Lori D. Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 In Utah? In Oregon? In California? We're taking about 18 days in April to travel through Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California. Beyond the driving, we'll only have one full day to explore something in Utah -- and again, one full day other than traveling in each of Oregon, and again one full day to see something in California outside of driving time -- as most of our time will be spent with friends/family in Idaho and then in Seattle. But since we'll be "passing through" -- what should we see?? Excited to hear your recommendations, ladies! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Yosemite would be my first choice. A day is not nearly enough, but at least you could see it. The Redwoods (you have a lot of choices of state parks) would be another choice. The coast is another option. There are many, many gorgeous beaches on the central/north coast. hth, Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 We're headed to Yosemite this June/July. LA to Kings Canyon, to Sequoia, to Yosemite and then east through Death Valley. Being from the east coast we all want to see the Pacific. Where though? What would be on your short list for Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite? Thanks, Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 In California, I'd say Yosemite, too..... In Oregon, I'd try to see a temperate rain forest. Or perhaps go to Mt. Hood..... In Utah, there are many parks that are gorgeous as it's red rock country: Bryce Canyon is great, but so are many of the others..... Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 In Utah my favorite place is the Arches National Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Well we did an awesome weeklong vacation in Oregon last fall, driving the entire coast, doing some of the middle, and even making it to the Redwoods in California. Where are you starting from? Are you flying into a location and renting a car? Where do you have to end up? It's less than 2 hours from Portland, OR to the coast, so you absolutely don't want to miss Mt. St. Helens and the various waterfalls on the Columbia River. The coast itself is INCREDIBLY scenic and you'll want to drive it, even if the interior of Oregon would be faster. There are points on the coast where you can pull over and watch the whales for free, see caves, etc. The lower part of the Oregon coast is boring but there's an awesome pizza shop not to be missed just an hour north of the redwoods. Ok, I got out my Frommer's Guide and will try to pull some names and places for you. These are the best of the best, the places not to be missed. -Lewis & Clark stuff--There's a museum on the WA side that's supposed to be really good. -Cross the bridge into Astoria where you can see sea lions on the docks up close and personal, way cool. Climb the Astoria Column to get an awesome view. (neither of these takes very long, but they're AMAZING) -If you're coming in from Portland, you could drive up and do those two things or skip. They're worth doing if they're on your way. -Camp 18 Restaurant--This is on the way from Portland to the coast and pretty close if you're driving down 101. You MUST eat breakfast here, oh my! The cinnamon rolls are out of this world!! Cinnamon rolls are a big thing in OR, btw, along with berries. Everybody seems to have their version, but the ones at Camp 18 are worth driving out of your way for. -Tidal Raves--this restaurant in Depoe Bay was the BEST food we ate on the entire coast, and believe me we sampled around, lol. Lunch is affordable and for supper you'll need reservations. Don't bother with a whale tour unless you have a sturdy stomach. You can see the whales for free farther down the coast. -Portland-Well, Portland wasn't very interesting to us, sorry, but from there you can take an airplane tour of Mt. St. Helens that will be UNFORGETTABLE, oh my. http://www.ccavn.com/ This is the man we flew with. You need reservations. Pay through the nose and do it. He gets you right up close and explains everything. To actually drive to Mt. St. Helens would take hours on windy roads, walking, blah blah, and still not get you so close. From Portland (which remember is basically 1:45 from the coast, not bad) you can fly, do the tour of Mt. St. Helens, eat at Tad's Chicken n' Dumplings (plan to share, the orders are huge!), and drive the Columbia Gorge, stopping to hike to each of the falls, culminating in the Multinomah Falls, the #1 tourist destination in the state. I almost skipped the falls on our itinterary, and afterward was so glad we did them. They're amazing, can easily combine with other things in a day, and really give you a good sense of the region. We drove from the coast into Portland, flew Mt. St. Helens, hiked most of the falls in the Gorge before the dam, then drove back to the coast, all in one day. Granted that was insane, hehe, but our plans got changed at the last minute. Would have been better to have started or ended the day in Portland. ;) -aquariums-Now the big one is in Newport and supposed to be great, but there are only so many days in a week. Would have been nice to do. We fed the seals at the small