Major road trip next summer!

[VanWinkle]

SO and I have planned a road trip next summer that we want to complete before we slow down due to health. We will start out in Eastern Tennessee, travel the US 40 interstate to Las Vegas(SO has never been there). Next
leg is to Lake Tahoe where my son lives, on to Fall City Wa. where my daughter lives, and then on an AlaskanCruise out of Seattle. We will then head east on the US 90 interstate to Yellowstone Natl park and Jackson
Hole where we have 6 nights reserved in the park. We have several friends to visit on this path and wouldn'tmind other attractions along the way. This is not a motorhome adventure so we will be staying in hotels,
with friends, and with family along the way. Everyone says we should see Glacier Natl Park, but how many mountains do we need to see? If you have traveled this route, or parts of it, all advice is welcome. This will
take place in mid August to mid September. Neighbors are flying out to Seattle to join us on the cruise.

 

[Triton461]

Nice! Congratulations! We've been in the planning phase of a road trip from TN to either Yellowstone or Grand Canyon for a few months. We did TN to Mt Rushmore last year.

What vehicle are you using? Have you done road trips this long before?

RVing (I understand you will not be RVing) has a rule of 3-3-3 (300 miles per day, 3 days per stay and arrive before 3pm). In your case, the 300 miles is a good tip. Arrive refreshed and ready to enjoy the destination.

 

[VanWinkle]

Nice! Congratulations! We've been in the planning phase of a road trip from TN to either Yellowstone or Grand Canyon for a few months. We did TN to Mt Rushmore last year.

What vehicle are you using? Have you done road trips this long before?

RVing (I understand you will not be RVing) has a rule of 3-3-3 (300 miles per day, 3 days per stay and arrive before 3pm). In your case, the 300 miles is a good tip. Arrive refreshed and ready to enjoy the destination.

We will be traveling in a 2025 Honda Pilot. I have done the US 40 trip 3 times, the US 90 trip 5 times. All of those trips were with my first wife who passed in 2019. This will be the first big road trip for my SO but we've made several shorter trips. She got her Cataracts done this year, so I am hopeful she will
take some of the driving duties as her eyesight is much better. I've done the Grand Canyon and Mt Rushmore trips before, but again SO has not. We
usually travel no more than 6 hours per day unless 1 more hour will reach a destination. Thanks for the input.

 

[finnski1]

Sounds fun and a nice comfortable brand new Honda should make it nice.

 

[audreyh1]

Are the nights reserved in Yellowstone or Grand Teton NP or both?

 

[imjustawarrior]

I would look along the routes on Google maps and see what stands out.

I think Glacier NP is worth it, especially if you include the Canadian side Waterton. The affects of the glaciers makes the area different than other parts of the Rockies.

I have started using Youtube to research areas. I watch videos to see what places look like. It gives me a better understanding of an area.

 

[Teacher Terry]

SO and I have planned a road trip next summer that we want to complete before we slow down due to health. We will start out in Eastern Tennessee, travel the US 40 interstate to Las Vegas(SO has never been there). Next
leg is to Lake Tahoe where my son lives, on to Fall City Wa. where my daughter lives, and then on an AlaskanCruise out of Seattle. We will then head east on the US 90 interstate to Yellowstone Natl park and Jackson
Hole where we have 6 nights reserved in the park. We have several friends to visit on this path and wouldn'tmind other attractions along the way. This is not a motorhome adventure so we will be staying in hotels,
with friends, and with family along the way. Everyone says we should see Glacier Natl Park, but how many mountains do we need to see? If you have traveled this route, or parts of it, all advice is welcome. This will
take place in mid August to mid September. Neighbors are flying out to Seattle to join us on the cruise.

You should definitely go to the grand Tetons , but you will only need two days there to see everything. It’s extremely beautiful and very close to Yellowstone so it would be a shame to miss it.

When we took our trip, I had no clue that we were that close to glacier either and about a year after we were home I realized that and was disappointed that we didn’t go there too. I would not miss glacier.

 

[old medic]

Well I can't make any recommendations since Chattanooga is about as far west we have been... But definitely interested in the responses as we will be heading that way next year

 

[wrigley]

I got tired just reading about it. Enjoy!

 

[COcheesehead]

Keep in mind you’ll need timed entry reservations for those national parks in that time frame.

