Texas - LA Help Needed

[marvel]

Hi everyone, getting excited as we are considering taking Qantas up on their latest specials and flying into Dallas and Flying out of LA. Of course two weeks of disney to boot, in April next year.

Looking for help with the drive to LA?
Has anyone done this?

if yes, what route would you recommend?

I am considering going into Colorado and onto UTAH and Vegas and LA.
We love driving and would stop off for a week somewhere maybe near grand canyon or UTAH?

Any and all help appreciated.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Hi everyone, getting excited as we are considering taking Qantas up on their latest specials and flying into Dallas and Flying out of LA. Of course two weeks of disney to boot, in April next year.

Looking for help with the drive to LA?
Has anyone done this?

if yes, what route would you recommend?

I am considering going into Colorado and onto UTAH and Vegas and LA.
What would you recommend?
We love driving and would stop off for a week somewhere maybe near grand canyon or UTAH?

Any and all help appreciated.

that's what we just did but via Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone then to Vegas and LA. Its probably a longer drive than you would like but was great scenic wise. I will let you know what way we went when I can think straight.

 

[tcufrog]

I would try to make the time to see New Mexico. It's absolutely gorgeous and utterly unique. Do you plan to spend any time in Texas? If you need any recommendations for activities and restaurants in the DFW area PM me.

 

[Andona]

Marvel, your trip sounds like it could be wonderful!

How much time do you have for your road trip?? Colorado and Utah have some amazing scenery

We did the drive from Denver to Utah via I70 - It's a spectacular drive up through the mountains and past the ski resorts like Vail near Denver. As you approach the western edge of Colorado you can detour via the Colorado national Monument ( near Grand Junction) a spectacular drive up over red rock canyons and peaks. back on the intersate it's not far to Moab which is a great base to visit Arches National park and Canyonland national park nd dead Horse Point State Park ( all spectacular) . Moab is an "adventure" town - sooo many great tours - river trips on the Colorado, back road 4WD and dirt bike trips as well as rock climbing if that appeals to you.

From Moab you could head south to Monument Valley and across to the Grand Canyon, or alternatively, from Monument Valley you could head north up via HWY 95 and HWY 24 , through Capitol Reef national park to pick up Hwy ( Scenic Byway) 12 which will take you down through Bryce Canyon National park and Zion national park and on the Las Vegas. Personally, we were more amazed by the scenery of Bryce canyon and Zion national parks than we were about the Grand canyon - but they may be because we didn't really know what to expect at Bryce and Zion - they were both a jaw-dropping surprise. Bryce Canyon at dawn on a clear, cold morning was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen .

Scenic Byway 12 is frequently listed as one of the most scenic drives in the USA and I can say that the day we drove from Bryce Canyon to Monument valley was one of the most spectacular driving days we've ever done http://www.scenicbyway12.com/

Can't help with the Dallas to Colorado part - we will be visiting Southern new mexico for the first time on our upcoming trip, but you will prbably need to head up north via Albuquerque etc ( on my to-do list!)

Will be very interested to hear what your final plans are

Andona

 

[marvel]

Great, now I am getting excited about the prospect.

We hadn't really planned this, as I usually plan a year ahead, but we have had a horrible year with our house due to the Xmas storms and still not back home. So this trip is well needed.

Colorado and The Bryce Canyon etc sounds really great, as does the drive through UTAH.

All up we are talking a month, so its not that long, we hope to do the last two weeks in LA, combo with Disney (of course) and then some time to just relax and do nothing.

Andona, did you stay somewhere around Bryce Canyon? Do you have a trip report that I might have missed, would love to read about what you did.

As part of our trips we like to spend 3 or 4 days in one spot, like Yosemite or similar, where we can enjoy the area and unwind before we get Disneyfied.
We will stay in Texas for 3 or 4 days as well, have to get my fill of Chicken fried steak!!

I have always wanted to turn Left at Albuquerque ! (sorry, bugs bunny reference)

 

[Saskiwi]

Marvel, your trip sounds like it could be wonderful!

