Yellowstone to Yosemite

by Mariëlle Renssen, Hirsh Aronowitz & Keith Titley

Yellowstone to Yosemite

A road trip through national parks of south west USA Mariëlle Renssen, Hirsh Aronowitz & Keith Titley

1

1

34567

Y2Y0

First edition published in 2016by Back Road Tours

ISBN 978-1-77026-712-1

All text © Mariëlle RenssenAll photographs © Hirsh Aronowitz & Keith Titley

Designed by Trinity LoubserCartography by John Loubser

www.backroadtours.co.za

The information contained in this e-book is derived from a variety of sources. While every effort has been made to verify this information, the publisher assumes no responsibility for inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the data nor liability for any damages of any type arising from errors or omissions.

The reproduction, recording or copying of any maps, text or photographs contained in this e-book in any manner whatsoever is prohibited.

2

1

34567

Y2Y0

Grand Teton NP

Rocky Mountain NPDinosaur NM

Arches NP

Colorado NM

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

MonumentValley NTP

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Canyonlands NP

Capitol Reef NP Goblin Valley SP

Bodie SHP

Devils Postpile NP

Bryce Canyon NP Zion NP

Grand Canyon NP

Lake Mead Rec. Area KodachromeBasin SP

Death ValleyNP

Yosemite NP

Sequoia & Kings Canyon NPs

Mesa Verde NP

Yellowstone NP

WYOMINGIDAHO

UTAH

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

ARIZONA

U.S.A.MEXICO

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

Rock Springs

Grand Junction

CrawfordMontrose

Monticello

Moab

Green River

Hanksville

Boulder

Escalante

Cannonville

SpringdaleLa VerkinSt George

Mesquite

Fruita

Rangely

Vernal

Durango

CortezBluff

Silverton

RidgwayOuray

Rawlins

Lander Casper

Dubois

Colter BayJenny Lake

Jackson Hole

Cheyenne

Estes Park

Black HawkNederlandGranby

Grand Lake

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

San Francisco

90

84

80

80

80

80

84

15

1590

90

94

25

25

25

25

70

70

76

70

15

4040

10 17

8

40

15

5

5

5

Tecopa

Shoshone

Lee Vining

Bodie

Panamint SpringsOlancha

Exeter Three Rivers

Cedar Grove LodgeFresno

PratherMammoth CreekOakhurst

June Lake

Mono Lake

Lake MeadIsabella Lake

Hoover Dam

Denver

Salt Lake City

Yellowstone to Yosemite contentsY2Y Introduction 41 Rocky Mountain NP 8 Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado 14

2 Yellowstone NP 35 Yellowstone NP, Wyoming 44

3 Grand Teton NP 71 Grand Teton NP, Wyoming 72

4 Dinosaur NM, Colorado NM & Black Canyon NP 90 Dinosaur NM, Colorado & Utah 100 Colorado NM, Colorado 104 Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Colorado 109

5 Mesa Verde NP & Monument Valley NTP 118 Durango–Silverton, Colorado 122 Mesa Verde NP, Colorado 127 Monument Valley NTP, Arizona & Utah 138

6 Canyonlands NP & Arches NP 145 Canyonlands NP, Utah 146 Arches NP, Utah 165

7 Goblin Valley SP, Capitol Reef NP & Kodachrome Basin SP 183 Goblin Valley SP, Utah 184 Capitol Reef NP, Utah 186 Kodachrome Basin SP, Utah 207

8 Bryce Canyon NP & Zion NP 211 Bryce Canyon NP, Utah 212 Zion NP, Utah 223

9 Las Vegas & Grand Canyon NP 239 Las Vegas, Nevada 245 Grand Canyon NP, Arizona & Nevada 248

10 Death Valley NP 256 Death Valley NP, California & Nevada 258

11 Sequoia NP & Kings Canyon NP 276 Sequoia & Kings Canyon NPs, California 258

12 Yosemite NP 295 Yosemite NP, California 296 Devils Postpile NM, California 314 Bodie SHP, California 317

U.S.A.

CANADA

MEXICO

Map Area

NP = National Park, SP= State Park, NM = National Monument, NTP = Navajo Tribal Park, SHP = State Historic Park

INTRODUCTION Yellowstone to Yosemite

3

1

34567

Y2Y0

YELLOWSTONE TO YOSEMITE

4

1

34567

Y2Y0

Y2Y Introduction

As a way of introducing ourselves, we are a team of three friends who have, over the years and across 1,000s and 1,000s of miles, proven excellent travel companions. After testing our mettle bouncing across the wilds of Southern Africa in two off-road vehicles (and published books about it), it simply was time to test the wilds of western USA. Which is why you’re now drooling over (hope-fully!) Yellowstone to Yosemite. This e-book is the result of our momentous 4,000-mile, two-month adventure across seven states – from Denver, Colorado, to Mammoth Lakes, California. We’ve been from 11,000ft to minus 200ft, from 25°F to 109°F. It was an unforgettable journey where each park, impossibly, managed to outshine the next.

