Western US Road Trip

“I'm planning a road trip starting June 15th or so..eminating from Southern California working its way up through Utah into Yellowstone, Glacier, and as many other parks as I can fit it..Then heading west to Seattle/Vancouver and then down the Pacific Coast..

My question for ALL of you is... What should I include..Were talking hikes, festivals, Hot Springs, resteraunts, Local Breweries ect ect...

So, I need your help..inspire me..lead me..help me make this trip all it can be...

Cheers and TIA”

“Depending-Some thoughts for California starting in LA:

Disneyland/Disney California Adventure
Palm Springs Tramway
Western Sierra:
Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park
Yosemite

Joshua Tree National Park would be a little hot in June

(Are you starting from Placentia?)”

“My start point is Bakersfield(Southern/Central California)I thought about Joshua and the Grand Canyon, but agree too hot...What about the Narrows?”

“We did the tourist stuff.

The Narrows was cool. Dropped my Nikon 6006 in one of the falls. Wanted to backpack it, good thing we didn't cuz there was a flash flood the next day.

We did a 15 mile hike and ended it with Angel's Landing.

Hiked Clear Creek, but it was pretty flat. Found pictographs along the way. Kinda wierd hiking with a flyer and posts to tell you what things are.

Hiked Bryce in the snow. Very cool!

Found a single bighorn petroglyph etched in a sandstone wall. Got a few tips where it might be. It was worth the 2 days it took to find it!

So why don't you delay your trip a few weeks and join us for Montanapalooza? (Jul 15-19, meet up on the 14th)”

“I would, but then my road trip would run into the Southern JMT trip with OB1..Plus I have a few other things planned..Had I known earlier in the year I def. would have tried to make it work out that way...:)”

“Here's my "national parks roadtrip" from October of 2000....... coming from Iowa. See what you can use, if any (ok SOME aren't actually national parks, monuments or rec areas. Most ARE)in the trip order I took:

COLORADO
1. Garden of the Gods
2. Arkansas River Valley near Buena Vista, Salida
3. Wolf Creek Pass
4. Mesa Verde

UTAH
5. Hovenweep
6. Goulding's Lodge
7. Monument Valley/Navajo Reservation

ARIZONA
8. Navajo N'tl Monument
9. Grand Canyon S. Rim

UTAH
10. Lee's Ferry Rec. Area
11. North Rim, Grand Canyon
12. Toroweap rim, Grand Canyon
13. Kolob Canyons part of Zion
14. Zion
15. Bryce
16. Capitol Reef
17. west end of Lake Powell (where Colorado River enters)
18. Natural Bridges
19. Canyonlands, Needles Section
20. Arches
21. Dead Horse Point St. Park
22. Canyonlands, Island in the Sky section

COLORADO
23. Colorado N'tl Monument
24. Winter Park/Rollins Pass
25. Rocky Mountain N'tl Park

Ohhhhhhhh, I missed mentioning the first stop:
KANSAS
Monument Rocks (or Chalk Cliffs)”

“If you do "Going to the Sun" road in Glacier, start from the West, early. Most people start from the East. Starting from the West means that you will be traveling opposite of the hordes. Starting early means that you will miss more of the crowds.

Colorado, I'd forgo Rocky Mountain and head for Rawah Wilderness, a few miles away and fewer people.”

“WASHINGTON:

We are sorry, Washington will be closed for renovation beginning June 15. Please enjoy one of our neighboring states (Kansas, Mississippi or New Jersey). Thank you and have a nice day!”

“That's quite a loop lizs! You got your money's worth out of that park pass. Did you guys see the REI members offer for a $39.99 park pass (reg. $50)?”

“dies laughing@kleetn's post

at least we're not mississippi”

“if yer doing utah from I 15,then hiway 9,12+24 will take you thru/near zion,bryce,cap reef and dump you at I-70 junction which is about 50 miles from Canyonlands and Moab.Anyway hiway 12 and 24 offer spectacular and extremely varied scenary.Stuff that you dont see in the books but is NatlPark worthy.Ive done all the black top in s.utah and 12,24 offer the biggest bang for the buck-no long boring stretches except the last 20 miles before I70...Disregard the heat factor-it will be hot everywhere south of Canada!”

“I recommend backpacking Death Valley in late July/early August.”

“Aero, it was in October of 2000.