How much time do you have for your road trip?? Colorado and Utah have some amazing scenery

We did the drive from Denver to Utah via I70 - It's a spectacular drive up through the mountains and past the ski resorts like Vail near Denver. As you approach the western edge of Colorado you can detour via the Colorado national Monument ( near Grand Junction) a spectacular drive up over red rock canyons and peaks. back on the intersate it's not far to Moab which is a great base to visit Arches National park and Canyonland national park nd dead Horse Point State Park ( all spectacular) . Moab is an "adventure" town - sooo many great tours - river trips on the Colorado, back road 4WD and dirt bike trips as well as rock climbing if that appeals to you.

From Moab you could head south to Monument Valley and across to the Grand Canyon, or alternatively, from Monument Valley you could head north up via HWY 95 and HWY 24 , through Capitol Reef national park to pick up Hwy ( Scenic Byway) 12 which will take you down through Bryce Canyon National park and Zion national park and on the Las Vegas. Personally, we were more amazed by the scenery of Bryce canyon and Zion national parks than we were about the Grand canyon - but they may be because we didn't really know what to expect at Bryce and Zion - they were both a jaw-dropping surprise. Bryce Canyon at dawn on a clear, cold morning was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen .

Scenic Byway 12 is frequently listed as one of the most scenic drives in the USA and I can say that the day we drove from Bryce Canyon to Monument valley was one of the most spectacular driving days we've ever done http://www.scenicbyway12.com/

Can't help with the Dallas to Colorado part - we will be visiting Southern new mexico for the first time on our upcoming trip, but you will prbably need to head up north via Albuquerque etc ( on my to-do list!)

Will be very interested to hear what your final plans are

Andona

Absolutely second this itinerary - DH and and I did a massive 30-state, Vermont-to-Key West-to-Washington, 4-month road trip in our pre-kid days and we LOVED this part of the US the most. Arches National Park is spectacular - that and Bryce Canyon were also for us, more amazing and definitely more 'other-worldly' than the Grand Canyon, which was almost a let-down after seeing them...I mean sure, it's BIG, but they are just incredible

If you are a fan of old westerns - or just 'Thelma and Louise' you need to see Monument Valley - it is that picture of the American West we all have in the back of our brains somewhere!
Zion is also awesome - but more in a waterfalls and mountains, Wilderness Lodge kind of way - not so much of the crazy desert landscape.

When you swing through New Mexico, visit Taos and Santa Fe - both cute towns - and then drive up through the Sangre de Cristos mountains into the southern part of Colorado.
There are a couple of little villages in northern New Mexico which were founded as Spanish missions hundreds of years ago -Chimayo is where I had one of the most memorable meals in my life here: http://www.ranchodechimayo.com/
and there is an incredible old mission church there too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Santuario_de_Chimayo

You can also visit Pueblo and Hopi indian villages to see a completely different America. Once you head into Colorado it is worth visiting the Mesa Verde National Park and seeing the incredible ancient Indian cliff villages - another highlight of our trip.

Oooh... just remembering all this makes me want to go back again! you'll have an amazing time!

 

[marvel]

wow, there seems to be a lot more that I thought. MY DW and kids were thinking that there wasn't much in texas itself, so were reconsidering whether we should land in LA and maybe fly into somewhere else, but all these sound great.

Always loved the old westerns to the scenery will be awesome.

My son looks up texas and says its the start of hurricane season and he is scared to go!

Zion sounds interesting as we do like to stop off somewhere for 4 or 5 days and justt enjoy the wilderness but I thought it might all be desert. We have seen the grand canyon, but Bryce and Zion sound different.

 

[Andona]

Andona, did you stay somewhere around Bryce Canyon? Do you have a trip report that I might have missed, would love to read about what you did.

As part of our trips we like to spend 3 or 4 days in one spot, like Yosemite or similar, where we can enjoy the area and unwind before we get Disneyfied.
We will stay in Texas for 3 or 4 days as well, have to get my fill of Chicken fried steak!!

I have always wanted to turn Left at Albuquerque ! (sorry, bugs bunny reference)

Love the Bug's Bunny reference and sympathise with the feeling. When we drove from LA to San Francisco we just HAD to stop at Pismo beach so I could say in my best Bugs Bunny voice "here we are, Pismo Beach and all the clams that we can eat!!!"

At Bryce Canyon we stayed at Bryce canyon lodge in one of their cute little Western log cabins. No phone or TV but the cabins were clean and comfortable and located very close to the rim of the canyon. We walked over to the rim at night to see the stars - beautiful. There are several walks along the rim and down into the canyons.

