Planning a 3 to 4 week trip

[Homebrewer25]

My wife and I are beginning to plan a 3-4 week trip to the Northwest part of the US beginning in May or June of 2020. This will be our first trip that is more than 3 or 4 days.

I'll be 70, my wife 66 ... we are both in pretty good health but by no means are we athletic, so we won't be taking on any strenuous hiking or climbing. Maybe a bit of easy hiking, or kayaking in easy water, but mostly general sight-seeing. We will also most likely have 2 dogs with us.

We'll plan on getting to our starting point quickly. I plan on driving around 500 miles per day to get there (and to get home from Durango), but will slow down during the NW loop.

Our basic route (just the NW Loop) will be:
South Dakota (Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Black Hills) 2-3 days
Wyoming (Teton, Yellowstone) 3-4 days
Montana (Glacier NP) 1-2 days
Washington (Mt Ranier) 1-2 days
Oregon (Quincy, Bend) 2-3 days visiting friends
Utah (Canyonlands NP) 3-4 days
SW Colorado (Telluride, Durango) 3-4 days

Roughly 3200 miles not counting to/from E Tenn to starting/ending points.

So what am I missing out on?
Are there any places along our route that we absolutely should not miss?
Any really cool museums?
We'll mostly just be driving thru northern Idaho, western Washington, western Oregon, Southern Idaho, northern Utah? Are there any reasons to take a longer look in these areas?

How would you go about planning?
Are there any specific websites that make planning a trip like this easier?
Would you try to plan each stop, selecting specific campgrounds (making reservations if possible), or would you just wing it?
We'll probably prefer NP campgrounds.
How do you find campgrounds that are teardrop friendly?
We will be able to boondock.

So many questions ... Thanks in advance for your ideas.

[Ottsville]

Well, Wall Drug is a cheesy tourist trap near Badlands. There's a Campground within walking distance. You can get your $0.05 coffee in the morning and free bumper sticker. Also in that area is Minuteman National Monument. You can go down into a control unit for Minuteman missiles. I do believe you need reservations for that. If you go to Rushmore, make sure you go to the lighting ceremony at night. Is very beautiful and they usually have veterans come up to lower the flag.

Between there and Yellowstone is Devil's Tower which is worth the detour and Thermopolis which is a state park I believe that has Hot Springs. You could spend weeks in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. They're gorgeous.

If you're doing Canyonlands National Park, there's plenty of boondocking around Moab look for dead horse Point State Park or BLM land. Also check out Arches National Park. It's amazing but get out of the car and do some walking there. Goblin Valley State Park is a little west of Moab nice Campground there and beautiful night sky.

[Cosmo]

You might consider looking at https://freecampsites.net/

There is a route planner there which will show you campgrounds and free boondocking sights depending on how you set up the filters.
Of course free camping is first come first serve so have some backup plans.

I take a car GPS, hand held GPS for hiking and I download the google maps app (on my phone) and download the area maps where I will be. With downloaded maps the phone an operate without a phone signal. I would play with the phone in airplane mode once the maps are downloaded to get used to it.

I also take a paper map of the USA and Canada.

I buy guidebooks for the states I am visiting and am always pleasantly surprised with the amount of stuff I would have missed if I did not have the book. If you want to maximize seeing stuff the book is key (for me). The top spots are a mob scene while just down the road is some less known spectacular sites.
VERY useful if you need to change plans and still want to maximize the trip. Has saved many a trip for me. If there is a fire or road out you will still have many sights to see.

=Cosmo

[Karen Clancy]

Make sure you make your reservations at least 6 - 8 months in advance at the national Parks , Also there is a APP thats very good for when traveling it"s called ALLSTAYS ,

[KennethW]

The same thing I like ROAD TRIP!!

[friz]

Make sure you make your reservations at least 6 - 8 months in advance at the national Parks , Also there is a APP thats very good for when traveling it"s called ALLSTAYS ,

I have never worked for anyone that would let me request vacation that far out. My solution has always been to get on the reservation sites starting a week or so in advance and waiting for people to start dropping reservations. Has worked so far. I am hoping my current employer will be better about letting me have some time off. Vacations for me have been "long weekends" for the past 20 years or so.

