Vacations to less popular destinations

[NW-Bound]

Yeah, Chicken, Alaska gained notoriety when it was on one of those “off-grid building” reality shows. Beautiful landscape from what I could tell, but it really did seem located near the end of the world….

On the way there, you get to drive on the "Top of the World Highway" (linked photo below) from Dawson City, Yukon, Canada.

At Dawson City, you get to sample the world's only "Sour Toe Cocktail".

Chicken Alaska is just one stop in a long journey.

These places are actually well-known among RV'ers to Alaska.

 

[NW-Bound]

To go to the end of the world, you have to drive to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Or to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

The above two places are about the only places on the Arctic Ocean that are accessible by road. Sadly, I could not go there with my motorhome. Would need a 4-wheeler to be safe.

 

[NW-Bound]

A road trek to the Canadian Maritimes is easier than an Alaska road trip if you have a car instead of a motorhome.

If you do, be sure to stop by the "Village Historique Acadien" (Acadia Historical Village) in Caraquet, New Brunswick. The Acadians are the cousins of the Cajun people who are now in Louisiana. The former stayed, while the latter fled south to the US because of persecution by English-speaking people.

I timed my RV travel to be there on the closing day of their 2014 season, in mid September. It was a special whole-day event with a big crowd of locals. We were about the only tourists there, and really enjoyed it.

 

[Gumby]

+1 on the parks in low season. Yosemite and Glacier are awesome.

We've been to Yosemite a dozen times and best time is early May before school lets out. Falls are really flowing and weather for hiking is perfect & less fires.

Did Glacier 2019 & then drove up to Jasper Alberta and that was the best scenic drive of our life.

We went to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in early September, after all the kids were back in school. Much less crowded then, but equally beautiful and still accessible.

 

[Chuckanut]

To go to the end of the world, you have to drive to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Or to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

Or you could visit this bar in Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

We went to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in early September, after all the kids were back in school. Much less crowded then, but equally beautiful and still accessible.

This is a great trip that DW and I have done several times with DS & DD when they were young. Avoiding the peak season is important, we would also avoid staying at the more crowded destinations closer to Jackson or the park itself. Our favorite was Dubois, WY.

The trip there was fun too. We'd avoid the interstate and stay in small town motels with outdoor pools within walking distance to cafes and mix it up with the locals.

DW and I are taking a car trip to the Texas Hill Country next March and plan on doing the same thing.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

The trip there was fun too. We'd avoid the interstate and stay in small town motels with outdoor pools within walking distance to cafes and mix it up with the locals.

Yes! This is my preferred way to make a long-distance trip, also. It usually adds a relatively small amount of time to your trip, and makes it much more enjoyable.

 

[lajolla]

H and I have been doing a winter road trip for the past 3 years so that we can ski and see National Parks and lots of other things along the way. We have been to Yellowstone in the winter (in the snow coach), Canyonlands and just last week we were at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.

If you are don't have kids and are not tied to a school schedule I recommend doing your travel when it is not peak season.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I live in S.E. Michigan - a suburb of Detroit. There’s plenty here to complain about but it’s home and having lived here my entire life, there’s plenty to do. When you look at the State as a whole, there’s a lot of fun and interesting things to do. One problem is that a lot of things people do are not easy to just come here and do. But, a lot of things, like snow mobiles, can be rented. There is a lot of great nature here. Obviously, there are the Great Lakes and many inland lakes so there’s all kinds of water sports. There’s all kinds of hiking and natural activities like camping. In the winter, there’s snow sports like snowmobiling, snowshoeing and even some skiing but no mountains so the skiing isn’t going to impress an avid skier. All of these things have their off season and as a local, that’s the best time to do them.

I agree, ask people who live there and you might find a surprise gem.

I think this applies for a lot of places. We live in an area that I think very few people would consider a vacation area, but everyone who has come out to visit us for a few days seem to really enjoy (and are surprised) all the things that you can do and a couple of the visitors have come out for second visits.

I guess it's a good thing....if people think it sucks here, then it can help keep the population in check.

 

[brett]

We snowbird most years.

We tend avoid the tourist places-especially in Thailand. This often implies a different style of travel. Slow trains, passenger vans, etc. It is worth it...absolutely.

Given the choice of snowbirding in Florida/Arizona or on a deserted beach in southern Thailand we select the latter in a heartbeat. Despite the long flights.

We do the second trip during shoulder season. mid Sept/oct./Nov depending on the destination.

 

[Badger]

A road trek to the Canadian Maritimes is easier than an Alaska road trip if you have a car instead of a motorhome.

