Need a western trip

[Marvin]

<p >A couple of years ago we went on a driving trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyon de Chelley, Page etc. Great trip.</p>

<p >I'd like to take another western trip e.g., - Yellowstone. But what else to do using that part of the country?<br /></p>

<p >Need some help in planning a driving trip.<br /></p>

[allenahale]

<p>Glacier National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, Jackson Hole, Museum of the Plains Indian for a start.<br>

If you go further west - Olympic National Park, Mt Ranier National Park, Mt St Helens.<br>

You could have a great driving vacation just touring the National Parks in California.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

Santa Fe.

[maury_cohen]

<p>California: Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoia, The Pacific Coast Highway (1).</p>

 

[dan_wolfgang]

<p>In addition to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Jackson Hole, there's just a lot of that area that is beautiful that is not specifically designated as a National Park. You can also go south a bit to Moab, Utah for Arches NP and Canyonlands NP.</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Based on the size of the area of your original trip west, my recommendation would be National Parks: Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole for scenery and wildlife, Yellowstone for wildlife and thermal features (and some scenery), and then Glacier for scenery and wildlife. If you still want to go farther west, you've gotten plenty of recommendations already, but I'd also suggest the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington-Oregon border, and the Pacific coast from the Olympic Peninsula to Santa Barbara, CA.</p>

 

[mariodennis]

<p>Central Coast of California from Morro Bay, north to Big Sur, Carmel/Monterey and Santa Cruz. Done it 4 times.<br>

New Mexico: White Sands, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Santa Fe, Taos (via low road and high road). Doing it in September.</p>

[User_6502147]

<p>It probably would help to know when you are traveling and for how long. Since I normally try to dodge the touristas, I would go to places like Lassen, Cascades, Redwoods, Crater Lake, Petrified Forest, etc. One can easily spend entire week on the coast of Oregon, or check out Banff/Jasper (No of the border)....not to mention a slew of regional/state parks. As you realize, the West offers massive amount of vistas. Enjoy whatever you choose.</p>

<p>Les</p>

[drjoder]

<p>If you want to really go someplace out of the way that doesn't get photographed a lot, try Highway 50 through Nevada and the Great Basin National Park. Don't know how that would fly with the family, though. Another awesome area is Utah--Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Zion. You could easily spend a lifetime in these latter areas and not scratch much beyond the surface.</p>

[greg_campbell1]

When?<br>

For how long?<br>

How much actual photography will you want to do?<br>

How much hiking, and how long for each walk?<br>

...

[david_henderson]

<p>You really do need to tell us when and how long. there's quite a lot you could see using Yellowstone as a primary destination, but a lot of it is seasonal (as indeed is Yellowstone itself if you want to get around most of the park). Try also and give some indication of pace- for example if you did the whole of your trip a couple of years back in a couple of weeks, you're a "highlights" kind of person and wouldn't need as long in Yellowstone as I would. </p>

<p>Having stayed in Santa Fe and Taos, the impression I formed of these places I know some people like- is that they're communities of shops, art studios and restaurants that happen mostly to be in adobe buildings. Yellowstone is far nicer scenically.</p>

<p> </p>

[Marvin]

<p>Thanks for all the good suggestions. Lots of destinations that I never even heard of.<br>

We might take about 2 weeks. Trying to dodge the tourist onslaught we were thinking about spring.<br>

I suppose that we were highlighting the parks that we visited some time ago. The trip guy at the AAA knew a lot about that part of the country and he suggested the amount of time to spend in each place (1 day or 2), comfortable driving distances, places to stay, etc. We were happy with his advice.<br>

We visited Yellowstone some years ago as part of an Elderhostel trip. It was not a satisfactory experience.</p>

[goldbergbarry]

<p>You may want to consider viewing the forums in Trip Advisor for ideas. They are helpful whenever I plan a trip.</p>

[J.W. Wall]

