whitestavern Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 A bit of a background: we've wanted to do a cross country trip for years. We were originally hoping to go for 6-8 weeks last fall, but it didn't materialize due to several factors. Now we are hoping to go this fall. DD will be ending her homeschooling journey in 2014 and we'd like to go off season, so this is kind of our last shot :) My original plan was a bit aggressive, both in terms of time and cost. So I'm revisiting our itinerary. We'd like to visit a few cities, a few national parks and as many historical destinations as we can. We have traveled the East Coast extensively so we won't be hitting anything in that region during this trip. Keeping in mind the no east coast, what would be your top 5: US Cities National parks Historical places And are there any awesome places that wouldn't fit into those three categories? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I'm much more familiar with the West than the East. Here's a partial list from this end of things: Cities: San Francisco Portland OR Chicago National Parks Yosemite Sequoia NP (CA) Yellowstone Bryce Canyon (UT, and a bit out of the way) Historical Places Oregon Trail stops (Baker City OR, Fort Clatsop OR are local favorites) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I don't know if your family is into this, but we love visiting places from books we've read. We get to the Midwest regularly and have seen three of the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes. So if you have a literary family, think about what would be fun based on books you've loved. I also think that considering how you approach various things is a good idea. For example, a few years ago we did a huge loop from the East Coast through MN and CO. We decided to go to CO first and then loop up to MN and back East. I was glad we did it that way because driving west across the Kansas prairie and suddenly seeing the Rockies loom up before us was an amazing experience. Depending on how much road tripping you've done, maybe you've done that. But it's a neat consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Top 5- 1. Yellowstone, 2. Redwood Nat'l Park,(or Sequoia Nat'l Park or Yosemite), 3. Glacier Nat'l Park, 4. Mount Rushmore, 5. Possibly the Grand Canyon, Umm, cities don't make my list, obviously. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Mount Rainier (that's where I'm hiking in my avatar! I LOVE it there.) Olympic National Park (Visit the Hoh Rain Forest as well as the coast -- the northern coast of Washington state is incredibly beautiful. If you've seen the terrible Twilight movies, it really is that beautiful.) Redwood National Park Glacier National Park Yellowstone As far as cities...San Francisco is a neat place to see. But I think the best cities are on the east coast. I'm an outdoor girl and none of the west coast cities are worth the money in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 National parks: Yosemite Yellowstone/Grand Tetons (easy to visit both as they are neighbors) Arches Mesa Verde (quick one--we spent part of 2 days there) Grand Canyon Historic sites: I'll have to come back to this. We like gold-mining towns, Dinosaur National Monument (awkward to get to), Golden Spike National Monument (I think that's the name----transcontinental railroad!), and things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Fun! We've done a couple trips like this. I can't narrow it to five. But, our favorites: Grand Canyon Slide Rock State Park Las Vegas, NV - okay. Cheesy. But, our entire family LOVED the free shows (skip the pirate show!). And, now we can say we've been there . . . Hoover Dam. AMAZING! Redwood National Park San Francisco - walk across the bridge! Petrified Forest Colorado. The entire state. Go there. We loved Denver and Rocky Mountain National Park (I think that's what it's called!). We stayed in ASpen off season and want to return. Salt Lake City and the salt flats. Gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 If you are going to fly instead of drive I would really recommend Alaska. It would be easy to spend 2 weeks or more without running out of things to do. Anchorage, Fairbanks, Talkeetna and Seward are all incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is beautiful! There are lots of waterfalls, beautiful beaches, vast woods. There are also some terrific man made places to visit. The Soo Locks, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Mackinaw Island is a great place to visit too, no cars, lots of fudge and plenty of history Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Adding... Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs area----Garden of the Gods is stunning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Adding... Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs area----Garden of the Gods is stunning! Love, love, LOVE Colorado Springs and Manitou! Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is wonderful (a zoo on the side of the mountain!), and is the drive along Pike's Peak. And Manitou Springs is a beautiful little town to walk around. Not really a place so much, but the drive between Flagstaff, AZ and Phoenix is a really beautiful drive, as is I-25 up from NM into Colorado Springs over the Raton Pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 We did a "big trip" a year and a half ago. It was amazing. I drove with dc from Michigan (which has lots of amazing places to see if you don't live here) to Seattle. On the way, we spent two nights at Laura Ingalls' homestead in South Dakota, drove through the badlands (another national park), stopped at Wall Drug, then two nights in the Black Hills (Custer state park), and two more at Yellowstone. Did I mention it was amazing? We had a great time. After picking up DH, and seeing a bit of Seattle (space needle, monorail, pike place market), we visited his family in Oregon, then drove down to Salt Lake City (the city and the lake are both super cool), then through Dinosaur National Monument (awesome even though the visitor center wasn't open), to Colorado Springs. I have some friends at the USAFA, so they took us to Garden of the Gods, around USAFA (they have some events open to the public). Driving through Kansas was tedious, but we stayed another couple nights in St Louis (the city museum is a must-see and my kids' favorite place in the entire world), then up through Illinois (nothing much to see) on the way home. It was great, took us almost a month, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I can't seem to organize my thoughts in top 5 lists, so I'll go another route. 1. East Coast - Boston, Philadelphia, D.C., Williamsburg, VA (we did this trip minus Boston and it was fabulous.) 2. West Coast - Up through CA, Oregon, Washington state. (We did the Washington state part of the trip - Seattle, Mt. Rainier, across to Spokane, then up through Cascade Mtns. and back to Seattle. It was spectacular.) I'd love to see the Redwood Forests some day. 3. The South/SW - Gulf Coast, through Texas, Arizona / Grand Canyon, Colorado Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Wow! Thanks so much for all these great suggestions! I'm bummed that there are so many great places and not enough time to see them all! No matter what I do I can't get this trip down to less than 6 weeks, and that is doing a LOT of long "drive" days. I may have to cut out CA and go from Yellowstone through Colorado (wasn't originally on our list, but quite a few of you suggested it) down through Utah to Grand Canyon. I'd hate to miss San Fran, Highway 1 and Yosemite though :sad: Anyway, thanks again and please keep the ideas coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKshanmar Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Hmmm... we did our big road trip from Alaska, around the Great Lakes (my kids loved Niagra Falls even though it is SOOO touristy!), up into New England, down the East Coast, to Florida, over to CO (where all dh's relatives are), back up through Wyoming, and Montana. Most of our highlights were on the East Coast... Other trips we have enjoyed Arizona, Sedona, is especially beautiful! Tuscon area is really different. I loved the Grand Canyon as a kid, as well as the Redwoods in CA. We just went to Mt Rushmore which was pretty impressive. How exciting and fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 If you're going to do Colorado, which is a good choice, I've always loved the drive through Glenwood Canyon. I-70 between Vail and Glenwood Springs is so pretty. You could stop for a swim in the natural springs of Glenwood Springs and be on your way. I think almost all of the mountain areas are beautiful. Maybe I'm biased but I think the mountains of Colorado are more interesting than Yellowstone. I wouldn't rate these as destinations but more like interesting stops along the way that you may not be aware of. 1. Connor Prairie outside of Indianapolis. They do a wonderful reenactment job of westward expansion. 2. There is a place just south of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan that is designated a no light pollution area or something like that. What it means is that you get to see a lot of stars. If you've never experienced night in a place without light pollution I think it would be an incredible experience. I've never been there but I would like to. I did grow up in an area that allowed me to see some stars so I know what I've been missing my adult life. 3. St Augustine. This one is popular but it is really neat and probably outside the scope of your trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 We've done many 2-3 week road trips over several years. Just brainstorming the ones that stick out in my mind that my kids mention on a regular basis ... Carlsbad Cavern, NM Yosemite NP Rocky Mountain NP Grand Canyon NP (Sedona is a reasonable drive from the south rim) Hoover Dam Zion NP/Bryce Canyon NP/Arches/Canyonlands - lots of great stops in southern Utah Washington DC Gettysburg Smoky Mountains Mount Rushmore NM (Jewel Cave/Wind Cave, Custer State Park are accessabile from this area. Devil's Tower NP in Wyoming is not too far either) Badlands NP (my kids all time favorite for some reason. Not recommended in high heat). Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola, FL was in an interesting destination driving hwy101 in CA - Redwoods Gateway arch/Westward Expansion Museum, St. Louis MO ETA - since I'm from the upper midwest, I'm also going to put a random plug in for Door County, WI Ely, MN (gateway to the boundary water canoe area wilderness/National Forest). Duluth is in range here too. :D I just want to plan a trip now and we just got back from a road trip in January! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Arches National Park Colorado Springs Devil's Tower, WY Grand Canyon Yellowstone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 We've done a couple of these trips in the west and absolutely loved them. Top 5 Cities? Can't help you there. We purposely avoid cities. The only one that might make my Top 5 isn't in the west (DC). Top 5 National Parks - only 5??? Are you serious??? Some (more than 5) we've loved have been: -Yellowstone NP (everyone's #1 - you can spend a ton of time here if you're into hiking) -Badlands NP (this one is stunning, but you don't need a lot of time - one full day if wanting to do some hiking, less if not) -Sequoia NP (the trees are incredible...be sure to do at least one small hike - Congress Trail or similar don't need a ton of time, which to me, means one full day) -Bryce NP (absolutely stunning again - hike down Wall St and around to the other side - don't need a ton of time) -Carlsbad Caverns (allow one day and hike in rather than using the elevator - the ranger told us we'd be spoiled after Carlsbad and would forever be comparing caverns to it. We scoffed. He was right.) -Mesa Verde (allow at least one day and do some guided tours) -Chaco Canyon (this one might be out of your range, but we loved it) -Arches (stunning again) -Mt St Helens (nothing like seeing an exploded, still breathing, volcano) I'll quit here, but I could add Zion, Glacier, Crater Lake, Yosemite and a few others if you're in the neighborhood. They just weren't our "top." Note too that compared to the others, the Grand Canyon doesn't make our top anything... it's neat to see, but since you've seen it in countless pictures, commercials, and elsewhere once you get there you marvel and say, "Yep, that's it." These other places aren't seen quite so often so are spectacular to the eyes and brain leaving the true nature lover going, "WOW!". Historical Places? Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon could fit here. The Westward Expansion museum under the St Louis Arch is also nice. At the "still being built" Crazy Horse monument they have a really nice American Indian museum. No matter where you go, ENJOY your trip! I'd live on the road if we could. I absolutely love traveling and seeing new places (well, except cities). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I'll add a few more places that haven't been said in the lower 48. The Florida Keys, Austin TX, San Antonio TX, Padre Island TX, white water rafting on the New River in WV, Black Water Falls in WV, Deception Pass and Anacortes in Washington State Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkd Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Washington DC Denver CO Seattle WA San Francisco CA Chicago IL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 You guys are NOT helping me at all. We are trying to plan a big trip out west but really 3 weeks will be the MAX. There are just too many things to see/do and you all keep adding more and more that could go on our list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Oh, the Oregon Vortex! I've never been, but it looks really neat (I've seen TV specials about it). Great place to discuss the science of optical illusions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 We did a "big trip" a year and a half ago. It was amazing. I drove with dc from Michigan (which has lots of amazing places to see if you don't live here) to Seattle. On the way, we spent two nights at Laura Ingalls' homestead in South Dakota, drove through the badlands (another national park), stopped at Wall Drug, then two nights in the Black Hills (Custer state park), and two more at Yellowstone. Did I mention it was amazing? We had a great time. After picking up DH, and seeing a bit of Seattle (space needle, monorail, pike place market), we visited his family in Oregon, then drove down to Salt Lake City (the city and the lake are both super cool), then through Dinosaur National Monument (awesome even though the visitor center wasn't open), to Colorado Springs. I have some friends at the USAFA, so they took us to Garden of the Gods, around USAFA (they have some events open to the public). Driving through Kansas was tedious, but we stayed another couple nights in St Louis (the city museum is a must-see and my kids' favorite place in the entire world), then up through Illinois (nothing much to see) on the way home. It was great, took us almost a month, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I haven't been to all fifty states, but, so far, I have to say that I think that South Dakota is the most underappreciated state in the union. We joke about