This photo was taken shortly after dawn

This photo shows people walking down into the depths of the canyon. We didn't walk down into the canyon as my knees weren't really up to it!

This is a photo of our cabin

We didn't stay at Zion, we visited it on our way to Bryce. becuase we had limited time we didn't get to see evrything at Zion. My impression was that there were more facilities at Zion though.

My son looks up texas and says its the start of hurricane season and he is scared to go!

Zion sounds interesting as we do like to stop off somewhere for 4 or 5 days and justt enjoy the wilderness but I thought it might all be desert. We have seen the grand canyon, but Bryce and Zion sound different.

My son is also not too happy that we're travelling through Florida, Louisiana and the Texas gulf during Hurricane season I keep telling him, it'll be fine but their latest brush with Isaac didn't reassure him!

If you've already seen the Grand Canyon, then I'd defnitely thin of doing something different next time

Andona

 

[tcufrog]

Marvel...

Texas is as big geographically as Germany. You won't feel a hurricane in DFW. Here's a suggested itinerary for Texas.

1. Drive about 20-30 minutes from DFW's South entrance to the Fort Worth Stockyards. It's where the West begins. Grab some barbeque and watch the free cattle drive that goes through the Stockyards twice a day.

2. From Fort Worth drive 5 hours to San Antonio, the second largest city in Texas and seventh largest in the US. You can easily spend a couple of days there. It's a beautiful city first settled in the late 1600s when the Spanish built San Antonio de Valero Mission (now the Alamo) as a means to reassert Spanish dominance over Texas from the nearby French in Louisiana. Visit some of the missions, have some delicious Tex-Mex food for lunch in Market Square (El Mercado) and do some shopping afterwards. I recommend Mi Tierra for lunch if you can get a table. Grab some of their famous pastries for snacks while on the road. If you have time go to the River Walk for dinner and night life and take a river boat down the river to learn about the history of San Antonio and the River Walk.

3. The next morning drive 1.25 hours to Fredericksburg a wonderful town in the scenic Texas Hill Country settled by German settlers in 1846. Have German food for lunch. You can probably see the town in a few hours.


4. The next stop is Carlsbad, NM. There's not many cities during the 6 hour drive between Fredericksburg and Carlsbad so gas up when you can. I've never been there but you might want to gas up in Roswell for the kitsch factor. Carlsbad is home to the famous Carlsbad Caverns. The underground caverns are huge (the biggest cavern is the 7th largest in the world) and awe inspiring. Take the National Parks Service tour of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

5. From Carlsbad drive 5 hours to Santa Fe, the second oldest city in the US.

This route is 5 hours longer than the direct drive to Santa Fe but you'll see some awesome sites unlike anything you'll see in Australia. The direct route to Santa Fe is really dull and boring. I've done the route many times.

 

[Andona]

Marvel...

2. From Fort Worth drive 5 hours to San Antonio, the second largest city in Texas and seventh largest in the US. You can easily spend a couple of days there. It's a beautiful city first settled in the late 1600s when the Spanish built San Antonio de Valero Mission (now the Alamo) as a means to reassert Spanish dominance over Texas from the nearby French in Louisiana. Visit some of the missions, have some delicious Tex-Mex food for lunch in Market Square (El Mercado) and do some shopping afterwards. I recommend Mi Tierra for lunch if you can get a table. Grab some of their famous pastries for snacks while on the road. If you have time go to the River Walk for dinner and night life and take a river boat down the river to learn about the history of San Antonio and the River Walk.

4. The next stop is Carlsbad, NM. There's not many cities during the 6 hour drive between Fredericksburg and Carlsbad so gas up when you can. Carlsbad is home to the famous Carlsbad Caverns. The underground caverns are huge (the biggest cavern is the 7th largest in the world) and awe inspiring. Take the National Parks Service tour of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

.

Great to hear these, we'll be visiting both San Antonio and Carlsbad Caverns in a few weeks

Andona

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[tcufrog]

Adona...

When will you be going to San Antonio and for how long?

 

[marvel]

great info, thanks everyone.

we are deep in discussions on how long to be away, given DW has to take leave without pay, so its possible we may not end up in texas at all!!

its 50/50 whether we cut it short by 1 week and do san fran instead and drive down to LA, as we have never made this journery.

ALl over the place now, and missed the Qantas specials, so looking at virgin flights which all go via sydney and brisbane