[Alabama XL40]

Who took their Sienna on a summer road trip? Where did you go? Mileage? Cool pictures?

We took our ‘21 Platinum AWD named Jenny on a 4500 mile trip across the American Southwest, heading west from Alabama all the way to San Diego and back. Two adults, two kids, loaded up with a month worth’s of gear inside and on top in our Thule XXL carrier. Overnight stops in DFW, Roswell NM, Tuscon AZ, Carlsbad CA, Flagstaff AZ, OKC. We hit National Parks/National Historical Park/National Monuments along the way: Vicksburg NMP, White Sands, Saguaro, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mtns, Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, and Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. The parks were so much fun for my 5 year old, he now has the personal goal of visiting every national park. I plan for our Sienna to take him to a lot of those.

The hybrid Sienna did its thing, averaging 30mpg for the entire trip. This was in June, during peak gas prices. The cargo box and overall loaded weight contributed some to this lower-than-usual number. But the real culprit were the 75mph highways across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, often with heavy winds. And those are LONG stretches. Nonetheless, the Sienna handled it like a champ. 24,000miles now on the odometer in 16 months, no complaining here.

Some pictures, which aren’t in order for some reason:

White Sands NP

Frog stuck in the grille from the Mississippi Delta. Toyota removed it at no cost, service tech couldn’t stop laughing.

Slide Rock, Sedona, AZ

Diaper changing on Route 66

Roswell had some friendly people and tasty food, alien museum is fun as well.

Happy Summer Sienna folks!

 

[Dimitrij]

I marvel at that frog picture .... how did this ever happen? Did you hit a ford (with lower case f)?

The White Sands pic looks like a commercial - for either the NP or the Sienna

 

[Alabama XL40]

I marvel at that frog picture .... how did this ever happen? Did you hit a ford (with lower case f)?

The White Sands pic looks like a commercial - for either the NP or the Sienna

Heavy rain at sundown near Leland, MS* along US278. We were going 40-50 when it happened. I saw and heard it happen. Frog was big enough to crack just one segment of the grille, which made it hard to get out. So difficult I decided to continue the drive home and worry about it the next day. Fortunately I was able to repair it with some epoxy as opposed to buying the replacement grille, which is to the tune of like $500.

*Leland, MS is … not even joking… the home of Kermit the Frog. So the van started the trip as Jenny but I’ve applied to have it renamed Kermit.

White Sands is a really cool place. Off the beaten path some but highly recommend to anyone driving through or visiting NM.

 

[Dimitrij]

Heavy rain at sundown near Leland, MS* along US278. We were going 40-50 when it happened. I saw and heard it happen. Frog was big enough to crack just one segment of the grille, which made it hard to get out. So difficult I decided to continue the drive home and worry about it the next day. Fortunately I was able to repair it with some epoxy as opposed to buying the replacement grille, which is to the tune of like $500.

*Leland, MS is … not even joking… the home of Kermit the Frog. So the van started the trip as Jenny but I’ve applied to have it renamed Kermit.

White Sands is a really cool place. Off the beaten path some but highly recommend to anyone driving through or visiting NM.

In case you solicit opinions on that matter, I would propose that Kermit - given the color and the wide grin grill - is probably a more descriptive name for your van.

 

[Sienna9816]

Nice trip and pictures!

We did a 1 week DC to Acadia NP 2K Miles trip mid June. Didn't really take any pictures of the van . We detoured via Boston and Newport mansions our way back. We averaged around 30MPGs too. This was with going 80-85 most of the way. We weren't quite loaded, but had 3 full size bags, and 4 bicycles on hitch mounted rack. This van is such a fun family trip van. We used Instapot to cook us some Mac and cheese at Eagle lake, and noodles at Cadillac mountain summit. Best testing food ever! We had other folks of Indian origin come by following smell trail of Indian masala noodles (Maggi) .

On older note, we did a similar trip last summer. That was a 10K Miles 1Mon trip visiting national parks within DC, Seattle and Las Vegas triangle. We had a lot of fun that trip too. Unfortunately, didn't bother to take pictures of the van on that trip either.

 

[pamhar]

In July did road trip of about 3,200 miles to Carolinas. 90%+ on highway.

Drove thru NY, PA, VA, WV, NC, SC.

While there got 42.xx MPG in town.

Overall on highway with 5 people and heavily load of cargo got 37.xx MPG with speeds 65-85 mph.

Heavy rain at times and drove thru the tunnels in VA and up/down the hills in VA, WV, PA. Temps were for the most part 95F and up!!

