Advice - travelling in the US - Page 3

Atrioc

United States1865 Posts

July 03 2011 05:48 GMT

#41

Public transport definitely not going to work, youll have to find a car
its going to be hot as HELL during the day, and can actually get cold at night so you need clothing you can layer

I dont really understand your choice of areas to visit
i've lived all over the USA and germany (and I actually live in Arizona now), and there are definitely some more exciting parks to visit in this country.

That being said ive been to Bryce Canyon and its pretty cool. Hope you have a fun time!

phosphorylation

United States2935 Posts

July 03 2011 05:48 GMT

#42

Don't miss monument valley at the border of utah and arizona.

It is probably comparable to grand canyon for its awe level.

phosphorylation

United States2935 Posts

July 03 2011 05:50 GMT

#43

On July 03 2011 14:48 Atrioc wrote:

I dont really understand your choice of areas to visit
i've lived all over the USA and germany (and I actually live in Arizona now), and there are definitely some more exciting parks to visit in this country.

umm, like where? i been to a lot of national parks and the ones in utah are pretty much the most impressive (maybe excepting yosemite)

Hikko

United States1126 Posts

July 03 2011 05:50 GMT

#44

I just moved to Utah...bring good sunglasses, or your eyes will get fried. On most days there are zero clouds, especially in the desert in southern Utah, and even when there are clouds, your eyes will melt.

hongo

207 Posts

July 03 2011 05:51 GMT

#45

On July 03 2011 14:50 phosphorylation wrote:

Show nested quote +

umm, like where? i been to a lot of national parks and the ones in utah are pretty much the most impressive (maybe excepting yosemite)

Grand Canyon?

shreepy

United States121 Posts

July 03 2011 06:26 GMT

#46

I have lived in Utah all of my life and have visited both Bryce Canyon and Zions Park several times.

1.
It actually gets fairly chilly at Bryce Canyon during that time(utah.com), so you will probably need at least a decent jacket. Zions is generally warmer(utah.com), but does dip down especially at night.

Basically layers are the best way to go to handle the colder nights and the mild -> hot days. Fall is the best time to go though because of the improved scenery and the generally mild weather versus say spring.

2.
This really depends on how thorough you want to be in your exploration of the national parks.
Both of these pages decently outline the different trails and single out the most well known ones.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Zion_National_Park
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bryce_Canyon

3.
Definitely rent a car as the public transportation will most likely not be enough to really get around the parks.

Zirith

Canada403 Posts

July 03 2011 06:37 GMT

#47

Shoulda gone to Banff, Alberta, Canada, eh, way nicer than those smoggy/gross American parks

In general:
Avoid North Dakota at all costs.
Do not talk to the religious/racist/ignorant crazy people.
Try to find restaurants that appeared on Diners Drive-ins and Dives, and go to all of the ones that are nearby!
Pace yourself on the food, everything tastes amazing because they cover it with salt and sugar.

All tips based off of my own experiences in the U.S. XD, North Dakota was horrific.

Also go to Niagara falls sometime.

Axiom0

63 Posts

July 03 2011 06:47 GMT

#48

You should be prepared to have your junk handled by TSA agents.

Whatever you do, don't make a fuss about it as they could potentially block you from entering the country, or worse arrest you. Just accept it for what it is and feel fortunate they aren't doing anal cavity searches.

SonSon

United States106 Posts

July 03 2011 06:56 GMT

#49

Yep, renting a car is important imo. You can't enjoy your time in US otherwise.

Xevious

United States2086 Posts

July 03 2011 07:06 GMT

#50

On July 03 2011 02:33 Coutcha wrote:
You Should definitively rent a car... Public transport suck in america xD

well it did when i visited

Eh, it depends on where you live. It's fine here (chicago) and I can get anywhere.

Husnan

France298 Posts

July 03 2011 07:09 GMT

#51

On July 03 2011 15:47 Axiom0 wrote:
You should be prepared to have your junk handled by TSA agents.

Whatever you do, don't make a fuss about it as they could potentially block you from entering the country, or worse arrest you. Just accept it for what it is and feel fortunate they aren't doing anal cavity searches.

If they start touching my junk, and then leave me hanging and NOT perform an anal search, do I have the right to complain?