<p>You might consider the weather, as some places still have snow into June (or beyond!). <br /> Some ideas: The Olympic Peninsula is a great suggestion, if weather permits. (Hoh Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge, etc.) The Victorian-style town of Port Townsend is fun, also Fort Worden State Park there. Both Portland and Seattle have lots to see and do. If you're going to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, there's lots of waterfalls, historic Bonneville Dam, and the 1920's highway with Vista Point, then on to Portland OR. And the coast, if you have time. But it's a fairly long drive from Yellowstone....</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>As JW indicates its a long way from Yellowstone, and whilst I much enjoy the coast in the Pacific NW I think you're going to need to decide between Yellowstone and around and the California and Oregon coasts.</p>

<p>You could</p>

 

<ul>

<li>drive along the coast from San Francisco to Seattle, incorporating as much of the Olympic peninsula as your precise timing allows. Snow would/could easily prevent you from seeing some of the inland sights, depending when you go. But there's plenty on the coast to consume two weeks anyway.</li>

<li>Drive the Oregon coast north to Astoria, then turn along the Columbia valley for river scenery and waterfalls- especially if you're able to walk a bit. Again depending on your timing the apple & pear blossom near Hood River is spectacular , and you can access the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds , before heading up to Palouse Falls and further to the Palouse itself which is beautiful in spring. </li>

<li>You'd need to check the weather round Yellowstone to be sure that you'll not be driving and walking round the pools etc in snow, but IMO it takes a week to see Yellowstone decently and that's assuming you can get accommodation in the park, which might not be easy now. Around there, as others mention you have the Grand Teton NP . I have no idea when animals leave the meadows round Jackson and head out into the wilderness again. Otherwise Jackson is a shopping and eating centre that you can sightsee in an hour. I also quite like the area north of Yellowstone in southern Montana. I've no idea when in spring access to Glacier becomes comfortable. I've done most of this but in September/October albeit we had light snow at road level in Yellowstone and Montana. </li>

<li>My fourth and last brings some new areas in combination with some things you've seen before, though you don't seem to have spent a lot of time at the individual parks- so there should be new things to see at several of these in a circle centred on Las Vegas. This to include Death Valley, Valley of Fire, Zion, Grand Canyon, Petrified forest and Sedona</li>

</ul><div></div>

[rick_wong]

<p>another option after visiting Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons is to head east towards Devils Tower<br>

<img src="http://riwong.smugmug.com/Travel-Journal/2007-Roadtrip/i-Pbv5VSD/0/M/NM_DevilsTower_06082007_0001-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /><br>

if you have travel this far you should visit the Badlands...<br /> <img src="http://riwong.smugmug.com/Travel-Journal/2007-Roadtrip/i-532vbks/0/M/NP_Badlands_06092007_0600-Edit-M.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="398" /><br /> and close by Mt Rushmore with, Crazy Horse Memorial is just down the road. Heading back to Yellowstone there is the little bighorn battle field, cities like Cody WY., The Black Hills, Sturgis, and small towns that were a part of the wild west</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

This - http://www.desertusa.com/ - might have some useful info.

[joe_willmore]

<p>My wife and I did one of our honeymoons (we did 2 locations, one of which was Florida) by flying in to Salt Lake City, driving through Logan Canyon during October (aspens are spectacular when the leaves change), hitting Jackson Hole (water on the Snake River was low so rafting trips take on a whole new perspective, especially opportune for a photographer), then Yellowstone. That was a full week and we barely saw Yellowstone. Unless you're going to stay locked in your car and just do the loop, you'll need a minimum of a week for Yellowstone.<br>

If that doesn't work for you, than hit New Mexico. Lots of diversity there....White Sands, Albuquerque, Santa Fe....lots of good stuff.</p>

[charles_wood]

<p>You could spend multiple lifetimes photographing the American West. The landscapes, colors, seasons, are so varied, that's the reason so many photographers move to the West.</p>

[craig_gillette]

<p>California has been historically dry this winter. So there might be other locales that are more up to their usual conditions.</p>

[stanley_sizeler]

<p>Many of the higher altitude roads and passes in Glacier and Yellowstone NP, as well as Tioga Pass in Yosemite, are blocked by snow during the winter and open at varying times in Spring/Summer. The auto associations (AAA) and the individual Park offices will know what is open.<br /><br /></p>