US Roadtrip

Whiplash85

I am currently planning a roadtrip from the 15th March to 7th April - 23 nights.

We are 3 fellas in late 20's.

The proposed route is

Atlanta - GA
Montgomery - Al
Mobile - Al
Biloxi - MS
New Orleans - LA
Austin - Tx
Dallas - Tx
Amarillo - Tx
Santa Fe - Co
Durango - Co
Grand Canyon Village - Co
Las Vegas - Nv
San Francisco - Ca

Its about 3000 miles and 50 hours of driving time, which I think should be doable. We are a bit undecided in terms of how to get to San Fran from Vegas. Anyone got any advice on this? one suggested going by salt lake city and then onto Reno and Sacramento. Another way would be to do through bakerfield and possibly take in death valley and travel up some of the pacific coast highway. Crossing the Sierras from East to West in early April is impossible apparently. But we would all like to see yosemite NP.

Can anyone suggest possible possibly how long to spend or alocate to each place above considering we only have 23 nights to play around with?

Also is there places along the route that would be must stops or good detours or have I made any glaring omissions?

In terms of Car rental and driving in the US we are complete novices so any advice or do's and dont's from driving in the US to dealing with car rental agencies would be very much appreciated. I dont have a credit card but have heard VISA debit cards are acceptable in most places.

Sorry for long winded post. Thanks in advance.

spideog7

I've never used anything but credit card but my understanding is that if you use a debit card they'll put a hold on your account for the full amount plus the deductible. Which for 23 nights will be a fairly healthy sum (maybe 2500 at a guess). Also they will charge you one way rental fees that can be a few hundred dollars and generally depend on where you return it to.

It is still a little early so you do run the risk of getting caught by snow, especially around Colorado. But otherwise looks perfectly reasonable and ye have plenty of time anyway.

I think Savannah has big celebrations for St Patrick's day but it might be a bit out of your way.

RonnieRocket

No Arizona? You're missing out on the best state in the Union in my opinion
You haven't said if this is your first time doing a roadtrip in the US. The whole notion sounds romantic and I'm sure you'll have a great time, but a lot of people don't realise how boring long stretches of road can be, with the same scenery for hours. You'll think Texas never ends. See if you can fit in Highway 50 between Ely, NV and Eureka NV - it's supposed to be the most isolated stretch of highway in the States with no service stations or exits along the route. You certainly don't want to run out of gas along this! In fact google "most isolated areas in the USA" and you'll find plenty of interesting places that you could fit into your route.

Whiplash85

Thanks for the replies gents.

@ronnierocket; I forgot to mention that we are doing Arizona. Probably flagstaff and Page with visits to Seligman and Sedona. Anyway this is our first time attempting something like this so not long to go.

Something different like an old mining ghost town or a rodeo might be fun things to do in Arizona. Will check out highway 50.

@spideog7; The parade in Savannah is meant to be unreal alright but wouldn't be the best start to a road trip ; setting off with sore heads and €300 a night hotel would put a dent in the pocket before we even leave our first state.

InTheTrees

Whiplash85 wrote: »

In terms of Car rental and driving in the US we are complete novices so any advice or do's and dont's from driving in the US to dealing with car rental agencies would be very much appreciated. I dont have a credit card but have heard VISA debit cards are acceptable in most places.

First thing to do is start applying for credit cards. Yes, you can possibly get by with debit cards but for something like this I would say at least one credit card is important. All 3 of you should have one really.

There will be a charge for returning your car in a different state to where it was rented. Also insurance can be as much as the car rental charge and isnt often quoted. Also they have a habit of not quoting Tax too and it can be as much as 15% extra.

InTheTrees

Whiplash85 wrote: »

Another way would be to do through bakerfield and possibly take in death valley and travel up some of the pacific coast highway.

This. Vegas to LA then up to SF along the coast. Spectacular.

Paul_Hacket

I've done variants of your trip a few times, my longest road trip here was when I was about your age and we did New York to San Francisco via the deep south and texas. We did it in just 10 days so not a ton of sightseeing but an amazing time.

Some randoms thoughts that occurred:
* You better check the car rental issue with agencies here carefully. The credit card thing might be an issue, never heard of them accepting Visa debit. Also, they'll likely charge you a large fee for picking up in one city and dropping the car thousands of miles away.

* Texas is, more or less, a complete waste of time and people there can be complete assholes, especially the cops. Great barbeque though if you're a meat eater.