Mariëlle Renssen

Hirsh Aronowitz

Keith Titley

INTRODUCTION Yellowstone to Yosemite

5

1

34567

Y2Y0

The birth of this book is simply due to the fact that we couldn’t find what we wanted while doing our own pre-trip research – travel books were short on inspiration, images didn’t speak to us, text lacked passion. There was never any fire or deep personal involvement in the words. Yes, the guidebooks gave you facts and figures (dry…), filled you in on history and culture (ce-rebral…), but we never got the experiential side of traveling (lively!).

Added to that, the heap of books on the shelves were each too specific to a single area, which made it difficult to string a multitude of sights together in one trip. And that’s where we come in! We’ve created a logical route that links a mass of scenic destinations, which you now can break into as short or as long a trip as your adventuring heart desires.

And that’s what we’re doing with this e-book.

We give you not the dry theory but the real deal, the direct experience of how it actually feels, tastes and smells. We observe, ask questions, dig up all sorts of things the guidebooks don’t tell you about.

There are also real-life nature lists (not the academic kind) … what you’re likely to see, or not, as the case may be, in the plant, tree, bird and animal kingdom. Then there’s the geology. You just can’t ignore it.

The American South West is so much about the Colorado Plateau and its layer cake of 18 geological strata that have been dissected and exposed over eons, that I’m compelled to delve into the details. So, this is as much a nature book as a travel journal. We’ve learned that the more effort you put into observing the environ-ment around you, the deeper your enjoyment and appreciation of the natural world. The weird thing is, once you start trying to identify, say, blood-red branches (manzanita), salmon-pink leaves (dogwood), twisted pods, star-shaped leaves – you become addicted. Try it, you’ll see.

We’d also like to think we bring a fresh perspective …

…your potential adventure through our rov-ing travelers’ eyes. We dish up our successes and failures, the high points and low points, what we could have done better, or not at all. And the whole is narrated with tongue firmly in the cheek. Yes, our sense of humor is more off-the-wall than most, but it got us through long days on the road cooped up in an SUV. Traveling in a foreign country with its specific quirks, and social and cultural mores, there was much we found perplexing. We’ve pulled no punches in the telling, but we intend no offence to anyone.

INTRODUCTION Yellowstone to Yosemite

6

1

34567

Y2Y0

Before you delve into our adventures, then, a few qualifiers: we three travelers enjoy our comforts. That shoots camping right out of the sky. And yes, not even motorhomes get the nod. But fear not, you intrepid back-country lopers … in each chapter we list camping and RV facili-ties and associated websites. You haven’t been sidelined entirely! In terms of bricks-and-mortar accommodation, we went for not too cheap but also not top of the range. The online sites Book-ing.com and TripAdvisor proved invaluable in rating our choices; we went for 7.5 or more out of 10 (Booking.com) and 4 out of 5 (TripAdvisor).

Normally we’d choose self-catering accom-modation but we passed up on this option for the practicalities of not living on the American continent and therefore not having the means to fully equip a touring vehicle for two months. However, absolute essentials for our road trip consisted of: an electric kettle, thermos flask, coffee mugs and teaspoons, a sharp knife, and a cool box. To keep the beer and wine cold, you understand. After a long, hard day on the road, a boy needs his ice-cold brew and a girl her chilled chardonnay.

To get to the point, our aim is to fill the gap between practical route planner, guard-against-pitfalls travel guide and breezy adventure blog. But most of all we want to blow your hair back with wow-worthy photographs. Images that make you want to catch the next plane out. Actu-ally, much better advice? Go stop by your nearest SUV rental place.

Mini conversion chart

°F to °C Minus 32, x 5, divide by 9Feet to meters Divide by 3.3Miles to kilometers Divide by 5, multiply by 8

National Parks annual permitIf you’re planning on visiting a handful of different national parks, do yourself a favor and shell out the bucks for this permit. Called America the Beautiful, National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, it cost us $80 (at time of publication), covers the occupants of a single private (non-commer-cial) vehicle, and is valid for 1 year. Buy it at your park of first entry, or online at:

https://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html

Star ratingsWe star-rated the sites we visited to give other travelers an idea of what we feel is unmissable and what can be tipped off the itinerary. Our rating system was this:

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ 5 stars: Not to be missed

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ 4 stars: Great, a must-do

✰ ✰ ✰ 3 stars: Worthwhile

✰ ✰ 2 stars: Only if time allows

✰ 1 star: Missable (Only one site received our death knell.)

✪ Unmissable feature at a star-rated site

A note on interactivity: All websites are live and were correct at time of publication. Highlighted but-tons in the black right-hand locator strip take you directly to the specific park opener, park map and scenic drive openers within that chapter.

INTRODUCTION Yellowstone to Yosemite

7

1

34567

Y2Y0

Come join us on our adventure from Yellowstone to Yosemite …