one in Seaside and that was crazy fun, totally worth the money, and helped us understand the ecology of the area enough that we could appreciate what we were seeing in the tide pools. -tide pools--The best ones we saw on the entire coast were at a lighthouse, but I'd have to look up which one. It was south of Seaside. They were huge, amazing, not to be missed. The colors and critters are unbelievable. -places to stay--There are lots of great places to stay, but obviously being on the beach is a treat. -Jerry's Rogue Jets, Rogue River tour--SO crazy fun. You'll be glad you did. -pizza--I'll have to find the name of that pizza place. It was a chain and the one we ate at was about 45 minutes north of the redwoods. I guess you have to decide what you want to do. It's easy to spend a lot of time in the car and not have much fun. If you part of WA, drive the coast of OR, then just do some of northern CA, that would be more fun than trying to go further but see less, kwim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Bryce and Zion National Park in Utah. There's also a BIG copper mine near Provo. Along the Coast, you should see the sequoia trees and there is alot of Lewis and Clark Stuff along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 In Oregon we love Crater Lake or the Columbia river Gorge. I would vote for Crater Lake. And in California, either the redwoods or Yosemite I guess, the redwoods would be closer to Oregon. Sounds fun! We took a long road trip with lots of camping years ago but we didn't make it to Utah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Ooh I like this thread. I grew up in California's Central Valley and agree with votes for Yosemite, but Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park is also cool--we went last summer for the first time since I was a kid. Must do's (for Blue Hen/Carole): climb to the top of Moro Rock (using the stairs--took my dh and dd's maybe half an hour up and down)--amazing view. Do the Big Trees Trail--markers explain what the Sequoia Trees need to grow (and it's paved--nice if you have someone in a wheel chair). Definitely see General Sherman--most massive tree in the world though not the tallest. That's when we ran out of time, but you can continue on General's Highway and see General Grant and end up in Kings Canyon I believe?? In Yosemite, you definitely want to go to Yosemite Valley. Stop at Tunnel View if you're coming in from the south. Definitely want to see Half Dome. The falls probably aren't as spectacular in summer (we were there 3 years ago this month and they were amazing), but you would still want to see them. In Oregon, if by chance you are driving from the east, there are some very cool places to stop where you can see ruts from Oregon Trail wagons--a must for any home schooler! Very nice Oregon Trail museum near Baker City with clear ruts nearby. Blue Mountain Pass (I think that's the name) has great ruts too. Whitman Mission is about an hour north of Pendleton OR, up in WA. All of this is great if you are already driving that way. If you aren't, OhElizabeth has mentioned other great stuff (and some I didn't know about). I would second Mt. St. Helens. Have never done the airplane thing, but did the ground route 15 years ago--very nice museums. Oh and I'll second the Lewis and Clark stuff and mention Ft. Clatsop near Astoria where Lewis and Clark wintered 200 years ago. Very nice visitor's center and fort re-creation there. Have a wonderful trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 We got a travel trailer recently, and so we'll be able to stay at campgrounds or RV parks, and keep the cost down in lodging and on making lunches/dinners. Our general plan is this: Arizona: - 1 day driving across - 1 day at Grand Canyon Utah: - 1 day driving across - 1 day to see something Idaho - 1 day driving across - 2 days in Coer d'Alene Washington - 1 day driving across - 4 days in Seattle/environs Oregon - 1 day driving across (we planned on the Pacific Coast Highway south) - 1 day to see something California - 1 day driving across (continuing down Pacific Coast Highway) - 1 day at Magic Mountain - 1 day to see something So excited, what with all the cool sights you are all mentioning! Anything else?! Gratefully, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Monument Valley, UT is Awesome! They have half-day or whole day guided tours you can take. The staff at the hotel is very courteous, and the food is good. The rooms are clean. Dh and I had a great time there a couple years ago. Oh, and if you love John Wayne, it's a must-see. He and Ford made many movies there, and they have some of the original buildings used in one of them (brain won't let me recall title). Anyway, check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Lori, I hate to say this, but I'll give you the advice someone gave me before our Oregon trip. You want to do a reality check on all those driving times. For instance, on the Oregon coast, you honestly don't want to drive it in one day. You really don't want to even drive it in two days. You might as well SKIP it rather than do that. You're going to have serious butt rash and no fun. The roads wind and are SO scenic. Now take