If you do, be sure to stop by the "Village Historique Acadien" (Acadia Historical Village) in Caraquet, New Brunswick. The Acadians are the cousins of the Cajun people who are now in Louisiana. The former stayed, while the latter fled south to the US because of persecution by English-speaking people.

I timed my RV travel to be there on the closing day of their 2014 season, in mid September. It was a special whole-day event with a big crowd of locals. We were about the only tourists there, and really enjoyed it.

I was there years ago to see the family homestead that was moved to the property. Just a small log cabin. We were one of the founding families of Acadia. About 2.5 hours south of there is a town named after my ancestors. I hope I will be able to go back someday at the time you described. Or attend our large family reunion in Tracadie-Sheila.



Cheers!

 

[Bamaman]

We spent almost all of our vacations since the mid 70s traveling all over the country and Canada doing the same except in a tent. NE Georgia was such a nice place I bought 5+ acres on Charlie Mt outside of Clayton then swung a hammer and built a 1000 sq ft cabin. Sold it about 12 yrs later because maintaining 2 homes was just too much work and I wanted to visit other areas. Not interested in the big cities and would rather be outdoors.

I would still like to camp but getting off the ground is a bit of a challenge now. Time to BTD when I feel comfortable enough to travel again and stay in B&Bs or something similar.

It's 65 degrees today, and we're heading for the mountains. Trying to get away from 3-4 inches of snow that's expected tonight. That's the Mid South for you.

We could just as easily stayed home as we have a dozen great state parks and state park inns within 1 1/2 hours of home. It'd be a pleasure to spend a vacation visiting the historical sights of Nashville and Chattanooga alone.

 

[aja8888]

To go to the end of the world, you have to drive to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Or to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

The above two places are about the only places on the Arctic Ocean that are accessible by road. Sadly, I could not go there with my motorhome. Would need a 4-wheeler to be safe.

I've been as far north in Canada as Norman Wells and spent a couple of nights there. Interesting place. Esso has a refinery in Norman Wells and Enbridge's pipeline ends there so it's close to being the end of the world. I was doing a project at the refinery in the winter as that's the best time to be there from a transportation standpoint (many road out in the rest of the year).

Interestingly fact about the area was that around the time of the start of WWII, the U.S. and Canada drilled for oil up there as we and Canada were worried about the Japanese attacking North America and disrupting oil production. Hence the wells and refinery in the Norman Wells area. It's a small refinery and without it, that area would be stranded for fuels most of the year.

Norman Wells has a population of roughly 800 people and an airport which gets traffic twice per day weather permitting.

When I was with ARCO in the 1980's I went to Prudhoe Bay on occasion and that really is a sight to behold.

 

[braumeister]

Nordkapp (North Cape), Norway is even farther north than Prudhoe Bay, and yes, you can drive there.

Although a person's personal perspective certainly comes into play. I remember the folks at Loring AFB, Maine saying that the only thing between them and the North Pole was a barbed wire fence.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

A road trek to the Canadian Maritimes is easier than an Alaska road trip if you have a car instead of a motorhome.

If you do, be sure to stop by the "Village Historique Acadien" (Acadia Historical Village) in Caraquet, New Brunswick. The Acadians are the cousins of the Cajun people who are now in Louisiana. The former stayed, while the latter fled south to the US because of persecution by English-speaking people.

I timed my RV travel to be there on the closing day of their 2014 season, in mid September. It was a special whole-day event with a big crowd of locals. We were about the only tourists there, and really enjoyed it.

Excellent suggestion. I'd especially like to see this as I'm a Cajun.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

Thanks for the suggestions- I'm writing them down!

 

[finnski1]

Excellent suggestion. I'd especially like to see this as I'm a Cajun.

We've been to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia twice. Beautiful area and was completely crowdless after Labor Day. The people are really friendly, the scenery is great. Ride around the entire Cabot Trail is well worth it.

 

[savory]

We've been to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia twice. Beautiful area and was completely crowdless after Labor Day. The people are really friendly, the scenery is great. Ride around the entire Cabot Trail is well worth it.

Agree that NS is a wonderful place Lot's of great music. Lobster of course, in season. And stop at the Bay of Fundy for a look at the highest tides in N. America. And if you are a cyclist, the Cabot Trail is a wonderful bike ride. We actually left from Halifax and then went around the Cabot trail. We rented a car to come back.