* Colorado is seriously beautiful and the people are amazing. There is still plenty of skiing in March/April if you're into that - check out Aspen! Colorado also has tons of outdoor thermal springs, you can sit in the middle of a river in the rockies while there's snow falling around you. And they have all manner of legal chocolate and confectionaries made out of pot these days!

* You should check out the National Parks in southern Utah such as Zion (only a couple of hours from Las Vegas) and Arches. These parks are more impressive than the grand canyon in my opinion. Bring a couple of three season tents and sleeping bags and you can do amazing back country camping in them for a night or two in a landscape that is totally alien to what we have in Ireland.

* As I said, I found the Grand Canyon underwhelming, I found Arizona in general a disappointment to be honest. I'm also not a fan of Flagstaff, even though I always seem to end up having to stay there on these trips. The best part of Arizona in my opinion is Monument Valley which straddles the Arizona/Utah state line. but personally I preferred the desert parks in Utah I mentioned above. There are also better ghost towns in Colorado (lots of abandoned mining towns) than in Arizona. I would seriously consider going straight from Durango to Monument Valley and on to Zion, with some stops along the route. It will be a lot less crowded and the scenery is honestly better than the trip down Arizona to the grand canyon.

* Definitely get onto Pacific Coast Highway and drive on it for as long as you can. LA to San Francisco via Santa Barbara and Monterey is one of the best drives in the world. Plus you'll be ready for some ocean after all that inland driving.

lc180

Some really good tips in the above post, especially regards the Pacific Coast Highway but I wouldn't pay attention to the following, its b*llox.....

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

* Texas is, more or less, a complete waste of time and people there can be complete assholes, especially the cops. Great barbeque though if you're a meat eater.

InTheTrees

lc180 wrote: »

Some really good tips in the above post, especially regards the Pacific Coast Highway but I wouldn't pay attention to the following, its b*llox.....

Austin is supposed to be a fun place, but I've never heard anything good about Dallas.

I suppose you've got to get from New Orleans (one of my fav US cities) to Colorado its hard to avoid. Oklahoma isnt any better. I'd be inclined to skip Austin just because it would mean a days detour (and you'll have just left New Orleans so you'll be hungover!).

ProudDUB

I have driven from Atlanta to New Orleans a lot. Don't bother stopping in Mongomery or Mobile. Biloxi is on the gulf coast and is near to some nice gulf coast beaches. If you want to take some time to chill out at the beach, it would be a good stopping off point. There are also lots of casinos there, if you are in that kind of thing. If you aren't, just head straight to New Orleans. There is a lot more to see and do in Lousiana, than there are in the parts of Alabama that you'll be driving through.

dave2pvd

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

I've done variants of your trip a few times, my longest road trip here was when I was about your age and we did New York to San Francisco via the deep south and texas. We did it in just 10 days so not a ton of sightseeing but an amazing time.

Some randoms thoughts that occurred:
* You better check the car rental issue with agencies here carefully. The credit card thing might be an issue, never heard of them accepting Visa debit. Also, they'll likely charge you a large fee for picking up in one city and dropping the car thousands of miles away.

* Texas is, more or less, a complete waste of time and people there can be complete assholes, especially the cops. Great barbeque though if you're a meat eater.

* Colorado is seriously beautiful and the people are amazing. There is still plenty of skiing in March/April if you're into that - check out Aspen! Colorado also has tons of outdoor thermal springs, you can sit in the middle of a river in the rockies while there's snow falling around you. And they have all manner of legal chocolate and confectionaries made out of pot these days!

* You should check out the National Parks in southern Utah such as Zion (only a couple of hours from Las Vegas) and Arches. These parks are more impressive than the grand canyon in my opinion. Bring a couple of three season tents and sleeping bags and you can do amazing back country camping in them for a night or two in a landscape that is totally alien to what we have in Ireland.

* As I said, I found the Grand Canyon underwhelming, I found Arizona in general a disappointment to be honest. I'm also not a fan of Flagstaff, even though I always seem to end up having to stay there on these trips. The best part of Arizona in my opinion is Monument Valley which straddles the Arizona/Utah state line. but personally I preferred the desert parks in Utah I mentioned above. There are also better ghost towns in Colorado (lots of abandoned mining towns) than in Arizona. I would seriously consider going straight from Durango to Monument Valley and on to Zion, with some stops along the route. It will be a lot less crowded and the scenery is honestly better than the trip down Arizona to the grand canyon.

* Definitely get onto Pacific Coast Highway and drive on it for as long as you can. LA to San Francisco via Santa Barbara and Monterey is one of the best drives in the world. Plus you'll be ready for some ocean after all that inland driving.

