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Wedding Wednesday: More Road Trip!
I’ve come up with a tentative itinerary for the honeymoon. Knowing pretty much nothing about this part of the country, it is a guesstimate. I want our trip to be an adventure, not too well planned. But some of the major stops and hotels need to figured out in advance.
With this plan, we have five full days of driving and four half driving days out of a total 22. A friend with connections is going to set us up with some great discounts to the Sundance Resort. And I have fancy relatives in Santa Fe that might be visited.
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Hip hip hooray Santa Fe! That looks like such a fun trip.
I saw the map of your proposed route, and…shout out for Southeast Idaho! A few must-sees from a native:
Check out Mack’s Inn in Island Park (near Yellowstone), where you can take a leisurely canoe trip down the freezing headwaters of the Snake River. No real skills required, and early risers can spot moose. Then go feed the massive trout at Big Springs, just up the river. You may also see a muskrat or two and some egrets.
There’s a good hole-in-the-wall Italian place in Pocatello called Buddy’s (I buy a bottle of their salad dressing whenever I go home).
Super relaxing, clean natural hot springs to soak in at Lava Hot Springs. There is hella good mountain biking on the back side of Pebble Creek ski hill, just up the road from the hot springs.
If you want to avoid crowds in Yellowstone, consider a stay in Mammoth. The elk are migrating through in September, and you can hear them bugling in the morning. Don’t forget to leave some time to visit the Old Faithful Inn and spend a few hours hiking around the geysers and hot pools. If you’re into it, there’s usually a play or musical showing at the Playmill in West Yellowstone. Have fun!!
You will love the Sundance Resort – it is especially beautiful in the fall. You should hike the back side of Mt Timpanogous and drive the Alpine Loop. The Timpanogous Caves are also beautiful (although I haven’t been since I was 10 so that may just be a childhood nostalgia thing).
I previously gave some shout outs for southern Utah but I will reiterate Zion (of course) and Bryce. St George is a fun town if you want to stay there (I actually own a house there which I would offer but my grandparents live in it). Check out the Pizza Factory (college nostalgia for me) and Cafe Rio. Great bouldering on top of the Red Hill and fantastic climbing in Snows Canyon.
And I will just ditto what greeneyes had to say about Mack’s Inn, canoeing and Lava Hot Spring. I think I have even eaten at Buddy’s in Pocatello.
It also looks like you may hit Jackson Hole – if so, check out Jenny Lake.
Sounds like an amazing road trip – I will look forward to a full report with photos when you return!
If you want the head’s up on Colorado Springs, let me know! Garden of the Gods is a must and it’s right off the highway. You should go to the top of Pikes Peak if you have time.
Bring it! I’ll take all the insider secrets I can get.
p.s. Pocatello hosts a huge climbing competition in September–your timing might be right to watch it. The Pocatello Pump is one of the oldest competitions in the US. Even if you miss it, good bouldering, toproping, or trad climbing at Ross Park off of 5th Avenue on the south end of town.
There is a Nambe outlet in Santa Fe, if you are into their stuff.
i’m writing this comment from the sundance resort. my parents live here and it is gorgeous all year. i don’t know when your wedding is, but my mom and i were just discussing this morning how pretty much all of the fall colors are gone up here by sept. 15th. the aspens turn a bit later, but those are up pretty high. anyway, when you come, don’t miss a trip to the art shack. i picked up some beautiful hand-blown recycled glass just yesterday, created right here by sundance artists. also, can’t skip the chocolate chip cookies in the Sundance deli. have fun!
As a resident of Utah, I’m so glad you’ll be seeing both sides of our lovely state. Being totally biased, I recommend you get your hands on a copy of the Jan/Feb issue of Utah Valley magazine (uvmag.com) where we highlighted Sundance and all the fantastic things to do there. Also, our upcoming May/June issue highlights all the fun stuff to in and around Utah County.
Garden of the Gods is indeed worth a few hours of your time–it’s really cool.