Had some idiot on I190 who tried to run us off but Sienna handled beautifully. He was upset that he had to yield to us while we were on highway and he was coming on to highway. We couldn't move left as other traffic there.

For some reason the gps took us on a 7 mile scenic route. At first was not going to follow but figured it was trying to save some time. Ended up on roads going around a cliff with no shoulders on the road other then mud and stones 2' below road. Very curvy and even though had 2 way traffic the road was only 1.5 vehicles wide!! Very wet with lots of shade from overgrown tree and mossy on some parts of road but only slipped once. Felt like we in rainforest!!

A/C worked well as it was on on ALL the time. Getting used to engine and wind noise when push Sienna

Had 90 minutes wait at border and about 60 minutes of traffic on way back but still good mileage.

A/C seemed to have helped keep van cool as back panel did not get as hot as in winter.

 

[CaptainRome]

We did 3 weeks from Iowa to Banff, Canadian rockies. IT was amazing. Sienna was amazing. over 37 MPG for the trip overall.

 

[Alabama XL40]

Nice trip and pictures!

We did a 1 week DC to Acadia NP 2K Miles trip mid June. Didn't really take any pictures of the van . We detoured via Boston and Newport mansions our way back. We averaged around 30MPGs too. This was with going 80-85 most of the way. We weren't quite loaded, but had 3 full size bags, and 4 bicycles on hitch mounted rack. This van is such a fun family trip van. We used Instapot to cook us some Mac and cheese at Eagle lake, and noodles at Cadillac mountain summit. Best testing food ever! We had other folks of Indian origin come by following smell trail of Indian masala noodles (Maggi) .

On older note, we did a similar trip last summer. That was a 10K Miles 1Mon trip visiting national parks within DC, Seattle and Las Vegas triangle. We had a lot of fun that trip too. Unfortunately, didn't bother to take pictures of the van on that trip either.

Very nice! Instapot in a minivan, come on now that’s awesome. Glad y’all enjoyed it. I’ve got similar trips to those two — AL -> ME and AL -> WA and back — planned for the future. I have half a mind to take this Sienna to all lower 48 and Canada, too. Any favorite NPs or stops you recommend not skipping?

 

[Alabama XL40]

In July did road trip of about 3,200 miles to Carolinas. 90%+ on highway.

Drove thru NY, PA, VA, WV, NC, SC.

While there got 42.xx MPG in town.

Overall on highway with 5 people and heavily load of cargo got 37.xx MPG with speeds 65-85 mph.

Heavy rain at times and drove thru the tunnels in VA and up/down the hills in VA, WV, PA. Temps were for the most part 95F and up!!

Had some idiot on I190 who tried to run us off but Sienna handled beautifully. He was upset that he had to yield to us while we were on highway and he was coming on to highway. We couldn't move left as other traffic there.

For some reason the gps took us on a 7 mile scenic route. At first was not going to follow but figured it was trying to save some time. Ended up on roads going around a cliff with no shoulders on the road other then mud and stones 2' below road. Very curvy and even though had 2 way traffic the road was only 1.5 vehicles wide!! Very wet with lots of shade from overgrown tree and mossy on some parts of road but only slipped once. Felt like we in rainforest!!

A/C worked well as it was on on ALL the time. Getting used to engine and wind noise when push Sienna

Had 90 minutes wait at border and about 60 minutes of traffic on way back but still good mileage.

A/C seemed to have helped keep van cool as back panel did not get as hot as in winter.

Very impressive stats! Unexpected detours are often unforgettable.

 

[Alabama XL40]

We did 3 weeks from Iowa to Banff, Canadian rockies. IT was amazing. Sienna was amazing. over 37 MPG for the trip overall. View attachment 57854

Beautiful picture, I’m sure that was an incredible trip. Any memorable stops in between? In my mind I’d always considered doing Banff and Glacier NP together, as I’m sure many cross-border travelers do.

 

[Sienna9816]

Very nice! Instapot in a minivan, come on now that’s awesome. Glad y’all enjoyed it. I’ve got similar trips to those two — AL -> ME and AL -> WA and back — planned for the future. I have half a mind to take this Sienna to all lower 48 and Canada, too. Any favorite NPs or stops you recommend not skipping?

I hope you get to do your trips soon, and cross off all of CONUS and Canada (may be Mexico too!) off your list. On our way to Acadia NP, I wanted to take a 2 hour detour just so that I can drive thru Vermont and check it off my list. But we were way behind the schedule already so couldn't.