Arizona. We did Arizona two years ago and I LOVED it there, oh my. Like I'd move out today in a HEARTBEAT. When you do the Grand Canyon, you need to drive up 45 minutes north to Tuba and see the dinosaur tracks. It doesn't take long but it was SO cool. Spend the night in Flagstaff. Next morning get up crazy early (roads are empty, you'll fly) and take the highway over to Hoover Dam. I'd continue on into California, hitting TWO, maybe two things on the way up to see the redwoods. Trees are trees. We saw the redwoods at the northernmost tip of the state. Now there are redwoods all the way up and down, but the ones another poster described, with the wonderful trail that's handicapped accessible (read especially easy for mom and weary kids) is very, very nice. You only need to see so many of these trees to have the experience, kwim? 3-4 hours is plenty of time. night before-leave early, drive across arizona (you're only talking 2-3 hours) and at least get to flagstaff. Day1-sunrise at the grand canyon, late/2nd breakfast at the main lodge there (get something with prickly pear!), do the length of the canyon, walking each of the stops which takes a couple hours, hike a little, eat supper at the Indian Trading Post and go see the dinosaur tracks in Tuba (all this is in the Frommer's Guide for AZ), go to bed early Day 2-rise EARLY and make it to Hoover Dam. Let everybody tour the museum there, plan say 1 1/2 hours. Eat lunch in the little town there. Drive into CA and arrive at whatever your destination is for the next day. Day3-Do your CA destination, eat supper, and drive to the next destination. Day4-Do your next destination and redwoods. We enjoyed the ones in the northernmost part, entering at Crescent City. Drive into Oregon and eat supper at that pizza place (I've lost the name, but you'll drive by it.) Now that was 3 days in CA, but you want to make a CA thread and ask the locals to tell you about the traffic on your prospective routes. It could take even longer than that, don't know. I know they told me around the Seattle area the traffic is UNBELIEVABLE and I'm guessing it's that way in CA. Even Oregon, because it's so winding, takes hours to do something that looks a lot faster, something the internet tells you is really fast. Believe me, it ain't! Day 5-The Rogue River boat trips don't start till May, just checked, so you have to miss those. To make up for it, eat at the Indian Creek Cafe. It's listed in the Frommer's Guide for Oregon. In fact, this place has a campground where you might like the stay. The breakfast was affordable and quite hearty. After breakfast, drive up the road to see the world's largest myrtle tree. On your way up from the redwoods, you drove past several shops selling myrtle tree stuff. Stop and buy something, do your christmas shopping. :) Oregon is all about tree hugging. You've seen the redwoods, now myrtles. Farther up the coast you're going to stop and see more of the world's largest this or that tree. This is the place to become a tree hugger! Now get back on 101 and start driving north. This is a very dramatic stretch of the coast but not as impressive as it gets. Stop if you want but keep going! There was a monolith on the ocean side of the road, I THINK it was near Humbug, which when you took the time to walk up to it had this stunning cave. I can't remember the name, but you'll drive by it and can stop if you want. It had good tide pools too. In Bandon, follow the signs to go over to the beach and see the large monoliths (Face Rock, etc.). Don't spend a ton of time, but they're worth seeing. There are some nice restaurants in the downtown/waterfront area where you could eat lunch. Keep going! Make it your intent to get to the Coos Bay area soon and follow the signs till you find the Cape Arago State Parks. The views are absolutely some of the BEST on the coast and NOT to be missed. You'll see whales feeding, and the whole thing is stunningly beautiful. It takes time, but you'll be glad you did. As you drive through Coos Bay, turn on your Ray Stevens song about the barber. Take picture with sign (ok, only we had to do that, haha). By now it's mid-afternoon. If you keep going toward Florence, you can stay at the dunes there. I don't know what the weather will be like in April, but they're very nice dunes and have places to camp, etc. I think. I would spend the night there. Day 6-Wake up early and drive from Florence to Newport. Do the aquarium or take a whale watching/educational tour. The museum endorses a particularly good one, if it runs that time of year. I didn't think Newport was that amazing, so I'd only spend 1/2 a day there and keep going. Some of the stuff tourists gawk at (sea lions, etc.) are much more impressive, natural, and up close farther up the coast AND it's more scenic farther north. Don't bother with the Ripley's museum or the silly tourist attractions, personal opinion. (waste of money, ask me how I know). Spend the afternoon in Lincoln City doing touristy things, eat supper at Tidal Raves in Depoe Bay (you'll NEED a reservation), then drive into Portland to wherever you want to spend the night. (2 hour drive?) Day 7-Mt. St. Helens flying tour (trust me, you'll be glad you did!!!) and