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Michigan to the Rockies to NM and back round trip?

bandit86
Explorer
Explorer
My dad always wanted to see the Rockies and some giant sequioa trees, I need to go to Santa fe and I'm thinking of making a roadtrip for him. Leaving through Port Hope in Michigan, and ending up in Santa Fe, any route recommendations to get all those sights? If we have time, I'd like to drive up Pike's peak or any other peaks accessible.

Thanks in advance

Norm.
14 REPLIES 14

JAC1982
Explorer
Explorer
Busskipper wrote:
Busskipper wrote:
bandit86 wrote:

My dad always wanted to see the Rockies

and some giant sequoia trees,

I need to go to Santa fe and I'm thinking of making

a roadtrip for him.

Leaving through Port Hope in Michigan,

and ending up in Santa Fe,

any route recommendations to get all those sights?

If we have time,

I'd like to drive up Pike's peak or

any other peaks accessible.

Thanks in advance

Norm.


bandit86 wrote:
I just plotted some destinations, I don't think it's feasible. Looks like we will fly to Vegas, drive to Sequoia National Park, drive through Death Valley on the way to Santa Fe, maybe fly home from there


Best I can figure Santa Fe is the Destination - Correct?

The Mission is to see Sequoia's and the Rockies - Correct?

Looks like two separate trips. IMHO the Rockies might just be more doable.

Look over this Map Salt Lake City to Santa Fe Map - Fly into Salt Lake City, easy cheap flights, rent a car one way to Santa Fe, driving to Moab for the first Night - See Arches and Canyonlands, then drive out along the Colorado River to I-70, almost like the Grand Canyon - Just Beautiful.

I-70 to Glenwood Springs on to Aspen, Maroon Bells, the most Photographed Spot in all of Colorado,(You could spend the night here, as Aspen is pretty neat) drive through Redstone and Past Marble and Montrose to Ouray, deciding to spend the night here or in Silverton.

From there RT 550 (Million Dollar Highway) to /through Durango and on to Santa Fe.

On this drive I will Guarantee that your eyes will never stop seeing just Beautiful Rocks and Amazing sites. This is a View of the Rockies that he (And yes You) will never forget.

Save the Sequoias for another trip - Catching - Yosemite NP and Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP as IMHO these are a fly into Cali and see then Fly out, Too many People too much Traffic. BUT they are truly special.

Just a Thought,

Images Stan Parkers Images of some of the areas you might see


Agree w/ all of this. I grew up right outside of Sequoia National Park, and if your only goal is to see the big trees, that's just a one day trip... there's not much else to do there if you aren't tent camping (RVing is difficult there). I certainly wouldn't go way out of my way if my destination is Santa Fe to see them. Much better to fly in and do a week trip to see all the other stuff in CA along with it.
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ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
The other name for King Canyon NP, is Sequoia National Park. Do you think they might have some there? You bet they do.

tatest
Explorer II
Explorer II
Our family managed to reach the Rockies in Montana, from SE Michigan, on a two-week RV trip in the early 1960s (before there were any Interstates in the middle of the country). That was still about 1000 miles short of any sequoia forests, and a few hundred miles north of the Santa Fe quadrant of New Mexico.

Even on a fly and drive trip, you might need to choose between the Rockies and the sequoias. But if you choose for the sequoias (which are in the coastal mountain ranges) you might be able to see the Sierra Nevada, which I find equally as impressive as most parts of the Rockies south of Canada.

Pike's Peak is about the only place you might be able to drive to the "top" of a mountain in the Rockies, although most visitors choose the funicular railroad.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B

ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
Take the interstates to get to NM. Santa Fe is definitely in the southern Rockies.

Sequoia/Kings Cyn NP has as many giant sequoia trees as anywhere in the world. There are some in and around Yosemite NP. Redwoods are on the Coast. A few small stands in other places. They are remnants left over from another time. I recently visited a small stand of them in Yosemite this fall. They were off the road and required some hiking. We saw one other person in 4 hours. That is rare experience in Yosemite.

Busskipper
Explorer
Explorer
Busskipper wrote:
bandit86 wrote:

My dad always wanted to see the Rockies

and some giant sequoia trees,

I need to go to Santa fe and I'm thinking of making

a roadtrip for him.

Leaving through Port Hope in Michigan,

and ending up in Santa Fe,

any route recommendations to get all those sights?

If we have time,

I'd like to drive up Pike's peak or

any other peaks accessible.

Thanks in advance

Norm.


bandit86 wrote:
I just plotted some destinations, I don't think it's feasible. Looks like we will fly to Vegas, drive to Sequoia National Park, drive through Death Valley on the way to Santa Fe, maybe fly home from there


Best I can figure Santa Fe is the Destination - Correct?

The Mission is to see Sequoia's and the Rockies - Correct?

Looks like two separate trips. IMHO the Rockies might just be more doable.