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[KennethW]

Mount St Helens and Olympic National park could be more stops. For a change maybe the Boeing plant. As for planing each stop I don't. I like to be able to stay longer at a spot I like and move on if I don't. I do end up sleeping at a lot of Walmart's But does it really make a different if you are just sleeping and moving on at day break.

[gudmund]

I second the Boeing Plant visit in Everett, Wash (put in 6 years of my life there and it is a 'much bigger' assembly plant now than when I was working there) - If going to Mt.Rainier, make sure you visit Sunrise on the east side of the mountain (most just go to Paradise to see the mountain). When leaving Washington, after seeing what there is to see, head north from the Everett/Boeing Plant and take Hy 20 heading east for your exit out of Washington and you will be adding another National Park to your visit list, this will take you though the North Cascades National Park(No Cost) nice scenic drive. Hope you already had bought your Senior National Park Lifetime Pass before the $$ increase last Oct.(was $10 now $80. I myself am planning on coming your way this next year - 2019 - with a drive going east from here, last time I did it was in 1983 at a bit younger age of 29- (when layed off from work at Boeing's) on a bicycle (3091 miles-42days ) 64 now - no more cycling, just the teardrop. take care and good luck T.Hoefer

[Tom&Shelly]

In Durango there is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. You can take a steam train from Durango in the morning, spend a few hours in Silverton and go back. They have a good railroad museum in Durango. There is also a local history museum in Durango which is okay to kill an hour or so and learn the history of the town.

There is a good mining museum in Silverton. There is also a mine tour (different place, but also in Silverton). The "Million Dollar Highway" connects Silverton and Durango and can be a bit of a thrill (runs along the side of the mountains); the best part is actually North of Silverton (away from Durango) to Ouray.

When in that area, Shelly and I like to camp at Molas Lake, an RV and tent camping site just South of Silverton on the Million Dollar Highway. One thing about that, though, is that it is above 10,000 feet and so the rain (thunderstorms in July) can be downright cold, and it takes longer to cook things (water boils at lower temperatures).

A little Southwest of Durango is Mesa Verde National Park, featuring Indian ruins. The campsite in the park was a little spendy for us, so we stayed at a nice National Forest campsite, just North of Doloras. Doloras has a little railroad museum which features the "Galloping Goose (no. 5)" a gasoline powered railroad bus. Mesa Verde (much lower elevation than Silverton, and a bit lower than Durango) gets hot in the Summer, so we planned our trip there for May. Many indian sites around that area. A little research on the internet will reveal them.

We discovered most of these places by researching on the internet months before those trips, which is what we do for all of our trips. (I suggest simply Googling on anything above that may interest you.) Often the way I entertain myself during lunch hours on otherwise dull days at work. Once we have our teardrop built, we plan to take longish trips similar to yours, and we are starting now contemplating where we will stop and what we will do.

Hope that helps!

Tom

[Ottsville]

Roadtrippers.com allows you to put in a route and will ahow you places of interest along your route. You can set how far off the route for it to show you poi's.

[swoody126]

In Durango there is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. ...

There is a good mining museum in Silverton. There is also a mine tour (different place, but also in Silverton). The "Million Dollar Highway" ... the best part is actually North of Silverton (away from Durango) to Ouray.

...

A little Southwest of Durango is Mesa Verde National Park, ... Doloras has a little railroad museum which features the "Galloping Goose (no. 5)" a gasoline powered railroad bus. ...
...

Tom

Tom&Shelly hit some of my favorites

US 550 runs north n south thru the region providing some spectacular scenery

the small town of Ridgeway is where several scenes from John Wayne's movie True Grit were fimed and the True Grit cafe has enclosed the wall behind where he was 1st seen in the movie

the park in front of the cafe is where the hanging took place

heading south on 550 you come to Ouray where you can swim in the natural hot springs heated pool

http://ourayhotsprings.com

there is a silver mine tour in Ouray where you ride mine cars deep into the mountain

the mine tour also offers a great breakfast al fresco

heading on south up n over Red Mtn Pass you travel along the $1m hwy which is breath taking(pay extreme attention to speed limits/recommendations)