Qatol

United States3165 Posts

July 03 2011 07:13 GMT

#52

I lived in the southwest for ~20 years so hopefully I can help. You're going to want light clothing (shorts and t-shirts) and water bottles during the day. It can get pretty hot. Sunglasses and a nice big hat are useful too. Comfortable shoes are also quite important. You will be doing a lot of walking at those parks. For the evening, pack something a little warmer. A light jacket and long pants are probably good enough, maybe a sweatshirt you can put over your t-shirt if it gets especially cold. Public transportation is basically nonexistent in that part of the US, so you're going to need to rent a car.

seansye

United States1722 Posts

July 03 2011 07:41 GMT

#53

On July 03 2011 15:37 Zirith wrote:
Shoulda gone to Banff, Alberta, Canada, eh, way nicer than those smoggy/gross American parks

Wow, you just sound like a U.S hater... I've bet you've only been to one state...North Dakota..

Anyways, like everyone is saying, rent a car because especially out in the west, a lot of the major cities are very far from each other. Also bring a map :O because you might get lost on the roads.

Bring mainly summer clothes like t-shirts, shorts, and just in case maybe a jacket or two(depending on how long you stay.)

If you're bringing extra money just go for the whole shebang, visit the grandcanyon(imo the best national park in the U.S), then the hoover dam, and finally Las Vegas

maliceee

United States634 Posts

July 03 2011 08:00 GMT

#54

On July 03 2011 15:37 Zirith wrote:
Shoulda gone to Banff, Alberta, Canada, eh, way nicer than those smoggy/gross American parks

Tip: don't come to the U.S. with an attitude like this. If you're friendly and you have a British accent, people will appreciate you taking a road less traveled and the girls will love you. If you act like this^^, you will have a horrible experience.

Mordanis

United States893 Posts

July 03 2011 15:27 GMT

#55

I know this isn't in your plan, but if you are already in the area and driving all over the place, you might want to think about visiting some of the mining towns. They are honestly some of the coolest places you'll ever see, and they show a certain Americana, like what our country was 100 years ago(but with cell-phones, internet, etc.) Most are generally close to a mountain, and its very obvious how the miners used to get from their homes to the mines. Pretty much the biggest street in the town is along that line or the way to get back on the highway. There's always a library, and it'll say on the front something like "paid for by the Rockefeller Family" except with more old-fashioned and formal wording. The best part however, is the residential areas. These towns are dying pretty quickly, because young people don't like spending their whole life in these places. So the town governments and the Home-Owners Associations have basically no restrictions on what you can do with your property. Because of this, you get pink houses, houses that have second-rate artists' sculptures in the front-yard, houses that have random graffiti-esque pictures of horses on the front. Everyone is like 50 or older, and there is exactly one motel with 3 or so rooms. Staying there is probably not the best idea, as the rooms are used very infrequently. Basically, mining towns in the southwest are a fascinating place to visit, and if there happens to be one on your way, I'd strongly advise you to visit, or at least drive around.

reyk

United States21 Posts

July 03 2011 15:39 GMT

#56

On July 03 2011 16:09 Husnan wrote:

Show nested quote +

If they start touching my junk, and then leave me hanging and NOT perform an anal search, do I have the right to complain?

Of course you can complain, I always request the naked body scanner and the riot stick up-the-ass maneuver. Anything less wouldn't be the full airport experience.

Zealotdriver

United States1557 Posts

July 03 2011 15:49 GMT

#57

Get on google maps and look at the distances and time between locations that you wish to stay/visit.

Buy a GPS unit with a lot of Points of Interest preloaded. This helps when trying to locate a restaurant, gas station, hotel, etc.

OP, you made an excellent choice on the region of the country to visit. The National Parks in the southwest USA are spectacular.

Public transport, I lolled. You can get by as a tourist on public transport in a few major cities, but not in general, and especially not if you want to visit national parks. Taf the Ghost said it: You need a car.

Sermokala

United States13925 Posts

July 03 2011 16:12 GMT

#58

Pack a tent in your car and a good sleeping bag. the desert nights get REALLY cold I'm not kidding you'll find a Lot of really good camp grounds in america so it shouldn't be to hard to find a good spot fo the night.