retiring to the Black Hills. We did this exact same loop except with the East Coast at one side rather than the West Coast. Driving through Kansas would probably be torture if you had to do it a lot but we just loved it once. I'd do it again, too. We parked the car a couple of times just to get out and say . . . wow. There is nothing here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 top 5? cross country? yikes. here are ours for the western bit. wow that's hard. 1. yosemite (also numbers 2-5 ;) 2. dinosaur national monument 3. mesa verda 4. yellowstone 5. san francisco have fun, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 You guys are NOT helping me at all. We are trying to plan a big trip out west but really 3 weeks will be the MAX. There are just too many things to see/do and you all keep adding more and more that could go on our list. I know, right? I have almost 6 weeks and am having a seriously difficult time. I was able to cut off about 5 days by skipping CA and NV and possibly Grand Canyon. The consensus seems to be it won't be a huge thing to miss if we are doing other NPs, especially Bryce. So here are my latest thoughts: CT-to Niagara Falls (wouldn't normally stop here, but it's the best route to Chicago according to Google Maps so might as well. DH and the kids have not seen it yet anyway) Niagara Falls to Chicago (love this city and we have friends here) Chicago to SD (hitting Badlands, Custer SP, Black Hills area) SD to WY (hitting Cody then Yellowstone area) WY to UT (hitting SLC and Moab area then down to Zion/Bryce) UT to CO to Santa Fe (Mesa Verde area of CO; have friends in SF) Santa Fe back into CO (Great Sand Dunes--not sure where else yet) After that we'll basically be heading for my sister's in Morgantown, WV, stopping in Kansas City and St. Louis. I'm hoping we can keep this to about 6 weeks. It's difficult trying to figure out how long we'll be at each place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Chicago to SD (hitting Badlands, Custer SP, Black Hills area) SD to WY (hitting Cody then Yellowstone area) WY to UT (hitting SLC and Moab area then down to Zion/Bryce) UT to CO to Santa Fe (Mesa Verde area of CO; have friends in SF) Santa Fe back into CO (Great Sand Dunes--not sure where else yet) After that we'll basically be heading for my sister's in Morgantown, WV, stopping in Kansas City and St. Louis. I'm hoping we can keep this to about 6 weeks. It's difficult trying to figure out how long we'll be at each place. You don't need to do Custer and Yellowstone as the large animals at Custer are also at Yellowstone. Yellowstone is the better one between the two as it also has the geothermals to enjoy. If pressed for time, skip Custer. If skipping Yellowstone (that might be a crime ;) ), then see the critters at Custer. Be sure to take the route to see Devil's Tower on your way to Yellowstone. It's a great stretch break as there is a hiking path around the tower if you have time. It doesn't take all day to do either. There's also a Prairie Dog village on your way in - good for a couple of cute pics. Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I haven't been to all fifty states, but, so far, I have to say that I think that South Dakota is the most underappreciated state in the union. I totally agree! Guess which state I live in?! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 You guys are NOT helping me at all. We are trying to plan a big trip out west but really 3 weeks will be the MAX. There are just too many things to see/do and you all keep adding more and more that could go on our list. That's the worst of it! You simply have to commit to "taking another trip real soon" to allow yourself to save some destinations for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I know, right? I have almost 6 weeks and am having a seriously difficult time. I was able to cut off about 5 days by skipping CA and NV and possibly Grand Canyon. The consensus seems to be it won't be a huge thing to miss if we are doing other NPs, especially Bryce. So here are my latest thoughts: CT-to Niagara Falls (wouldn't normally stop here, but it's the best route to Chicago according to Google Maps so might as well. DH and the kids have not seen it yet anyway) Niagara Falls to Chicago (love this city and we have friends here) Chicago to SD (hitting Badlands, Custer SP, Black Hills area) SD to WY (hitting Cody then Yellowstone area) WY to UT (hitting SLC and Moab area then down to Zion/Bryce) UT to CO to Santa Fe (Mesa Verde area of CO; have friends in SF) Santa Fe back into CO (Great Sand Dunes--not sure where else yet) After that we'll basically be heading for my sister's in Morgantown, WV, stopping in Kansas City and St. Louis. I'm hoping we can keep this to about 6 weeks. It's difficult trying to figure out how long we'll be at each place. You know about needing passports for that northern route to Chicago, right? We'd love to change up our annual trips to the Midwest by going that way but passports for the whole family is killing us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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