Road Trip West

IMG_4706Our family just took a 12-day road trip WEST! It was a fabulous trip in so many ways. We enjoyed some fun in L.A., many beautiful national parks, a little adventure, and lots of quality time in the car together! I’ve had multiple people ask for our itinerary and notes, so here you go! (Detailed itinerary with mileage is at the bottom.)

We decided to make this a one-way trip. We flew to L.A., rented a car, and “road-tripped” home. We were able to take fewer vacation days, have significantly less time in the car between stops, and put all the mileage on a rental car.  It worked out well for us. We started our adventure in L.A., enjoying the “city life” before hitting the road and national parks!

One of the best purchases we made was a National Park Pass.  It is $80 and paid for itself by the 2nd park we visited. I also bought a National Park Passport (just one for the family to share) and we were able to stamp it in each park we visited

Day 1 we flew from DFW to L.A., ate lunch at California’s finest – In N Out Burger, picked up our rental car, and made a Wal-Mart run for our road trip snacks.

IMG_4740We spent all of Day 2 in Disneyland. In order to maximize the very expensive 1-day tickets, we stayed at the park from 8:00am until it closed at midnight!  Our hotel was within walking distance to the park. It was great not to have to deal with parking.

IMG_4832Day 3 we explored Hollywood and Santa Monica Pier. We were struck by the L.A. traffic – it is thick all day long! We had lunch and walked along the “Walk of Stars” in Hollywood. That evening we went to a Dodger’s game in the beautiful Dodger’s Stadium. Yes, we are big baseball fans.

IMG_4873Day 4 we headed up Highway 1, stopping at a few beaches along the way. We stopped near Santa Barbara for a picnic lunch and swimming at the beach. We worked our way up Hwy 1, with the Elephant Seals near San Simeon being one of our favorite surprises. We cut East on Hwy 46 and enjoyed the best sunset of the trip at the top of the mountain range. California is such a beautiful state! We stayed in Three Rivers that night, which is right at the entrance to Sequoia National Park.

Day 5 we explored Sequoia National Park, one of our favorite stops. The IMG_4978giant trees were unreal! The kids had a lot of fun climbing on some of the huge trees that had fallen over, driving our car through a tree, and hiking to see the biggest tree of all – the General Sherman. There is a nice lodge inside the park, which would have been fun to stay in – we did enjoy a nice lunch there. That evening we drove to Bakersfield, after a stop to see some old friends in Wasco!

IMG_4988Day 6 was our longest day in the car. (Redbox for the win!) We cruised along Route 66 most of the day, which is now I-40.   The access roads are the old Route 66.   It was a long day, but stunningly gorgeous scenery to enjoy as we drove. We arrived at the Grand Canyon before sunset, which was my goal! There are no words for the Grand Canyon – it is truly breathtaking – both it’s breadth and beauty.

We stayed in hotels most of the trip, but did stay inside the park at the IMG_5022Grand Canyon. It was great!! Here is the website to book lodging – rooms fill up very far in advance. Our cabin was a 5-minute walk from the rim. It was perfect! We heard there could be long lines to get past the park gate each morning, so staying inside the park helped us avoid that and maximize our time there. There are refrigerators in the rooms, so we brought food for breakfast, and enjoyed the variety of restaurant options at the park for lunch and dinner.

IMG_5034Day 7 and the morning of Day 8 were spent at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. (The North Rim is less visited, and not open year round.) We enjoyed walking along the rim of the canyon, which has lovely views and rails! (And all moms say “amen!”) There are many overlooks, shops, and restaurants along the rim. We also hiked part of the “Bright Angel Trail” which is probably the most hiked trail at the Grand Canyon. We walked about 1.5 miles down into the canyon, and then hiked back up. (It was a lot harder going up!)  It was fun to experience hiking in the Grand Canyon. Joshua really wanted to take a mule ride, and although reservations are usually booked months in advance, there were 2 slots available, so Jeff & Joshua enjoyed that adventure!

Midday of Day 8 we headed out for Mesa Verde, and again arrived just before sunset. We tried to stop at Four Corners (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah) but it is managed by a Navajo Reservation, and only open from 8-5! We were sad to miss that stop.

Day 9 we explored Mesa Verde National Park, the ancient Pueblo dwelling IMG_5272in the cliffs. Mesa Verde also has lovely accommodations inside the park, and we very much enjoyed staying there as well.  Again, we brought food for breakfast, and ate lunch and dinner at the park. The lodge has a nice dinning room and lounge, and there is a restaurant near the ruins. We did a few self-guided tours around the park, and really enjoyed a guided tour of the Balcony House. (Tours can fill up so making advanced reservations would be wise.) We climbed up a ladder and through tunnels on our tour of an actual cliff dwelling. The kids loved this very adventurous way to see the ancient dwellings firsthand. We drove as far as Albuquerque that evening.

IMG_5362Day 10 we drove to White Sands, New Mexico. At White Sands National Monument you can go “Dune Surfing” in the sand. There are saucers for rent at the visitor center. It was a fun & unique opportunity! We didn’t last too long, though. It was VERY hot! Did you know there is no shade or water in the desert?! We drove to Carlsbad, New Mexico that evening.

Day 11 we explored Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Carlsbad, NM is about IMG_544230 minutes from the Caverns. It was Memorial Day weekend, so we experienced the biggest crowds at this stop. We enjoyed a 1 hour hike down into the “Big Room” of the cavern, ate lunch at the café at the bottom, hiked around the Big Room for another hour, and then waited 1.5 hours in line to ride the elevator back up! We drove as far as Midland that evening.

Day 12 we put the pedal to the metal and drove the rest of the way home. Texas is a great place to live, but the scenery isn’t quite as nice as California, Arizona, New Mexico or Colorado! 🙂 Lots of windmills and oilrigs!

12 days, 5 states, 5 National Parks. Our total trip covered 2,517 miles by car, and 52.63 miles by foot! We arrived home thankful for all of the family memories, and ready to spend more than 1 night in the same bed!

[Here is a more detailed version of our itinerary.]