Major road trip next summer!

[VanWinkle]

Wow - that is my kind of road trip! Personally, I’m a much bigger fan of Glacier over Yellowstone, but Yellowstone seems to fit better with your route. If you’re a hiker, I’d encourage you to add Glacier to the trip and stay at the Many Glacier lodge. That’s the prettiest part of the park. Zion is close to Vegas and the Zion Lodge is great, especially since no cars are allowed inside the park unless you’re staying there.

The Jenny Lake Lodge is our favorite spot in the Tetons. Wonderful “cabins” and a top notch restaurant. We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and weren’t impressed. Other than being inside the park, it’s not like there are great trails right outside your door - just Old Faithful. Fall is our favorite time of year for that area.

I would love to hike, but SO is not able to hike more than a mile or so.

 

[Cassius King]

Following this thread closely as we hope to do a trip much the same. Definitely post a follow up upon your return. Enjoy!

 

[kgtest]

Did this trip with the family this summer. Glacier is a must. So good when my father saw the pictures he booked a standby to see it himself.

Pops doesn't hike but still had a great time.

 

[Fermion]

I may have missed it, but did anyone mention Devil's Tower? That might be a bit out of your travel route though....maybe on the return trip you could go across the Dakotas and also ride through the badlands?

 

[Koolau]

You can STEAL some petrified wood from the park and take it home with you.
But then it will HAUNT you and cause continuing bad luck going forward.

Eventually, you will give up and mail that petrified wood back to the NP in an envelope with two dollars worth of postage.

This will remove the haunting from you and allow you to live your remaining years in peace...

Yes. This is the same issue with stealing from Madam Pele in Volcanoes National Park. The NP rangers told us several stories of people mailing volcanic rock back to the park after stealing/removing from the park - followed by intense personal issues ranging from serious accidents to divorce.

 

[Fermion]

followed by intense personal issues ranging from serious accidents to divorce.

Similar warnings after trips to Las Vegas...

 

[TheWizard]

Yes. This is the same issue with stealing from Madam Pele in Volcanoes National Park. The NP rangers told us several stories of people mailing volcanic rock back to the park after stealing/removing from the park - followed by intense personal issues ranging from serious accidents to divorce.

Exactly right...

 

[Steeler75]

Yes. This is the same issue with stealing from Madam Pele in Volcanoes National Park. The NP rangers told us several stories of people mailing volcanic rock back to the park after stealing/removing from the park - followed by intense personal issues ranging from serious accidents to divorce.

I can vouche for this. While w*rking at KOA International we received packages from many customers returning to Pele what was hers. Only wish the folks who stole sand from the green sand beach felt the same way…

 

[zippy2020]

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.

You might want to hold off on Death Valley in the months you are suggesting - temps can and do go over 100+ degrees, and the concrete gets even hotter, enough to melt tires. Save DV for spring or early winter, but always keep checking the weather updates. Winter rains now come less often but heavier, and flooding can be dangerous.

Sounds like a great trip. When we did our similar Seattle/Alaska cruise, we stayed at a downtown hotel that stored our car during the duration. There's a number of hotels that do this and it made things MUCH easier.

 

[Lvus101]

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.

Sounds like a good idea to get on the road. We retired in 2014 and hit the road in April 2015. We travel in a Motorcoach and leave each year around April and don't return to our home until right around Thanksgiving each year. We also do a month plus in Arizona every January February. Go get busy and enjoy this beautiful country America!!! Best of health and safety to you all.

 

[Abominable Manor]

I may have missed it, but did anyone mention Devil's Tower? That might be a bit out of your travel route though....maybe on the return trip you could go across the Dakotas and also ride through the badlands?

I agree, Devil's Tower is not that far off of 90. Since the OP has been to Mt. Rushmore five times, he may know this, but for others who may not, Rapid City also offers a jumping off spot for Sturgis, Deadwood, the Crazy Horse Monument, and Wind Cave National Park. And as you say, the Badlands are only a couple of hours East of it, so maybe on the way out.

Also, not for everyone, but central Washington state has some remarkable geologic formations known as the Scablands. When the last Ice Age ended, an ice dam near Clark Fork MT gave way and carved out the coulees and much of the Columbia River gorge downstream. Only happened about 15,000 years ago and humans were probably caught up in it.

 

[TheWizard]

Sounds like a good idea to get on the road. We retired in 2014 and hit the road in April 2015. We travel in a Motorcoach and leave each year around April and don't return to our home until right around Thanksgiving each year. We also do a month plus in Arizona every January February. Go get busy and enjoy this beautiful country America!!! Best of health and safety to you all.

A motorcoach, neato!

 

[Sunset]

Bryce Canyon is great with lookouts and easy to less easy walking trails.
Grand Canyon has a bunch of lookouts and some not easy trails due to the vertical change.

 

[krshoes]

A stop in New Mexico on your way to Vegas is well worth your time. Santa Fe and/or Albuquerque are beautiful, with great food, hiking and the arts. And, the weather is nearly always perfect. Enjoy!

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

A stop in New Mexico on your way to Vegas is well worth your time. Santa Fe and/or Albuquerque are beautiful, with great food, hiking and the arts. And, the weather is nearly always perfect. Enjoy!

Part of the reason I am making NM in the path of my trip is for the food (and it's between here and AZ but mostly the food). Red or Green? Yes, please!

 

[VanWinkle]

We spent so much time driving in and out of the park at Yosemite when we stayed in a motel. When we went to Yellowstone and the grand Tetons, we had bought a used motorhome and we stayed inside the park. I would definitely vote for you guys staying in lodging inside the park because it’s a big park and going in and out wastes a huge amount of time.

Yep, all our reserved nights are in the park.

 

[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.

Update: Booked in Yellowstone the nights of 8/10-13.