacation since you have Cleveland and Chicago as first stops. I think you are being very ambitious trying to do the northern and southern parks in one trip. If I were planning the trip, I’d stay more to the north and spend more time in California and Utah.

Badlands was one of my favorite places and we didn’t allow enough time for it. I liked Mt. Rushmore, but one afternoon was plenty. You’ll also find that there is a lot of driving and at some point you’ll just want to spend a week somewhere. For me, that week would involve looking at the ocean, either in Oregon or California.