Sixteen itineraries for touring Southwest USA, by car or RV; route maps, mileages, places to visit each day, and suggested hotels.
Distances include driving to and through the various parks.
Tour of the Sonoran Desert of southwest Arizona, home to many and varied cacti including the giant saguaro and the less common organ pipe. Well known locations are Saguaro National Park and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, but there are many other scenic areas, mostly very little visited.
9 days, 1,100 miles, 1,770 km; starts from Phoenix |
California's biggest and most spectacular groves of huge trees; the giant sequoia of the Sierra Nevada, in the Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, plus the coastal redwoods of the far north. Tour also includes other scenic parts of north California including Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lake Tahoe.
12 days, 1,845 miles, 2,970 km; starts from San Francisco |
Loop drive through the deserts of southern California, from Death Valley to Anza Borrego, also including Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Salton Sea and the Mojave. Best for the relatively cooler months of winter, spring and fall.
11 days, 1,830 miles, 2,950 km; starts from Las Vegas |
The more rugged, rockier and foggier north coast of California, from the cliffs of Point Reyes near San Francisco, through the scenic beaches of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, and the completely undeveloped Lost Coast, to the coastal redwood forests of the far north, around Crescent City.
7 days, 650 miles, 1,050 km; starts from San Francisco, or Crescent City |
Travel along Highway 1 from San Diego near the Mexican border north to San Francisco, passing through Los Angeles, Santa Monica Mountains, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmel, Monterey and the Santa Cruz peninsula. Spectacular views of beaches, cliffs, mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
8 days, 700 miles, 1,130 km; starts from San Diego, or San Francisco |
Follow the Colorado River, from its source high up in Colorado's Rocky Mountains to the Sonoran Desert at Yuma, Arizona. The river passes seven NPS units (Rocky Mountain, Colorado, Arches, Canyonlands, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Lake Mead), plus many other scenic places.
14 days, 1,905 miles, 3,065 km; starts from Denver |
Tour of the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado, from the San Juan area in the southwest to Rocky Mountain National Park in the northeast. Includes the Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon, Maroon Bells, Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods.
10 days, 1,225 miles, 1,970 km; starts from Denver |
Experience different regions of the Grand Canyon - the North Rim, South Rim, Marble Canyon, Hualapai Reservation and Tuweep. The route also passes other nearby locations such as Zion, Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
11 days, 1,235 miles, 1,990 km; starts from Las Vegas |
Famous loop tour of the most famous national parks in the Southwest, in north Arizona and south Utah: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Lake Powell and Grand Canyon.
11 days, 1,500 miles, 2,400 km; starts from Las Vegas |
A loop around the edge of America's largest desert, through five states and visiting such places as Antelope Island, Black Rock Desert, Bodie, Cathedral Gorge, Little Sahara, Lunar Crater, Mono Lake, Pyramid Lake, Warner Valley and Great Basin National Park
11 days, 2,100 miles, 3,380; starts from Salt Lake City |
Ancient ruins, cliff dwellings and rock art sites, in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Mesa Verde and Chaco Culture are the two most famous locations; others include Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, Cedar Mesa and Canyon de Chelly.
9 days, 1,325 miles, 2,130 km; starts from Phoenix |
Varied sites in the Land of Enchantment - ancient ruins, lava flows, fantastic rock formations, sand dunes, historical relics and the world's most famous cave system.
12 days, 1,680 miles, 2,700 km; starts from Albuquerque |
Southwest Oregon contains many contrasting landscapes, from the predominantly rocky Pacific shoreline, dotted with innumerable offshore rocks, across the coastal hills to the higher peaks of the Cascades - where the most famous location is Crater Lake - to the fascinating geological features around Newberry Volcano.
7 days, 775 miles, 1,250 km; starts from Eugene |
The spectacular mountains of central California; well known national parks along the west side are Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite, while to the east, sites include Lake Tahoe and many lesser known scenic areas like Devils Postpile and the Big Pine Lakes.
13 days, 1,425 miles, 2,290 km; starts from San Francisco |
The wide open landscapes of west and central Texas, from Big Bend and the Chihuahuan Desert in the west, to the Hill Country around San Antonio. Varied sites include the limestone scenery of Guadualupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns, the pictographs of Hueco Tanks and the dunes of Monahans Sandhills.
11 days, 1,720 miles, 2,770 km; starts from El Paso |
The central Rocky Mountains, in north Utah and Wyoming; highlight is the incomparable Yellowstone National Park, featuring amazing thermal phenomena, plentiful wildlife and beautiful landscapes. Other places include the Great Salt Lake, Grand Tetons, Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Monument.
12 days, 1,485 miles, 2,390 km; starts from Salt Lake City |