That summer also hit Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave in S. Dakota; Devil's Tower in Wyoming.... and of course Effigy Mounds near my home. :-)

Best of all, that is when they only had the Golden Eagle pass and I think it was only like $40 or so. The next year they went to the full-fledged national park pass which cost more.

Yes, Utah's Highway 12 is GREAT! Take the hike on BLM land to Calf Creek Falls. ;-)”

“Heading back down the Pacific Coast, I would try to hit Mt. Shasta, Lake Tahoe (gambling) and Yosemite (take 395?)

I haven't actually done it but I did notice that all these spots were easy to hit when I drove from Phoenix to Portland.”

“lizs,
A National Parks pass is $50/year. I just bought mine.”

“The North Rim of Grand Canyon is 8000 feet. Nice and cool there.”

“Between Shasta and Tahoe drive Highway 89 instead of I-5 or 395. Goes through Lassen Volcanic and stays in scenic country.”

“When do you plan to hit Vancouver?

July 1rst is Canada Day and a long weekend, this year. Although, we're not quite as good at 'waving the flag', as you guys are, on the fourth, there's usually celebrations and fireworks etc. It is definitely a busy weekend, around town.”

“Suggestions for the upper right corner of your trip.....

Sounds like you might be entering Washington State from the East or Southeast. In the SE corner of the state, the Snake River Canyon is well worth the effort. You should also take the time to see Grand Coulee Dam, which you would hit by angling NW across the state from the Snake River area. From the Dam area, find State Route 20 and follow it over the North Cascades Highway - extremely scenic. Make sure to have a beer at Three Fingered Jacks when you pass through Winthrop.... and there are nice (short dayhikes up to monster long hikes) accessable from 20 as you go over the mountains.

After crossing the Cascades, you could turn North on I-5 and do Vancouver. Stanley Park, Gastown, great nitelife....

A real fun water and island loop is a possibility from Vancouver. Take the BC ferries over to Vancouver Island and spend a bit of time in Victoria. The ferries are very scenic, Victoria is tons of fun (very Eurpoean in flavor). Don't miss the Provincial Museum or Buchart Gardens.

From Victoria, take the other ferry off of the Island, to Pt. Angeles back in the states. You arrive right on top of Olympic National Park in the Olympic Peninsula. Oly hot springs up the Elwha if you prefer rustic, Sol Duc hot springs if you prefer developed, and a ton of day hike, and longer trails await, all within a 1 or 2 hour drive from Pt. Angeles. At the least, drive up to Hurricane Ridge for the views from the lodge.

From the Pt. Angeles area, drop down into the Puget Sound and do Seattle. Take in a Mariners game, the Seattle Center and Space Needle, Pike's Place Market, and so on.

Then, wander south and east from Seattle, and spend a couple days checking out volcanoes. Drive the loop around Mt. Rainier (many more trail opportunities) or check out the lunar landscape left behind by Mt. St. Helens.

From St. Helens, follow the Columbia out to the ocean. Check out the lighthouses on the Washington side of the river mouth before taking the bridge South. Then, you're on your way down the Oregon coast, which I think is much more scenic for a driving tour than the Washington coast.

You could easily spend 2 weeks just here in Washington and feel rushed every day because there's always more around the corner....”

“I would recommend trying to see any of these location; Redwoods NP , Three Sisters Wilderness in Or., Hurricane Ridge and around to Ho river in the Olympics. Catch the ferry in Port Angles for Victoria, BC. Heart lake and Mt. Sheridan in Jellystone. SR 89 in Utah is a nice alterative to I-15.”

“I have some links, for general tourism and travel info, for Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the rest of B.C., on my web site.

There's lots, for 'outdoor' activity, as well
More Info”

“Here it is
More Info”

“Some great tips so far...Thanks TTers”

“Your getting some great ideas, Gordon beat me to the Highway 89
route through Lassen and up to Shasta.

If you have a chance, drop me a email and if I'm not on a 10 day when you come through Lassen, I'll show you a couple special spots we don't tell the tourists about.

Stopping by Lave Beds National Monument, near Tulelake, CA (you could hit Lassen, then the Lava Beds, then Mt Shasta) is also recommended....Great car camping, Glass Mountain, Medicine Lake, over 300 lava tubes, Captain Jacks Stronghold, lots of stuff.
Check it out...
NPS Page
An unofficial (but good) WWW page
”