the Columbia River Gorge, hiking to each of the falls. The airport and the gorge are really close and once you're on the scenic highway, you just pull off whereever you want. After you are done with all those falls, which will include Multonomah, use the highway to get back to Portland faster, hehe. Find some place to stay between Portland and Cannon Beach. Day 8-Go see the elk (this is in the Frommer's Guide, very cool, complete with radio announcer who tells you all about it, how they are re-establishing the population across the country with this program, etc.), then eat breakfast at Camp 18. Now from this point, you're going to go north. There are some things like fields with cows and cheese farms, but I guess being in Ohio that didn't particularly interest me. ;) Drive north and pull over every time it's scenic. In Seaside feed the seals. In Astoria climb the column and see the sea lions on the dock where the fishing boats are. Cross the bridge and go to the Lewis & Clark stuff. Astoria has a famous umbrella store you might want to stop at and there's a fort there my dh found particularly engaging. It only took about an hour to tour (I called in advance to check the bus tour times), but it really opened up the history nature of the area. You've driven by a number of nice lighthouses on this trek along the coast. Your Frommer's guide will label them and rank with stars. Stop at anything with 2 stars basically. You're now within 90 minutes of Seattle (as far as I know), so find your place to stay. Days 9-12--visit with friends. There are boat tours up the WA coast you might like and there's a Boeing factory to tour. The traffic is supposed to be very heavy, but your relatives there know this. Day 13-drive across WA (ask locals whether this is realistic) Days 14-15-visit with relatives in ID Day 16-18--drive, stopping to see something in Utah to be cont... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 You can't drive the Oregon coast in one day because the roads are windy. Also, if it's not a major road on your map, you don't want to do it. Honestly and truly, the roads in Oregon are the most hair-raising, winding, extreme things I've ever seen. There are spartan few railings, and I came back from there a nervous wreck!! Don't find your route based on google or yahoo maps, because it sends you across narrow, winding back roads that it turns out even the LOCALS know better than to take! If it's not on your Rand McNally, you don't want to be on it with a trailer in OR, personal opinion. Well that was a real rabbit trail. Anyways, CA and OR both have a lot to offer. I was born in CA but haven't been there much since, meaning I'm not any help. What I gave you was a nice itinerary for OR that would let you see the major things of the state. We flew over Crater Lake, and while it's dramatic, I think it's more something that's enjoyable if you want to hike and do nature. If you're just a looker, like me, and wanting something pretty to look at, then I'd stick to the coast. And really, once you've done Oregon the way I've described, you'll probably feel like you've seen enough of the state, whereas some place like CA you'd could probably go back to again and again without exhausting it, because it's so big and diverse. And since you have family in these areas, you may very well go back another time. Like if you went back toward Idaho, you could do those Oregon Trail wheel rutts and Hells Canyon. But the coast is better, jmpersonal opinion. So with places like Oregon, you really don't want to drive it in one day. Not only is it too far with the winding roads, but the whole enjoyment is how scenic it is. If you just drive, you WON'T enjoy your trip. The pace I described above is on-par with what we did on our trip, maybe a little less. We did a lot of driving, and I have to say, in my experience, the more driving you do the less DOING you're going to do. So find that balance. In my personal opinion, I'd suggest a max of 4-5 hours of driving a day (2 hours in the morning to get to the next thing, 2 hours in the evening) and spending the day actually doing things. Any more than that and you get fat with all those cinnamon rolls, hehe. And definitely invest in Frommer's Guides for every single state you plan to visit. I know it's a bundle, but you'll find the best restaurants (both $$ and affordable), places to stay, rankings on sites so you can skip the ones that aren't as good knowing a better one is up the road, etc. BTW, when you come through AZ, I'm not sure the direction you're coming from, but the 4 Corners area is stunning and so is Montezuma's Castle. With the latter, it's an easy 1 hour stop on the way up from Pheonix. So your guides are handy because they help you find little things like that to enjoy on the way, not to mention the best restaurants, etc. Have fun on your trip!