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Road trip to Cali - Recommendations on good sights to see?

You've managed to pick the dullest route possible through Utah and Colorado. Google Maps is being difficult so here is my recommended route through Utah/Colorado:

Hurricane
Zion NP ( sidetrip to Coral Pink Sand Dunes )
Bryce NP
Escalante (Grand Stair Case Escalante Nat Mon, Kodachrome Basin)
Boulder
Torrey (Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef)
Hanksville
Natural Bridges (cut to Moab here instead if this takes to long)
Moab (Arches Nat Park, Canyonlands)
Castle Valley
I-70
Glenwood Springs
(Side trip to Marble)
Leadville
Florissant
Colorado Springs

Alternate:
Hurricane
Zion
Bryce
Escalante
Boulder
Torrey
Hanksville
Natural Bridges
Mexican Hat
Monument Valley
Cortez
Durango
Sidetrip to Silverton/Ooray
Pagosa Springs
Alamosa
Great Sand Dunes (side trip)
Walsenburg
Colorado Springs
Denver or Limon
 
Around 3 weeks give or take. I have a friend in Winnipeg that I am staying with for a few days, then heading out on the road. Mostly going to be staying in motels etc, although I am taking my tent if there are any awesome camping sites.
 
IronWing said:
You've managed to pick the dullest route possible through Utah and Colorado. Google Maps is being difficult so here is my recommended route through Utah/Colorado:

Hurricane
Zion NP ( sidetrip to Coral Pink Sand Dunes )
Bryce NP
Escalante (Grand Stair Case Escalante Nat Mon, Kodachrome Basin)
Boulder
Torrey (Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef)
Hanksville
Natural Bridges (cut to Moab here instead if this takes to long)
Moab (Arches Nat Park, Canyonlands)
Castle Valley
I-70
Glenwood Springs
(Side trip to Marble)
Leadville
Florissant
Colorado Springs

Alternate:
Hurricane
Zion
Bryce
Escalante
Boulder
Torrey
Hanksville
Natural Bridges
Mexican Hat
Monument Valley
Cortez
Durango
Sidetrip to Silverton/Ooray
Pagosa Springs
Alamosa
Great Sand Dunes (side trip)
Walsenburg
Colorado Springs
Denver or Limon
Click to expand...

Thanks man, that's exactly what I need.
 
The alternate route is almost worth it just to drive this little piece of road:

Map

Also turn on satellite view and zoom out pan to the south to see the Goosenecks of the San Juan, one of the most amazing views anywhere.
 
You are driving through a lot of places that have no "tourist value".

You could drive over to South Dakota to see the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. Crazy Horse is pretty cool also (but expensive). Then drive up to Washington.

The coastal rout looks good but you might want to go inland through Oregon instead of the coast.

From Vegas you might want to go to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. There is really nothing to see (outside of skiing) in Utah.

Drive through NM to CO.

I would also say that hitting up St. Louis is better than going through Iowa (again, nothing to really see in those states).

If you do this rout you will see more of the "different Americas" and less of nothingness.
 
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Wow.. that's one hell of a trip dude. Good luck. My only suggestion is to turn south at Calgary and drive through the Northern US on the way back to Toronto. I live in SK and I can tell you it's pointless to drive through here or Manitoba.
 
It depends on your taste in activities but here are a few ideas from my corner of the world.

San Francisco
- Fisherman's Wharf
- Golden Gate Park / Palace of Fine Arts / Exploratorium
- Coit Tower
- Muir Woods

Sonoma County:
- Carneros Highway wine tasting
- Old Adobe in Petaluma
- Mission Sonoma in Sonoma (city)
- Sonoma Cheese Factory

Mendocino County:
- Wine taste in Hopland (I highly recommend McNab Ridge)
- Grab a microbrew at Mendocino County Brewery (my fav is the Eye of the Hawk)
- Have the best deli sandwhich in the world at Schat's bakery in Ukiah (the sheepherder's bread is delicious)
- Or have a really awesome breakfast at the Mutt Hutt

Humboldt County:
- Take a break from driving and hike a bit of the Lost Coast.
 
GoSharks said:
WTF dude. Utah has 5 national parks and 7 national monuments.
Click to expand...

If I had to choose between the Grand Canyon and anything in Utah when taking a cross country trip most people would choose the Grand Canyon 10 out of 10 times. There is a reason it is one of seven nationals wonders of the world.
(It would also give the opportunity to see the Hoover Dam.)

On a side note, if you see Mount Rushmore in South Dakota there is easy access to Yellow Stone.
 
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Patranus said:
If I had to choose between the Grand Canyon and anything in Utah when taking a cross country trip most people would choose the Grand Canyon 10 out of 10 times. There is a reason it is one of seven nationals wonders of the world.
(It would also give the opportunity to see the Hoover Dam.)
Click to expand...

For a cross country road trip, southern Utah gets you more bang for the mile traveled. The Grand Canyon is pretty cool but if you don't have the time to hike down into it a bit it is a whole lot of driving through not particularly scenic country for a few good views. With the route I suggested through southern Utah you are in scenic country pretty much from Hurricane to Colorado. The drive around Bryce isn't much to look at but once east of Bryce you are in canyon country the whole way with great stops all along. The Grand Canyon is best as a destination when you can take time to drop off the rim.
 
lol nice videos guys 🙂 I definitely want to drive through Compton though 😛

I am hitting up Vegas/Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam for sure.
 
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