I was going to go thru each of your points, but won't bother. Each to their own, as they say.

I will say, I was really surprised by one of your statements. First time I've heard that.

RonnieRocket

Agreed. I've never heard anyone ever describe the Grand Canyon as "underwhelming". Does the poster in question realise how the Colorado River carved that deep, wide canyon over millions of years? Or any of the history of the region at all?

The same poster also describes Arizona as "disappointing" but doesn't say why. What did you expect Arizona to be? There is more to AZ than the Grand Canyon by the way. Flagstaff is a great spot for skiing in a state that is more well-known for its desert. The red rock landscape of Sedona is perfect for hiking and the town itself has attracted New-Age hippy types looking to feed off the "spiritual energy" of the area and trip on acid lol. There are Native American settlements dotted throughout the state and Phoenix is one of the biggest cities in America - bigger than San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Seattle etc. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but you should explain why you didn't like somewhere.

ProudDUB

Jebus. The very last thing I'd describe the Grand Canyon as being, is under whelming. :eek:

The first time I went there, it was on a very misty, cloudy day in winter, Days like that are quite rare, as the place is in the middle of a shaggin desert after all. Our views out over the South Rim only extended to about 20 feet in front of us. So yeah, it wasn't as spectacular as we were hoping, considering the effort it took us to get there. But on a bright sunny day, (which it is 95% of the time) the place is utterly spectacular. Perhaps the poster who said that, was there on a day when visibility was reduced?

Paul_Hacket

Alright, let me explain. Obviously the Grand Canyon is very visually impressive, however, it's just that - a canyon. Unless you do a LOT of driving you will be standing on the edge of it with a LOT of other tourists. The only thing you can do to experience more of it is to hike down a path which is thronged with other people. The hike itself to me just wasn't that interesting - the view doesn't change much as you go along it and like I say it's just thronged with tourists.

I much preferred the lesser known parks like Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon etc. To me there is nothing in the Grand Canyon beyond its scale that comes close to the scenery in any of the above, and you can get away from the crowds in all of them to do amazing back country camping. It's just my opinion - as someone said above, to each his own.

Paul_Hacket

RonnieRocket wrote: »

Agreed. I've never heard anyone ever describe the Grand Canyon as "underwhelming". Does the poster in question realise how the Colorado River carved that deep, wide canyon over millions of years? Or any of the history of the region at all?

The same poster also describes Arizona as "disappointing" but doesn't say why. What did you expect Arizona to be? There is more to AZ than the Grand Canyon by the way. Flagstaff is a great spot for skiing in a state that is more well-known for its desert. The red rock landscape of Sedona is perfect for hiking and the town itself has attracted New-Age hippy types looking to feed off the "spiritual energy" of the area and trip on acid lol. There are Native American settlements dotted throughout the state and Phoenix is one of the biggest cities in America - bigger than San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Seattle etc. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but you should explain why you didn't like somewhere.

Have been to Arizona a bunch of times and honestly I stand by my opinion. As I said in my OP I've also been to Flagstaff on several occasions, I'm not a fan. It's okay as a town but I really don't see anything there that's particualarly interesting visually or culturally. It's actually kind of bland to me as western towns go. Phoenix? You've got to be kidding. Phoenix is one of the worst cities in America a vast bland sprawl of semi-urban crap. Anyone who doesn't believe me? Just type in Phoenix Arizon in google images and take a look at the results. This is NOT San Francisco.. Apart from being visually ugly there is pretty much zero culture there (apart from meth culture maybe). Finally, it has an increasingly reactionary population (take a look at the politicians they elect - Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaieo, John McCain, etc.). Then there's the not so thinly veiled racism of a lot of people there, SB 1070 is frankly disgusting in my opinion.

I just found Arizona less rewarding than other states in the West, again this is just my opinion but the scenery in Utah is more spectacular, the people in Colorado were much more interesting and fun and Nevada has Vegas.

sawdoubters

a lot of cheaper car rental places will not let you go from state to state,if you do they charge $1 a mile on top of your trip
you will also have to bring car back to same place you rented it or they charge $1000 extra

3000 miles is 60 hours
average speed is 50 miles an hour fuel costs $390
I think your doing too much driving personally you could miss the first 4, hire a camper van so you don't pay for hotels



http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2013/07/photos-best-american-road-trip-guide_slideshow_item0_1

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestravelguide/2013/05/28/top-10-american-road-trips/



http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-scenic-roads



http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2006404,00.html


http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2013/07/photos-best-american-road-trip-guide_slideshow_item0_1

RonnieRocket

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

Phoenix? You've got to be kidding. Phoenix is one of the worst cities in America a vast bland sprawl of semi-urban crap. Anyone who doesn't believe me? Just type in Phoenix Arizon in google images and take a look at the results. This is NOT San Francisco.. Apart from being visually ugly there is pretty much zero culture there (apart from meth culture maybe). Finally, it has an increasingly reactionary population (take a look at the politicians they elect - Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaieo, John McCain, etc.). Then there's the not so thinly veiled racism of a lot of people there, SB 1070 is frankly disgusting in my opinion.

