Our continent is like that... You can drive for hours to get to a location. I have driven 4 hours to make a location for sunrise, only to be there for 2 hours of shooting, back into the car and drive 4 hours to be home for lunch...
Our continent is like that... You can drive for hours to get to a location. I have driven 4 hours to make a location for sunrise, only to be there for 2 hours of shooting, back into the car and drive 4 hours to be home for lunch...
Chamonix 045N-2 - 65/5.6 - 90/8 - 210/5.6 - Fomapan 100 & T-Max 100 in Rodinal
Alexartphotography
visit the south..
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
- William Blake
I'd suggest that you check out Robert Hitchman's Photograph America it's a newsletter format, printed or pdf and he sells collections for selected geographic areas.
Ann and I did the trip you're considering last fall but we were on the road for three months. Still needed more time. If you head into Colorado/New Mexico try to include Mesa Verde. Nice hikes, although the park doesn't have too much in the way of facilities. We spent a week there, we have a van camper (Caravan?) and the campground is nice.
Like Australia, you can drive for hours and still be in the same state. We left home in August, places and campgrounds were still crowded but by mid-September the kids were back in school and we usually had things pretty much to ourselves. Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks excepted.
Have fun.
JD
Another alternate route for the Yosemite/Eastern Sierra trip would be to take 108 around the north of Yosemite to connect up with 395. There are some spectacular vistas along 108, including the view of the Dardanelles formation, and an experience not to miss is ascending the peak of the Sonora pass at sunset. If you time it right, you'll be crossing the high point of the pass as the sun is going down, and you'll be able to look back to the west and see the walls of the pass painted golden yellow-orange. A nice place to stay in Lee Vining (just the eastern end of the Tioga pass, and across the road from Mono Lake) is the Tioga Lodge. They have cute little cabins that are plenty rustic (no tvs, just baseboard heaters) and one of the few places to eat in Lee Vining (other than the famous Whoa Nellie Deli, or the exorbitantly priced place run by Ansel Adams' daughter). Some of the structures at the Tioga lodge are reclaimed buildings from Bodie, the ghost town, which is also a short (but very bumpy) ride away. Your daughter might enjoy the side trip to Bodie.
Many of us who've lived in the American west have plenty of driving stamina, but let's face it: Time spent in the car is time not spent outside.
I've been to all of the places you mention at least twice each, with the exception of Glacier. I won't tell you what to do, but here are a few thoughts:
If I could only go to Yosemite one time during the year, it would be the spring, because the waterfalls are running.
Tetons/Yellowstone/Glacier - could be beautiful that time of year, but could also be raining and/or snowing, and cold.
I would think that the south rim of the Grand Canyon wouldn't be too much of a zoo at that time of the year, but others would know better than I. I haven't been to the north rim, but as I think others have mentioned, it is high (so colder), and much more out of the way (good once you are there, but more of a pain getting there). As a side note - if you could ever afford it, come back and do a 15-20 day raft trip down the Colorado through the canyon in September. There are loads of very moderate hikes up incredible side canyons, plus more strenous ones as well, if you want. I've done a lot of outdoor things in my life, and that was the best.
It's hard to go wrong in southeast Utah/the four corners, and that is generally a great time of year to be there. I'd make that the focus of my trip. In addition to all the desert stuff there are also a number of small mountains and mountain ranges (Boulder Mountain, The La Sal Mountains, Henry Mountains, etc.) where you might find aspens turning at that time. (If you wanted more mountain stuff you could fairly quickly get over into the San Juan mountains of Colorado, say around Telluride/Ridgeway.)
I really liked Yosemite, but when I went to Zion I thought "Wow, Yosemite in color!"
If you are dirving, a more obscure place along the way is Great Basin National Park - the mountain (Wheeler Peak) has a large face with kind of northern Rokies look to it, and there is a cool bristlecone pine grove. If you've never been in a limestone cavern, you can do that right there as well. (Someone else may have mentioned GBNP - I didn't read all the posts.)
I suspect you'll have a great time regardless of which of the things you choose!
Another thought if Yosemite is too busy/inaccessible/etc - Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks. They're still in California, they have the giant redwood groves, very similar geology/geography to Yosemite, and they get a fraction of the tourist traffic of Yosemite. They're also further south, so likely to be a little warmer. And you can hit them more easily on your way to/from the Four Corners area.
The problem with SW is that it requires easily a 6 month excursion....and you're trying to jam this in 3 weeks (and you know that). Not sure if renting a van would help....tho you can make it as cozy as needed. I'm not going to compare, since I have different access to all these places, but the way I travel is to feel out a spot...and if for some reason is not working....I'll continue. Than again, I'd stop an extra day+ if I find a place that I really like. It's a form of luxury and a stress reducer. The only thing that I'd add is Bodie (someone already mentioned it)....it's a cool nostalgia place (lots of stuff from 1800's). If you want to spend some time in Yosemite and don't want to stay in the Valley (dealing with lots of people), you probably could stay at White Wolf - they have tent-like cabins....and Tuolumne Meadows is not far from there. Reservations advised. Gasoline in the park is pretty steep, so I'd suggest to fuel up outside. By now you probably have all the info down on all these places. Anyhoo, have a good time and post some pics when you get back.
Les
I travel by car and do these sort of trips every year. I just got back from a three and a half week Yellowstone/Glacier/Ashland trip with stops in between. I'll likely do another before the year's out. I've been to most of the places that have been mentioned and every place on your list. I have many words of wisdom to offer. But one big word of advice:
Don't bring your 4x5. It will slow you down too much. With your schedule you won't have time to wait for the light, you won't have time to get to know an area in order to feel anything genuine about it. Get a handheld medium format or a high end digital. No tripod except when you are near the car.
O.K., a second big word of advice. There are lots of great shots of Yosemite and Yellowstone and Monument Valley and on and on. Shoot those. Make your own. But remember there are *no* photographs of you and your companion(s) in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Monument Valley and so on. None. That's where you are going to have as chance to make the most meaningful photographs to you and others. That's where you are going to get a chance to tell your story.
--Darin
And remember that they drive on the wrong side of the road over there!
Steve.
Bookmarks