Planning our 2017 USA Roadtrip

Stormbringer

Last year's trip was so successful that we're doing it again this year, with an altered route. We start and end in Seattle, the current plan being to head east along the I-90 aiming for Gardiner. We're there for a week to experience Yellowstone (only covered 20% of it last year), then out down through Idaho Falls. From there we aim to hit Portland, up through Olympia National Park, back to Seattle and home.

As with last year, given that rough route, are there any must-see places? We already have noted Glacier and Craters of the Moon parks. Any advice is good. Thanks in advance.

tz666

That sounds like a great trip, we just booked Bluewater RV in Key West from May 19-June 7. I cant wait, the check for the deposit hasnt even cleared and I got some stuff already loaded in the camper. Its 1100+ miles from the house to mile marker 14, nothing like a family road trip. 

PlanSB

Crater Lake is a pretty cool national park that you could maybe hit on your way up to Portland.  Everywhere on Olympic peninsula is awesome, the old growth rain forests are my favorite though.  Enjoy, sounds like an awesome road trip!

DoubleEgger

Might want to head over to Vancouver 

Foghorn

tz666 said:

That sounds like a great trip, we just booked Bluewater RV in Key West from May 19-June 7. I cant wait, the check for the deposit hasnt even cleared and I got some stuff already loaded in the camper. Its 1100+ miles from the house to mile marker 14, nothing like a family road trip. 

I'm no help for the OP, but @tx666, if you like diving or snorkeling, take a trip out to Looe Key.  It's an underwater marine sanctuary 7 miles south of Ramrod Key (or so).  There are a couple of dive/snorkel operators around mile marker 28-30 that go out there.  It's the best snorkeling in the keys.  It's 30 feet at its deepest and I've seen bonnethead sharks, bull sharks, spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks, and a whole bunch of other stuff that is rarely seen in water that shallow.

Then after the snorkel trip head a few miles more toward Miami and find the No Name Bar and Grill - it's not on US1 so you'll need directions.  It will be a great day.

YukonRon

Beautiful trip. You have many of the most spectacular places I have ever seen in my life on your agenda.
This may be too far south of your plan....
I don't know about towing limitations, and for some of the offering I am about to suggest, you may wish to consider whether or not it is worth it due to width of roads, drop offs, hairpin turns (while gaining or losing chunks of elevation); Yosemite via Stanislaus National Forest. Although crowded during much of the season, with the rain they are gettng this year, the falls and rivers of Yosemite will be spectacular. Take the route through Stanislaus National Forest to get there. It is a beautiful drive, but it is not without challenge, for the reasons I had mentioned above. Most people will use other routes to get there, for that very reason.  Do the valley in Yosimite then go Alpine. It is beautiful at the top. 
It was the location of My Beautiful Wife's first climb and summit. She is now so hooked, as there is nothing like seeing the Milkyway at the top of Yosemite, at least on that day, for her.
I envy your travel, you may have already hit Yosemite, if not, that hole in the ground is worth seeing before you kick. I love the North West.

Just one more in the very northern part of California, is Volcanoes. It is worth the stop if you go that far south. 

Skiddymarker

Craters of the Moon National Monument is on the loop up from Idaho Falls as is Reactor #1, interesting if you are into that kind of thing. Great Saloon in Virginia City Montana, and Big Sky brewery in Missoula. Our kids liked the Montana State Penitentiary, I liked the car collection next door. 
As noted by others Crater Lake is a stop on every trip thru southern Oregon. 

Hntnhrd

Get off 90 and head south on 93 down thru the bitterroot valley. Go up over the pass into the bighole valley possible stop at the Jackson hot spring. Down to Dillon over to Ennis Virginia city Nevada city and then to west Yellowstone. Even if just for the scenery 

Mickey

At Yellowstone you sure need to drop down an do the Grand Tetons as well. 

Stormbringer

Thanks for the advice so far.

@PlanSB crater lake is now on the candidate list.

