Roadtrip : California, Arizona, Colorado

This trip was planned for Thanksgiving week in Nov 2013.

We had thought of visiting the following places in a circle (I usually try to have a nice circle with each destination about 2/3 hours away from each other).

CA, AZ, CO Roadtrip Circle

  • Starting / Ending (point A / O in the map) - Fremont CA
  • B - Kings Canyon National Park
  • C - Sequoia National Park
  • D - Death Valley National Park
  • E - Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim
  • F - Antelope Canyon / Slot Canyon
  • G - Monument Valley, Navajo Tribal Park
  • H - Mesa Verde National Park
  • I - Canyon De Chelly National Monument
  • J - Petrified Forest National Park
  • K - Sedona AZ
  • L - Saguaro National Park
  • M - Scottsdale AZ
  • N - Joshua Tree National Park



I had done some research about the places through TripAdvisor and had initially planned to start on Friday (Nov 22) and reach near Joshua Tree. But the weather pattern during the week meant that I reverse the circle (which turned out to be a wonderful decision).

Tip#1: Keep your plan flexible.

I had booked my hotels in advance. Most of the hotel bookings I did had option of change/cancellation a day prior to the actual lodging date (which obviously helps greatly if you need to change the plan due to various reasons - weather being the primary driver). Also I had bought National Park Annual pass in Dec 2012 which allowed me free entry to almost all these places (what an astonishing value).

Useful sites : TripAdvisor, nps.gov, weather.com

Dates: Nov 23 - 30, 2013

Temperature range during the trip: 16F (Grand Canyon) to 80F (Scottsdale AZ)

Distance Covered: 3,300 miles / 5300 kms  (Renting a Hybrid was really helpful :)

1st Day : Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park
Location: Fremont, CA, USA

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