We're heading out later this week for our big Wild West adventure! We've been planning this trip for two long years and we are so stinking excited that it's finally here!
I know this is a bit ambitious, but we do realize we likely won't have time for everything on this list!
We're planning to avoid chain hotels and McDonald's as much as possible in favor of smaller hotels, cabins, Airbnb houses, and local restaurants (and plenty of PB&J!). We're hoping to see as much as we can without rushing through things too much...so that probably means no sleeping in!
Day 1
St. Louis:
Gateway Arch
City Museum
St. Louis:
Gateway Arch
City Museum
Day 2
Route 66 stops: Totem Pole Park, Blue Whale of Catoosa, Pops and Round Barn in Acadia.
Stay in Oklahoma City
Day 3
Church
Route 66 stops: U-Drop Inn in Shamrock (inspiration for Ramone’s shop in Cars), Slug Bug Ranch in Panhandle, Cadillac Ranch west of Amarillo, Midpoint Café in Adrian
Stay in Santa Fe
Day 4
Santa Fe:
San Miguel Mission
Canyon Road
Palace of the Governors
Tsankawi section of Bandelier National Monument
Tsankawi section of Bandelier National Monument
Day 5
Drive from Santa Fe to Holbrook.
Possible stops on Turquoise Trail: St Joseph’s Church in Cerrillos, San Francisco de Asis church in Golden, Madrid..
Musical Highway on Route 66.
Petrified Forest National Park – Painted Desert and Giant Logs trail
Stay at Wigwam Motel.
Day 6
Drive to Grand Canyon
Jack Rabbit Trading Post
Grand Canyon: Desert View Watchtower, Hike a little bit of Rim Trail and/or South Kaibab Trail
Stay at Yavapai Lodge.
Day 7
4th of July in Williams, AZ
Detour down to Black Canyon City to see Saguaro cacti
Day 8
Joshua Tree NP – Cholla Cactus Garden, Jumbo Rocks, Hidden Valley Trail
Stay in Twentynine Palms
Day 9
Drive to Los Angeles
Petersen Automotive Museum
Petersen Automotive Museum
Hollywood & Highland – walk of fame, Chinese theater, etc.
Hollywood sign
The Getty Museum?
Day 10
Church (maybe on the beach??)
Church (maybe on the beach??)
Beach
Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach Boardwalk
Day 11
Drive to Cambria on the PCH
El Matador Beach
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve – Bluff Trail
Moonstone Beach
Day 12
Drive to Santa Cruz on the PCH
McWay Falls
Pfieffer Beach
Bixby Creek Bridge
See some Redwoods - a few different places to choose from
Day 13
Drive to San Francisco
Shark Fin Cove
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Full House house and Alamo Square
Yoda Fountain and Palace of Fine Arts – both in Presidio National Park
Fort Point
Walk and/or drive across the Golden Gate Bridge
Chinatown?
Day 14
Whale watching tour?
Pier 39
Fisherman’s Wharf
Ride a cable car or streetcar
Drive to Mariposa
Day 15
Yosemite National Park:
Mariposa Grove - Grizzly Giant Trail
Taft Point Trail and Sentinel Dome
Glacier Point
Day 16
Yosemite:
Mist Trail
Lower Yosemite Falls trail
Ansel Adams gallery
Olmstead Point
Tenaya Lake
Tuolumne Meadows (Parson’s Lodge and Soda Springs trail)
Mono Lake
Stay in Lee Vining
Day 17
Church
Bodie Historical Park (ghost town)
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
Stay in Bishop
Day 18
Drive to Vegas
Drive through Death Valley
Stay in Vegas
Day 19
Las Vegas
Shelby museum
Count’s Kustoms
Welder Up
Welder Up
Fountains at Bellagio
Volcano at Mirage
Circus acts at Circus Circus?
Day 20
Zion National Park
Day 21
Drive to Kayenta
Canyon X
Horseshoe Bend?
Monument Valley
Day 22
Drive to Moab
Detour to drive the Moki Dugway and stop at Muley Point
Newspaper Rock
Wilson Arch
Corona Arch
Day 23
Arches National Park –
Park Avenue Trail
Fiery Furnace ranger-led hike
Double Arch
Delicate Arch
Day 24
Church
Potash Road petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks.
Grandstaff Canyon
Dead Horse Point State Park and/or Canyonlands National Park
Day 25
Drive to Twin Falls, Idaho
Stop to see Great Salt Lake
Stop at Bonneville Salt Flats
Check out Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls
Day 26
Drive to Grand Teton National Park
Chapel of the Transfiguration
Mormon Row and Antelope Flats Road
Schwabacher’s Landing
Jenny Lake Scenic Drive
Stay at Signal Mountain Lodge
Day 27
Grand Teton National Park:
Lakeshore Trail
Rent canoes?
Swim at String Lake
Drive to the top of Signal Mountain
Oxbow Bend
Day 28
Yellowstone National Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Old Faithful
Morning Glory Pool
Grand Prismatic
Mammoth Hot Springs
Day 29
Yellowstone
Whitewater rafting and horseback riding
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Day 30
Drive to Keystone, SD
Stop at Devils Tower
Day 31
Church
Sunday Gulch Trail and Sylvan Lake
Needles Highway
Crazy Horse Memorial
Mt Rushmore
Day 32
Drive to Minneapolis
Wall Drug
Badlands National Park
Wall Drug
Badlands National Park
Day 33
Mall of America
Day 34
Drive to Chicago
Maybe stop in Milwaukee
Maybe stop in Milwaukee
Fireworks and pizza at Navy Pier
Day 35
Lincoln Park Zoo and/or The Field Museum
Giordano's Pizza
Drive home
If you've been to (or live near) any of these places, I'd love to hear any tips or ideas you have! Leave me a note in the comments!
I'm planning to stay off Facebook while we're gone, but I'll be posting photos on Instagram (@amy_foltz_photography) so make sure you're following me there, and I'm sure I'll post plenty here on the blog when we get back!
I'm planning to stay off Facebook while we're gone, but I'll be posting photos on Instagram (@amy_foltz_photography) so make sure you're following me there, and I'm sure I'll post plenty here on the blog when we get back!
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