Just completed ~1400 mile trip: San Diego > Grand Canyon > Antelope Canyon > Las Vegas > San Diego

[derekmw]

Finally did our first long road trip and I thought I would hate it, based on shorter trips such as San Diego to Phoenix, but it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it would be. We had 5 people packed in the car, truck completely stuffed with bags, food, water, etc.

I didn't put my aero hub caps on just because I hate the way they look.

From San Diego to Grand Canyon, it was pretty painless - two stops of 25 min and 1 last stop for 5 min. Each stop was perfect for some in the car to use the restroom and we were on our way by the time everyone finished.

I planned out hotels and AirBnB's to have chargers available so each morning we had 100% charge while we were at Grand Canyon or Antelope valley. Going home from Antelope Canyon through Vegas seemed shorter since we stopped to eat dinner in Vegas. Since it was a longer route, we had to charge full 20-24 min at each stop.

Total cost for supercharging was $90. So for 1400 mile trip, it is not bad.

I also purchased 1 month of FSD and Premium Connectivity.

I don't think I will do FSD again. The standard autopilot is what I mostly ended up using because the automatic lange changes while on FSD was just so annoying to me. On a two lane freeway with trucks all lined up in the right lane, the car kept wanting to immediately go back into the right lane. I know you can cancel it with the turn signal but it was just annoying to have to keep doing it. So most of the trip, I was just using the standard autopilot. I get that you also won't get the auto-lane change but FSD isn't worth it just for that.

The premium connectivity was definitely nice to have for the satelite view and also streaming music when our phones didn't have reception.

Overall, I was happy that the trip wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I thought we would have to stop a lot more often, wait around for it to charge, and passengers would never want to do a trip in a Tesla again. But everyone was impressed, and best of all, I was not NEARLY as tired as I would normally be for doing such a long drive straight through.

 

[JimBob 909]

Nice trip, thanks for sharing. No problem charging at Horseshoe Bend or Antelope Canyon? We want to do LA to Santa Fe, Monument Valley etc.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I don't think I will do FSD again. The standard autopilot is what I mostly ended up using because the automatic lange changes while on FSD was just so annoying to me. On a two lane freeway with trucks all lined up in the right lane, the car kept wanting to immediately go back into the right lane. I know you can cancel it with the turn signal but it was just annoying to have to keep doing it. So most of the trip, I was just using the standard autopilot. I get that you also won't get the auto-lane change but FSD isn't worth it just for that.

If you enable lane change confirmations for Navigate on Autopilot (enabled by default), you can just ignore the proposed lane changes you don’t agree with, you don’t have to cancel them. For lane changes that NoA thinks you need to take in order to follow the route, it will keep nagging you, so for those it’s just best to temporarily disable NoA.

 

[talkingevs]

Wow looks amazing. Where was that last photo from?

 

[aspec818]

Made the Utah trip last month with a rental and didn’t see much Teslas. Saw a handful of Y’s and a couple of 3’s. Glad to hear charging wasn’t an issue. Sights were awesome at every national park stop we made!

 

[derekmw]

If you enable lane change confirmations for Navigate on Autopilot (enabled by default), you can just ignore the proposed lane changes you don’t agree with, you don’t have to cancel them. For lane changes that NoA thinks you need to take in order to follow the route, it will keep nagging you, so for those it’s just best to temporarily disable NoA.

Ah, good to know. Thanks.

 

[derekmw]

Wow looks amazing. Where was that last photo from?

That pic is antelope canyon. It's pretty amazing to see all the different curves of the canyon. You have to pay for a tour to get access to it but it's worth it!

 

[chrisduke]

Finally did our first long road trip and I thought I would hate it, based on shorter trips such as San Diego to Phoenix

I'm in San Diego and am curious about your comment above. What did you hate about SD>PHX?

 

[jwharnish]

Nice trip, thanks for sharing. No problem charging at Horseshoe Bend or Antelope Canyon? We want to do LA to Santa Fe, Monument Valley etc.