You're correct that Phoenix is spread out, as are most Western cities like L.A. and Houston. The land out here is flat and relatively cheap, and the cities developed alongside the car culture that took hold in America in the middle of the last century. The road infrastructure is fantastic as a result.

I see you're a New Yorker. I personally wouldn't enjoy

• paying $1000 a month to live in a shoebox apartment in the ghetto
• squeezing into the grimy, sweaty subway every morning for work
• dealing with the snow for 4 months of the year
• everything is expensive
• while living under the nanny state laws of NYC (they are even trying to ban Big Gulp drinks lol).

Like you said each to their own and I prefer the fresh air of Arizona; great weather every day; big house; not having to deal with public transport; great outdoor culture (hiking) or skiing at the weekend if I fancy it.
Finally, the OP's question was tourism-related so bringing Arizona's politics into the discussion is completely irrelevant.

Paul_Hacket

Uhm, Phoenix is one of the most polluted cities in America, air quality there is worse than LA for much of the year. And like I said - it's ugly as sin. Great weather every day? Lol, Phoenix is unlivable in the summer. Snow? New York averages 11 snow days a year. And the reason you don't have to "bother" with public transport is because you don't have any - despite the fact that Phoenix is over 100 square miles and has some of the worst traffic congestion in the country.

Nice use of the word "ghetto" to characterize certain neighborhoods in New York. I won't bother with you any more - I'd say Arizona suits you well.

InTheTrees

Remember this is a travel thread.

So while NYC is prohibitively expensive to live and Phoenix is unlivable for the summer months really doesn't make a bit of difference to someone from Ireland planning a road trip in March.

We can probably agree on skipping Dallas at least?

Nelly 21

Sorry to hyjack this thread but I was hoping to do a similar trip starting in Dallas and driving to LA. Do some of you not recommend Dallas?? That is one place I wanted to go (another is the grand canyon!!!)

Nelly 21

Also with regard to car hire......... We have hired cars in the US a few times and they have always looked for a credit card in the drivers name. We've saved money by buying our own sat nav (we try to go over every year). The sat nav charges can be quiet high with car hire. They will also charge huge charges for dropping the car off in another state.

We use www.arguscarhire.ie ..... Always check for unlimited milage

InTheTrees

Nelly 21 wrote: »

SDo some of you not recommend Dallas?? That is one place I wanted to go (another is the grand canyon!!!)

Dallas. Can you say why you want to go there?

Ive been in the US for 20+ years and Ive never been there and I dont know many who have. Its that kind of place. A bit like Birmingham in england. Nothing bad to say about it though.

Alot of US cities have those clumps of large buildings and you imagine some massive metropolis like New York but in 99% of cases they're a twenty square block area of skyscrapers that are banks and insurance co's and totally dead after about 6pm and all the life of the place takes place in the sprawling endless (characterless) suburbs.

Nothing bad about that as somewhere to live. But for tourism I dont know. And I'd slot Dallas in there, it probably has a small museum downtown, and a ballpark. Just like Oklahoma city, or Kansas, or Birmingham or a thousand other US cities.

I blame the "Dallas" TV show from the 70's. You never saw them actually do much in Dallas though except drive around and be in offices.

I'm totally open to having my mind changed though, as I say Ive never been there. This is all impressions from up here in Seattle.

Nelly 21

InTheTrees wrote: »

Dallas. Can you say why you want to go there

You know its just somewhere I've wanted to go..... Probably because of watching Dallas years ago..... Loved it. At the same time I don't want to waste time somewhere that might not be great.so I can be steered away from that idea.

We've nothing booked yet as we are still deciding exactly where to go. Original plan was to fly into Dallas and drive across to LA maybe partly exploring route 66 ...... we have 3 weeks.

Inthetrees......I think you might have advised me on US travel before!??!

InTheTrees

Nelly 21 wrote: »

InTheTrees wrote: »

Dallas. Can you say why you want to go there

You know its just somewhere I've wanted to go..... Probably because of watching Dallas years ago..... Loved it. At the same time I don't want to waste time somewhere that might not be great.so I can be steered away from that idea.