once in Silverton lunch @ Handlebars is a good experience

http://www.handlebarssilverton.com

lotsa history in Silverton as Tom said

if you can spare the time drive out the east end of town up the Animas River toward Animas Forks as far as you care to where you will see the remains of several very impressive mining operations

south of Silverton on to Durango on 550 is a beautiful drive

once in Durango we have stayed in the United CG on the north end of town which has nice facilities and the narrow guage RxR runs right thru it

http://www.unitedcampgrounddurango.com

bite the bullet and RIDE THE TRAIN for a day's entertainment(ride in the cattle car and ride both ways to see both sides of the tracks) take rain wear and good sunglasses/eye protection for the flying cinders

http://www.durangotrain.com

while in Durango eat breakfast @ the DURANGO DINER on Main St

my bride n i share THE KITCHEN SINK OMELETTE w/ the green chili on the side and have never been able to finish all of it

& we always bring a few jars of the Green Chili Sauce home w/ us

http://www.durangodiner.com

Mesa Verde really is worth the trip

when going to Telluride you can park free in Mtn Village on hwy 145 on the west side of the mtn and ride the ski lift/gondola over the mtn for free REALLY FUN RIDE

south of Telluride just off 145 on 63L you can find the first AC power generation plant west of the Bug Muddy in Ames

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Hydr ... ting_Plant

your quest is admirable and i wish you safe travels

sw

[rkanz]

You may not find camps in NP’s without reservations. We were just in Glacier and made the reservations well in advance. We stayed at Fish Creek. Loops A and B have access to showers.

I like the Allstays app. It makes finding campgrounds easy and has links to photos and websites. I like to have reservations, I don’t want to hunt for a camp after a long day of driving. Tumalo Falls in Bend is a nice place, but you will need a reservation.


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[dmb90260]

If your trip is on many Interstate highways I recommend "The Next Exit" ( assuming is it still in print.)
When used it, it had a list of all ammenities and businesses at all the exits on Interstate Highways.
It does not cover State Highways, ala Highway 1 along the West coast, but very handy if you need to see if there is a Walmart to park in overnight or get gas.

[working on it]