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristiana Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I agree Monument Valley is awesome, but Bryce Canyon is by far my favorite of our parks! My 2nd is Kolob Canyon, a gorgeous one mile drive off of I-15, it's technically part of Zion's but doesn't connect to any of the rest of it. All of southern Utah is gorgeous for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Knowing that you are traveling on the OR coast with a trailer, I'll just mention that there are many many wonderful state park campgrounds. A few good ones: Fort Stevens near Astoria and Fort Clatsop (there's a real ship wreck on the beach nearby), South Beach near Newport, and Tugman further south near Coos Bay. Actually probably any of them are good! Here's the link to find out more: http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/index.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisawa Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 How exiting!! If you are traveling the pacific coast High way ( 101 ) you will be in for a treat and probably able to fit more than just one thing in.... its all connected and it will be hard for you to just drive by.... Begining on hwy 101 and head to Lewis and Clark interpretive center then continue on down 101 croos the Astoria bridge and see the Astro tower. Here is another link... to my blog.... its a post about our road trip last year... we went to the Astro tower and the Lewis and Clark Fort just past Astoria and just before Seaside Oregon. Koinonia Academy Road trip. Fort clatsop is a great stop! You will see a little about that in my post as well. Not to far from that you will find Fort Stevens State park. This is one of my all time favorite State parks. As you travle down 101 you can see the sea lion caves and move right into the Red woods of California! traveling 101 is a great road trip... lots to see and do.... Im a tad envious... I would love to travle all the way thorugh... we have only done this once... RyLee was 3 or 4 I think... so it would have been 7 1/2 - 8 1/2 years ago.... Have fun! I hope you post all about it when you return! What great memories..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisawa Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Knowing that you are traveling on the OR coast with a trailer, I'll just mention that there are many many wonderful state park campgrounds. A few good ones: Fort Stevens near Astoria and Fort Clatsop (there's a real ship wreck on the beach nearby), South Beach near Newport, and Tugman further south near Coos Bay. Actually probably any of them are good! Here's the link to find out more: http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/index.shtml Great minds think a like! We love Fort Stevens! I linked the park to my post and it shoes a picture of the shipwrek... Its a great park... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate CA Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Yosemite would be my first choice. A day is not nearly enough, but at least you could see it. The Redwoods (you have a lot of choices of state parks) would be another choice. The coast is another option. There are many, many gorgeous beaches on the central/north coast. hth, Shannon I could have written these exact words. :) Yosemite first choice - Redwoods are *not* to be missed. They are so lovely. Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Wah! I wanna see it ALL! And we only have limited days! DH is trying to get 2 more days off so we can extend the trip to 20 days -- but, we are committed to the longer stays in Seattle and Coer d'Alene, and it just takes so much time driving... I do appreciate your comments! : ) We were mostly planning on driving 4-5 hours in a day as you said; I was just simplifying the trip in writing out the "big picture" how much time overall was needed for driving. I was thinking that once I got all the cool ideas from all the ladies here, I'd also look to see if there were any letterboxing sites near any of them. Any cool letterboxes in Seattle that we shouldn't miss, anyone?? Thanks so much ladies for helping us plan our trip! : ) Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I live in Oregon and I would have to agree with those who caution about driving the coast road (we call it 'the 101') if you are on a tight schedule. It is VERY slow going and certain parts are more scenic than others. Google maps and mapquest are notorious about using gravel logging roads across the mountain ranges! Using major roads when you cross the ranges save lots of time (and keeps the stress level in check!) If you are trying to hit the redwoods in North CA, I suggest traveling on I-5 to Grant's Pass, cut over to the coast road, and do the coast road up to Bandon, Oregon, then go inland on Hwy 42 to Roseburg and get on I-5 to Portland area (saves many hours!). You get to see many different ecosystems and lots of pioneer history. Bandon has a lovely campground called Bullards Beach. It is (in my opinion) the most accessible small town on the south coast and has more grocery, etc. than other south coast towns. If you do that route, go to 'The Crazy Norwegian' in Port Orford for lunch... best fish and chips on the south coast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Bryce and Zion National Park in Utah. There's also a BIG copper mine near Provo. Along the Coast, you should see the sequoia trees and there is alot of Lewis and Clark Stuff along the way. YES!! I would ditto what Cin said. My very favorite was Bryce Canyon. Amazing. The