USA 2012 - The Southwest
Tour facts
Hotel review
Date of the tour: Beginning till end of October 2012
Start and end point: Denver
Flight: Nuremberg - Frankfurt - Denver (Lufthansa)
Car: Booked IFAR (Midsize SUV) with Alamo through the travel agency - we got a Jeep Liberty
Duration of the tour: 22 days
*****
****
***
**
*
Very good, everything fit here
Good, we felt comfortable
Complies with the standard
Very simple but clean
Never again
Tour details
| Day | Activity of the day | Day remarks | Overnight stay | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 | Flight to Denver | Shortest entry ever, after 20 minutes we are already at the baggage carousel. After the flight we still have energy for a Hard Rock Café visit. | Best Western Denver Hotel, Denver ** | 15mi |
Day 2 | The drive north is quite nice, unfortunately the weather is not so great. We had imagined the Rocky Mountain NP much more alpine. | Best Western Plus Silver Saddle, Estes Park *** | 149mi | |
Day 3 | We like the day, the altitude gives me a little discomfort. | Best Western Plus Silver Saddle, Estes Park *** | 139mi | |
Day 4 | From Winter Park we drive through a snowstorm today. Fortunately, Independence Pass is open. | Courtyard by Marriott, Glenwood Springs *** | 306mi | |
Day 5 | The sun is back and despite the rain during the last days the Dir Road to Fantasy Canyon is great to drive. | Springhill Suite by Marriott, Vernal **** | 319mi | |
Day 6 | Great packed day at Dinosaur NM. | Springhill Suite by Marriott, Vernal **** | 206mi | |
Day 7 | Very nice day. The dirt roads to Hamburger Rocks and Wege Overlook are easy to ride. | Best Western Capitol Reef, Torrey **** | 305mi | |
Day 8 | At Lower Calf Creek Fall, by 12:30 p.m. in October, there is already shade on the waterfall. | Comfort Inn, Kanab *** | 201mi | |
Day 9 | Today we are lucky because Cedar Breaks is still snow-free. However, all facilities are already closed. | Best Western Red Hills, Kanab *** | 213mi | |
Day 10 | We had won the permits online and could skip the daily procedure in Kanab. | Best Western Red Hills, Kanab *** | 99mi | |
Day 11 | Every time at the North Rim we ask ourselves why we still do the hustle and bustle at the South Rim. | Courtyard by Marriott, Page **** | 262mi | |
Day 12 | ... our first real sand drive is no problem with the jeep, but exciting. | Courtyard by Marriott, Page **** | 167mi | |
Day 13 | Brilliant day, even if the climb to Yellow Rock is extremely steep and slippery at the beginning. | Courtyard by Marriott, Page **** | 103mi | |
Day 14 | Lots of great little locations around Page. | Courtyard by Marriott, Page **** | 100mi | |
Day 15 | Quite relaxed drive after a few days in Page. | Best Western Plus Territorial Inn & Suites, Bloomfield **** | 308mi | |
Day 16 | Two brand new locations for us. Ah shi sle pha was our favorite. | Best Western Plus Territorial Inn & Suites, Bloomfield **** | 182mi | |
Day 17 | Completely unexpectedly, we liked it here so much that we stayed the whole day. | Best Western Plus Territorial Inn & Suites, Bloomfield **** | 143mi | |
Day 18 | The tour from south to north and back is super to walk and good to do in one day. | Best Western Plus Territorial Inn & Suites, Bloomfield **** | 140mi | |
Day 19 | Hiking in the sand is very strenuous, but the view from the top of the dunes is worth every drop of sweat. | Best Western Alamosa Inn, Alamosa **** | 269mi | |
Day 20 | We like Florissant Fossil Beds NM, so there is no time today for the planned Pikes Peak. | Town Place Suites by Marriott, Colorado Springs **** | 173mi | |
Day 21 | The 4300m altitude is quite noticeable. | Town Place Suites by Marriott, Colorado Springs **** | 114mi | |
Day 22 | - | - | 90mi |