Solo trip - Denver to San Fransisco
5180+ miles of drive in 3 weeks
One Way - From Denver to San Fransisco
- Feb 4 2025 - Feb 15 2025
- Bandelier National Monument
- Juniper Campground
- Grand Canyon West
- Boulder Beach Campground, Hoover Dam
- Las Vegas Strip
- Acorn Campground Valley Springs CA
- Fremont California
Return - From SFO to Denver
- Feb 20 - Feb 24 2025
- Death Valley, California
- Zion National Park Watchman Campground
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Arches National Park
- Saddlehorn Campground Grand Junction CO
Album
From Denver to SFO
Feb 03 2025 - Rocky Mountain National Park
- Drive from Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park
- get the “America The Beautiful” Annual Pass card
Tuesday, Feb 04 2025 - Juniper Campground (NM) - Bandelier National Monument
- Sleeping beauty (Stop)
- Moon Phase
- Shree Hanumaan Temple - Neeb Karori Baba Ashram - 4 hr 13 min (273 miles)
- Juniper Campground (NM) - 1 hr 28 min (71.4 miles) from Aashram
- boiled eggs, kadhi
- Car Camping
- water cooler, few bags in the bear protection box
Feb 05 2025 - Mather Campground (Grand Canyon Village)
- Juniper Campground (NM), Bandelier National Monument
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Visitor Center - (good to visit, one additional hour)
Map Link - Mather Campground, 1 Mather Campground Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023 - 9 hr 37 min (601 miles) Map Link
Feb 06 2025 Grand Canyon South Rim
- North Rim closed for winters.
- South Rim to North Rim is 4.5 hours Drive. North Rim to South Rim Hike attempt for 2 days Post summers.
- West Rim is closer to Vegas
- Rim Trail Hike upto Hermot trail head
- Exploratory hike to 1.5 mile marker on Bright Angel trail from South Rim
Feb 07 2025 - Bright Angel trail
- 6:30 AM to 3 PM
- upto 4.5 mile marker (Trail closure) until May 14 2025
- 36,454 steps
- Returned by Shower hours (First shower after 4th Feb)
Feb 08 2025 - Drive within South Rim
- Limping - Right Calf pain (no meds needed though)
- Desert View Bookstore
- Yavapai Station
- Verkamp’s Visitor Center
Feb 09 2025 - West Rim & Boulder Beach Campground
Visit West Rim
- Mather Campground to Boulder Beach Campground, 3 hr 47 min (248 miles)
Visit Hoover Dam (by evening) & Vegas (in the night)
- Hoover Dam : 14 min (6.4 miles)
- Boulder Beach Campground to Las Vegas, Nevada - 33 mins
Feb 10 2025:
- Historic Rail road trail to Hoover Dam
- Costco fuel refilling, tyre pressure check, water replenishment, pizza, sundae treat
- Vegas (Treasure Island Free Parking)
- explored The Venetian
- Linq Hotel & Giant Wheel
Feb 11, 2025:
Acorn Campground - near Sacramanto (17 hrs 47 mins From Denver)
Drive from Boulder Beach Campground to Acorn Campground 8 hr 22 min (562 miles)
- can go via death valley national park : 10 hr 16 min (567 miles) : https://maps.app.goo.gl/GKDt9EkDgDuFwMaJ7
- in both routes can go to Sequoia, Sierra nevada and Yosemite parks
- Subway Sandwich - near Acorn Campground
Feb 12, 2025 - Yosemite National Park (Wawona Campground)
- Full Moon day
- Yosemite park 84.6 miles from Acorn Camp ground - 2 hours - 1 day camping in Wawona Campground
- From Acorn Camp ground to Wawona
- Snow warning in effect
- via 120 - Big Oak Flat road (Entrance closed due to Snow Warning)
- Wawona Campground
- had lunch
- Yosemite History Center
- South Entrance
- Mariposa Grove Road (2 mile hike avoided due to snow)
- Car Camping & Raining profusely all night into morning
Feb 13, 2025
- Drive back from Yosemite to Acorn Campground
- via Golden Chain highway 49
- Food Truck - Tacos Los Hernandez
Feb 14, 2025 - Lake Tahoe
- Lake Tahoe - 114 miles 2hr 29 mins - 1 day
- Cur short due to snow and lack of snow chain for tyres
- BOGO Subway sandwich
Friday, Feb 15 - Feb 19 2025 - Fremont CA
- Fremont, CA 94.7 miles 1 hr 41 mins
- Long Weekend - President’s Day Monday
- rest and rejuvenate
Tentative - visit north of SFO towards Crater Lake
- From Acorn Campground to Buckhorn Campground - 2 hr 49 min (172 miles)
- From Fremont to Buckhorn Campground - North of Fremont - 2 hr 56 mins, 189 miles
- From Buckhorn to Crator Lake - 5 hr 5 min (278 miles)
- North Entrance Road and Rim Drive are CLOSED for the season.
- Alert 2, Severity closure, North Entrance Road and Rim Drive are CLOSED for the season.
- The North Entrance Road and East & West Rim Drives are now closed for the season a few The roads will not open again until mid to late June or July 2025. All other roads are open.
