If you’re from LA, and you’re craving for a quick nature fix to soothe your three-day weekend travel itch, a trip to Yellowstone may not be at the top of your list. But read on, you might change your mind.
Los Angeles. CA to Yellowstone, WY
Yellowstone is a 19-hour drive away from Los Angeles. To get there, you need to drive 226 miles to Las Vegas, 115 miles to Arizona, 37 miles to Utah, 396 miles to Idaho, 218 miles to Montana (where the entrance to the Yellowstone Park is), and 15 miles to Wyoming where majority of the famed park lies. Meaning, if you only have 3 free days or 72 extra hours to spare, 38 of which will be spent on the road (19 hours to and fro). Who does that, especially if you live in LA and you’re blessed with more options that are within comfortable driving distance like Yosemite (12 hours back an forth), San Francisco (12 hours back an forth), and Napa Valley (14 hours back and forth), to name a few.
True, but my friends and I don’t like quick. In fact, we’re tired of quick. We’re tired of rush hours and express trains, of easy fixes and last-minute bargains, of instant coffee and microwaveable lunch meals, of life on the fast lane and the grueling race to make it to the finish line on time and ahead of the others.
Hence, a trip to Wyoming—to test our adaptability to environment different from ours and tenacity to endure each other’s presence in a very limited space. We figured, the only way to maximize our waking hours is to make three strategic stops in between point A and B: Zion National Park in Utah, which is on the way; Yellowstone Bear World, which was a last-minute inclusion; and Las Vegas. The Las Vegas part was just a whim. We know it would be packed during the Independence holiday, but then again, what better way to celebrate freedom than to immerse yourself in a place of constant indulgence?
For this type of itinerary, here’s what you’ll basically need:
1. At least 3 good drivers
2. An SUV will be a formidable option, but as we’ve discovered a hybrid (Honda Insight) proved to be very practical. We spent less than $80 for gas.
3. Small backpack – to hold your belongings during hiking.
4. Comfortable clothes you can sleep in during long hours of driving.
5. Small pillows – to add comfort.
6. Quick bites. Fast food joints are aplenty along the way, but there are areas in the desert where the gap in between oases are much longer.
7. Rolls of tissue and toilet covers
8. Grooming/hygiene kit
9. Light jacket – to cope with drastic changes in temperature as you move from one region to another.
10. First aid kit, Tylenol, pain reliever, insect repellants, and sunblock – you’ll never know when you’ll need it.
The Itinerary
Now that you know what to bring, you’re ready to go on your own road trip. For an idea, here’s how our itinerary looked like:
Friday - Starting Point: Los Angeles, CA
8:00 pm – Leave for Zion National Park (Springdale, UT)
* Drive 2 hours to Mesquite, AR for a quick stopover *
* Drive 6 hours to Zion *
Saturday
4 am – Arrive in Zion National Park
Zion National Park, Utah
Zion is rife with scenic hiking trails, with varying distances and level of difficulty. It’s best to start early morning to take advantage of the cool water and warm natural light (for good photographs). We only had a few hours so we picked the Emerald Pools trail, which we were able to finish in approximately 2 hours. More on Zion National Park in the next blog post.
The Lower Pool at the Emerald Pools Hike
Quick tip: Since nobody mans the Zion entrance during the wee hours, you can get in for free if you get there before everybody does.
11 am – Leave for Yellowstone
* Drive 2 1/2 hours - Quick lunch at wherever the road leads us. Where there’s gas station, there’s almost always a mom-and-pop diner or a fast food joint.
* Drive 2 1/2 hours *
4 pm – Arrive in Salt Lake City (there’s not much to see, but civilization is a pleasant sight after hours in the desert.
* Drive 4 hours - Dinner. From here the fresh smell of leaves and the charm of old towns within Montana beckon.
* Drive 2 hours *
10 pm – Arrive in Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone
Welcome to Yellowstone
10:30 to 11:30 – Last call for drinks at Old Faithful’s bar.
* Finally, sleep in a comfortable bed *
Sunday
6 am – Witness the Old Faithful geyser eruption, which occurs approximately every 90 minutes.
The Old Faithful Geyser erupts approximately every 90 minutes.
7:30 – Explore the other geysers, hike, capture photos of random wildlife sightings. Did you know that more than half of the geysers in the planet are found within Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres? More on Yellowstone on the next blog entry.
The Prismatic Pool at Yellowstone National Park
10 am – leave for Las Vegas
*Drive 2 1/2 hours*
12:30 pm – Arrive in Yellowstone Bear World in Rexburg, ID
Free-roaming bears and other wildlife at the Yellowstone Bear World, a drive-thru wildlife park in Rexburg, ID.
1:00 pm – Carry on to Las Vegas
* Drive 10 1/2 hours, with occasional stops as needed. *
11:30 pm – Arrive in MGM Grand, Las Vegas
12:00 mn – 5:00 am – PARTY!!!
Quick tip: Unlike in the pre-recession times, there are now only a handful of clubs and bars that are still open beyond 2 am. If you find yourself late for the par-tey, head to Taboo in MGM Grand. It’s open until sunrise.
Monday – 4th of July
* Sleep until noon, or until the hotel kicks us out. *
Lunch at Hash House A Go Go along West Sahara Ave.
The famous Sage Fried Chicken with Waffle from Hash House A Go Go, Las Vegas
2:00 pm – Head back home to avoid heavy traffic.
6:30 pm – Arrive in Los Angeles
It’s a good thing my calculations were pretty much accurate as far as estimated arrival times are concerned. We were able to get to our destinations on time. This itinerary looks strenuous, but it’s actually not. Because we had 3 companions who drove alternately, there was plenty of opportunities to rest and sleep in the car after all the hiking activities we did. And besides, the sight we saw and the adventure that we experienced is definitely worth the long journey.
Most people think what we did is crazy, and maybe it is. Given all the trouble it takes to get to Zion and Yellowstone, people think we should have stayed longer. We told them even if we had two weeks, that still won’t be enough to explore each National Park. I don’t think there’ll ever be enough time. It’s nature, it changes its course every time. These are places you’d want to go to at least once a year. And besides, this trip is a road trip. It’s about journeys, about exploring the road less traveled, about pushing limits, just as 4th of July is all about freedom and independence and breaking free from convention. Isn’t that what early American heroes fought for in the first place?