About NPs, I think we liked all the ones we visited (list below). FWIW, we (mostly me) are ultra casual travelers. We mostly try to hit highlights (sightseeing) at most places. (Just to put it in perspective, we are usually the last ones to leave hotel parking lot around 11ish ). With a 5 year old, most hiking we could do was about 4-5 miles a day depending on weather.)

In this trip, we went for unique geographical features. ex. Skipped Redwood NP since Sequoia NP was more route friendly.)
(3 days in Chicago)
Mt. Rushmore (2 HRs drive by)
Devil's Tower (2 HRs drive by)
(very nice drive thru mountains on the way to Cody)
Yellowstone (2 full days)
Grand Teton (1 full-ish day)
(Glacier NP was sold out for tix on GTSR).
North Cascades (Half a day of drive-by from Seattle)
Mt. Rainier (Day trip from Seattle)
Olympic (one very long day trip from Seattle, still worth it.)
(2 days in SF)
Yosemite (Drive by - Glacier Point is my favorite viewpoint)
Kings Canyon + Sequoia NP
(Death Valley had a lot of points closed due to high heat so skipped it).
(1 day in Las Vegas)
(we had been to Grand Canyon earlier so skipped it.)
(Zion needs a lot of endurance so skipped it.)
Bryce Canyon
Drove thru Capital Reef NP on the way to Arches NP.
** Drive thru UT12 and UT 24 from Bryce Canyon to Arches is highly recommended. It was the most beautiful scenic drive that I can think of - Amazing rocks of all colors, shapes and sizes. Also, a little bit of drive was on a ridge of a mountain with cliffs on both sides of the road. My wife and kids were scared. **
Arches NP.
(Skipped Canyonlands and Rockies since we had next 10 days as family affair with 3 days in Denver, 1 in Kansas State U. and 4 days in KC.)
Gateway Arch in St. Louis. (this was the only stop on otherwise 17HRs non stop drive from KC(1PM) to DC(7AM).)

Sienna is such roomy, convenient and fun to drive that I don't recall anyone complaining about long (12+HRs) drives.
Also, we hit Earth Trekkers | Family Adventure Travel & Photography more than other sites for travel research.

 

[Alabama XL40]

I hope you get to do your trips soon, and cross off all of CONUS and Canada (may be Mexico too!) off your list. On our way to Acadia NP, I wanted to take a 2 hour detour just so that I can drive thru Vermont and check it off my list. But we were way behind the schedule already so couldn't.

About NPs, I think we liked all the ones we visited (list below). FWIW, we (mostly me) are ultra casual travelers. We mostly try to hit highlights (sightseeing) at most places. (Just to put it in perspective, we are usually the last ones to leave hotel parking lot around 11ish ). With a 5 year old, most hiking we could do was about 4-5 miles a day depending on weather.)

In this trip, we went for unique geographical features. ex. Skipped Redwood NP since Sequoia NP was more route friendly.)
(3 days in Chicago)
Mt. Rushmore (2 HRs drive by)
Devil's Tower (2 HRs drive by)
(very nice drive thru mountains on the way to Cody)
Yellowstone (2 full days)
Grand Teton (1 full-ish day)
(Glacier NP was sold out for tix on GTSR).
North Cascades (Half a day of drive-by from Seattle)
Mt. Rainier (Day trip from Seattle)
Olympic (one very long day trip from Seattle, still worth it.)
(2 days in SF)
Yosemite (Drive by - Glacier Point is my favorite viewpoint)
Kings Canyon + Sequoia NP
(Death Valley had a lot of points closed due to high heat so skipped it).
(1 day in Las Vegas)
(we had been to Grand Canyon earlier so skipped it.)
(Zion needs a lot of endurance so skipped it.)
Bryce Canyon
Drove thru Capital Reef NP on the way to Arches NP.
** Drive thru UT12 and UT 24 from Bryce Canyon to Arches is highly recommended. It was the most beautiful scenic drive that I can think of - Amazing rocks of all colors, shapes and sizes. Also, a little bit of drive was on a ridge of a mountain with cliffs on both sides of the road. My wife and kids were scared. **
Arches NP.
(Skipped Canyonlands and Rockies since we had next 10 days as family affair with 3 days in Denver, 1 in Kansas State U. and 4 days in KC.)
Gateway Arch in St. Louis. (this was the only stop on otherwise 17HRs non stop drive from KC(1PM) to DC(7AM).)

Sienna is such roomy, convenient and fun to drive that I don't recall anyone complaining about long (12+HRs) drives.
Also, we hit Earth Trekkers | Family Adventure Travel & Photography more than other sites for travel research.

Thank you for the detailed post, this is great. I’m checking out Earth Trekkers right now.