Warning: a very long post follows, with ramblings by an old guy

• Since your're going to SW Colorado, other sites you might visit are there, and if you haven't been to the Grand Canyon, a side trip gets you there. I had a week of vacation left, back in the day, and I squeezed in a short-duration trip into it, at low cost, and lots of adventure (at least to a usually stuck at work person like I always was).
• I made a 7-day trip with a friend back in the first week of August 1977; I think that's the year, but my memories from 40 years ago are starting to get muddled, and every one of the 700+ photos I took with my borrowed (from a brother) Mamiya 35mm camera was thrown away by my ex, so I only have my memories. That friend also passed 20 years ago, so no shared memories there, either.
• Day 1) we started out on a Monday, from Dallas, with $400+ (I took charge of all the cash, half his/half mine, since my friend Al was scatter-brained and I knew he would lose it), a full tank of gas in my '73 Volvo 142, and drove to Gallup, N.M. 850 miles from Al's home. I went via mostly secondary roads thru two small towns in the sub-Pandhandle plains region, where I had visited relatives in '58, that I just wanted to see again (the towns, not the relatives). Still, I made good time, reaching Gallup in 11 hours.
• Day 2) we spent about half a day in the Petrified Forest N.P., followed by an hour or so at the Meteor Crater National Landmark. We were the only ones there, and got a special tour. Then we headed into Flagstaff, where the cooler temperatures were much appreciated. Drove around, looking the town over, I thought it might be a good place to live, so I grabbed a paper and looked for jobs, after we checked into a motel. I wasn't really wanting to move, but at that time, I was supporting a younger brother (that became a life-long burden I never shook off), and was looking for an escape. No luck, but Flagstaff was on my mind for many years, afterwards.
• Day 3) Grand Canyon, where we went from rim to river and back in 12 hours. Very cool at the rim, very hot at the river. Though we were both inexperienced hikers, we were both 26, and I was running 5-10 miles everyday for three years, just to keep fit, and Al was at 1-2 miles a day. Thought we would never reach the top, though we were encouraged by a couple of other hikers we were following. We both carried canteens, but when we reached my car afterwards, the Coors in the trunk cooler was the best thing I ever drank! After a coupla hours resting, I drove up to Kayenta where we checked into a motel, at 2 am, because I couldn't drive any further (Al was asleep).
• Day 4) slept 'til noon, worn out from the previous day. Then drove to the Four Corners Monument, then to Cortez , Co. to rest up for
• Day 5) Mesa Verde N.P. We toured the ruins, taking lots of pictures (probably two rolls of film), and spent the morning there. We then enjoyed touring thru Durango (now added to my favorite towns list), Silverton , and Ouray, before stopping for the night at Montrose.
• Day 6) Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P. where I nearly fell in, going too near the edge wearing smooth-leather-soled, brand new, cowboy boots (I had busted a lace on my hiking boots, after the Grand Canyon hike), and slipping on a rock. After we resumed traveling, along highway 50, past the Blue Mesa Reservoir (huge, compared to most of our lakes in N.Texas, and more scenic), reaching the top of Monarch Pass just after it started snowing! Coming from Dallas in August, where 100+ degrees is the norm, encountering snow blew me away. We paused long enough to have a mini-snowball fight, and take pictures of course, before a cop (highway patrol?) advised us to go before we encountered driving problems. So, we drove onward to reach the Royal Gorge Bridge, where we spent a coupla hours (lots more pics), before driving to Colorado Springs, for the night.
• Day 7) drove up to the top of Pike's Peak, a real treat for flatlanders. On the way up, I saw cars having carburetion problems (I guess) struggling up the mountain, and a huge RV being towed down the mountain. My fuel-injected Volvo had no problem (freshly tuned at a dealership...the temperamental Bosch fuel injection was new to me then), even though it was a four-cylinder (and fast,too, with me often running 80 mph on the trip); on the way down, as other cars were being made to stop awhile while their brakes cooled, my Volvo (with 4-wheel disc brakes) was allowed to proceed. At the top, I felt the lack of oxygen a bit, but my friend Al became light-headed (even more so than usual!), so when we had a beer shortly thereafter, he really showed the effects.
• Since I had to be back at work on the next morning, I made the drive from the top of Pike's Peak, starting around 2 pm. I dropped Al off at his home in Oak Cliff shortly after 2am (about 750+ miles) and drove back to my apartment in central Dallas by 2:30am. Then to work at 6.
• Fun trip, best vacation I ever had, spent $450 total, $250 of which was mine (I had carried a $400 reserve I didn't tell Al about, and never asked him for the extra $25 he owed, since he was un-employed at the time). I have no idea what it would cost to travel the same route, visit the same places, and stay/eat/drink (not beer anymore, but tea for me) the same now as then, but, I would like to re-trace that trip, either alone, or with wife, or friends, along...and using my TTT squareback trailer at campsites instead of staying at Red Roof or Great Western motels (that I always used, back then). I'm sure I'd spend at least quadruple the money, double or triple the time (not in a hurry now), and take even more pictures.
• Does it sound like fun to you?

[Homebrewer25]

Wow ... you guys have come thru with some great info. Roadtrippers.com is a really great site.

We lived in the Denver area for 7 years when we were in our 20s and spent a lot of time in the mountains in most of the state except the Southwest.

Other places in the west we have already been are the Grand Canyon (twice for Jeanne, 3 times for me), Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Big Sur, Monterey Peninsula, Muir Woods, and Yosemite.

We'll probably spend most of our time in Yellowstone, Glacier, and SE Utah/SW Colorado.
Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, and Durango are definitely on the list.

While out west we need to visit an old friend in Oregon, which is why Washington and Oregon are in the loop. I figured while heading thru we would stop at Mt Ranier, and maybe Mt Hood.

What about Idaho? I know there are several members here from Idaho ... I hope they respond. We'll be going thru the Couer d'Alene area on the way to Oregon, then back thru the Twin Falls area on the way to southern Utah. Thinking maybe Craters of the Moon ... is it worth stopping?

Total trip length is going to be 6500-7000 miles, around 100 hours of driving time.

Thanks again, and keep the ideas coming