Road trip suggestions

[Huntinmechanic]

I need some suggestions for a road trip we're planning next summer. Tentative plan is to leave home, Northern CA, head through NV, ID, MT, WY, CO UT and back through NV to CA. Our ultimate destination is West Yellowstone from 6/14-6/21 to celebrate my in-laws 50th anniversary. They met each other working at Yellowstone while in college. I have an idea of a few places to take the family. A couple ideas that I have are Craters of the Moon, RMNP, Black Canyon, Ouray/Silverton, Grand Staircase, Zion and Great Basin. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what we're looking for. Anything else along that general route that would be worth taking a day to see? Thanks for any and all advice!

Another option is a northern Rockies loop back through MT, ID, WA and OR. I would love to see Glacier again.

 

[displacedtexan]

If Glacier is an option, always Glacier.

I think the Battle of The Little Bighorn site is incredible to see.

I love Black Canyon.

If it's their 50th I'm guessing they aren't doing serious hiking... Grand Teton, the Elk Refuge, and Jackson.

 

[Ken Swenson]

If you end up driving from Salt Lake to Jackson or vice versa, I’d highly recommend Salt Lake > Kamas > Evanston > Star Valley > Jackson. Much more scenic route and only adds a few minutes going this way.

 

[jimh406]

How many miles do you want to drive in a day/how many days is the trip? It's quite a ways from Yellowstone to Glacier.

 

[Huntinmechanic]

Thanks for the suggestions. Glacier wouldn't be a day trip. I'm planning for few extra days on both ends of the main trip to West Yellowstone, so around 17 days total. I haven't been to Glacier since the late 80's. I would love to see it again. My kids have never been to Glacier or many of the other places I've listed.

Ken, that route is a very scenic drive. One of the routes I like is through Montpelier, ID then up 89 to 191 through the park to West Yellowstone

 

[jimh406]

Just some thoughts, my grandkids love the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. They have both Grizzlies and Wolves. There is also a Imax theatre in town. The Buffalo Bar has some nice mounts in the cafe and good food. Wild West Pizza is also pretty good food with good pizzas and Mac&Cheese.

You can do horseback riding in West Yellowstone area as well. Could be a fun day activity. If you fish, there is a lot of great trout fishing nearby. There are also pretty good hot springs around. Yellowstone is a circle for the most part. You can see geysers and wildlife on the same day.

The Tetons aren't very far from West Yellowstone. You could do a day trip through Yellowstone and Tetons, drop by Jackson, and return back to West Yellowstone. It's a drive, so maybe you spend the night along the way.

Keep in mind that there are long stretches without fuel. There could be snow since Yellowstone is 7000-8000 ft.

 

[Wolverine]

I need some suggestions for a road trip we're planning next summer. Tentative plan is to leave home, Northern CA, head through NV, ID, MT, WY, CO UT and back through NV to CA. Our ultimate destination is West Yellowstone from 6/14-6/21 to celebrate my in-laws 50th anniversary. They met each other working at Yellowstone while in college. I have an idea of a few places to take the family. A couple ideas that I have are Craters of the Moon, RMNP, Black Canyon, Ouray/Silverton, Grand Staircase, Zion and Great Basin. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what we're looking for. Anything else along that general route that would be worth taking a day to see? Thanks for any and all advice!

Another option is a northern Rockies loop back through MT, ID, WA and OR. I would love to see Glacier again.

That's a wide spread between thoughts of locations LOL. Same problem I have when heading on a road trip.

I like Great Basin. It's quiet and has less people than most of the other parks. It's a ways from everything so its a commitment to get to and from there.

Zion is incredible but comes with a ridiculous amount of people. Bryce canyon isn't far away from there. Then you could hit Capitol reef, Canyonlands and Arches national parks on your way through Utah heading northeast towards Wyoming. All of those parks are great for hiking or just driving and seeing the sights from the car or viewpoints.

I would check into the opening dates for some of the roads in RMNP and Glacier as some of them are high elevation and may not open until July depending on the snow year.

 

[Axlrod]

The two places that are worth the trek are:

Ross Creek giant Cedars- it's in NW MT between Troy and Noxon. Not on the way to or from anywhere, but if you are in the nationhood.

The Beartooth Highway- between Red lodge and Cooke City.

 

[EdP]

I've seen some pretty cool places in the past few years. Badlands in SD, Zion, Bryce canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Rushmore, Chimney Rock, Devils Tower, Pompeys Pillar, Scott's Bluff, Hoover Dam, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Gettysburg, Fort Ti, Niagara Falls, Fort Niagara. I've got to say they were all pretty cool, but when I first visited the Grand Canyon I was so stunned I had tears running down my face and I couldn't speak.

 

[DSchliep]

Beartooth Pass is a pretty cool ride Red Lodge, Mt. To N.E. entrance to Yellowstone.

 

[Westernduck]

The only suggestion I have is to be realistic about what you have time to see. If you go to too many you don’t have time to really enjoy them.

 

[Phaseolus]

Since you are going to be up North in Wyoming I will suggest seeing The National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois if you are at all interested in tanks and other cool military vehicles.

 

[rookieforever33]

I have traveled through so many places too quickly as I always wanted to see more. Now I am more concerned with "exploring" a place rather than "seeing" it. Whatever you choose I hope you enjoy safe travels

 

[Huntinmechanic]

That's a wide spread between thoughts of locations LOL. Same problem I have when heading on a road trip.

I like Great Basin. It's quiet and has less people than most of the other parks. It's a ways from everything so its a commitment to get to and from there.

Zion is incredible but comes with a ridiculous amount of people. Bryce canyon isn't far away from there. Then you could hit Capitol reef, Canyonlands and Arches national parks on your way through Utah heading northeast towards Wyoming. All of those parks are great for hiking or just driving and seeing the sights from the car or viewpoints.

I would check into the opening dates for some of the roads in RMNP and Glacier as some of them are high elevation and may not open until July depending on the snow year.

I usually get ahead of myself while planning trips, but eventually pull the reins back when I get closer to leaving. I'll make sure to keep an eye on snowfall and park opening dates once we're into mid May. I love the Great Basin. There are countless places to get lost and away from everything. And the amount of wildlife throughout eastern NV and western UT is pretty amazing.

I've seen some pretty cool places in the past few years. Badlands in SD, Zion, Bryce canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Rushmore, Chimney Rock, Devils Tower, Pompeys Pillar, Scott's Bluff, Hoover Dam, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Gettysburg, Fort Ti, Niagara Falls, Fort Niagara. I've got to say they were all pretty cool, but when I first visited the Grand Canyon I was so stunned I had tears running down my face and I couldn't speak.

The Grand Canyon is an amazing place and it's definitely on our list! I worked in Page, AZ quite a bit 15-20 years ago. The Grand Canyon was a common trip for me. I haven't seen it all and I would love to do a float down the Colorado at some point in my life.

I have traveled through so many places too quickly as I always wanted to see more. Now I am more concerned with "exploring" a place rather than "seeing" it. Whatever you choose I hope you enjoy safe travels

That's great advice. As a young man and dad, I/we've seen many great places. We're all about exploring now. My wife and kids love it. Places that we've camped at a hundred times, we still explore and usually find cool places off the beaten path and away from the crowds... that's been tough since the pandemic though.