Return
Feb 20, 2025 - Fremont to Boulder Beach campground via Death valley National Park
- Death Valley Enbtrance at Stovepipe Wells entrance
- Mesquite Flat Sand dunes
- Furnance Creek Visitor center
- Bad Water Basin
- Artists Pallete
- Zabriskie point - X
- Dante’s View - X
- Drive to Boulder Beach Camp ground
Feb 21, 2025 - Boulder Beach campground to Watchman Campground Zion National Park
Feb 22, 2025 - Bryce Canyon National Park
- visitor center
- Rainbow point
- Natural bridge - 8627 feel elevation
- Inspiration point
- Bryce view
- Paria View - closed
- Back to Watchman campground at Zion National Park
- big bend point in the evening
- Zion Lodge River
Feb 23, 2025 - Page, AZ Antelope Canyon
- Horse Shoe Bend
- Lower Antelope Canyon
- Upper Antelope Canyon
- Back to Watchman campground
Feb 24, 2025 - Watchman Campground to Saddlehorn Campground
- via Canyonlands National park
- Mesa Arch
- Grand view point
- Buck Canyon Overview
- and Arches National Park
- Hiked to the Delicate Arch
- Drive to Saddlehorn Campground
Tue, Feb 25, 2025 - Colorado National Monument - Fruita Saddlehorn Campground
- Plan to Arches National park cancelled
- Starbucks coffee treat
- Drive back to Denver (3:21 pm)
References
Travel Planning
Jan 26 - 30 2025 - Keeping in mind
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Daylight during first 3 weeks of February | 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM average daylight |
| Drive convenience
|
if 8 to 10 hours of drive, visiting is next day. Else 4 hours of drive, 4 hours of visiting |
| Costco for gas and tyre pressure | |
| Loves for showers, restrooms, gas and food | |
| grocery stores for fruits and canned soups and tortillas/bread | |
| Campground availability | Proximity to the major landmarks or hotel/motel booking |
| Park Closures due to winter storms
|
Grand Canyon north rim closure |
| Yosemite half dome closure |
Routes
| Route | Distance & Duration |
|---|---|
| Englewood to Mather Campground (Grand Canyon North entrance Village near Yavapai Lodge) | 840 miles from Denver, 11 hr 39 mins |
| Buckhorn or Fremont to Boulder Beach Campground, 268 Lakeshore Rd, Boulder City, NV 89005 | |
| Boulder Beach to Westwater Campground (Ranger Station) [Hwy 128 Scenic Byway] | 6 hr 41 mins |
| Westwater Campground (Ranger Station) to Englewood | 4 hr 49 mins |
| Boulder Beach Campground from Denver | (791 miles 11 hr 22 mins from denver) |
| Mather Campground to Boulder Beach Campground | 3 hr 47 min (248 miles) |
| Boulder Beach Campground to Grand Canyon West | 94.6 miles 1hr 43 mins |
| from Boulder Beach Campground to Acorn Campground | 8 hr 22 min (562 miles) |
| in both routes can go to Sequoia, Sierra nevada and Yosemite parks
|
|
Preparations & Packing List
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Car Organizer
|
2 storage bins - 1 with food supplies |
| another one for used clothes/miscellaneous items | |
| Clothes
|
1 bag for undergarments (10 set) |
| 1 carry on bag for sets of clothes | |
| winter jackets (one for sleeping, rest for outside), | |
| winter skull cap (one for sleeping, one for outside | |
| hand gloves | |
| 1 handbag for restrooms
|
toothbrush bag |
| wet body wipes | |
| dude wipes | |
| soaps | |
| deo, cologne | |
| coconut oil, lotions | |
| shaving kit | |
| Electronics & misc
|
buddy heater |
| Jackary power bank for electric blankets, laptop, battery charging - rechargeable via car battery charger | |
| phone stand (for selfies) | |
| cable bag | |
| headphones | |
| chargers | |
| speakers | |
| battery banks | |
| headphones (multiple for redundancy) | |
| Tent/Car Camping
|
coleman 2 person tent |
| Foam Sleeping Pad | |
| Sleeping bag and additional comforter | |
| pillow | |
| Trekking
|
Trekking hydration pack with water bladder |
| Trekking pole | |
| Trekking shoes, running shoes, flip-flops & Crocs | |
| 6 - 10 pairs of socks | |
| Lights
|
camping lights |
| head lamps | |
| Cooking & Food Supplies
|
gas lighter + match box |
| coleman propane stove, 3 tanks propane fuel | |
| Costco water bottles | |
| water cooler | |
| dry fruits packs - zip locks | |
| banana, apples, oranges | |
| ghee roasted makhaane | |
| roasted chana | |
| gud/til ke laddoo | |
| poha - 2 servings | |
| masala oats pack | |
| quinoa + can of bean chili with impossible meat | |
| Quinoa pasta | |
| khichdi mix (rice and moong daal) | |
| tortilla with cans of beans, lentil soups | |
| veggies for fajita - capsicums, onions, lettuce, squeezable sour cream, Mexican cheese mix, taco seasoning | |
| hot chocolate mix | |
| potatoes, onions, ginger, chillies | |
| Utensils
|
लोहे की कड़ाही |
| sauce pan | |
| steel drinking glass | |
| camping cooking bag with knives, peelers, ladles, chopping board, measuring cup, spoons etc | |
| tawa & sandwich maker | |
| tea bags | |
| spices box | |
| insulated thermos for tea/coffee |
