Road Tripping in the USA!

3 Nights LA
1 Night Monterrey - Spend a day driving up to Monterrey, explore the small towns and Big Sur on the way.
2 Nights Santa Barbara - Spend the day doing all the stuff around Monterrey, Camel and Pacific grove and then had up to Santa Barbara in the evening, you then have the full day here the following day.
3 Nights SF

You need to swap Monterey and Santa Barbara around - SB is near LA and Monterey is near SF.
 
We finally made up our minds and are going to roadtrip down to Utah for a fortnight in a couple of weeks. Any suggestions on places to visit in Southern Idaho/Wyoming/Montana on the way there and back? Yellowstone is closed, Grand Teton is perhaps a little out of the way for a stop off (although we may do it depending on timing, we've already been there anyway), and we may stop off at Big Sky to do some skiing one way.

We're probably going to spend a few days/week in the Moab area and do some hiking/cycling and I guess Arches and Canyonlands are definitely places to go. Any other less well known places we should visit?

As you can probably tell it's a bit of a last minute decision so we haven't really looked into it too much yet!

EDIT: I was thinking of going to the west of Yellowstone on the way down (via Big Sky) and then back on the eastern side. The eastern side is longer but a different route, that may depends if there's anything to see going through eastern Wyoming (Denver/Casper/Billings). Alternatively we can just scoot straight back up via Idaho Falls and save a few hours.

EDIT 2: Is Salt Lake City and area worth a day or two?
 
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Salt Lake City is the biggest disappointment I've had whilst travelling in the US. It's a very long (and boring) drive from Yellowstone and apart from a few nice buildings there wasn't really anything in SLC to do. They have a lot of homeless people (a few who seemed a lot more aggressive than usual). Nothing is open on a Sunday and it certainly wasn't worth the drive.

Park City (right next to SLC) is pretty cool for a day but I certainly wouldn't make a specific drive to the area, if I was travelling past or through I'd stay in Park City and ignore SLC.
 
I quite liked SLC, we stayed there 2 nights, once on the way up to yellowstone and once on the way back. It's a pleasent enough place to walk around, we went up to Hidden peak on the cable car at Snowbird, there is also an historical park with various historial buildings on the outskirts. We also went out to Bonneville, all the LDS is fairly interesting. As you say you wouldn't go there for a week but there is pleanty to do to fill a couple of days. I believe the Whaking great copper mine on the outskirts has a visitors centre as well.

Utah is possibly my Favourite state. So much awesome scenery. Arches and Canyonlands are great, a lot is further south though towards Vegas. Scenic Route 12, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Moment Valley, Antelope Canyon, Capitol Reef, Horse Shoe Bend etc.
 
I live in Idaho Falls. This time of year there isn't much to do because of the snow everywhere. But if you want to snowshoe or cross country ski you might look into craters of the moon. It's about a 3 hour drive to go visit. It's a very interesting place to visit. That is also very close to Sun Valley which I hear has some good skiing.
 
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Sounds like SLC is a bit hit and miss. We will have to go through it at least once so will stop and see how it is I guess. I didn't realise there were that many ski resorts around there either... I wonder how annoyed the GF will be if this trip turns into a 50:50 ski/hiking trip... :p

I live in Idaho Falls. This time of year there isn't much to do because of the snow everywhere. But if you want to snowshoe or cross country ski you might look into craters of the moon. It's about a 3 hour drive to go visit. It's a very interesting place to visit.

What do you think the snows going to be like mid April? We still have 18" on the ground around Calgary but hopefully it's long gone by then. Good call on the snow shoes, we're already taking (alpine) skis so I'll throw them in the back too (snow dependant).
 
Well It snowed a little today but melted away already. Google Craters of the Moon and see if you might enjoy the lava flows and the scenery.
The 3 young lava fields found in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve range in age from 15,000 years to 2000 years. Craters of the Moon lava field, the largest of the three fields found along the Great Rift, is made up of about 60lava flows and 25 volcanic cones that cover 618 square miles.
 
Well It snowed a little today but melted away already. Google Craters of the Moon and see if you might enjoy the lava flows and the scenery.
The 3 young lava fields found in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve range in age from 15,000 years to 2000 years. Craters of the Moon lava field, the largest of the three fields found along the Great Rift, is made up of about 60lava flows and 25 volcanic cones that cover 618 square miles.