We've nothing booked yet as we are still deciding exactly where to go. Original plan was to fly into Dallas and drive across to LA maybe partly exploring route 66 ...... we have 3 weeks.

Inthetrees......I think you might have advised me on US travel before!??!

I watched it as well. Well I'd hate to shatter the dream, just based on hearsay too. And if you're flying in with the plan of starting a road trip then it couldnt hurt. And you have three weeks. SO even if you just get a picture of yourself with the convertible in front of City Hall then it would be worth it. (Is southfork out there somewhere or was it a hollywood set?).

....Although... you could start in Albuquerque where the landscape gets more interesting.

InTheTrees

Nelly 21 wrote: »

Inthetrees......I think you might have advised me on US travel before!??!

I hope it was okay. Did you have a good time?

Nelly 21

I'm very excited about getting to that area Albuquerque, sante fe...... It was handy to fly into Dallas (and cheaper). In the 3 weeks we want to drive to LA and back to Dallas but I want to take in as much as I can. Driving isn't a problem..... Last year we went from NY to Orlando to Nashville and back to NY. Great experience. The drive from Nashville to NY was amazing... The scenery was something else.

Nelly 21

InTheTrees wrote: »

I hope it was okay. Did you have a good time?

Yes it was..... I actually changed my plans because of it and was very thankful!!!!!

Dubl07

Driveaways are worth considering if you're in your late 20's. We did one from NY-SF via many of your targeted spots a number of years ago. It took us just over a week and was a fabulous experience.

Whiplash85

Thanks for that Link Nelly. Best website I have seen with regards to car rental. The price fluctuations with regards to car rental is phenomenal. It seems to be all inclusive and no hidden taxes or charges as well which is great. For a Toyota or something similar it is quoting around a grand for 3 weeks which split 3 ways isn't too bad. There are various packages i.e. gold, platinum or basic which will require a bit of study.

I agree with you on Dallas. JFK is somone who is arguably the most iconic political figure of all time. He just so happens to have Irish ancestry and strong ties to Ireland. For an Irish immigrant to become the most powerful man in the world and shot down in his prime I think it will be worth a couple of hours reflection on our path through Texas. Different strokes for Different folks I guess. Might mosey out to Southfork ranch there as well. Think its slightly northeast of Dallas.

Thanks to the other contributors as well who made some very good points. We will take in Arizona and grand canyon but will also look into Bryce Canyon, Zion and other national parks which may not be as thronged as some other more popular places but just as eye catching.

I am not really enticed my big sprawling metropolis to be honest. I was watching stephen Fry's adventures in deep south and Jamie Oliver and Billy Connolly all documenting their travels through America especially the deep South and a lot of it for me will be about the American way of life, food, culture, sport, religon, politics, landscape/scenery, music etc. A comprehensive view of all the aforementioned and sundry.

Whiplash85

Driveaways are worth considering but you cant really stray too far from the beaten path and will more or less have to travel as the crow flies so to speak. I may be mistaken though.

spideog7

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

Alright, let me explain. Obviously the Grand Canyon is very visually impressive, however, it's just that - a canyon. Unless you do a LOT of driving you will be standing on the edge of it with a LOT of other tourists. The only thing you can do to experience more of it is to hike down a path which is thronged with other people. The hike itself to me just wasn't that interesting - the view doesn't change much as you go along it and like I say it's just thronged with tourists.

I much preferred the lesser known parks like Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon etc. To me there is nothing in the Grand Canyon beyond its scale that comes close to the scenery in any of the above, and you can get away from the crowds in all of them to do amazing back country camping. It's just my opinion - as someone said above, to each his own.

I must admit I'm inclined to agree with the above, the Grand Canyon is well worth going to see, but I found it's hard to get a real feel for it just standing on the edge. If you had time to spend a day or two hiking into it and go to some point where you could actually see the power of the river it might be more interesting. Bryce and Arches are both spectacular and it's easy to take an hour or so hike to a point where you can really be in the midst of it and get a feel for it. Zion is fairly different but still quite interesting.

sawdoubters wrote: »

3000 miles is 60 hours
average speed is 50 miles an hour fuel costs $390
I think your doing too much driving personally you could miss the first 4, hire a camper van so you don't pay for hotels

I don't think the OP's plan involves too much driving, it's over 3 full weeks remember, I'll be doing more than that in half the time towards the end of the summer. Just bring plenty of music because you probably won't get much radio worth listening to for large swaths in the middle.