WATER BOTTLE! Get a nalgene about 32 oz. They're the super Hard plastic kind and they will save your life. Unlike in other counties out water supply is always clean so you don't have to go too far to fill up if you watch for rest stops and have some sort of water storage.

The guy trolled you when he talked about not pissing off the hics. But he wasn't fully kidding. We have a lot of guns I have a small arsenal in my basement for "hunding" I don't really need an SR-17 I think (civilian M-16) But I can. I got a 12 gauge for xmas one year. The UK top gear people went to america and pissed off the hics and where chased out of the gas station they where in and had rocks thrown at them and where followed down he highway for a few miles) just look foreign and be polite and be stay away from people that look mean. Your going to be in Utah which I'm pretty sure doesn't have many hics but still we're everywhere fear us. Your accent will only hurt you.

Save up some money and buy cloths in america with your own money from wall mart. Some of my foreign exchange friends have said they don't have anything near a wal-mart and it'll be amazing what you can get at one. We have more pop choices as well which you should try. I would stay away from energy drinks (monster,Nos,rockstar) you'll be in hot weather and you won't want to get dizzy or feel bad if you have a bad reaction. If you want to stay up all night or longer your a lot better off going for a fourth meal at like taco bell or some place like that.

A lot of people will be really entertained by your accent and your probably going to have a lot of fun good luck on your trip.

PyroCat

United Kingdom14 Posts

July 03 2011 16:36 GMT

#59

I'm actually amazed by how many great replies are here! Thanks everyone, this thread is a gold mine!

I'll be 22 when I go (my birthday is in august) so I'll have to find out whether I can rent a car.

Camping is a great idea, never considered that. I have no aversion to sleeping in a car either. Also really useful tips about the volume of water I'll need and to bring spare gas. Since I've got two months I'll be doing some hardcore planning and try to get as many details taken care of as I can.

Thanks again, and for those of you in the US have a great 4th of July :D

entropius

United States1046 Posts

July 03 2011 16:46 GMT

#60

First off, hope you enjoy your trip! The American Southwest is a beautiful place -- I live in southern Arizona, and it's incredible. Of course, our highs are 46C these days, so it would be nicer if I had air conditioning.

The only place in the area you describe where public transportation is an issue is the city of Salt Lake City itself, and perhaps Phoenix (I don't know). Elsewhere you need a car. Some places in the US are different, but the area you're coming to is *huge*, and many of the things you're going to see are out on the roads.

Speaking of roads: You should get a good map. You can buy road atlases at gas stations; even if you have a smartphone, you won't have phone service in many of the places you're going. It'll help you plan. My road atlas of the US is some of the best $25 I ever spent. You may want to familiarize yourself with the Interstate Highway System's conventions before you come -- for instance, exits from the highway are numbered according to mile markers, so you can figure out how far away something is from the exit number. Our interstates really are a great system (we ripped the idea off from the German Autobahn -- Eisenhower saw the Autobahn and said "We need one of these too!") Side roads, though ("US highways" and state highways), are the scenic routes that go interesting places. They're usually two-lane roads, and are usually well-maintained. As others have said, the distances involved are huge out West.

Be prepared for the weather. It may be very hot at low elevation during the day and cold at high elevation at night. Either way, it'll be dry. Bring sunscreen and plenty of water; if you're driving overland it's a good idea to bring a bunch of water with you in case the car breaks down. It'll also be very bright and sunny; a hat and/or sunglasses may be a good idea. Elevation is a huge factor in climate out here; the south rim of the Grand Canyon is 3000 meters, and much of southern Utah is over 2000 meters. At high elevation you will use a lot of water because you're breathing harder

The American wildlife is pretty safe, with a few exceptions. Rattlesnakes aren't aggressive, and you're only likely to get bit if you step on them. At dusk, carry a flashlight: it may be bright enough that you can see the trail, but you can't see the snakes.

Anywhere marked "National Forest" on your map is somewhere you can camp, usually anywhere you like. The National Forests have very few rules -- one Forest Service volunteer explained them as "clean up after yourself and don't burn the woods down". You should sleep outdoors when on the road, just for the experience, if you like such things -- I did last summer for a couple of weeks and heard great horned owls almost every night. (They're our version of the European eagle owls.)

Enjoy yourself! For all the stupid stuff that our government does, the US is really a beautiful country.

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