It sounds like we have similar styles and tastes! Imagine that we ended up buying the same van. LOL. Mine are 5 and 1, so the 5 year old tags along with me on little hikes and adventures while my wife and the 1yo stroll around the visitor center, chat up the rangers, etc. Then the parents swap out. I hope that by fostering the love of the NPs now it will be repaid in the future. Since we have already crossed off the Southwestern US, our potential NW US trip might look something like yours.

To add some notes from our trip for any interested parties:

Vicksburg NMP is a gem of historical preservation, any history or Civil War buffs will appreciate. Outside of Virginia it’s among the best Civil War sites in the South, and convenient to I-20 so not way out of the way like Shiloh (another fantastic park).
White Sands NP - we just drove up to the picnic area and checked out the sand. It is so light and squeaky, feels like your mind is playing tricks on you since it feels so different from beach sand or desert sand in Arizona, for example. Alien world there, fitting New Mexico perfectly.
Saguaro NP - we just did the visitor center here for the passport stamp and drove through, spent most of our day at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. Fantastic place to explore the desert ecosystem, see the desert animals, but also quickly catch some shade and have a cold drink.
Joshua Tree NP - drove through, saw some Joshua trees. Did a short hike to the oasis in the southern part of the park. Not the most scenic of parks but crossed it off our list.
Grand Canyon NP - for anyone visiting from the south (Flagstaff/Williams AZ), I highly recommend Shoshone Point instead of the main one by the visitor center. Just a short drive away, and it’s an easy hike to the rim. About 15-20 minutes, very well shaded for the high desert. There are no guard rails, but there are also very few people, so you can easily get unobstructed 270* views of the Canyon. Amazing family photos. Also, buy your souvenirs at the Grand Canyon market and grab a sandwich while you’re there. Better selection than the visitor center gift shop.
Painted Desert at the Petrified Forest NP - it was like 110* this day, so we just drove through. Plenty of good scenic points to get out and take pictures.

While we were in San Diego we did the Zoo, waterfront, and Legoland. Legoland was a lot of fun, very clean and well-maintained amusement park and the lines were short and crowds small. Two thumbs up.

 

[Cameron Black]

great times I suppose ! good for u

 

[CaptainRome]

Beautiful picture, I’m sure that was an incredible trip. Any memorable stops in between? In my mind I’d always considered doing Banff and Glacier NP together, as I’m sure many cross-border travelers do.

There's not a whole lot between Iowa and Banff! We stopped with family in the Minneapolis area. Then Fargo/Moose Jaw on the way up. Then Glenview MT and Minneapolis on the way back. Western ND/Teddy Roosevelt NP is quite beautiful. but most of ND, southern Alberta is pretty desolate.

Glacier would make sense to combine with Banff, but Glacier doesn't allow dogs on hiking trails, so we decided to skip it. Banff has plenty of mountains and hiking to go around. We camped for 10 nights and it was amazing.

 

[catfish93]

Heavy rain at sundown near Leland, MS* along US278. We were going 40-50 when it happened. I saw and heard it happen. Frog was big enough to crack just one segment of the grille, which made it hard to get out. So difficult I decided to continue the drive home and worry about it the next day. Fortunately I was able to repair it with some epoxy as opposed to buying the replacement grille, which is to the tune of like $500.

*Leland, MS is … not even joking… the home of Kermit the Frog. So the van started the trip as Jenny but I’ve applied to have it renamed Kermit.

White Sands is a really cool place. Off the beaten path some but highly recommend to anyone driving through or visiting NM.

You have the color Sienna I wanted! I'm an Uber driver in Nashville and I can't argue against it's virtues as an Uber car, even with it's obvious flaws I've posted about before. I wanted green for three reasons: 1. It stands out in a sea of white minivans lining up outside a row of bars. 2. Nobody makes green cars anymore so it's unique. 3. Some friends of mine have 3 kids - 12, 10, and 7. All girls. The middle child nicknamed me froggy, and demands that everything involving me must be either green or otherwise frog themed. (I'll be sure NOT to show her that photo.) but anyway when I was Sienna shopping I actively sought a green one because she would LOSE HER COOL if I pulled up in a green van, but alas my van is white because white was available and I'm in a sea of white minivans in a line outside a row of bars. It is the very pretty windchill pearl, though; but I digress.

I have taken my Sienna to Gatlinburg with the aforementioned kids. I'll edit this post to include a picture later, but I didn't take any of or with the van. But I did the whole trip on 1 tank of gas and averaged 40.2 MPG, but I did use special techniques.