There is a SC in Page, so no problem when visiting local attractions. Also some hotel choices with chargers if staying in area.

 

[KenC]

Wow looks amazing. Where was that last photo from?

Yeah, you see pics of Antelope Canyon all the time, it's so iconic.

About 25yrs ago, driving from the South rim of the Grand Canyon up to Zion NP, I was traveling with my brother and his wife, and I asked to stop along the way at Antelope Canyon, and my sis-in-law refused! She planned the trip, and it wasn't on her itinerary, so no way was she going to take any requests, since she's the controlling type. She'd never even heard of the place. Of course, after I described it, my brother said, he'd like to see Antelope Canyon, so my sis-in-law, complaining the whole time, grudgingly stopped!

The weird thing is Antelope Canyon is right along the highway, unmarked back then. The Navajo, then charge you $10 to sit in the back of a pickup and they take you about 5mins away to the entrance. My sis-in-law, the whole time complained about how this must be illegal. She didn't shut up until we were inside the canyon! After that, she never mentioned it again. This was only a couple days after I had carried my brother and sis-in-law's backpack out of the Havasu Canyon, after seeing the amazing Falls. Talk about ungrateful. My brother was so thankful, my sis-in-law, not so much. She couldn't believe I had run down to the Havasu campground in sneakers with just a fannypack, tent and sleeping bag. She wanted me to carry a full backpack like her and wear heavy leather climbing boots!

The point being, the Havasu Falls and Antelope Canyon are two things you should definitely see if you ever go to the Grand Canyon, no matter what your relations say.

 

[talkingevs]

Yeah, you see pics of Antelope Canyon all the time, it's so iconic.

About 25yrs ago, driving from the South rim of the Grand Canyon up to Zion NP, I was traveling with my brother and his wife, and I asked to stop along the way at Antelope Canyon, and my sis-in-law refused! She planned the trip, and it wasn't on her itinerary, so no way was she going to take any requests, since she's the controlling type. She'd never even heard of the place. Of course, after I described it, my brother said, he'd like to see Antelope Canyon, so my sis-in-law, complaining the whole time, grudgingly stopped!

The weird thing is Antelope Canyon is right along the highway, unmarked back then. The Navajo, then charge you $10 to sit in the back of a pickup and they take you about 5mins away to the entrance. My sis-in-law, the whole time complained about how this must be illegal. She didn't shut up until we were inside the canyon! After that, she never mentioned it again. This was only a couple days after I had carried my brother and sis-in-law's backpack out of the Havasu Canyon, after seeing the amazing Falls. Talk about ungrateful. My brother was so thankful, my sis-in-law, not so much. She couldn't believe I had run down to the Havasu campground in sneakers with just a fannypack, tent and sleeping bag. She wanted me to carry a full backpack like her and wear heavy leather climbing boots!

The point being, the Havasu Falls and Antelope Canyon are two things you should definitely see if you ever go to the Grand Canyon, no matter what your relations say.

Yea we went and saw the Grand Canyon 2 years ago but did not know about that place. Will have to check it out. Where is the closest charger?

 

[jwharnish]

Charger in Page which will work for Antelope Canyon and that surrounding area's attractions. Grand Canyon North rim or South rim is about 2 hrs from this location.
North Rim has no charging areas. South Rim has some level 2 charging areas. I like North Rim best due to less visitors, but South Rim is a better choice for charging options.
North Rim closes for winter, South Rim opened year round.

 

[derekmw]

I'm in San Diego and am curious about your comment above. What did you hate about SD>PHX?

The few spots it had us stop in either had nothing nearby, but also was with my Model S 70, so I think we had to stop more frequently, charging was slower, and overall, was just painful. I should have clarified.

 

[derekmw]

There is a SC in Page, so no problem when visiting local attractions. Also some hotel choices with chargers if staying in area.

Yes, for us, we specifically searched for AirBnB's that offered EV charging. That way we could wake up in the morning and have full charge and just leave.