And if you can swing it, go to Tucson instead of Phoenix. Tucson is smaller, friendly, and the resorts are just as good…just less snobby. Phoenix is just like LA, without grass. blech.
Some cool sites in Tucson are:
The Desert Museum
Saguaro National Park
Colossal Cave
Whoah. As a Reno resident, I say, Go North, young woman. There’s gotta be a better route going up 101 through Oregon and cutting over east up there somewhere. Highway 80 through Nevada at the end of the summer is a bit of a trek, to put it kindly. It will be hot and dry and dusty and not scenic until you make it all the way across Navada to the Ruby Mts. I have driven it for work and it’s pretty harsh.
If you go to Jackson Hole (and I strongly recommend it) PLEASE go to Stiegler’s in Teton Village. The best Austrian food in a quaint Alpine chalet. Get their Jäger Rahm Schnitzel (awesome spätzle) Venison Filets Mignons Metternich. Very, very romantic. http://www.stieglersjacksonhole.com/index.html
Looks like you are going to have an amazing time! If you need any restaurant recommendations in Flagstaff, AZ, feel free to email me…i grew up there and there are great hidden gems. Congrats and good luck!! [email protected]
That looks like such a fun adventure! When going through Colorado you should definitely check out the following (time permitting of course!):
– Boulder – the Dushanbe Tea House is beautiful! Its pieces were shipped from Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan & the results are amazing. http://www.boulderteahouse.com/
– Denver – the Brown Palace Hotel is soooo elegant. Great people watching at afternoon tea time.
– CO Springs – the Garden of the Gods are truly breathtaking as is the view from the top of Pikes Peak. And the Broadmoor is another lovely old hotel.
Enjoy your planning!
Wow, you’re coming right through my hood! So cool.
Here are my unsolicited suggestions:
-There is probably a better route to take through Wyoming. Unless you love looking at windswept barren land, this part of your drive will probably be pretty crappy. I’d go down through Grand Teton, through Pinedale to Rock Springs and then go over.
-Unless you really want to see Ft. Collins (cute town, inspiration for Main Town in Disneyland), I prefer going down highway 287 from Laramie to the Denver area. You’re closer to the mountains and it’s a prettier drive.
– It doesn’t look like you’re going to go into Boulder at all, which would be a real shame. Like Alicia said, the Dushanbe Tea House is spetacular and I think a girl like you would really appreciate it. Also, dinner at Frasca on Preal Street is not to be missed. One of the best restaurants in Colorado (IMHO). Get reservations in advance. Also, hiking in Chataqua is quick, beautiful and SO fun.
-The new wing of the Denver Art museam would be a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon in the city. The building is all strange angles and made me loose my bearings a bit.
-The cog railway at Pike’s peak in Colorado springs is a national mechanical engineering landmark, so it was something not to be missed for me. Also Garden of the Gods is really cool.
-I loved visting Santa Fe. You’re supposed to get a “frito pie” from the 5 and Dime store in the main square. Also, corn on the cob with queso fresco from the street vendors was great. We had breakfast at this great organic place right in the main square that was drool worthy…not sure what it’s called..maybe something with “blue” in the name?
-If you’re going to Grand Canyon, you shouldn’t miss hiking down to the Havasupai reservation and seeing Havasu falls.
Wow, that’s a lot to do in 22 days. It’s going to be a blast.
I grew up just a few minutes from Sundance. You’ll love it.
Yay for road trips! Emily – I’ve never posted before, but am a long time follower of the blog. I love it, it gets my creative juices flowing, and I’m guaranteed a smile from the stories or to be inspired!
I have to say — as a former Cali girl, and now long time Denver resident … My fiance and I could not live without our yearly trips to Telluride. It is absolutely stunning. I would highly suggest that you take a night and spend it taking in the splendor of that city. It’s so great, and filled with small shops, great small bars, lots of hiking (Bridal Veil Falls is a must!! And so apropos! :)), and wonderful food. I can’t encourage you enough…we travel throughout Colorado a lot. We love the state, but Telluride can’t be missed!! 🙂
Best wishes!