Sunday, March 4, 2012

Planning road trip from cleveland ohio to west coast, utah, grand canyon, carlsbad caverns and down to florida

looking for suggestions on routes, lodging, food, attractions, safety advice/concerns, weather, any other suggestions are greatly appreciated. please advise accordinglyPlanning road trip from cleveland ohio to west coast, utah, grand canyon, carlsbad caverns and down to florida
I have done lots of road trips and can give you a few pointers. But I don't know how Florida fits into the plan since its not on the west coast. Since you have not said how long you have to complete the travel or what specific sites you want to see, here's what I suggest.



First, I suggest taking I-80 to Toledo and pick up I-75 South and take that to I-70 in Dayton. Then follow I-70 all of the way to I-15 in Utah. I-70 pprovides more opportunities for sights than does I-80. On I-70 you will have the opportunity to stop and see the Gateway Arch in St Louis, Mo and you will go through Denver. You can tour Denver is you want or just head on west. You go over some very high mountain passes and see some great scenery, particularly in Glenn Canyon, Co which I-70 goes right through. After you cross the Colorado/Utah border you can turn off at Crescent Junction, RT-191, which goes to Moab, Utah, but also allows you to visit Arches National Park and Canyonland National Park. There are a good number of hotels in Moab but you need to reserve well before your trip.



After you leave these parks go back to I-70 and head west again. Be sure that you have a full tank of gas because there are few gas station and there is one stretch of road with a sign saying "no services next 100 miles" and they mean it.



Just before you get to the end of I-70 in a small town called Sevier, turn off onto RT-89 south. This route will take you in short order to Bryce Canyon National Park. After touring Bryce, go back to RT-89 and go south again until you get to Mt Carmal Junction at RT-9. Go east on Rt-9 into Zion National Park. Zion is a drive through park and if you do you will end up at I-15 and can go south to Las Vegas, Nv.



The other option is to return out of the park on RT-9 back to RT-89 and go south and head toward Page, Arizona, continue on RT-89 all the way to where it junctions with RT-64. Then take RT-64 East into the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. (now if you want and have the time you can also go first to the North Rim Grand Canyon by taking an exit off of RT-89; but I would not suggest doing both).



Rt-64 will take you into the Grand Canyon's East Gate but you will see some great scenery that you would not see is you visited through the South Gate.



When you leave the Canyon, via RT-64 south you will drive about an hour to Willaims, Az where you pick up I-40. Then there are more options. If you want to go to Las Vegas you take I-40 west to Kingman, Az and pick up RT-93 north to Vegas. After Vegas you can head on west to California (west coast), if that's what you want, on I-15 into LA.



After/from LA you will need to pick up I-10 east to get to the turnoff for Carlsbad Caverns. There will be some additional parks along I-10 that you may want to stop at. You can get off of I-10 in El Paso, Tx onto RT-62/180 which will take you to Carlsbad Caverns. Then go on to Carlsbad City and pick up RT-285 which will take you back to I-10 east. Then you have a looooooooong drive to get to Florida.



Now I have been to all of the parks that I mentioned , plus some others along the route, and have thus driven the roads/routes that I mentioned. The roads are good even though they are mostly (except the Interstates) just two lanes paved. The secondary routes do not have many gas stations, eating places and rest stops are pretty much non-existence.



So here are some tips:



- Plan your route and then break up your driving according to how many hours you plan/want to drive each day. Many times you may have to stop for the night where the motel is rather than after you have driven your (for example) 700 miles for the day.



- Plan where you will stop for gasoline because opportunities are few and far between and many times there is only one choice. So if you plan to use an Exxon or Shell card you may not find a station and have to spend cash for whatever is available.



- make motel reservations because many places have few and they do book up. You cannot just roll in at 8:00 PM and be sure of being able to check in.



- We always took a cooler stocked with soft drinks and water and also with condiments and utensils for fixing sandwiches and salads. Buy fruit, lunch meats and bags of salad; bring your own dressing. Go to a dollar store and get some cheap plastic bowls for salad and plastic forks; bring along plenty of zip lock bags. We restocked our cooler in the larger cities where we could find a grocery store or a Wal-Mart. Use rest areas for lunch; take a large towel or table cloth and hand wipes and/or hand sanitizers.



- weather should not be an issue; it will be hot if you are going in the summer.Planning road trip from cleveland ohio to west coast, utah, grand canyon, carlsbad caverns and down to florida
I have to agree with Charles Kuralt.

The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road that has been called "the most beautiful drive in America," by late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt. Due to heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from Memorial Day in late May through Labor Day in September.



The Beartooth Highway is the section of U.S. Highway 212 between Red Lodge, Montana and Cooke City, Montana. It traces a series of steep zigzags and switchbacks, along the Montana-Wyoming border to the 10,974 foot (3,345 m.) high Beartooth Pass. The approximate elevation rise is from 5,200 to 8,000 feet in 12 miles (1,600 to 2,400 m in 20 km) in the most daring landscapes.



When driving from the east to the west, the highest parts of the Beartooth Highway level off into a wide plateau near the top of the pass, and then descend to where the Beartooth Highway connects to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway near Cooke City, which forms the northeast gateway to Yellowstone National Park.Planning road trip from cleveland ohio to west coast, utah, grand canyon, carlsbad caverns and down to florida
That sounds like a great trip, you do not say whether you are traveling on your own,how long you will be away, in a car, plane, train,female or male what you enjoy seeing and doing. You have some great areas picked out, I only hope that you are driving, that way you can wonder off the beaten path when and if you see something that interests you. You can change you mind as far as route, and schedule. It is best not have a rigid schedule for that exact reason...flexibility is key if you want an enjoyable time. For sure I would spend a lot of time in the Mountains,,,can't beat them for schenery and fishing, and canoeing, hicking and picnicing, horseback riding etc etc. If you are traveling with a friend sharing a motel room is a good way to save on $$ if not a camper trailer is also a good way to save, but now with the gas prices that is debateable. For safety, and if you are alone and a female...never ask directions from just one person on the street or a deserted area in any town, no matter how safe it seems. If you need some information, directions, what ever...go into a store and ask the clerk there. Stop and ask at a Real Estate office if you are looking for a particular place in that area, they know everything. Use comon sense if striking up conversations with strangers,,, talk to an older couple taking a walk or coming out of the the mall...if you want some general information regarding that area. Stop at State Information booths that are along the interstates across the continent. Weather...in the summer, most of the U.S has favourable traveling weather, with the odd exception freak storms.
  • magellan roadmate
  • italian translation to english
  • google chrome update
  • chuckie cheese
  • No comments:

    Post a Comment