Ah, good to hear. It’s definitely on my list. Just wondering if it’s usually covered in snow in mid April.:)
 
Long range forecasts looking pretty good for a visit then. Might even have spring flowers by then. If weather permits there are some awesome lava tubes to go down into also. So might want to bring good flashlights also.
 
So I have been looking at car hire for our honeymoon. Its about £170 cheaper to do a 1 day hire from Las Vegas to San Diego then do a seperate hire from San Diego to San Francisco for the rest of the hire we require than it is to just hire from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Total hire time is identical, can anyone see any potential issues doing it this way. I'm assuming as i will be hiring the same type of car on both hires that they will just most likely let you carry on in the same vehicle.
 
So I have been looking at car hire for our honeymoon. Its about £170 cheaper to do a 1 day hire from Las Vegas to San Diego then do a seperate hire from San Diego to San Francisco for the rest of the hire we require than it is to just hire from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Total hire time is identical, can anyone see any potential issues doing it this way. I'm assuming as i will be hiring the same type of car on both hires that they will just most likely let you carry on in the same vehicle.

I doubt you'll keep the same car. You typically check the current car in at a completely different part of the lot to where you pick up your new car (not to forget showing paperwork and the car being allocated to your booking).

I'd fully expect you to have to hand the car back, carry your bags over to the other side of the lot, stand in line with paperwork and start again.

What are your dates, price and the type of car you want?
 
Did a bit of a jaunt in Colorado recently. I originally wanted a Mustang but there were none available and the only other convertible they did have (BMW 430i hard top) had absolutely no boot space so it wasn't an option. Not that I specifically wanted a convertible but it was the only way that I'm aware of to be at least slightly confident of getting a Mustang. Ended up with a Jeep Grand Cherokee which although nothing amazingly special, did turn out to be a surprisingly good car. It was only the 3.6 litre V6 engined version but it drove very nicely, was quick enough and very smooth. When I first fired it up I couldn't even hear the engine at all and wasn't even sure it was running until I looked at the rev counter - never had that with any car before.

Here it is at the 11k feet elevation point on the way up to Pikes Peak. Would definitely go for one of these again if the space was needed and price was right.

DSC_0517_50.jpg
 
Good stuff, we've also gone with a SUV of that kind of size this year. I think it should make for a good road-trip and scenery-watching car. :)
 
Does anyone have any experience with accomodation in or around Yosemite? Not looking for anything luxurious just a place to get our heads down at night. We really want to take in some of the big hikes and plan to spend a few days there.
 
Does anyone have any experience with accomodation in or around Yosemite? Not looking for anything luxurious just a place to get our heads down at night. We really want to take in some of the big hikes and plan to spend a few days there.

We camped. The hotels and lodges are very expensive, but if you want a bit of luxury...
The biggest problem with camping is getting a spot. You have to log onto the NPS site months in advance when the spaces get released and pray you manage to snag one. When they go live they are typically all gone in minutes. We ended up getting a space in Crane flat, which is a bit of a drive away from the main valley.

Totally recommend the half dome cables hike, although again you need to book the permit in advance or enter a last minute lottery if there are no spaces left. Not that anyone on the trail ever asked to see our booking....if you know what im saying :p
 
Does anyone have any experience with accomodation in or around Yosemite? Not looking for anything luxurious just a place to get our heads down at night. We really want to take in some of the big hikes and plan to spend a few days there.
Very much depends on your budget. As you get closer to the Valley the prices get extortionate or you have to settle for somewhere pretty average.

We stayed in Mariposa which was a nice little town with a few restaurants, and spent 2 nights in Yosemite Plaisance Bed & Breakfast for $205/night in June which was a very well kept B&B with a great breakfast. The drive to the Valley was around an hour plus you need time to find parking. The drive back is a little longer as there are long queues of people leaving around the same time. It was the best option for us but if I was spending more time there I wouldn't want the daily commute.
 
Does anyone have any experience with accomodation in or around Yosemite? Not looking for anything luxurious just a place to get our heads down at night. We really want to take in some of the big hikes and plan to spend a few days there.

we have booked one of the canvas tents in half dome village, it was a little expensive for what is a canvas tent, but its right in the centre so minimal/no driving for us to hike!
 
Yeah we stayed in Curry Village I think it's called, it was actually the most expensive night of the trip (around £150 in mid August) but was a great location and honestly wasn't that bad.

I would suggest 1/2 nights in Mammoth Lakes, 1/2 nights in Curry Village and then head straight to SF (assuming you are doing the usual route).
 
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