Look over this Map Salt Lake City to Santa Fe Map - Fly into Salt Lake City, easy cheap flights, rent a car one way to Santa Fe, driving to Moab for the first Night - See Arches and Canyonlands, then drive out along the Colorado River to I-70, almost like the Grand Canyon - Just Beautiful.

I-70 to Glenwood Springs on to Aspen, Maroon Bells, the most Photographed Spot in all of Colorado,(You could spend the night here, as Aspen is pretty neat) drive through Redstone and Past Marble and Montrose to Ouray, deciding to spend the night here or in Silverton.

From there RT 550 (Million Dollar Highway) to /through Durango and on to Santa Fe.

On this drive I will Guarantee that your eyes will never stop seeing just Beautiful Rocks and Amazing sites. This is a View of the Rockies that he (And yes You) will never forget.

Save the Sequoias for another trip - Catching - Yosemite NP and Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP as IMHO these are a fly into Cali and see then Fly out, Too many People too much Traffic. BUT they are truly special.

Just a Thought,

Images Stan Parkers Images of some of the areas you might see
Busskipper
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Dick_B
Explorer
Explorer
We flew to California and took a bus tour of the area which included some old large trees. We rented a car and drove to Las Vegas for a few days including a short hop over to Hoover Dam. Just another idea.
Dick_B
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valhalla360
Nomad
Nomad
bandit86 wrote:
2-3 week. Leaving London Ontario through Port Huron, to see giant Sequioa trees. Preferably the one to drive under. Then Rockies onto Santa Fe. May 1 to 24ish


Way too many miles for such a short trip. You will be driving 6-10hr every day.

Also, I don't think you can drive thru the tree anymore. Much better to fly to California, then fly to your business meeting, then fly home.
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Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
“some giant sequioa trees”

Sequoia sempervirens, the tall coastal redwoods, or the Sequoia giganteum, the short big around trees in the Sierra Nevadas? Or both?
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bandit86
Explorer
Explorer
I just plotted some destinations, I don think its feasible. Looks like we will fly to vegas, drive to sequia national park, drive through death valley on the way to Santa Fe, maybe fly home from there

Yeti_plus
Explorer
Explorer
We stopped at one of the drive through trees. I walked through because the truck and camper were too wide and too tall!Lots of places to get out and walk amongst the BIG Trees, way better than the drive through rip off tree.
3 weeks will be pushing hard to do it. We just did Guelph to Edmonton to Seattle and down the Pacific coast Highway,and back through Death Valley, Vegas and a few of the big name US National parks on the way back East, and we were 10 weeks. Would have been longer but had to get home for a niece's wedding.
Not saying it can't be done, but you will be pushing hard for most of the trip out and back.
The big trees are very neat, so I hope you can take your Dad to see them.
Brian
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bandit86
Explorer
Explorer
2-3 week. Leaving London Ontario through Port Huron, to see giant Sequioa trees. Preferably the one to drive under. Then Rockies onto Santa Fe. May 1 to 24ish

agesilaus
Explorer II
Explorer II
Sequoia Trees are mainly found in a couple parks in California, Sequoia NP, Yosemite NP and maybe Kings Canyon NP (not sure about that one), a long way from Santa Fe. Sequoia Groves

So a drive to Rocky Mountain NP, followed by a trip south of there to Pike's Peak. Be careful on Pikes Peak if you aren't familiar with mountain driving. Downshift don't burn out your brakes. That would fulfill your mountain wish. After that there are all sorts of other parks in Colorado. All this depends on how much time you have and the time of year.

Hwy 50 west after Pikes peak to Montrose then south to Durango would run you thru many more impressive mountain, South from Durango would take you into New Mexico.

I'd say a trip to CA to see the big trees would add 6 to 8 days to your drive.
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Busskipper
Explorer
Explorer
bandit86 wrote:

My dad always wanted to see the Rockies

and some giant sequoia trees,

I need to go to Santa fe and I'm thinking of making

a roadtrip for him.

Leaving through Port Hope in Michigan,

and ending up in Santa Fe,

any route recommendations to get all those sights?

If we have time,

I'd like to drive up Pike's peak or

any other peaks accessible.

Thanks in advance

Norm.


Norm,

You are a little sketchy in the details.

What are you in?

How long do you have?

What would be included in major stops?

When might this be?

You are aware the Big trees are in California.

Give us a little more and I'm sure we can help out.

JMHO,
Busskipper
Maryland/Colorado
Travel Supreme 42DS04
GX470-FMCA - Travel less now - But still love to be on the Road
States traveled in this Coach

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
I don't think there's any giant Sequoia in the Rockies or New Mexico. There's a few growing right here in Michigan at the Lake Michigan Audubon Soc., they're just babies though, only 100 years old or there about.

What time of year and how much time for the trip?
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