Help! Roadtrip advice from Illinois to California!

[jenhelgren]

We will be driving from northern IL to Disneyland October 15-18 and I need advice! First-for some background we are a family of 4 and do not mind being on long trips. We hardly ever fly and make frequent drives from IL to WDW and the east coast. The furthest drive we have made non-stop with two drivers is WDW and its around 17-18 hours for us, so we do not need to plan 8 hours of driving a day and can handle longer stretches.
We will be flying back out of San Diego and are just driving the way to Disneyland. We have never been anywhere out west or drove through the Rockies so I am definitely looking for some scenery!
The first route mapped is straight through Colorado. I did some weather research and found out that Vail Pass was closed down in 2013 the same dates we will be traveling. I really want to see Colorado but do not want to have road trip nightmare-so I am thinking the same bet is the southern route but would love opinions and advice from anyone who has made the drive straight through Colorado in late October! The southern route is Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, NM, and AZ. Can the Grand Canyon be a part of that route without much extra trouble? I know people vacation for the entire week at the Grand Canyon and it is not something you can "tour" in an afternoon but it is not a high interest level for our family and it would be fun just to "see" it. I have no idea when we will make another car trip out West and it is not a vacation destination we would chose. Are there some overlooks at the Northern rim that we could plot into our route? I read that the Northern rim is much less crowded and touristy so I was thinking it would more fit what we are looking for.
I am open to and interested in any other routes that would work for us in October!!
ALL ADVICE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!

 

[StageTek]

You are wise to consider that Vail Pass in October can snow over. But it's such a beautiful drive
that you should keep checking until the day you leave. Yes, you can head towards the Grand
Canyon on your trip west - head to Denver (lots of fun stuff to do there) then to Albuquerque
(a beautiful drive) then a detour from Flagstaff to the GC. We've taken Hwy 160 just south of
Pueblo (CO) which takes you through the Rio Grande National Forest through Durango to the GC.

 

[jenhelgren]

Should the roads be fine in October if we head straight South from Denver into NM through Colorado Springs? I am thinking we could drive to Denver the first day and then if the weather report is favorable continue west through Colorado. If snow is in the forecast we could head straight South from Denver.

 

[GrandBob]

Personally, if the weather cooperates when you're in Colorado, I'd continue west on I-70 to Utah, then head south for Moab, past Arches and Canyonlands. Lots of beautiful country to see there. You could spend quite a bit of time in that section of Utah if you desire. Then go through Mexican Hat, past Monument Valley (another great stop). In AZ, take AZ 64 due west to the Grand Canyon South Rim.

Bob

 

[bcla]

Yeah you need to come up with a backup plan, but there can always be low-probability things happening. Worrying about it snowing in October is like worrying about snow closing Tejon Pass on I-5. Sure it can happen, but once the snow stops they'll reopen the road quickly. You can always check on conditions as you approach and of course make sure you have a full tank as you approach such passes.

http://www.coloradoskiauthority.com/travel/driving/

ROADS AND PASSES THAT CLOSE TEMPORARILY
Vail Pass - Vail Pass separates Summit County and Eagle County - acting as a barrier between Copper Mountain and the Vail Ski Resort. This pass will close occasionally during winter snow storms. The pass is usually re-opened within a few hours after the snow stops falling. Don't worry, there are large gates and highway patrolmen that will block your path when this pass closes; as is the case with all of the other mountain passes in Colorado.
​

As for the Grand Canyon North Rim, I don't know if it's likely to snow in October, but it's at higher altitude and they basically close it off to vehicle traffic during the winter. As for overlooks, there are only a few. There's basically the way down to Cape Royal and the way to Bright Angel Point (near Grand Canyon Lodge).

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/North-Rim-Map.pdf

If you're really all that worried about crowds, I don't think the South Rim is all that bad. Definitely the crowds will be down by October.

 

[jenhelgren]

Can anyone suggest a fairy scenic southern route if we chose to skip Colorado? We want to "see" the West but also want to get out to California so I am trying to pick a practical route time wise that will give us the most sight seeing options. I think I may plan a North and South route so I can get an idea on hotels and then make decision the week of. Is there much to see straight through NM and AZ on 40?

 

[bcla]

Can anyone suggest a fairy scenic southern route if we chose to skip Colorado? We want to "see" the West but also want to get out to California so I am trying to pick a practical route time wise that will give us the most sight seeing options. I think I may plan a North and South route so I can get an idea on hotels and then make decision the week of. Is there much to see straight through NM and AZ on 40?

Skip Colorado altogether, or just Vail Pass? Depends on whether or not you want to stick to the major freeways. You could just go through Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Gallup, etc into Flagstaff, AZ. It's a lot of incredible desert scenery down there.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

If it snowed to close Vail Pass, you could still head into CO to Denver, then head south through Colorado Springs, Great Sand Dunes NM, Mesa Verde near Durango/Cortez, then either head back up north through Moab to see Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Zion, or else south/west toward Monument Valley and then the Grand Canyon. I think 1/2 day is plenty at the Grand Canyon. There's not much other than just looking at it unless you plan to hike all the way down. I spent 2 nights at the campground there, and the 2nd day was definitely unnecessary.

 

[jenhelgren]

I was looking at heading south in Colorado. Home to Denver is enough of a drive for an entire day and then we could decide whether to head south through Colorado Springs or stay on 70. Will weather/snow/ice be an issue south of Denver on 25? It does not look like 25S is mountainous terrain but we have never drove through Colorado so I am unsure what to expect!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Chicago to WallyWorld, family of 4. Clark is that you? Just kidding. Have a great trip!

 

[Epek]

Post deleted

 

[Mrs Green]

We will be driving from northern IL to Disneyland October 15-18 and I need advice! First-for some background we are a family of 4 and do not mind being on long trips. We hardly ever fly and make frequent drives from IL to WDW and the east coast. The furthest drive we have made non-stop with two drivers is WDW and its around 17-18 hours for us, so we do not need to plan 8 hours of driving a day and can handle longer stretches.
We will be flying back out of San Diego and are just driving the way to Disneyland. We have never been anywhere out west or drove through the Rockies so I am definitely looking for some scenery!
The first route mapped is straight through Colorado. I did some weather research and found out that Vail Pass was closed down in 2013 the same dates we will be traveling. I really want to see Colorado but do not want to have road trip nightmare-so I am thinking the same bet is the southern route but would love opinions and advice from anyone who has made the drive straight through Colorado in late October! The southern route is Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, NM, and AZ. Can the Grand Canyon be a part of that route without much extra trouble? I know people vacation for the entire week at the Grand Canyon and it is not something you can "tour" in an afternoon but it is not a high interest level for our family and it would be fun just to "see" it. I have no idea when we will make another car trip out West and it is not a vacation destination we would chose. Are there some overlooks at the Northern rim that we could plot into our route? I read that the Northern rim is much less crowded and touristy so I was thinking it would more fit what we are looking for.
I am open to and interested in any other routes that would work for us in October!!
ALL ADVICE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!

I am new to this board, as I spend most of my time over on the cruise pages, but your road trip has me thoroughly excited! I hope you will report back or even do a trip report! Have a great trip!

 

[StageTek]

Can anyone suggest a fairy scenic southern route if we chose to skip Colorado? We want to "see" the West but also want to get out to California so I am trying to pick a practical route time wise that will give us the most sight seeing options.

This is what we did last Nov. From Denver we went south to the 160. ThroughRio Grande National Forest
to Monticello where we stayed at the Grist Mill Inn – a great momandpop place. Then drove through
Monument Valley. You're not going to see anything more iconically “West” than that. Then to Grand Canyon.