Vancouver to Vegas, and maybe Memphis?

hello there,

I came across your website and noticed that you give free advice to road trippers. My friend and I are planning an ambitious trip and I was wondering about advice on how to plan it out day by day, the loose itinerary is as follows: Vancouver b.c to Boise to salt lake city thru the salt flats to las vegas then on to the grand canyon then maybe to New Orleans followed by Memphis to rapid city then back to Vancouver.

Any tips or help planning is appreciated, as this is the first major road trip I've planned .

thanks in advance

Colin from Canada

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Hi there Colin from Canada --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA, and I hope I can help you plan a "radical" road trip.

The first part of your plan sounds great -- Vancouver to Boise (via the North Cascades and Glacier parks? -- or southerly via Seattle?? Both are great routes, and there is a lot of variety along the way...)

Boise to SLC -- this is pretty dry, "Great Basin" country -- be prepared for born volcanic landscapes and the endless salt plains. A hot day's drive.

SLC to Las Vegas -- This is some of the most beautiful country in the western US; make sure you see Zion National Park, and if you like the look of it take time to see the other amazing parks (Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands and hundreds more). Monument Valley is nearby, and you can explore both rims of the awesome Grand Canyon. You could spend weeks or months or more here without a hint of boredom -- well, I know I could, for sure.

Then it gets less clear -- New Orleans and Memphis are a good few days' drive away from Arizona. If you've never done a road trip, maybe you could save these for your next adventure.

(Or maybe hop a flight and do a separate trip between Memphis and New Orleans? There's a ton of great places to see down there, but in comparison there's really not so much between Arizona and Memphis. Just don't tell any Texans I said so...)

:-)

OK, there are few thoughts -- hope they help you plan a great trip, and please feel free to write me again as your plans take shape.

Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
---
Road Trip USA

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