copper mine was also cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina in WA Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Haven't read all the choices and I am sure there are a ton of wonderful places to visit. I just wanted to add a silly one... When dh was a little kid and his family was traveling back here from the East Coast, he was in charge of reading the map. :) Well he spotted a place on the map in Idaho called the Balanced Rock. So the family took the deter to go and visit this rock. Back then it wasn't well labeled and they just "guessed" that was it. When DH and I were making a trip in that direction, he just "had" to go and see it again. So we did. It is very well labeled now. :D And we took pictures of him all growed :) up to go with the one when he was a little boy. We have been there 2 times during our marriage. It isn't any place fancy, just a hole in the wall attraction with a neat rock formation. If you are traveling in the vicinity and need a quick rest stop, check out the rock. You can even climb up to it, etc. Here is a link: http://www.visitidaho.org/thingstodo/view-attraction.aspx?id=30815 Have a safe and wonderful trip! ~Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 For something unique and amazing, I'd spend a day in southern Utah, at one of the beautiful parks. There are many and they're all lovely. Realize that Utah is a BIG state and that many of the parks are huge. You'll spend all your time driving if you try to do too much. :) Arches is probably my top recc. if you only have one day. So pretty. . . and manageable size as well. You can pick a nice route and see really lovely stuff in a half day hike (or even shorter if you can't handle a half day.) Capitol Reef is also great. . . Not as dramatic as Arches or Bryce, but less travelled and very beautiful in its own right. Bryce is very dramatic (and very different from Arches) and you can see a lot in an hour or so -- and even from the road! -- so if you can plan your route so you're driving by, swing into Bryce for a detour -- an hours' hike will break up the day and be BEAUTIFUL. Zion is just huge. I've spent a good bit of time camping & hiking there but I don't recall it being as dramatic as Arches or Bryce. Maybe just b/c it is sooo big or maybe we were just in quieter areas (fishing canyons, etc.) If you're up for a touch of luxury on your trip, I HIGHLY recc The Lodge at Red River Ranch http://www.redriverranch.com/. It's amazing. They have some restrictions on kids, so call and talk to them about your family if you want to try it. SOOOO beautiful and an amazing location -- a good base camp to see Capitol Reef, etc. Very nice people there. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Washington - 1 day driving across - 4 days in Seattle/environs Dry Falls is place to check out halfway across Wa. Good place to stop the car and let kiddos run about. A ferry trip up to the San Juans, eagles and a whale museum. Or over to Port Townsend...great food and a nice history museum. If you go to Portland, consider the non-nature stop of Powell's books. Think huge urban car dealership now a bookstore...whole city block. If you've never been to a Japanese garden, there are similar ones in Seattle and Portland. If you are looking for a nice hike that is a couple of miles but not steep, Lake Cushman on the Olympic Penn. is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cami in UT Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I agree with all the Southern Utah sites those are really nice. I like Capital Reef. If you are coming from Grand Canyon area then Arches is going to a few hours(I'm thinking at least 2 hours from I-15) out of the way just to get there. For Northern Utah: #1 Timpanogoes Cave in Provo Canyon is a nice hike and then a tour through the cave. #2 Bingham Copper Mine it is actually in the mountains on the west side of Salt Lake City. It is really specatular. #3 This is the Place State Park. This one is just out of downtown Salt Lake. It has a pioneer village. I think all of the homes are actually orginal homes from Salt Lake. Hogle Zoo is right across the street but I'm told that it is a small zoo. #4 Temple Square. There is always Temple Square in Salt Lake City. But April the tulips and daffodil are out and really pretty. If you can get a tour of the Conference Center that is really cool to go into and see how big it is. #5 Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake. There is a causeway to get to the island from Syracuse, north of Salt Lake. There are wild buffalo herds on the island and one of the homesteads has been restored. #6 Golden Spike National Historic Site. This is a little farther off I-15 on the north side of the Great Salt Lake. This is where the railroads met to form the transcontinental railroad. I'm not sure if they have the daily recreation of the event going in April. #7 American West Heritage Center in Logan. But this might just be open during the summer months. So there are a few more ideas. P.S. So I totally missed the "natural wonder" thing although I did include a cave. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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