 

[Taco]

On the leg from Vegas to Tahoe, you will be near both Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks.

I've been to Glacier, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons - all incredible - but I'd rank Yosemite a tad above them.

Sounds fun!

 

[audreyh1]

Keep in mind you’ll need timed entry reservations for those national parks in that time frame.

If your lodging is in the park you are OK.

 

[audreyh1]

You should definitely go to the grand Tetons , but you will only need two days there to see everything. It’s extremely beautiful and very close to Yellowstone so it would be a shame to miss it.

When we took our trip, I had no clue that we were that close to glacier either and about a year after we were home I realized that and was disappointed that we didn’t go there too. I would not miss glacier.

We easily spend 2 weeks in the Grand Tetons.

But 6 nights total for a first pass across the two nearby NPs will work.

Glacier NP is a very long drive from Wyoming. Since we always visited Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in the fall as the aspens started to turn that wasn’t a good time to also visit Glacier.

 

[Gallaher]

Hello! Like a couple days at the Grand Canyon!
Crater lake is on your way north. The Redwoods are close then you get to see the mighty Pacific
Don’t forget to slow down for The Columbia River Gorge

 

[imjustawarrior]

You may want to try out one of the AI engines. I used one in planning a trip to Yellowstone. I found it very useful. I have not tried one for planning an itinerary, but they can do that.

 

[pacergal]

I have been to all of those listed (except for Falls City WA). Sounds like a great trip.
Enjoy!

 

[Ronstar]

Ok, head on 40 west out of Tennessee to Las Vegas
maybe with a side trip to Sedona and/or Grand Canyon
Visit Hoover dam
Head west on 160/190 through Death Valley to Lake Tahoe
(Maybe a side trip to Yosemite NP)
Head west out of Lake Tahoe maybe through Napa Valley to the Pacific Coast Highway
Take PCH north along the ocean to Astoria, Oregon, then northeast to Seattle
Then I-90 East to Yellowstone (maybe with a side trip to Glacier NP)
Then to Jackson, Wy
Then back to Tennessee

This would probably take at least a month

 

[marinauser]

Petrified Forest National Park is right on 40 in Arizona.

 

[shortstop14]

We've made a number of cross country trips like that. I try to avoid interstates wherever possible, since everything looks the same on the interstate. You see a lot more of the country when you take the state highways. Takes a bit longer, of course.

You can at least drive through Death Valley on the way to Lake Tahoe, or take the pass from US 395 over to Yosemite. Crater Lake NP and Rainier NP are on the way to Seattle.

 

[audreyh1]

This is turning into a six month trip LOL!

 

[brett]

We spent lots of vacation time in Washington and Oregon over the years.

How many mountains do you need to see?

I can only answer that by saying 45 years ago we moved west. Since then we have always lived on either side of mountains. Real mountains...not just hills or bumps on the landscape! We never tire of it.

Washington offers the best of both worlds. Mountains and oceans. Cannot remember any vacation we have had, NA or world wide, that did not involve time by the sea and more often that not have some mountains close by or on the horizon!

Enjoy.

 

[tutan]

Lots of places off of U.S. 395 in CA:
Death Valley N.P.
Bristlecone N. M.
Mono Lake
Lava Beds N.M.

Very scenic eastern Sierra vistas accessed from towns along 395 mostly hiking trails or short walks to viewpoints:

Lone Pine
Big Pine
Bishop
Mammoth Lakes
Lee Vining
Bridgeport

If you are interested in hot springs and pools, find them in Death Valley, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, and Bridgeport. DW and I particularly like the big pool at the Oasis Ranch at Furnace Creek. Also Grover Hot Springs S.P. in Markleeville, near Lake Tahoe.

 

[COcheesehead]

Visit all the TV and movie locations in the Alabama Hills just west of Lone Pine. Whitney Portal is also worth the drive up. Again, just west of Lone Pine.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I'll be roadtripping through many of those areas next summer too. Yellowstone in August for 4 nights, AZ and UT before. If we'll cross paths around the same time would be cool to try to meet up.

 

[Gallaher]

Petrified Forest National Park is right on 40 in Arizona.

My wife absolutely loved this. But she bemoaned the fact she could not take home some petrified wood.

Now if you’ve come this far I will let you in on a secret destination.
Walnut Canyon is just surreal for me.
And I grew up in Arizona