 

[willigetit]

View attachment 727002View attachment 727003View attachment 727004Finally did our first long road trip and I thought I would hate it, based on shorter trips such as San Diego to Phoenix, but it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it would be. We had 5 people packed in the car, truck completely stuffed with bags, food, water, etc.

I didn't put my aero hub caps on just because I hate the way they look.

From San Diego to Grand Canyon, it was pretty painless - two stops of 25 min and 1 last stop for 5 min. Each stop was perfect for some in the car to use the restroom and we were on our way by the time everyone finished.

I planned out hotels and AirBnB's to have chargers available so each morning we had 100% charge while we were at Grand Canyon or Antelope valley. Going home from Antelope Canyon through Vegas seemed shorter since we stopped to eat dinner in Vegas. Since it was a longer route, we had to charge full 20-24 min at each stop.

Total cost for supercharging was $90. So for 1400 mile trip, it is not bad.

I also purchased 1 month of FSD and Premium Connectivity.

I don't think I will do FSD again. The standard autopilot is what I mostly ended up using because the automatic lange changes while on FSD was just so annoying to me. On a two lane freeway with trucks all lined up in the right lane, the car kept wanting to immediately go back into the right lane. I know you can cancel it with the turn signal but it was just annoying to have to keep doing it. So most of the trip, I was just using the standard autopilot. I get that you also won't get the auto-lane change but FSD isn't worth it just for that.

The premium connectivity was definitely nice to have for the satelite view and also streaming music when our phones didn't have reception.

Overall, I was happy that the trip wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I thought we would have to stop a lot more often, wait around for it to charge, and passengers would never want to do a trip in a Tesla again. But everyone was impressed, and best of all, I was not NEARLY as tired as I would normally be for doing such a long drive straight through.

Hello

Going from SD to Grand Canyon in a LR 2020 Model 3 . What route did you take from SD to Grand Canyon

Thank you

 

[derekmw]

Hello

Going from SD to Grand Canyon in a LR 2020 Model 3 . What route did you take from SD to Grand Canyon

Thank you

What we did (I suggest you use ABRP to really plant it out), was to first get a hotel that had a destination charger at the south rim. And then the only two stops we had to make was:
Ehrenberg Arizona - 22 min
Kingman, Arizona - 30 min

The last stop in Tusayan that ABRP suggests isn't needed if ou have a destination charger available. We just got to the hotel at night, plugged in, and woke up with full charge.

 

[willigetit]

What we did (I suggest you use ABRP to really plant it out), was to first get a hotel that had a destination charger at the south rim. And then the only two stops we had to make was:
Ehrenberg Arizona - 22 min
Kingman, Arizona - 30 min

The last stop in Tusayan that ABRP suggests isn't needed if ou have a destination charger available. We just got to the hotel at night, plugged in, and woke up with full charge.

Thanks . I am using ABRP and it’s asking me to charge at Yemo , Baker , Kingman and Tusayan

It’s taking me 1-15 to I-95 to I-40

 

[JimBob 909]

Thanks . I am using ABRP and it’s asking me to charge at Yemo , Baker , Kingman and Tusayan

It’s taking me 1-15 to I-95 to I-40

ABRP routes me (starting at Upland) through Barstow then Hwy 40 charge at Kingman then to Grand Canyon. Not sure why you're going through Baker.

 

[MD500_Pilot]

chrisduke said:
I'm in San Diego and am curious about your comment above. What did you hate about SD>PHX?

I am from Carlsbad and have done two Carlsbad>PHX trips now in my new MS. I take the 8 as I hate going the north route, and I stoped in Tacana each time to Supercharge. Quick 20 minute turnaround as reported by the car, but the first trip I had my daughter, son-in-law and 15 month of grandson, so it turned into a lunch stop at the Subway there and 35 minutes later I was at a full charge, it helped that I started at 1,000+ MPH charge rate

I typically fly personally, but the first trip I had the kids and they wanted to drive the new Tesla out and the second time (this last weekend) the weather was not conducive for the Cirrus.