Community Forums

spritz · 01-06-2015, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilgerat

Independence Rock.
Settlers (1800's RVers) heading west needed to be at or west of "The Rock" by 4th of July so they would not get caught in the mountain passes winter snows. The writings were from folks leaving messages for those coming behind them. It was also the main fork of the wagon train trails heading west.
Every Destination Listed Above Is Awesome! I'm sure which ever one you select will be Great. In 2001 I let my son pick one "He Wanted", that's where we went. Good Luck

O my Gosh Thank you, Thankyou, That is info I didn't know, Really Thanks, I have wanted too go back there, first in the 64 convert and now the MH. I haven't been there in at least 20 years. This summer for sure. I goggled it and that's the one. Just a couple of Pic's from that place. 2nd to last Pic is people going up and peoples on top.
Thanks again, Tim

jenandjon · 01-06-2015, 11:22 AM

Too much to list. Grand canyon, Hoover dam, Giant redwoods, Yellowstone national park, Mount rushmore, Dodge City Kansas is fun if you like wild west stuff, Montana is beautiful, then you got the great salt lake and salt flats. When you drive through the salt flats and lick your lips you can taste the salt even with your windows rolled up! There are several petrified forests through out the west. Ive been to the one in the black hills of South Dakota. Toadstool park in Western Nebraska is beautiful. There is just too much to list. It would take years to see it all.

pagosajoe · 01-06-2015, 11:33 AM

Depending on how far "west" you want to go, Alaska is beautiful!

UFO Pilot · 01-06-2015, 11:42 AM

Only one choice? Mt Rushmore

**CLIFFTALL** · 01-06-2015, 11:45 AM

Utah. Multiple locations all throughout the State. Our favorite , hands down and we've been to 49 ( by MH ) .

bluepill · 01-06-2015, 11:47 AM

Based on our Big Trip (see sig line below), I would choose Grand Canyon, South rim. The other National Parks mentioned are also great, but the immense scale of GC beats any of the others IMO.

If you are pulling a toad, or are willing to rent a car, I would recommend the following.

We spent about 10 days at the KOA in Flagstaff. Nice facility, good choice of restaurants in the city, which gives you variety that is not available nearer to the canyon. About 1 hour drive to the South Rim, and there are 3 different routes to use, so you have the benefit of variety. One route takes you past The Little Grand Canyon, which is a quick and interesting stop.

Sunset Crater NP, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki Nat. Monuments are close by and well worth a few hours exploration.
LINKS: http://www.nps.gov/sucr/planyourvisit/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm

Spend one day going south to Sedona Red Rocks area, and grab a nice lunch and do some touristy shopping.

If you make good time from PA to AZ and have an extra day or two, the Albuquerque & Santa Fe, NM areas are a nice place to visit on the way out or back.

CampDaven · 01-06-2015, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clifftall

Utah. Multiple locations all throughout the State. Our favorite , hands down and we've been to 49 ( by MH ) .

X2. The southern 1/3 of Utah will be plenty to fill up your short 3 weeks.
About 1900 miles. 3800 R/T is at least 6 days of very hard driving. Don't forget that you need to relax!
Pick a limited area. Explore it. The Grizwolds tried to see Paris in one day.

**CLIFFTALL** · 01-06-2015, 12:06 PM

http://mobile.utah.com/places.htm

Graniteman · 01-06-2015, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFNM

Totally agree - well said!

I'm afraid it may be worth taking a look at a map - 'west of the Mississippi' encompasses an area that is about 2/3 of our country (excluding Alaska and Hawaii - probably 4/5 or more including them). This is a HUGE area - there are hundreds/thousands of fantastic things to see. I'd suggest narrowing the search a little or else you'll spend a lot of time driving.

Being a "westerner", I'm probably a bit of a "super-fan". Being an aviator, I have seen a good portion of the west from a perspective that few get and I think it is an amazing place. The "not worth seeing" spots are VERY few and far between. Especially if you are looking at the right times (typically sunrise when the colors pop). Even places like the salt flats of Utah are amazing in size and absolute "barrenness".

My favorite camping spots are on forest service or BLM land - far from anybody else. I bet you get to experience camping with people back east - try something different! Get off the Interstates and away from the RV parks.

All the places/national parks you've heard about are amazing - Yellowstone, Glacier, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands etc... All the places in between are only slightly less amazing.

Does your family want any particular type of entertainment?? Mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, water skiing, etc...??

I think hiking and biking are along the lines of what we would be looking to do. I just want to show them some amazing sites.

Graniteman · 01-06-2015, 06:33 PM

Thanks so much everyone. I knew there would be a lot of experience and great information with all the members on irv2. Sorry I requested just one location, I wanted to string together a list of the most repeated places and try to plan to hit as many as possible.

These are all great, love the historical stuff too, like the rock heading west. Please feel free to keep them coming and any additional info also.

GREGORYJ · 01-06-2015, 08:14 PM

UTAH is outstanding and is our favorite state.
1. Zion National Park
2. Bryce National Park (close to Zion)
3. Moab area which has Arches & Canyonlands National parks.

CampDaven · 01-06-2015, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GREGORYJ

UTAH is outstanding and is our favorite state.
1. Zion National Park
2. Bryce National Park (close to Zion)
3. Moab area which has Arches & Canyonlands National parks.

X2. And the best of the Grand Canyon is juuust a bit South: the North Rim.

smlranger · 01-07-2015, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graniteman

Thanks so much everyone. I knew there would be a lot of experience and great information with all the members on irv2. Sorry I requested just one location, I wanted to string together a list of the most repeated places and try to plan to hit as many as possible.

These are all great, love the historical stuff too, like the rock heading west. Please feel free to keep them coming and any additional info also.

You can see a lot in three weeks. On our first trip out West, we had one month. We left home in Virginia and drove pretty much every day until we got to Rapid City area and visited Mt. Rushmore and other attractions there for 3 days. Then we drove to Estes Park, CO and visited Rocky Mountain National Park for several days. Then we drove down to Moab and into Monument Valley. From there, we drove to Flagstaff and visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We also did a day trip down to Sedona. On the way back home, we visited Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, TX. We finished the trip with a visit to St. Louis before heading back home. So, with planning you can see a lot in 3 weeks.

pagosajoe · 01-07-2015, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graniteman

I think hiking and biking are along the lines of what we would be looking to do. I just want to show them some amazing sites.

Biking: Grand Junction, CO area.

Biking Trails | Grand Junction, CO

Hiking: Grand Junction, CO area.

Search Results | Grand Junction, CO

The Colorado National Monument is an amazing place. There are RV campsites in the monument, as well as many just outside in Fruita, CO, including a state park (James Robb) right by the Colorado River.

When you're through here, go to Moab, about 90 miles away, and hike through Arches national Monument, then hit the bike trails around town. If you ask nicely at the Moab visitor center, they'll tell you how to get to the dinosaur site that isn't listed anywhere. You can walk up to the bones, still in place in the ground, and touch them.