Hey everybody. I've got a thread over on expo, but thought I would post up here as well for more ideas. My wife, 2 year old son, 3.5 year old daughter and I are planning a 3-4 week overland trip coming up in a couple of weeks. We will be leaving from Graford, TX and heading to the PacNW. We are planning on the first day making as many miles as we can. Don't want to push too hard with the 2 babies in the truck. We will be making it somewhere in NM. Then we will be slowing down a little, and trying to enjoy the drive. We don't have a definite route mapped out yet. I am leaning towards CO, WY, MT, ID and then into WA for the overland rally on July 27-29, and then to the beach (cannon beach) August 4-6. We are looking for route suggestions with camping along the way. We have 8 days to get to OR (.if we get hung up enjoying ourselves and miss the rally it won't be the end of the world). From there we are going to hot the Oregon backcountry discovery route 3 down into NorCal. We want to hit redwood forest and the lost coast for sure. Then we will start heading back east toward home. Haven't established a route for that either. Looking for suggestions on places to stop, things to see, fun stuff for kids, good camping and of course as much off road driving as possible! We don't HAVE to be home until the end of August.
Help with trip planning (WA, OR, CA)
- Thread starter TexasD90
- Start date
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Sounds like a great trip you are working on! With your plans to head north from NM through CO, swing west off of I-25 to the Sand Dunes NP and check those out. You can take a great 4x4 trail out of the park to Medano Pass. The best camp spots are toward the top of the pass. Check to make sure it's open before your trip starts. Then swing up to the Royal Gorge, there's some things both you and your kids will like there. Loop back to I-25 north to WY, and hit the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. I will let others take you to WA from there as to the best sites to see.
From CA if you swing through UT, you can't go wrong with Zion NP and Arches NP in Moab.
From CA if you swing through UT, you can't go wrong with Zion NP and Arches NP in Moab.
Hi All:
Where in Washington State is this overland rally being held?
Regards,
Alan
Where in Washington State is this overland rally being held?
Regards,
Alan
If you want to see some of what I consider to be some of the most jaw dropping gorgeous parts of Idaho, take Hwy 75/93 north from Twin Falls through Sun Valley, Sawtooth ranges, Stanley, Salmon crossing into Montana, then I90 from Missoula through Coeur d'Alene, Spokane WA, west towards Leavenworth WA. If time permits, take Hwy 2 west from Spokane, then 174 up to Electric City / Grand Coulee Dam, then back down 155 along Banks Lake, through Coulee City and continue west on Hwy2 towards Leavenworth through Waterville, Wenatchee etc. I have done 3 trips into this area in the last couple of years and just can't get enough.
I have pic albums, pm me if you want links
I have pic albums, pm me if you want links
A big X2 on that! I have taken this drive as well many times (we used to own a camp ground in salmon). If you hit coeur de lane then you must stop at Hudsons hamburgers this is a must.70sguy said:
Driving though Utah you have to hit St George and moab, but also cedar city. The wheeling and camping just outside the city is phenomenal.
In Oregon- anything outside bend is very beautiful country. If you can make it to the coast then drive down the 1 hitting seaside, Lincoln city, Newport, Astoria. Can't go wrong with that area.
In CA- how much do you plan to go into cali? The redwoods are stunning! If you get far enough in I suggest hitting buck lake. Its north of lake Oroville and is breath taking. If you make it into the bay area, let me know. You guys can stop by, do some laundry, take a shower, spend the night. My daughters room would be perfect for the little ones.
Anyways good luck and be safe.
Hi,
If you take the advice of BJTLC100: You can then go due north from Salida, CO and make your way towards Jackson, WY many ways. The kids would love the historic train ride in Leadviile, CO too. Rent the caboose for the first leg of the trip and ride the regular cars the way back down. The train "backs up" up the mountain and then drives back down. If you rent the caboose you get a conductor personally narrating the history and the kids can play and climb around in the caboose. You could then angle for Dinosaur National Monument in NW Colorado and over to Flaming Gorge National Recreation area in SW Wyoming. That's just fluff mostly.
Ultimately, I don't know of anything better or more amazing in the U.S. than the triple combo of Teton Naional Park, followed by Yellowstone National Park, followed by the Beartooth Highway. Hwy 212 runs out the NE gate of YNP through Silvergate and Cooke City. Hwy 212, the Beartooth Highway, is considered the #1 most scenic byway in the U.S. There isn't much like it. At least take it to Beartooth Pass if not a little beyond it. Then double back and exit through YNP at either Gardner or West Yellowstone, depending on your plans. I could easily add info after this, but want to focus on this specific idea for your trip. You could camp in Cooke City or anywhere along the Beartooth Highway. While in Cooke City you could go up Lulu Pass or Daisy Pass. Absolutely worth it by any standard. Depending on your rig, you could camp down at Lake Abundance which is on the other side of both Lulu and Daisy passes. The way down is the fun wheeling but the views are unreal. Both these passes are dirt roads which lead into the deepest backcountry spot accessible by vehicle in this part of the country to my knowledge. We went back there last summer with my 3 and 6 year old girls and they loved it.
