My SO and I are leaving Detroit in 3 weeks to go out west for 1 month, see the cities, go to the parks, and generally have an adventure. Tentatively, we plan on leaving Detroit and heading to Glacier National Park, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Joshua Tree NP, Grand Canyon NP, Antelope Canyon, Bryce NP, Zion NP, Arches NP, Salt Lake City, Boulder, Denver, and Yellowstone - more or less in that order.
First off, we have quite a few ideas for where to go once we're out west but not many ideas for the 35 hour drive there (or back for that matter). I figured Glacier NP would be a good midpoint for on the way to Seattle but aside that, I haven't found anything too compelling up north. Therefore, any suggestions would be very appreciated!
Second, we have a map of all the national parks and will probably hit up the more popular ones that I mentioned above. I know this will be an amazing experience already but if there's a park or site that is a "can't miss" then I would love to hear it! I'm not looking to do too much of the touristy sites (e.g. Las Vegas, Los Angeles) but if it's too good to pass then let me know.
Getting into the more specific requests, we have some "bucket list" type items that I really want to check off. 1) I want to jump from a waterfall (as in jump from the top, fall with the water from the falls, and land where the water lands). I'm an acrobat so I have some athletic abilities but I don't have much diving or cliff jumping experience so 30 or 35 feet high is probably my max (unless it's a "very safe" landing). 2) I want to go spelunking! Don't know much about caves at all and online lists have been a bit intimidating honestly, so I'd love to hear some opinions. 3) My SO and I are both [gym] rock climbers (Detroit doesn't have much for real rock…) so we're ready for the real deal. I believe Joshua Tree is supposed to have good climbing and I imagine out west many parks do, but again, would love the advice of the experienced. I'm sure I'll think of more so I'll add on as they come. Thanks in advance!
Edit 1: Some side notes, aside from a 2 day stay in Salt Lake City and 3 days in Vegas, I've never been west of Chicago so everything will be new to me. If we need to go, let me know! Also, we will primarily be camping at the parks (some nights we will stay with friends/family in the area) if that is useful info to have.