And on an another trip there, we took a Ferry which just added to the fun. I think there are choices now. Here is a link to one https://www.ferries.ca/thecat/overview/

 

[Boose]

We took the Cat to Nova Scotia about 15 years ago for a great driving vacation. Rented a cottage on the Bay of Fundy and could see porpoises swimming by. We also took a whale watch in a Zodiac boat - no whales, but the porpoises followed us, and our guide brought us to a scallop boat for an impromptu taste. Starfish, foggy beaches covered with perfectly-smooth golf ball-sized rocks...it was amazing.
Regardless of where we go, we always check the Atlas Obscura and Roadside America sites to find quirky attractions.

 

[ivinsfan]

Likewise! For the last 4 years we have been taking a month to drive out west in the early spring to Arizona and Utah. We have hit the big national parks like Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Arches, but there are lots of less visited places too. We also spent time visiting beautiful locations based in Utah towns of Kanab, Cannonville, Escalante, and Hanksville.

5 million people visited Zion in 2021. I'm so Thankful for the many trips we made there in the last 20 years. There is no low season. Bryce about the same. If you're in Utah go to Capitol Reef.

 

[Bamaman]

We've been to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia twice. Beautiful area and was completely crowdless after Labor Day. The people are really friendly, the scenery is great. Ride around the entire Cabot Trail is well worth it.

The next door neighbor has a home on Prince Edward Island. He warned me that starting in Alabama, the halfway point to Cape Breton Island is about Boston.

He wasn't wrong. We drove from just north of Boston to the end of the road on Cape Breton Island, and we put 2000 miles on a rental car.

 

[2017ish]

We wouldn't normally recommend Colombia as a trip for those who haven't traveled a lot, but it definitely is less heavily traveled, easy to get to, and a fun destination that is good for self driving.(not a foodie destination though!)

Or, we've found going places immediately after they open up to tourists is the way to go during covid.

Still... Galapagos, 2 weeks, on a small boat, Peru for 2 months mainly via bus, or Tanzania, Rwanda, and DRC are pretty hard to beat, I think.

FWIW, we swore off USA for 2021, and now 2022 due to crowds.

 

[Gumby]

We've been to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia twice. Beautiful area and was completely crowdless after Labor Day. The people are really friendly, the scenery is great. Ride around the entire Cabot Trail is well worth it.

Given that we're talking about a potential trip to Nova Scotia, I'll repost something I posted back in 2016:

About 26 years ago, we took the ferry from Portland, ME to Yarmouth and drove around the circumference of Nova Scotia for 2 weeks, staying in bed and breakfasts along the way. We loved it there. Among the things we most enjoyed were the following:

1. Rafting up-river on the Shubenacadie River. Located at the head of the Bay of Fundy, the tidal inrush is so strong that it actually drives you upriver several miles. I can't recall the rafting company, but if you go on-line, you'll find one.

2. Staying in Annapolis Royal. A beautiful historic town. We enjoyed the historic homes and gardens and had the best Digby scallops in a local restaurant.

3. Visiting the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck. Parks Canada - Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site - Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site

4. Visiting the Glenora Whiskey distillery.

5. A boat tour to see the Puffins. Puffin Boat Tours Cape Breton Nova Scotia - Puffin Boat Tours Cape Breton Nova Scotia

6. Visiting a coal mine under the Atlantic Ocean in Glace Bay. Miners Museum – Glace Bay Nova Scotia Canada

7. Visiting the historic Fortress of Louisbourg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_of_Louisbourg

8. Sunset schooner cruise out of Halifax. We went on a replica of the Bluenose, which is the schooner on the Canadian dime. I don't think it is still doing it, but there are other schooners out of Halifax that will take you out for dinner and drinks. Look online.

9. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg. https://fisheriesmuseum.novascotia.ca/visit-us

 

[DayDreaming]

Throw a dart at a map - I'm sure that if you really look into any area, you could find something interesting to explore there.

 

[Badger]

Given that we're talking about a potential trip to Nova Scotia, I'll repost something I posted back in 2016:

I have been to NS many times sightseeing and camping. Kind of exciting when a moose walks past your tent late at night. Loved Louisburg where everyone is in period clothes from guards to teachers with their students, restaurants, etc. and keep the illusion of traveling back in time. And don't forget the best ice cream. It was quite a few years ago but I think it was Scotsburn that was sold everywhere from gas stations to clothes stores.
One place I would suggest if you can get there in the summer (this year from July 3-10 is the 157cAntigonish Highland Games. https://www.facebook.com/antigonishgames/ We have been twice and found them to be our favorite just inching out Grandfather Mountain games.


Cheers!