Some things to throw in there are Virginia City, MT, Lemhi Pass (dirt) or Skalkaho Pass (dirt) both of which will lead you up to the Bitterroot Valley just south of Missoula, MT. I'd suggest Hwy 12 from Lolo MT over to Lewiston, ID or, better yet, take the Magruder Corridor (100+ miles of dirt road) from Darby, MT to Elk City, ID and onward to Lewiston, ID. You can take hwy or add another 50 miles of dirt and go north to Lowell, intercepting Hwy 12. That's all serious stuff, remote, etc... Or, if you have the time, of course you should work your way up to Glacier National Park after the "big 3". I could offer at least 1/2 dozen options for that, all of which would keep you off the interstate. From Glacier NP you could navigate across to Leavenworth staying north of I-90.
Hope you have a fun and safe trip. Please feel free to tap me for more info or details on this "area" as I know it pretty well.
If you take the advice of BJTLC100: You can then go due north from Salida, CO and make your way towards Jackson, WY many ways. The kids would love the historic train ride in Leadviile, CO too. Rent the caboose for the first leg of the trip and ride the regular cars the way back down. The train "backs up" up the mountain and then drives back down. If you rent the caboose you get a conductor personally narrating the history and the kids can play and climb around in the caboose. You could then angle for Dinosaur National Monument in NW Colorado and over to Flaming Gorge National Recreation area in SW Wyoming. That's just fluff mostly.
Ultimately, I don't know of anything better or more amazing in the U.S. than the triple combo of Teton Naional Park, followed by Yellowstone National Park, followed by the Beartooth Highway. Hwy 212 runs out the NE gate of YNP through Silvergate and Cooke City. Hwy 212, the Beartooth Highway, is considered the #1 most scenic byway in the U.S. There isn't much like it. At least take it to Beartooth Pass if not a little beyond it. Then double back and exit through YNP at either Gardner or West Yellowstone, depending on your plans. I could easily add info after this, but want to focus on this specific idea for your trip. You could camp in Cooke City or anywhere along the Beartooth Highway. While in Cooke City you could go up Lulu Pass or Daisy Pass. Absolutely worth it by any standard. Depending on your rig, you could camp down at Lake Abundance which is on the other side of both Lulu and Daisy passes. The way down is the fun wheeling but the views are unreal. Both these passes are dirt roads which lead into the deepest backcountry spot accessible by vehicle in this part of the country to my knowledge. We went back there last summer with my 3 and 6 year old girls and they loved it.
Some things to throw in there are Virginia City, MT, Lemhi Pass (dirt) or Skalkaho Pass (dirt) both of which will lead you up to the Bitterroot Valley just south of Missoula, MT. I'd suggest Hwy 12 from Lolo MT over to Lewiston, ID or, better yet, take the Magruder Corridor (100+ miles of dirt road) from Darby, MT to Elk City, ID and onward to Lewiston, ID. You can take hwy or add another 50 miles of dirt and go north to Lowell, intercepting Hwy 12. That's all serious stuff, remote, etc... Or, if you have the time, of course you should work your way up to Glacier National Park after the "big 3". I could offer at least 1/2 dozen options for that, all of which would keep you off the interstate. From Glacier NP you could navigate across to Leavenworth staying north of I-90.
Hope you have a fun and safe trip. Please feel free to tap me for more info or details on this "area" as I know it pretty well.
- Thread starter
- #8
Awesome! Thank you guys so much for the input. We are counting down the days to our departure, and are putting all of these ideas in a file by state. We are going to get on the road and pick our route as we go. We will definitely hit some of the recommended areas! Keep the ideas coming.
As for Cali, we will be doing the lost coast headed south. The redwoods are also on the list. Don't know how far south we will go from there. Thanks for the offer of the shower and laundry, we may take you up on it!
As for Cali, we will be doing the lost coast headed south. The redwoods are also on the list. Don't know how far south we will go from there. Thanks for the offer of the shower and laundry, we may take you up on it!
Lol, feel free to swing by Missoula for domestic services too!
What's going on with the trip? Pics? what rout did you end up doing. im in fl and wanting to do the same trip next spring. any info would be appreciated.
No off road adventures but I've got lots of pics and info on my blog from our 2009 trip around the west in our Tundra and trailer - Travels with Tango