@DoubleEgger we plan on doing a Canadian expedition next year, starting at Vancouver and ending in Montreal .

@YukonRon thanks, that's a little too far south for us, and adding another week onto the holiday isn't an option. We've been to Yosemite in the past though, and it is lovely. This year we aim to see the Milky Way reflected in some of the larger hot springs in Yellowstone.

@Skiddymarker we did the Craters park last year, great spot. What is Reactor #1?

@Hntnhrd excellent suggestion, we were looking for a diversion off the 90 and that's spot on.

@Mickey the Tetons are on the plan. They were last year ... but the Berry fire snaffooed our plans. We drove through the Tetons the day that the park re-opened after the fire, it was hauntingly beautiful in a devastated kind of way.

Stormbringer

Anyone know if the area around Coeur d'Alene ID is good? Anything worth stopping for?

DoubleEgger

Stormbringer said:

Anyone know if the area around Coeur d'Alene ID is good? Anything worth stopping for?

There's an island hole on a golf course that moves to change the yardage. That's all I know about that place. 

HeavyG

If you are doing your trip in late August you should definitely consider including seeing the total solar eclipse on August 21 as the path is in some of the areas you are hitting.

fishlessman

i never look up, im always looking down into the water.  this place i looked up    Frenchys in wolf creek montana. there were holes in the walls big enough for the cats to chase mice thru, bats crawling around over the bed   those bushes smell like a litter box, what kind of bushes are those   dad sat on a picnic table bench, the whole thing rolled over on him, would have been funny but he broke his leg in three places   actually it was funny, cant miss this place, even if its been closed down the experience will be the same

Foghorn

fishlessman said:

i never look up, im always looking down into the water.  this place i looked up    Frenchys in wolf creek montana. there were holes in the walls big enough for the cats to chase mice thru, bats crawling around over the bed   those bushes smell like a litter box, what kind of bushes are those   dad sat on a picnic table bench, the whole thing rolled over on him, would have been funny but he broke his leg in three places   actually it was funny, cant miss this place, even if its been closed down the experience will be the same

That's going to be hard for them to resist.  I think it's sister hotel is in Anchorage under a different name.  If you're ever looking for another experience like this let me know...

fishlessman

Foghorn said:

fishlessman said:

i never look up, im always looking down into the water.  this place i looked up    Frenchys in wolf creek montana. there were holes in the walls big enough for the cats to chase mice thru, bats crawling around over the bed   those bushes smell like a litter box, what kind of bushes are those   dad sat on a picnic table bench, the whole thing rolled over on him, would have been funny but he broke his leg in three places   actually it was funny, cant miss this place, even if its been closed down the experience will be the same

That's going to be hard for them to resist.  I think it's sister hotel is in Anchorage under a different name.  If you're ever looking for another experience like this let me know...

anyone that can stay the night in this place has bragging rights and my standards are very low

Skiddymarker

Idaho is the power source for the US Navy, nuclear power that is, according to the signs. Seemed like along way from the ocean, but then the science was new when the development occurred. Breeder Reactor #1 is open to the public, tours or self guided if you want, first use of nuclear for domestic electricity. It is a ways out, built to minimize a miscalculation I assume. Well worth the side trip, close to Arco.
EDIT - Craters was amazing, specially the caves with ice in them when the ambient temp was triple digits, maybe we should make coolers out of volcanic rock. 

Stormbringer

@Skiddymarker ah, I know what that is. We drove past that last year on the way from Stanley to Craters of the Moon, just SE of Butte if I remember. I wondered what it was.

@HeavyG it's June unfortunately. When we were in Stanley last year, the hotel owner said that as the eclipse is passing literally over Stanley, the entire place had been booked up for two years by astronomers. Nice job if you can get it .

@fishlessman err ... no. Just no.

CTMike

I will second Crater Lake if you've never been. My folks had a place about 50 miles away in Eagle Point, OR. Amazing. 

Here is a photo from a trip a few years back, the snow on the sides of the road was about 12' deep.