Texas to California and Back

[markc522]

In a nut shell, here is what I have:

Me, wife, 3 yo and 1 yo girls.
Trip Goal: Visit my brother in Fairfield Ca, stopping at cool places along the way.
Trip Timing: I think we can manage 2 weeks in September, the month is flexible, the duration is not.
Vehicle and provisions: 2012 F150, 4x4, coilover lift, and 35's. I will have 1 full size spare. I will have typical camping gear (springbar, turbo tent screenmachine, propane grille sleeping pads, playpen etc)
I will have limited recovery gear, so I think this will be more of a 'road' trip rather than overland, especially traveling with little ones and having so many things to do along the way.
We anticipate

Route so far:
Fort Worth to Grand Canyon
to Sequoia NF
to Yosimite
to Fairfield CA
to Bonneville Salt Flats
to Moab
to Telluride
to Santa Fe
Home

We plan to camp a little and also hotel it some times. We also think we are going to stop at some locations just for a few hours, some we may want to spend a day or two. I think three day total in Fairfield to visit my brother.

Can anyone tell me if the route is ok (see image)?
Are there any roads that are a must?
Any stops that are a must?
Any concern for weather in September?

 

[trasko]

You haven't gotten much response so far so I'll chime in. Sept. in CA is going to be quite hot in the central valley. It is prime-time to be in the Sierra. Unfortunately there are no roads you can just take that go along the Sierra -- you'll have to go "in and out" of them in a few spots.

It looks like your sole excursion is to Yosemite. That is great! Yosemite is super beautiful and everyone should go at some point. It will be busy. Reserve camp spots now. If you plan to go again one day when the kids are older you might skip it now as it can be a zoo.

I'd be looking to camp as high as possible this time of year. I marked a few spots on the map that would be good. Lake Isabella is not far out of your way. The kids might enjoy the Gold Country museum in Colma (and you might too!) There is a lot of good camping that could be done on your way out of CA near N. Lake Tahoe (assuming you're going clock-wise). Truckee or anywhere at the lake is great. If you want to avoid Tahoe itself there is lots of great camping to the north of I-80 through there. The Sierra Butte area has tons of camping and beautiful lakes but might be a bit too far out of the way.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[rcharrette]

Telluride is a fantastic town. A few options in that area. There is a USFS campground there called Sunshine CG. It's very nice and I believe first come first serve? Another option for free camping is up Last Dollar Rd. Great views over Telluride up there. I'd also plan to get over to Ouray for at least a day. They have an incredible hot springs there with slides for the kids to play on.
If you want you could take Imogene Pass over from Telluride to Ouray. Depending on your pace and stops it would probably take 3-4hrs (Incredible scenery!), then grab lunch at one of the breweries in town, hit the hot springs to relax, then head back to camp via the paved roads.